First meeting with Terumi Mei, turning the tables

On the top floor of the Mizukage Building, the floor-to-ceiling window of the office was half-open, and the sea breeze, carrying moisture, rushed in, making the documents on the desk rustle.

Terumi Mei rubbed her temples and straightened up from the chair.

Seven consecutive days of reports on the suppression of the rebellion piled up on the left side of my desk, each one marked with "insufficient manpower" or "request for reinforcements".

On the right is Hidden Leaf's diplomatic reply— the Fifth Hokage, Tsunade, promised to send top-tier combatants to assist in suppressing the rebellion, on the condition that Hidden Mist and Hidden Leaf sign a ten-year alliance trade agreement.

"Lord Mizukage, the people from Hidden Leaf have arrived."

Genji's voice came from outside the door.

Come in.

The door was pushed open from the outside.

Leading the way was a blond boy.

The hem of the black Hokage Haori swayed with each step, revealing loose, dark clothing underneath.

His steps were not fast, but each step carried a sense of self-assured dominance, as if he were surveying his own territory.

Two women followed behind him.

One had waist-length black hair, wore a moon-white kimono, and moved with the lightness of ice floating on water; the other had red hair tied in a high ponytail, wore a black and white maid outfit, and had her eyes lowered, looking incredibly obedient.

Terumi Mei's gaze lingered on the boy for two seconds.

Twelve years old.

No, judging by his physique, he's nearly 1.8 meters tall, with broad shoulders and a narrow waist; the Hokage Haori can't hide the explosive power of his build.

His features still retained the sharp angles of a teenager, but the things held in those blue eyes did not belong to any twelve-year-old child.

"The super expert sent by Hidden Leaf is actually just a twelve-year-old brat."

Terumi Mei stood up, her red lips curving into a scrutinizing smile.

Aota stepped forward, his single eye gleaming with undisguised contempt. "Is Tsunade joking? Sending a brat who hasn't even been weaned yet to help us fight? Mizukage- sama, I suggest we just send him back to Hidden Leaf— "

He hadn't finished speaking.

Naruto had already pulled out the chair directly opposite the desk and sat down with an air of authority.

With his legs crossed, left arm resting on the armrest, and right hand supporting his chin, his gaze slowly slid down from Terumi Mei's face, lingering for less than a second on the curves outlined by her blue dress before lifting it to meet her eyes.

There was no pretense in his eyes.

Terumi Mei paused for a moment.

It wasn't annoyance at being offended, but a strange, instinctive reaction, as if targeted by a predator.

"You—" Qing's hand was already on the hilt of the knife at her waist.

"Those guys in the canyon."

Naruto spoke, his voice low and husky with a youthful quality, "Forty-seven. From meeting them to killing them all, it only took three minutes. The bodies are still frozen under the ice. If you want to see the autopsy report, I'll have someone bring it to you."

Qing's fingers froze on the hilt of the knife.

Genji stood by the door, his lips moved, but he didn't speak.

The scene he witnessed when he led his team to greet them at the canyon entrance is still etched in his mind—the entire canyon was covered in ice, the rebel corpses were frozen into amber-colored ice sculptures, and the expressions on their heads still retained the terror of their dying moments.

Those were the elite troops of two squadrons.

The strongest interception force that the Old Bloody Mist Faction had deployed on this road.

Three minutes.

Terumi Mei sat back down in her chair, her emerald green eyes taking another look at the boy in front of her.

She tapped her fingers lightly twice on the table, shifted her posture, and leaned forward slightly.

"That's interesting."

Her voice lowered by half an octave, a hint of seriousness creeping into her languid tone, "So, Naruto Uzumaki... what do you want from me?"

"You've got it backwards."

Naruto crossed his legs, a bloodthirsty smile creeping across his face. "You should be the one telling me what you can offer me."

Qing's knife was pulled out three inches.

Chojuro gripped the hilts of the twin swords, his face filled with tension.

Terumi Mei raised her hand, stopping the two from moving.

She stared at Naruto, her fingertips—no, her fingers—tracing lines across the documents, the corners of her mouth maintaining the curve of her red lips, but the weariness in her eyes was undeniable.

It's been three years.

Ever since she sat in that chair, the Old Bloody Mist Faction has never stopped causing trouble.

Assassination, rebellion, sowing discord, economic blockade.

She is the youngest Shadow of the Five Great Nations, and also the most isolated and vulnerable.

The number of capable people under my command can be counted on one hand.

The boy sent by Hidden Leaf solved the problem of the nail that she couldn't remove even after two weeks in just three minutes.

"Tsunade must have already told you about doing business, right?"

Terumi Mei looked away, picked up the teacup on the table, took a sip, and asked, "Besides this, what other conditions do you want to add?"

Naruto did not answer immediately.

He turned his head and glanced at Bai, who was standing behind him.

Bai Wei lowered her eyes, her hands clasped together in front of her body beneath the sleeves of her kimono.

The flowing Water Release Chakra in the office made her back tense, but her breathing was steady and she didn't tremble.

