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Terumi Mei glanced at Sasame. After a moment, her lips curved into a smile, and she lowered her head again, continuing to review the documents. It wasn't until she was absolutely certain everything was correct that she stopped.
Terumi Mei stretched and stood up. Just as she was about to call Sasame, she saw him lying on the sofa with his eyes closed, seemingly asleep. Is he too tired? she wondered subconsciously. Although Terumi Mei constantly teased him about being idle, she didn't truly believe it. She didn't think someone managing both the Hidden Leaf Village and the Sunny Coast Trading Company could possibly be truly idle. Just managing the Hidden Mist Village kept her perpetually busy.
Terumi Mei slowly walked over to him. She had to admit his face was undeniably handsome; it was just his mouth that caused trouble. She walked behind him and slowly began to massage him.
Sasame opened his eyes and said, "Lady Mizukage, you work too hard."
"Why didn't you say I was working too hard when I massaged you before?" Terumi Mei asked with a chuckle. She was referring to when they played their master and servant game.
"That was then, this is now," Sasame mused. "I understand the importance of cherishing a beautiful woman."
"You are truly unbelievable…" Terumi Mei paused, unable to find the right words, and instead gave his shoulder a sharp pinch.
Sasame gasped. "You bite, and now you pinch?"
Bite? When did I ever bite...? Terumi Mei's face suddenly flushed crimson, and she said, utterly infuriated, "I hope you work yourself to death!" She withdrew her hands and stopped the massage.
"Wouldn't you feel bad if I died?" Sasame stood up, wrapped his arms around her waist, and lifted her onto his lap. Terumi Mei instinctively struggled but quickly gave up.
"It would be best if you died! That way you couldn't corrupt anyone else!" she ground her teeth and hissed fiercely.
Sasame looked at the two rows of teeth she had just revealed. They were quite white. I guess I haven't tried that yet. Terumi Mei, much like the early version of Tsunade, was quite traditional and couldn't accept anything too extreme.
"What terrible thing are you thinking about now?" Terumi Mei noticed his expression and glared at him.
"What do you think?" Sasame asked, rubbing his chin.
Terumi Mei's body tensed, and she quickly waved her hands. "Not now!"
"Why not?" Sasame raised an eyebrow, feigning confusion. Are you on your period?
"The first stage of the written exam is about to end," Terumi Mei explained. "The second stage starts from the Ninja Academy and goes all the way to the Hidden Mist Village. I have to go along with them."
Sasame paused briefly. She truly is a career Mizukage. Compared to her, he looked terribly unserious. Sasame cleared his throat and stopped teasing her. "I'll go with you."
Terumi Mei nodded. She wrapped her arms around his neck, kissed his cheek, and remained silent.
After a short hug, a knock sounded at the door. Terumi Mei quickly got up and looked at Sasame, signaling him to leave. Once he disappeared, she tidied her clothing and called out, "Come in."
It was Haku, who had come to inform Terumi Mei that the first stage of the written exam had ended.
Meanwhile, Sasame reappeared at the Ninja Academy moments before. Many people were gathered in the plaza, waiting. They were the Genin who had passed the first stage.
"Lord Hokage." The chief examiner for the first stage was Anko Mitarashi. In the original story, she was the chief examiner for the second stage, but since that was now taking place in the Hidden Mist Village, Terumi Mei was in charge.
"All three of your students passed the exam," Anko Mitarashi continued. "They all performed very well."
"What about Ino, Sakura, and their squad?" Sasame nodded and asked. He knew their skill level, but things can always go wrong. Fortunately, such a rare event didn't happen.
"They all passed," Anko Mitarashi said with a smile. "As did Neji Hyuga and the others."
"That's good," Sasame instructed. "Go and notify the Chunin and Jonin assigned to the second stage. They will depart soon."
"Yes, sir." Anko Mitarashi turned and left.
The second stage was a long journey. To prevent interference and to protect the candidates, the Hidden Leaf Village would send a considerable number of shinobi to accompany them. The Hidden Mist Village would do the same. Having personnel from both villages would ensure fairness and impartiality.
A moment later, Terumi Mei arrived at the plaza. She glanced at Sasame nearby and then began the proceedings. She handed each candidate a map, which was very crude—just a single straight line. The actual conditions of the route were not detailed, mainly to prevent them from getting lost or ending up somewhere unintended. Of course, there were markers along the way.
