Adopted by Tsunade [217-218] (Patreon)

Chapter 217: Terumi Mei and the Jinchuriki

Land of Demons.

Shion opened her eyes.

Unusual lights flickered in her pale irises.

After a moment, she reached up and touched her forehead, finding it covered in sweat.

"A dream?"

Shion took a deep breath and clenched the bell on her chest.

Inside it was a red stone—left to her by her mother, Miroku.

It held the power to protect her.

"Lady Priestess."

A familiar voice came from outside the door.

It was her attendant, Taruho.

Shion grabbed her shrine maiden garb, quickly slipped it on, took a few steps to the door, and opened it.

"Lady Priestess."

Taruho bowed. "We've received replies from the Five Great Villages."

"What did they say?"

Expectation surfaced on Shion's face.

Not long ago, the Land of Demons had discovered traces of the Gang of Four.

Eight years earlier, they were the ones who released Mōryō and commanded an undead army, attempting to unify the shinobi world.

Shion had thought they'd been eradicated completely, but some remnants survived.

Worried that the demonic calamity would repeat, she sent a commission to the Five Great Villages.

Hoping they would help locate the Gang of Four and prevent Mōryō from breaking its seal.

Because once Mōryō revived, there was only one way to deal with it:

A priestess sealing it at the cost of her life.

Shion's mother, Miroku, had died for that reason.

She didn't want to follow in her footsteps.

"Konoha and Kumogakure wrote back—they'll send people."

Taruho sighed. "The other three villages declined, each with a different excuse."

"Do they not understand that if Mōryō revives, the entire shinobi world will suffer?"

Shion's expression soured.

"Konoha and Kumogakure are the strongest villages right now. With their strength, dealing with the Gang of Four shouldn't be a problem."

Taruho hurried to reassure her. "There's no need to be so angry, Lady Priestess."

Shion's expression eased slightly at that.

Though the Gang of Four had been powerful in the past, it had withered over the years.

And Mōryō's revival hinged on two temples:

One in the Land of Demons, the other in the Land of Swamps.

The former sealed its soul; the latter sealed its body.

As long as shinobi from Konoha and Kumogakure guarded these two temples, nothing would happen.

"Who are they sending?"

Shion calmed down and asked.

"Konoha says the Hokage, Lord Natsume, will personally lead the team. Kumogakure is sending a jōnin named Yugito Nii."

Taruho answered at once.

Shion blinked, a bit surprised.

Kumogakure's choice was understandable, but Konoha sending Hokage Natsume himself—

Even in the Land of Demons, she had heard of his exploits.

Quite illustrious.

But that name… she felt she'd seen it somewhere before.

Shion lifted her miko skirt and ran outside.

Taruho froze, puzzled, but hurried after her.

"Wait here."

Shion stopped before a room, said that, and went in.

Taruho had to halt at her words.

He glanced at the plaque on the door.

This was a secret chamber reserved for successive priestesses.

Outwardly a study, but underground lay rooms with special purposes.

Shion followed a passage to her destination.

She rummaged through chests and cabinets, finally finding a box hidden in the deepest corner.

When Miroku died, Shion had been only six.

She was too young to remember many things.

Natsume had thought she didn't trust him, but the truth was she had no memory.

Shion opened the box and saw the promise left by Priestess Kukuri.

"So it's true?"

Because she possessed the power to foresee others' deaths, she believed strongly in destiny.

At this moment, she exhaled in relief.

She had no doubts.

In her understanding, priestesses possessed mysterious powers.

And Kukuri was a great priestess from a thousand years ago.

In the era of the Sage of Six Paths, she must have been formidable, right?

Perhaps her prophecy truly foretold the future.

That would make sense.

Shion put the box back.

She recalled Taruho saying Konoha had sent Natsume.

That made her trust the note left by Priestess Kukuri even more.

She steadied herself and left the room.

"Lady Priestess."

Noticing how relaxed she suddenly seemed, Taruho asked, "Is there good news?"

"Mm."

Shion looked at him, took a deep breath, and placed her hand on his shoulder.

Her eyes turned like stars, reflecting the time of his death.

Taruho's heart clenched at once.

Because Shion could foresee others' deaths, people feared her.

But this ability had limitations.

As long as one stayed away from her, it wouldn't trigger.