Naruto looked away and turned his gaze back to Terumi Mei.

"The Yuki Clan."

The two words struck the office like a hammer blow, and the air temperature plummeted.

Qing's single eye suddenly widened.

Chojuro's hand slid off the hilt of his sword, his mouth slightly open.

Genji caught his breath by the door and stomped his cane on the floor.

Terumi Mei's hand, holding the teacup, froze in mid-air.

Her gaze passed over Naruto and landed on the stunningly beautiful girl with waist-length black hair, dressed in a moon-white kimono.

Look again—that face, that aura, that chilling coldness that emanates from its very bones—

"... So that's how it is."

Terumi Mei placed the teacup back on the table, the bottom of which made a crisp sound as it struck the surface. "You brought the last remaining member of the Mizunotsuki Clan here."

"He's not the only child."

Naruto's voice turned cold. He rested his chin on his hand, a chilling glint in his blue eyes. "She's a woman from the Uzumaki Clan. From today onward, her ice-manipulating skills belong to the Uzumaki Clan."

"What do you want? To get the Water Country to acknowledge the Mizunotsuki Clan? To have that arrest warrant rescinded?"

Terumi Mei's speech quickened; her political instincts allowed her to grasp the stakes within seconds.

"This was just a side effect."

Naruto held up one finger. "I'll take care of your mess. Where are those bad guys? How many are there? Who's in charge? Give me a detailed list. Give me three days."

Three days?

Qing finally couldn't hold back any longer, forcing out the words through clenched teeth, "Those people have been operating in the Water Country for twenty years, with seventeen hideouts of all sizes, and you dare to say three days—"

"Shut up."

Terumi Mei didn't even look back.

She stood up again, walked around the desk, and stood in front of Naruto.

The sound of high-heeled boots clicking on the floor was like a ritual, each step a distinct sound.

She stopped in front of Naruto, looking down at the boy sitting in the chair.

The neckline of her blue dress slipped slightly as she bent over, exposing her fair collarbone to the sea breeze.

"You helped me quell the rebels in three days, and then you want me to cancel the arrest warrant and acknowledge the Mizunotsuki Clan?"

Terumi Mei repeated each word carefully, her emerald green eyes fixed on Naruto's face, "So what kind of reward do you want? Are you sure you don't have any other benefits to take?"

Naruto looked up.

Their eyes met in mid-air.

The distance was less than half a meter.

The faint floral scent emanating from her mingled with the salty smell of the sea breeze filled my nostrils.

Naruto stood up.

The chair slid back half a foot as he stood up.

Her 1.8-meter height was completely overshadowed by Terumi Mei's.

Instead of retreating, he took half a step forward, reducing the distance between them to the size of a fist.

Terumi Mei's breathing faltered, but she didn't back down.

As the ruler of a country, she cannot step down.

Naruto lowered his head, his gaze sliding from her eyebrows and eyes down to her red lips, then to her collarbone, and finally back to her eyes.

"As for the reward?"

His voice was low, just loud enough for the two of them to hear, his hot breath brushing against her cheek, "We'll talk after we're done. Don't worry, I'm the kind of person... who never does anything that doesn't benefit me."

Terumi Mei's ears burned.

She kept her facial expression unchanged, but her heart was pounding so loudly she could hear it herself.

She took a step back, sat back down in the chair behind her desk, and gripped the teacup with a slightly tighter hand than before.

"Genji."

Her voice regained its composure, "Send all the information about those people to Mr. Uzumaki's place."

"OK."

Naruto turned and walked towards the door.

Bai and Tayuya followed silently.

As he reached the doorway, he paused, turned his head to the side, revealing the outline of half his face.

"Oh, Terumi Mei."

He called her by name, without any honorifics, "How old are you this year?"

The air in the office seemed to freeze for a second.

Qing's single eye almost popped out of its socket.

Chojuro nearly dropped the sword in his hand.

The Genji, which was holding a cane, trembled slightly.

Terumi Mei's temple throbbed, her red lips tightened and then relaxed, her chest heaved a couple of times, and finally she squeezed out a few words through gritted teeth. "... What's it to you?"

"It's nothing."

Naruto shrugged, Opening Gate, and said, "I just wanted to figure out where you'd rank among my future wives."

The door closed behind him.

There was a full five seconds of silence in the office.

"Lord Mizukage..." Chojuro began cautiously.

Terumi Mei placed the teacup back on the table, spilling tea onto the documents.

Her cheeks flushed an unnatural red, and her chest heaved violently.

"That arrogant brat..."

He was cursing, but his hand holding the teacup didn't loosen its grip for a very long time.

At the same time, the system's mechanical voice calmly sounded in Naruto's mind.

[Detected target [Terumi Mei] Affection change: +15. Current affection: 15 (Offended curiosity).]

[Hint: The target's core psychological weakness has been initially exposed. It is recommended that the host maintain a high level of presence to suppress this weakness during the three-day suppression period.]

Naruto smiled slightly and put his hands in his pockets.

Three days.

That's enough.