"He is Uchiha Itachi."
Tenzō snapped out of his thoughts and led Itachi to sit down directly at Mei Terumi's desk.
"Considering you've been slacking off during work hours, this one's on you—you're paying for it."
Tenzō sat next to Ao, while Itachi glanced around, walking toward the spot Mei had already cleared for him. She was practically shooting meaningful glances at him.
"Of course, of course," Mei quickly admitted fault when she saw Itachi sit beside her.
Tenzō, watching this scene, felt secretly delighted.
Another expense avoided.
As the acting Mizukage, with no salary to speak of, and given the strained finances of Kirigakure, Tenzō couldn't bring himself to misuse funds.
As a result, he was always living frugally…
Yes, Tenzō wasn't upset at all; he was just playing the long game, scheming to make Mei and Ao willingly foot the bill for him.
"Itachi, is it? I heard you're a rogue ninja. How's that life treating you? Is being a rogue ninja fun?"
Mei, her eyes sparkling with interest, gazed tenderly at Itachi as she spoke.
"Cough, cough!" Ao, sitting across from them, hastily cleared his throat to interrupt. Goodness, asking such questions in front of the Mizukage—did she even care about her future?
Ao was a more traditional person, particular about decorum.
Mei's words were practically handing the Mizukage ammunition to hold against her. Even if she didn't mean it that way, what if the Mizukage took it seriously?
"Being a rogue ninja is a blast! He used to be my teammate, too. Ahem—just kidding!"
Before Itachi could respond, Tenzō instinctively chimed in. Halfway through, he noticed the peculiar looks directed his way and quickly stopped himself, shifting the subject.
Hearing the Mizukage himself act so nonchalantly was both a relief and a shock to Ao.
Was the Mizukage really this unreliable? Or was it all a ploy to lower their guard and eavesdrop on their inner thoughts?
Itachi chose not to follow up on Tenzō's remarks. Information about the Akatsuki could be shared, but not within the Land of Water—after all, the tallest tree catches the wind.
If the Akatsuki found out, it would inevitably lead to chaos and bloodshed.
The less outsiders knew, the better.
"Being a rogue ninja… it's not bad. You can go wherever you want," Itachi said with a faint smile after some thought.
He accepted the sake cup Mei offered, skillfully avoiding her restless, wandering fingers.
After downing the drink in one go, he added, "It's a bit freeing."
"How enviable! I wish I could… Ahem."
Mei gazed at Itachi's mature, handsome face. It wasn't complicated—she just enjoyed looking at good-looking men.
She caught herself after blurting out her thoughts and quickly stopped.
"So, little brother, how old are you? Do you have a girlfriend?"
Staring at the composed and dashing Itachi, Mei asked with dreamy eyes.
Seeing Mei in full fangirl mode, Ao lowered his head and remained silent, moodily eating his food.
Tenzō, who had been scarfing down his meal, nearly choked.
"Mizukage-sama, have some water," Ao said, patting Tenzō on the back and handing him a glass of water, epitomizing what it meant to be helpful.
"Haha, I'm fine. Ao, don't be so reserved. We're all friends here—enjoy yourself," Tenzō said after drinking the water. He avoided looking at Mei's behavior, feeling a bit awkward.
"Uh, Mei Terumi, right? You're beautiful, mature, gentle, and… seductive. But don't you think it's a bit much to ask these kinds of questions the first time we meet?"
Itachi was having a hard time handling Mei.
He couldn't tell if she was serious or if she was simply toying with him out of habit.
However, with Mei Terumi's stunning looks, curvaceous figure, and enticing demeanor, Itachi found himself having a hard time resisting her charm...
"Little brother, you really don't understand how to enjoy yourself, do you? Shall I teach you~?"
Mei Terumi winked at Itachi with her beautiful eyes, sending a playful spark his way. Her tongue lightly brushed her luscious lips before she gently bit one of them with her pearly white teeth. Her slender waist swayed slightly, accentuating her already deep cleavage and making her allure even more irresistible.
"So white? So round? Holy… This is testing my limits as a man!"
Itachi grumbled inwardly, his heart racing uncontrollably, like a deer caught in headlights.
Mei Terumi was too good at this…
"Little brother, don't tell me you're still a virgin~?"
Noticing Itachi's flustered expression, Mei let out a soft, teasing laugh.
"Damn it…"
Itachi's mood soured a bit.
"Lady Mizukage, Itachi, she's had too much to drink. Don't take it to heart, please don't mind her…"
Seeing Itachi struggle to handle the situation, Ao quickly stepped in to defuse the tension.
The relationship between the Mizukage and Itachi seemed pretty good. If Itachi ended up upset, things could get awkward for everyone.
From the sidelines, Tenzo watched Itachi and couldn't help but chuckle quietly. He shot Mei Terumi a quick look of admiration but didn't dare to linger too long.
After all, it wouldn't be a great look for a Mizukage to act too blatantly…
"Little brother, let's have a drink."
Just as Itachi was rolling his eyes at Tenzo, Mei Terumi leaned in close to him, her warm breath brushing against his ear. Itachi felt a tingling sensation run through his scalp, almost as if it were about to explode.
Was it his imagination, or did her soft lips actually graze his earlobe? A flush of red quickly spread across his cheeks as an inexplicable mix of excitement and nervousness welled up in his heart.
This level of flirtation was overwhelming.
He was this close to losing his composure...
"Tenzo, I need to discuss something with you. Should we step aside to talk?"
Itachi couldn't handle it anymore and tried to make his escape.
This whole thing felt like a trap straight out of a nightmare—a completely ridiculous situation.
"What's the rush? We just sat down. Leaving now would make it seem like I'm being a poor host," Tenzo replied, clearly not understanding Itachi's predicament.
"Mei Terumi isn't just the Mizukage; she's the pride of Kirigakure, the village flower, an elite jonin, and still a young, single woman. She's drinking with you, and you're acting shy?"
Tenzo found Itachi's behavior incomprehensible.
A beauty like Mei Terumi sitting right next to him, and he's still hesitating? This was a once-in-a-lifetime moment!
Besides, many at Itachi's age were already married and had children...
The thought stirred a kind of fatherly responsibility in Tenzo's heart.
He was determined to help Itachi out here…
"Uh…"
Hearing Tenzo's words, Itachi froze, realizing he might have been too impulsive. But all he could do was silently repeat a mantra in his mind: A clear heart fears no disturbance. Ignore what you shouldn't see, ignore what you shouldn't hear…
"Little brother, don't you think I'm beautiful~?"
Spurred on by Tenzo's praise, Mei Terumi took full advantage of her tipsy state and launched another fierce offensive.
Whether her actions were sincere or just playful was anyone's guess.
Feeling Mei's delicate hand teasingly graze him, Itachi tensed up in nervousness. He quickly grabbed a drumstick from the table and stuffed it into his mouth, chomping down in an effort to distract himself.
He decided to fight fire with fire—using his appetite to overcome his impulses.
In his mind, love and relationships weren't something he could afford to indulge in right now; they'd distract him too much from his goals.
But Mei Terumi… she was just too tempting.
His resolve wasn't strong enough to remain completely unaffected.
So he resorted to whatever means he could to endure it…
vote and read more inpatreon
belamy20