Terumi Mei explained the rules for the second stage: it was a team battle. Before starting, each ninja squad would randomly receive either a Heaven or Earth scroll. They would have to steal the other scroll along the way, and only upon gathering both scrolls and reaching the final destination would they pass. Combat was inevitable during this stage. People died in the original story, and Sasame didn't change that, though he felt it would be a shame for his villagers to die. So, he arranged for many medical ninja to be dispatched. As long as they could be rescued before they fully expired, it would be fine.
After Terumi Mei finished explaining the rules, the second stage officially began. The Genin rushed out. Sasame withdrew his gaze.
Terumi Mei walked over to him and said, "I will be accompanying the candidates to the Hidden Mist Village. I take my leave now."
"Travel safely, Lady Mizukage." With others nearby, Sasame didn't tease her and spoke seriously. "I will be in the Hidden Mist Village for the third stage."
"Then I await Lord Hokage's arrival," Terumi Mei said with a faint smile, then turned and left. Zabuza Momochi and the others also disappeared.
Given the speed of the Genin and the inevitable accidents along the way, the second stage was expected to last two or three days. Sasame was too bored to go along. He returned to the Hokage's office and received a secret letter from Kakuzu. It had been sent to the Sunny Coast Trading Company and then forwarded to him. It stated that Kakuzu had already left for the Hidden Cloud Village and was currently staying at an izakaya, waiting for Sasame to arrive. The two of them would then go after Killer B, the Eight-Tails Jinchuriki.
He's in a hurry? Sasame couldn't help but smile. Kakuzu was probably looking to pick up a bounty or a commission to make some money. Sasame wasn't worried. He would go to the Hidden Cloud Village after the third stage began.
Speaking of the Hidden Cloud Village, Sasame thought of Black Cat. He called out, "Black Cat."
Yugito Nii appeared before him.
"Take off your mask," Sasame instructed.
Yugito Nii nodded, removing her mask to reveal her delicate, youthful face. Appearance-wise, she looked quite young, like a teenage girl. But she was slightly confused, not understanding why Sasame had summoned her.
"Are you used to life in the Hidden Leaf Village?" Sasame asked.
"It's very good," Yugito Nii answered truthfully. Aside from the initial torment, life had been fairly normal. She lived in the Uchiha Clan compound, where the treatment was excellent. As a member of the Hokage Guard, she had little to do all day. Occasionally, Sasame would remember her and play his "Black Cat shooting game" with her. That was about it.
Of course, she had considered escaping. But with the traitorous Two-Tails, Matatabi, inside her, she had no choice but to settle into this life, unless she wanted to kill herself. Oh no, even that might not be possible, as Matatabi would stop her.
"What would you do if the Hidden Leaf Village and the Hidden Cloud Village went to war?" Sasame asked casually. War was inevitable once the Akatsuki began their moves. The Hidden Cloud Village naturally wouldn't stand idly by. Furthermore, the Fourth Raikage would defiantly launch a war for Killer B, even if it wasn't specifically targeted at the Hidden Leaf Village.
"Is the Hidden Leaf Village going to attack the Hidden Cloud Village?" Yugito Nii's face paled, and she couldn't help but ask.
"No," Sasame waved his hand. "I don't have that intention right now, but I can't guarantee the Fourth Raikage doesn't."
"…" Yugito Nii fell silent. She favored the Hidden Cloud Village, but she also understood the strength of the Hidden Leaf Village, or more accurately, Sasame. If a war truly began, the Hidden Cloud Village would likely lose. Since Matatabi had been beaten, Yugito Nii realized that the Fourth Raikage was not invincible. She lowered her head and looked at Sasame. After a moment, she knelt on the floor, resting her head on his leg.
"I hope, Master, you will spare their lives."
"The war hasn't even started, and you already think the Hidden Cloud Village will lose?" Sasame chuckled, reaching out to stroke her soft cheek.
"They are naturally no match for the Master," Yugito Nii sighed inwardly. "But their strength is considerable. They could be utilized by the Hidden Leaf Village, just like me."
"If they surrender, that won't be a problem," Sasame said indifferently. "But do you think they will?"
"…" Yugito Nii hesitated. Others might, but the Fourth Raikage and the others would likely prefer death over surrender. Yugito Nii gritted her teeth and said, "If that day comes, please allow me to communicate with them, Master."
Sasame considered it briefly and agreed. After all, there was no harm in it. Especially since he remembered there were a few more female shinobi in the Hidden Cloud Village, like Samui. She was comparable to Tsunade. Ahem. Sasame didn't mean anything by it; he just thought it would be a waste of talent. If they could contribute Destiny Value, they should be kept alive.
