Reunion

At noon in Inari City, the sunlight is warm but not scorching.

In stark contrast to the towering buildings and sea fog of Mist Village, most of the buildings here are only two or three stories high, making the space feel extremely spacious.

The pedestrians in the city wore all sorts of different styles of clothing, but each of them wore a very simple tattoo:

A sheaf of rice, and a sickle intertwined with it.

That is the current national emblem of the Land of Rice.

"Is this where Lord Kong... no, Lord Kou is right now?"

Utakata behind Hotaru, looking at the unfamiliar city, and murmured softly:

"This is truly a place completely different from Mist Village."

"... Is that what you think?"

Mei Terumi walked beside him, smiled upon hearing this, and pointed ahead:

I don't think so.

Utakata looked in the direction she was pointing, puzzled.

At the street corner ahead, in front of a barbecue restaurant that wasn't very big, stood a middle-aged woman with a slightly plump figure wearing a dark blue apron.

She was hanging several skewers of freshly marinated meat on the iron rack by the door when she looked up and saw Ying walking towards her.

"Isn't this Ying! It's been so long! Did you just get back from a mission?"

The proprietress called out familiarly at the top of her lungs, waving at Chao Ying.

"Oh my, are those your friends behind you? They're unfamiliar faces! And there's even a handsome guy... Is he your boyfriend?"

"No, that's not true!!"

Ying blushed slightly, and was about to say that they were guests from Mist Village, but then remembered that she couldn't just reveal that information, and stammered:

"They're just... new friends, just ordinary friends!"

"Oh? Just friends?"

The proprietress winked mischievously at Ying:

"But didn't you always tell us that your grandfather was too strict and you could hardly make any female friends?"

"This, this..."

Hotaru's already flushed face was practically steaming.

"I... I have something urgent to attend to, let's talk later!"

With that, she turned around abruptly and dashed away as if fleeing.

"Keep it up, Ying! If it works out, remember to bring it over for Auntie to see, and Auntie will give you a free meal!"

Utakata watched the farce unfold before him, remained silent for a long while, and then slowly spoke:

"I think I understand what you mean. This place... does indeed resemble Mist Village."

"Right?"

Mei Terumi smiled, gazing at the High Heaven Palace with its soaring eaves and intricate brackets in the distance, and murmured with a sigh:

"That's really... in line with his style."

Just as the two were lost in their own thoughts, Ying had already run back to their side, put her hands together, and bowed sincerely:

"I'm so sorry to have kept you waiting!"

"It's alright, it's Utakata and I who should thank you for leading the way."

Mei Terumi helped Hotaru up and said softly:

"It was because our Mist Village did not consult with the Land of Rice beforehand, but instead sent an envoy to visit us on its own."

"If we hadn't happened to run into you and Miss Karin, let alone discuss an alliance, we probably would have been detained by those conscientious guards outside the city as some kind of dangerous element."

"How could this be!"

Ying quickly waved her hand and said firmly:

"Don't worry, our Land of Rice has always welcomed foreign envoys."

"It's just that the situation has been a bit unusual lately, so routine checks on outsiders are being conducted more rigorously than usual."

At this point, she patted her chest and said confidently:

"Don't worry, Karin has already gone to inform Lord Kou. You will be able to meet Lord Kou soon."

Lord Kou will be very happy to know that Mist Village has sent an envoy!

Mei Terumi nodded politely without saying a word.

Utakata turned his head away uncomfortably, glancing at the approaching High Heaven Palace, a complex emotion flashing across his eyes.

Just as Ying was about to introduce something else to the two, a gentle breeze suddenly swept past the three of them from behind.

As if realizing something, Ying subconsciously turned her head and exclaimed in surprise:

"Karin... and, Lord Kotobuki?!"

Ahead of the three, Karin waved happily to Hotaru, then naturally took half a step back, revealing the tall young man behind her who was standing there like a wooden statue.

She forced a smile, glancing mischievously at her unusually embarrassed master beside her.

Beside her, Kou wore a simple black long dress, with a small bundle of rice ears embroidered in light silver thread at the cuffs.

Kou first glared at Karin, who was gloating beside him, then looked at the two people behind Hotaru with complicated expressions.

His throat moved slightly, but he didn't speak.

"Sora-sama!!"

Utakata couldn't hold back any longer and shouted it out first.

He instinctively reached out to take a step forward, but before he could take even half a step, Mei Terumi reached out and firmly pressed down on his shoulder.

Utakata looked at Mei Terumi with a puzzled expression, but under her serious gaze, he ultimately withdrew the foot that had already taken half a step.

Seeing this, Mei Terumi secretly breathed a sigh of relief. Suppressing her excitement, she tried her best to remain calm as she walked up to Kokoro and extended her hand to him:

"Nice to meet you. I am Mei Terumi Mist Village, the envoy from Kirigakure in charge of negotiating the alliance with the Land of Rice. Please take care of me."

Upon hearing Mei Terumi's words, Kōki was clearly taken aback.

It wasn't because of her feigned unfamiliarity with her self-introduction, but because of her eyes.

There was no hostility in her eyes, not even the joy of reunion, as if she were truly talking to a stranger.

Kō instantly snapped out of his daze, suppressing the initial confusion in his heart and restoring his composed demeanor, and naturally grasped the hand that Mei Terumi offered.

As her fingers tightened, her fingertips seemed to tremble slightly.

He sighed inwardly, then raised his eyes again and spoke earnestly:

"Nice to meet you. I am the leader of the Land of Rice... Uchiha Kuro."

Mei Terumi nodded slightly, without saying a word.

Her hand was still being held; neither of them seemed inclined to let go, but neither did they tighten their grip.

The two stood there quietly, gazing at each other as if scrutinizing something.

After a long pause, Kou took the initiative to release his grip, struggling to shift his gaze from Mei Terumi to the distant High Heaven Palace, and softly said:

"... Let's talk in the conference room about the alliance you mentioned earlier."