As soon as Baki entered, he introduced himself and his village, then stated outright that he needed to discuss what came next with the Mizukage alone.
What he meant was: the guy beside her needed to get lost!
Mei Terumi could not help glancing at Shinji, her look saying, "You really called it, and they came so quickly. What do we do?"
Shinji returned her look. "Relax, you've got me, haven't you? Leave it to me. Watch me fool him senseless."
"Ahem..."
Seeing this shameless pair ignore him outright and start exchanging meaningful looks, Baki could not help clearing his throat to remind them he was still there.
"Please speak freely about whatever brings you here. This gentleman is my personal advisor. Generally, I need to consult him before making final decisions on important matters, so there is no need to keep anything from him."
The more formally Mei Terumi spoke, the more speechless Baki became.
What personal advisor? Surely he wasn't a lover the Mizukage had found for herself?
No wonder he looked so pale. His daily workload must be considerable. How exhausting.
At that thought, for some reason, he even felt the faintest, tiniest trace of envy...
Of course, these were only his private thoughts. None of them showed on his face.
He considered it for a moment. Since she had said so, it should be fine. He would not spell anything out anyway. Even if word really did get out, he would deny it and could even turn the accusation back on them.
"Here is the situation. In light of the friendship our two nations have shared for generations, and our exchanges of goods and resources... Lord Kazekage wishes to further strengthen the alliance between Sunagakure and Kirigakure."
The moment Baki opened his mouth, he sounded like