"Thank you," Yugito Nii sighed in relief. Regardless of the outcome, hope remained. Thinking of this, she stood up and sat in Sasame's lap. She massaged him diligently to express her gratitude. Eventually, she collapsed from exhaustion. Sasame sent her home, and he, too, was done with work for the day.
Three days later, the second stage of the joint Chunin Exam concluded. In the original story, there was a preliminary round of matches to reduce the number of participants, but there was no such thing this time. Not because there were fewer people, but because Sasame didn't see the need. The more the merrier. They could fight in the third stage. And it saved time. In the original story, there was a one-month gap between the second and third stages. Now, there was no need for that. With the support of the Hidden Leaf Village's medical ninja, everyone recovered within three days.
So, one week later, Sasame and the Land of Fire Daimyo, Enishi Yasu, arrived at the Hidden Mist Village. Sasame brought the Daimyo as a formality because Koyuki Fūka and Uzumaki Ena weren't interested. And they were too busy. Now that Koyuki Fūka was pregnant, Sasame didn't want her to suffer through the journey.
In the Hidden Mist Village, the Chunin Exam venue was now bustling. All the seats were filled. On the main stage, Terumi Mei, wearing her Mizukage's Cloak, sat in her seat, waiting for the competition to begin. She occasionally glanced at the empty seat beside her, which was reserved for Sasame. She couldn't help but grumble, What is that guy doing?
At that moment, Sasame had briefly stopped by the Hidden Cloud Village to meet with Kakuzu.
"White Zetsu sent word that the third stage matches have started," Kakuzu said before Sasame could speak. "Killer B, the Eight-Tails Jinchuriki, is at Unrai Gorge. We can leave now."
"No rush," Sasame said, waving his hand. "I came to tell you we'll leave tomorrow morning."
Since the third stage of the joint Chunin Exam had many participants, it was expected to last two days. Sasame planned to give Terumi Mei face by watching with her on the first day.
"Tomorrow?" Kakuzu frowned, feeling annoyed. If it were anyone else, he would have killed them for the money. But he couldn't beat Sasame. Furthermore, he wasn't confident in quickly capturing Killer B alone. If the Fourth Raikage arrived, he might not be able to escape. He was confident but not arrogant. That was why he had lived so long.
"Yes," Sasame nodded and asked with a smile, "Do you have a problem with that?"
"…" Kakuzu had no choice but to agree. Sasame left the izakaya and used the Flying Raijin Jutsu to arrive in the Hidden Mist Village. He changed into his Hokage's Cloak and slowly made his way to the venue.
Terumi Mei was already getting impatient. When she saw him, she couldn't help but roll her eyes. Sasame smiled and sat down beside her.
"Ao," Terumi Mei instructed. "Announce the start."
Ao, who now had normal eyes, acknowledged the command, walked to the center of the arena, and began to read the rules. There weren't many rules, actually: defeat the opponent, or the opponent loses consciousness, to win.
Soon, the first match began. The matchups were determined by a random computer draw. Sasame hadn't interfered; it was a truly random draw. However, Terumi Mei had arranged the order of the fights. The first match had to be exciting and satisfying for the audience, especially the Daimyo and nobles. They were ordinary people who didn't understand true skill; they only cared about flashy spectacle.
Sasame took a look. It was Chōji Akimichi. He quickly realized Terumi Mei's intention. The Akimichi Clan had the Multi-Size Technique. At the very least, the visual effect was maximized. His opponent was a puppeteer from the Hidden Sand Village. Sasame didn't recognize him; he wasn't a character from the original series. As expected, Chōji Akimichi won. However, the puppeteer was skilled enough to keep the match from being boring.
The second match was less interesting. It was Sasuke Uchiha. He simply activated his Three-Tomo Sharingan and stared at his opponent, and the match was over. His strength, however, surprised many people, especially the Genin from other villages. The Three-Tomo Sharingan was a symbol of a Jonin. For a Genin to possess it was truly outrageous. Sasuke Uchiha immediately drew countless eyes. He lifted his chin, hands in his pockets, and coolly walked away. Sasame twitched his lips. That cocky brat.
Terumi Mei, beside him, said enviously, "What a genius." In the Hidden Mist Village, let alone the younger generation, few even in her generation could likely defeat Sasuke Uchiha. It only emphasized the deep foundation of the Hidden Leaf Village.
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