Because of Love

After five years of development, Mist Village has completely changed its appearance.

The tram glided smoothly along the tracks that ran through the entire village, disappearing in a fleeting moment amidst the perpetual mist.

On both sides of the track, modern high-rise buildings stand in a staggered pattern, most of which are decorated with traditional wavy patterns Mist Village.

There are all sorts of GG signs on the building walls, the most eye-catching of which is clearly printed with the words "Mist Village Logistics Company".

Beside it, a slogan now known throughout the Ninja World: "Mission accomplished, rain or shine."

With the great success of the Odd Jobs Agency project, Mist Village was no longer satisfied with just taking on regular ninja missions. Instead, it leveraged the strong reputation and popular support accumulated by Odd Jobs Agency throughout the Ninja World to develop a logistics business covering the entire Ninja World.

This decision proved to be quite successful.

The development of logistics services not only allowed this isolated village to fully integrate into the mainland's trade system, but also enabled Mist Village to complete its industrial transformation from relying solely on mission rewards to having diversified and stable sources of income.

Today, Mist Village has broken free from the stereotype that "ninjas are born for war" in the Ninja World tradition, and has pioneered a new path that uses the power of ninjas to boost economic development and transform Chakra and Ninjutsu into productivity.

Today marks the first anniversary of the official establishment of Mist Village Logistics Company...

"Cheers!!!"

Inside the most luxurious five-star restaurant in Mist Village, the group, led by Kō and Mei Terumi, indulged in a rare splurge, temporarily booking the entire restaurant for a lively celebration.

"Thump thump thump... burp~~"

Suigetsu downed the last sip of beer in her glass and let out a long, satisfying breath.

"Ha! This feels so good! This is what life is all about!"

"Suigetsu, how many times have I told you, minors are not allowed to drink alcohol!"

You're supposed to be one of the role models for the younger generation in Mist Village now, so have some self-awareness!

Mei Terumi, sitting opposite Suigetsu, couldn't help but speak up and lecture him:

"I'll let bygones be bygones for what happened before, but if I see you pouring alcohol again, you'll be fined and forced to write a self-criticism—you won't escape either!"

Mei Terumi's delicate brows furrowed slightly, yet her fair and aloof face remained captivating.

Five years have not left many marks on her, but have quietly shed the last traces of childishness, making her appear more composed and capable, and possessing the unique calm demeanor of a mature woman.

Yes, maturity in every sense of the word.

But in Suigetsu's eyes, who was being reprimanded, that cold and beautiful face only made him feel a sense of lingering fear.

"Don't say that, Mei Terumi- sama. Today is such an important day, there's nothing wrong with celebrating properly, isn't there?"

Suigetsu quickly defended herself, then turned her pleading gaze to Kokoro beside Mei Terumi:

"You're right, aren't you, Lord Kong!"

Beside Mei Terumi, Kōji's face, which belonged to "Shiina Sora," remained ordinary, but his calm demeanor had become even more reserved than it had been five years ago.

Kou smiled gently, lightly stopping Kimimaro was constantly refilling his cup, and without hesitation poured cold water on Suigetsu, who was looking at him expectantly:

"Mei Terumi is right. It's really bad for minors to drink alcohol, especially since you're a role model for many kids in Mist Village. You should set a good example."

Suigetsu's face immediately fell. She awkwardly put down her wine glass and muttered resentfully to herself:

"Tch, all you guys care about is me. Isn't that girl over there even worse than me? I haven't seen you do anything about her either..."

As he spoke, he raised his hand and pointed to the wine-red-haired girl who was occupying most of the tabletop by herself at the corner of the table.

At the corner of the table, Ringo Ameyuri was chugging beer, while empty bottles were piled up haphazardly on the table in front of her.

Beside her, Shiro's clear, large eyes were wide open, while Jūzō Biwa sat Zabuza her with their arms crossed, their faces ashen. The low pressure emanating from them made the surrounding air seem heavier.

Mei Terumi looked in the direction Suigetsu was pointing and her gaze fell on Ringo Ameyuri, who was drunk and still yelling "One more dozen!" Her face immediately darkened.

She took a deep breath, just about to reprimand him, when she seemed to suddenly remember something and let out a cold snort:

"Hmph! I can't control that girl. After all, it won't be long before she becomes one of the Kumogakure Village's people!"

"Hmm? There's some juicy gossip!!"

A fleeting look of disappointment crossed Suigetsu's eyes, and she pressed on with great interest:

"Speaking of which, I've always been quite curious. Wasn't Ringo Ameyuri doing just fine at the Odd Jobs Agency in Kumogakure? Why was she suddenly called back?"

"And this guy applied to go back several times after he came back, but you and Lord Kong rejected him every time. What's going on?"

His barrage of questions came out like a machine gun, causing Kimimaro and Haku, who were sitting to the side, to involuntarily turn their curious gazes toward Kō and Mei Terumi.

Feeling the inquisitive gazes of everyone, Mei Terumi's expression darkened further, and she helplessly turned her attention to Kotobuk beside her.

"Kong, you should speak."

Feeling the expectant gazes cast upon him by everyone, Kou slowly took a sip of his beer, then slowly raised his head, looking at the crystal chandelier on the restaurant ceiling, which had been polished to a sparkling shine, and said meaningfully and profoundly:

Because of... love.

"Um?!!"

Suigetsu's eyes suddenly lit up:

"Love?! Tell me more!!"

Just as Kou was pondering in his heart how to use tactful words to tell everyone about that somewhat absurd gossip,

Mei Terumi, standing beside him, finally couldn't contain her indignation. She slammed her beer on the table and took over the conversation irritably:

"Hmph, what love? It's just that she took a fancy to a guy in the Kumogakure and then harassed him like crazy!"

The Fourth Raikage personally spoke with her, but she completely ignored him and continued to do as she pleased. The impact was so terrible that they could no longer tolerate it and finally formally reported the situation to us!

She grew angrier as she spoke, and a blush rose on her fair face.

"This child, after lying in a hospital bed for so many years, finally recovered, and then messed up like this on his first important mission... sigh!"

Mei Terumi sighed heavily, feeling utterly disappointed, and then gulped down a large mouthful of beer.

"Hey, no wonder you said that guy was almost a member of Kumogakure, so that's what happened."

Suigetsu couldn't help but curl the corners of her lips into a smile and said:

"Kumogakure is really something. Although Ringo-neechan has a bit of a strange temper and her figure is just so-so, at least her face is quite nice, and she's also very talented."

A sixteen-year-old prodigy has fallen for a young man from her village—isn't that a wonderful thing?

"The Raikage of Kumogakure is really something, why does he have to break up this ill-fated couple? He's so clueless."

Kou gently placed his wine glass on the table and shrugged.

"After all, she has her eye on the Raikage's younger brother, Eight-Tails Jinchuriki Killer B's direct disciple."

It's only right that they put in more effort.

"Hmph, that's not the point!"

Mei Terumi glanced at Ringo Ameyuri, who was still drinking the potion of forgetfulness, and said indignantly:

"If she had her eye on someone else, that would be one thing, but the problem is... the child she's interested in is only twelve years old!!"

"Huh? Huh?!!"

The people present were stunned for a moment, and then they all exclaimed in surprise at the same time.

Seeing everyone's reactions, he couldn't help but smile slightly, picked up the bottle, and slowly refilled Mei Terumi's already empty glass...

--

These two chapters should be considered the last daily routines for now, a final bar meal for everyone as they bid farewell to Mist Village...