Shion had kept her distance from him precisely because she didn't want to see his death.

"Lady Priestess?"

Taruho asked anxiously.

"It's fine."

Shion smiled. "You won't die."

"Seems there won't be much danger this time."

Taruho drew several deep breaths, then smiled too.

…

Meanwhile, in a valley somewhere in the Land of Demons—

"Yomi, when do you plan to act?"

Shimura Danzō leaned on his cane, face dark.

Having died and revived twice, he had lost both of his three-tomoe Sharingan.

He could only transplant ordinary eyes now.

Fortunately, the arm Orochimaru had given him still worked.

His strength hadn't fallen too far.

After failing in Sunagakure, Danzō sought out Orochimaru.

But the answer he got was: let's not contact each other anymore, or Konoha might get the wrong idea.

In other words, Orochimaru just wanted to study in peace and had no interest in him.

Danzō understood he had lost his value.

He was furious enough to spit blood, but helpless.

Compared to Konoha, he indeed had nothing more to offer Orochimaru.

Danzō drifted toward the Land of Demons, not far from Suna, and recalled the demonic calamity eight years ago.

Mōryō, a being from another realm, and the undead army led by the Gang of Four—

Back then, they caused serious trouble.

And Danzō remembered that even an incomplete Mōryō could rival a tailed beast.

A thought took root.

After some effort, he found Yomi.

Yomi also lacked strong fighters, so the two hit it off.

Danzō even benefited from misfortune and grew stronger.

Thanks to Yomi's dark medical ninjutsu.

It sounded similar to Shinnō's dark chakra.

But Shinnō's dark chakra came from the Zero Tails.

Yomi's dark medical ninjutsu was actually normal medical ninjutsu—

But used abnormally.

Not to heal, but to kill.

By modifying and amplifying the body, one could gain power far beyond normal.

It was more like Orochimaru's Cursed Seal.

But far less effective.

Still, it provided a modest boost.

For Danzō, it was a welcome surprise.

He had no way to improve himself otherwise, for now.

"A few more days."

Yomi explained, "My men still haven't found the sealing temples' locations."

"But be careful of shinobi from Konoha and Kumo."

Danzō's tone carried hatred. "Especially since Konoha is sending Hokage Natsume."

Though he had left Konoha, he still had Root operatives he had cultivated in secret, so he had some information channels.

But without a base, those members were like water without a source—destined to disappear.

Use one, lose one.

"Don't worry. No matter how many come, it won't matter."

Yomi lifted his chin, full of confidence. "Lord Mōryō and the undead army are invincible."

"I hope so."

Danzō hadn't witnessed it himself back then, so he wasn't entirely convinced.

After all, even Shukaku wasn't a match for Natsume.

All he could do now was pray Yomi was right.

A complete Mōryō would surpass the tailed beasts and possess the power to destroy all.

…

Kirigakure, Mizukage's Office.

Terumi Mei stared blankly out the window.

As always, the mists were heavy.

Nothing much to see.

She was simply spacing out.

Natsume—it felt like he hadn't visited in a long time.

Terumi Mei bit her lip unconsciously.

Was she really that unappealing?

What was he busy with in Konoha?

She sighed.

After a moment, she called, "Haku."

Soon, the fair-faced Haku appeared before her.

He was now a captain in Kirigakure's ANBU.

"Lady Mizukage."

Haku bowed slightly. "Your orders."

"What has the Sixth Hokage, Natsume, been up to recently?"

Terumi Mei hastily added, as if covering herself, "As allies, we need to keep track of his movements."

"He went to Hōzuki Castle with his three students."

Haku recalled the intel and reported.

So he'd been out on a mission?

Terumi Mei admitted to herself she'd wronged him.

As Hokage, Natsume must be as busy as she was—run off his feet.

Just then, there was a knock.

"Come in."

She waved a hand.

Haku vanished.

Ao entered, face heavy. "Lord Yagura's body has reached its limit."

Terumi Mei froze.

Not long ago, Yagura had already shown signs of trouble.

She hadn't expected it to worsen so quickly.

"We need to find a new jinchuriki quickly."

Ao paused, then continued, "Otherwise, we'll have to let the Three-Tails be reborn."

A jinchuriki isn't something just anyone can be.

There are stringent physical requirements.

Uzumaki Naruto had it easy because he had Uzumaki blood.

Other villages weren't so lucky.

Sunagakure, for example.

In the original story, after One-Tails' jinchuriki Bunpuku died, Rasa tried three jinchuriki candidates in a row; all went berserk.

Only on Chiyo's advice did they seal Shukaku into Gaara, barely succeeding.

Kiri's situation was even worse than Suna's.

Terumi Mei had considered becoming a jinchuriki herself like Yagura.

But she couldn't accept the consequence of failure.

Because failure likely meant death.

If Kirigakure lost her, the future would be grim.

Similarly, she wasn't willing to let Zabuza, Ao, or Haku attempt it—

Not unless they had absolute certainty.

"Have we found Utakata?"

Terumi Mei frowned slightly.

Kirigakure had two jinchuriki:

Yagura of the Three-Tails.

Utakata of the Six-Tails.

The former had been controlled; the latter defected.

And his reason for defecting was rather trivial.

It was because of Utakata's teacher.

He'd developed a technique that could allow a jinchuriki to survive after losing their tailed beast.

When he tried to perform it on Utakata, Utakata thought his teacher was trying to kill him and fled.

So this jinchuriki actually left Kiri due to a misunderstanding.

After Terumi Mei became Mizukage, she had ANBU searching the world for him.

She wanted to bring him back.

After all, jinchuriki were a guarantee of military power.

And if they had Utakata, then even if they lost the Three-Tails, it wouldn't be too alarming.

"No."

Ao knew how important a jinchuriki was, but luck simply wasn't on Kiri's side.

"I see."

Terumi Mei rubbed her temples, annoyed.

Kiri's situation was just too difficult.

If not for Natsume's support, they'd barely be scraping by.

But that support came with a price.

It was fine for Kirigakure and Konoha not to clash.

But if a so-called Fourth Shinobi World War broke out, Natsume could leverage the loans to coerce Kiri.

Then, they would have no choice but to fight for Konoha.

Though Terumi Mei liked Natsume, she didn't want to see that happen.

She sighed inwardly.

Not wanting it was one thing, but if they cut ties with Natsume, Kiri wouldn't survive.

Poverty had scared them.

"Ao, you can go. I'll think of something."

After a while, Terumi Mei spoke.

"Yes."

Ao noticed her expression, but he didn't know what to say.

He left.

Terumi Mei leaned back in the Mizukage's chair, exhaled, and murmured, "If that guy were here, he could probably solve this."

"Solve what?"

The sudden voice made her sit up straight.

She turned instinctively and saw a familiar, handsome face.

Terumi Mei opened her mouth, hesitated, and finally said faintly, "Did you come to laugh at me?"

There was some resentment in her tone—and something else.

"Not at all."

Natsume came closer, sat on her desk, and looked down at her.

"Ogling again."

Terumi Mei shot him a glare.

"You're the one showing it off. Why wouldn't I look?"

Natsume eyed her bare, smooth white shoulders and sensual collarbones, and couldn't help but smile.

"…"

Terumi Mei folded her arms to cover a bit, looking disdainful. "If Konoha found out their Hokage's a pervert, what would they think?"

"Hey, that's slander!"

Natsume protested. "I'm your big financier!"

Terumi Mei was reminded she still owed him a lot of money.

Not just money—two and a half years of labor, too.

Oh, and the condition she'd agreed to when redeeming Zabuza and Haku—

Seven days as a little maid.

Terumi Mei pouted, lowered her hands again, and let him admire the mountain-valley scenery as he pleased.

"What do you want from me?"

"I don't need anything, but you seem to."

Natsume's gaze moved to her face.

"You heard my conversation with Ao?"

Terumi Mei frowned. "As Hokage, how can you do that?"

"A Hokage can't, but a financier can."

Natsume didn't mind and smiled. "So, do you want my help?"

"…"

Terumi Mei fell silent.

Jinchuriki were top-priority affairs for Kirigakure.

Help was welcome.

But help from the Hokage was a different matter.

Chapter 218: Terumi Mei's Hospitality

"How can you help?"

Terumi Mei raised her head, looked at him, exhaled, as if resigning herself.

"The simplest way is to find you a suitable jinchuriki."

Natsume drummed his fingers on the desk. "I have a few good shinobi."

The Uzumaki and Senju could both be jinchuriki.

Let's not talk about the latter.

But the former's few survivors were all under his command.

For example, Hinae, Karin, and Amaru.

"No."

Terumi Mei frowned. "The jinchuriki must be a Kirigakure shinobi."

If Konoha provided the shinobi, who would the jinchuriki actually belong to?

Even if she trusted Natsume, the other Kiri higher-ups would never approve such absurdity.

"Alright, I figured you'd say that."

Natsume spread his hands.

He didn't really care about who the jinchuriki was—he just wanted to farm fate points.

Since Terumi Mei refused, they'd pick someone from Kiri.

"Then why bring it up?"

Terumi Mei rolled her eyes at him, helpless.

Her beautiful face looked all the more aggrieved.

"Ahem, because you look pretty like this."

Natsume tilted his head, teasing.

"Can you be serious?"

Terumi Mei ground her teeth, her red lips bitten pale—looking quite… enticing.

"Okay, business."

Natsume smiled. "The jinchuriki's physical constitution being a bit lacking isn't a big problem—what matters is a strong enough sealing technique."

Terumi Mei's expression eased.

That was indeed a good approach.

Since Uzushio was destroyed, the best sealing techniques were, naturally, in Konoha.

"I feel like Momochi Zabuza could work."

Natsume just threw it out there. "His body looks great—at least sturdier than Ao's or Haku's."

"What about me?"

Terumi Mei arched an eyebrow.

"Your figure's great, but your constitution doesn't feel up to it."

Natsume gave her a serious up-and-down look.

Terumi Mei couldn't help stomping her foot.

She was pleased he praised her figure, but she didn't like the second half.

"Hmph. From a feeling? And how would you know?"

"Easy. We can spar sometime."

Natsume followed her lead without thinking.

"…"

Terumi Mei blinked, then flushed. "Pervert!"

Natsume was puzzled for a second.

Then he got it.

Who'd have thought, in just a few years, Terumi Mei had gone from a green girl to a mature woman.

"I meant sparring."

He reached out and pinched her cheek.

"I… I meant that too."

Terumi Mei reflexively wanted to swat his hand away, then held back.

She tilted her head, sounding guilty.

"Your face is so red."

Natsume cupped her cheeks.

Nowhere to escape, Terumi Mei stared at him.

Her face showed undisguised panic and a bit of shyness.

But faced with his teasing gaze, she still tried to keep a stiff tongue. "I… it's just a little hot, not— not blushing."

Her voice even trembled toward the end.

Which revealed the Mizukage's true thoughts.

Natsume dipped his head and nipped her lower lip. "Your mouth isn't that stiff."

It took Terumi Mei a few seconds to process what he meant.

Then she flushed with shame and anger, and shoved him.

Natsume sprang off the desk.

Terumi Mei stood, ear tips burning.

Her cheeks rosy, she snapped, "You can go now! I don't want to see you today!"

"So you want to see me tomorrow?"

Natsume put on an I-get-it look.

"No!"

She clenched her fist. "That's not what I meant!"

"Alright."

Natsume sighed. "Since the Lady Mizukage doesn't want to see me, I'll take my leave."

With a whoosh—

He vanished.

Terumi Mei panicked, wanting to say something, but didn't.

A moment later, she bit her lip in regret.

Then she remembered—that's where Natsume had kissed her.

She covered her face.

A rush of complicated emotions surged.

"Lady Mizukage, are you savoring it?"

The sudden voice made her freeze.

Her face flushed scarlet in an instant.

"I'm not a pervert—savor what?!"

She feigned fury to hide her shyness.

"Is your lipstick tangerine-flavored?"

Natsume licked the corner of his mouth.

"Drop dead!"

Terumi Mei nearly exploded, glaring, killing intent all over her face.

"If I drop dead, I can't help you."

Natsume shrugged. "When do you plan to replace the jinchuriki?"

Terumi Mei pressed a hand to her forehead, helpless.

Hard to be angry even when she wanted to be.

She felt thoroughly in his grasp.

She took a deep breath. "After the Fourth Mizukage passes."

Normally, extracting a tailed beast kills the jinchuriki.

Replacing early would be tantamount to murder.

Yagura had done wrong, but he'd been controlled.

If Terumi Mei were truly that ruthless, she wouldn't have waited until now.

"Mm."

Natsume nodded. "Here, this is for you."

"What is it?"

Terumi Mei stared at the bracelet he handed over, taken aback.

A gift?

"You can use it to contact me."

Natsume took her wrist, slipped it on, and held her hand.

Terumi Mei stiffened.

As she debated pulling away, chakra flowed into her body.

It conveyed the functions of the Skynet Login Device.

Terumi Mei blinked.

This thing seemed awfully convenient.

"It does a lot. If you're bored, give it a try."

Natsume released her hand with a smile.

As long as Kaguya didn't act maliciously, Skynet was harmless.

Spending money—or chakra—wasn't forced.

You could earn it with missions.

Besides, the rewards were solid.

For Terumi Mei, Skynet was like a giant online marketplace.

"Aren't you afraid I'll leak these jutsu?"

"Everything has a price."

Natsume didn't care. "If you can really redeem them, leaking them isn't a big deal."

Terumi Mei studied him for signs of a lie.

The Skynet shop offered almost all the jutsu of Suna and Konoha.

If she redeemed them all, the implications would be terrifying.

It could shorten Kirigakure's power gap by over a decade—no exaggeration.

But as he said, redemption was costly.

Still, there was hope.

"You're confident."

She thought it over and could only reach that conclusion.

With Natsume's strength, even if the jutsu leaked, it wouldn't matter.

They still couldn't beat him.

"You could say that."

Natsume didn't deny it.

What she didn't know was that his confidence came from Kaguya.

No jutsu worked on her.

Unless it was senjutsu.

And Kaguya was the Skynet server, after all.

There were safeguards.

Every player who logged into Skynet had their soul bound.

First, to prevent account sharing.

Second—those who know, know.

With Kaguya's ability, adding backdoors was child's play.

Joining Skynet was easy; leaving was hard.

But as he'd said, as long as you didn't provoke Kaguya, nothing would happen.

"Remember that guy?"

Natsume asked suddenly.

"The bastard who controlled the Fourth Mizukage?"

Terumi Mei's eyes hardened. "Of course I remember!"

"My investigation says he joined an organization—possibly targeting the tailed beasts."

Natsume warned. "You should be careful."

In the original story, the Three-Tails ended up wild.

But thanks to his meddling, it was still in Kiri.

Switching jinchuriki was when a tailed beast was weakest.

Akatsuki might make a move.

"I understand."

Terumi Mei's gaze sharpened. She didn't doubt his intel.

Natsume had no reason to lie.

"I've wanted to ask—was he from Konoha?"

She thought a moment. "And did you approach me back then because of him?"

"I'm surprised you managed to hold back this long."

Natsume smiled. "He does have some connection to Konoha, but he's a rogue now."

Terumi Mei's lips quirked.

She hadn't asked before because she was busy—and because she owed him too much to bring it up.

Now that he mentioned it, she took the chance.

"That's it?"

She pressed. "His actual identity?"

"I don't know."

Natsume shrugged. "He calls himself Uchiha Madara. Do you buy that?"

"Of course not."

Terumi Mei looked him over carefully and saw no sign of a lie.

She let it go.

"If there's nothing else, you can leave."

She took a deep breath. "And don't just pop in and scare people."

"I've helped you a lot. Where's my payment?"

Natsume crossed his arms. "Surely the mighty Mizukage won't stiff me?"

Terumi Mei was speechless.

She suppressed her rising panic. "What do you want?"

"What does the Lady Mizukage want to give?"

His eyes dropped to her lips.

"You really are a pervert."

She stared, a bit angry.

"I didn't say anything."

He looked aggrieved.

She ground her teeth.

A moment later, her delicate face leaned close to his.

Before she could act, Natsume beat her to it—

His lips met hers in what started as a simple peck, but he deepened it swiftly, his tongue slipping past her parted lips like a serpent striking.

Their tongues clashed and coiled in a heated dance, twin serpents entwining in a battle of slick, fervent exploration.

He tasted the faint sweetness of her breath, probing deeper as she hesitated, her own tongue responding tentatively at first, then with growing boldness, mirroring his movements in awkward but eager rhythm.

Terumi Mei responded awkwardly, her body tensing before melting into the intensity, her hands clutching at his shoulders as the kiss consumed them both.

Until she couldn't breathe and pushed him away.

Her chest rose and fell as she gulped air.

"You…"

She looked at him, her alabaster skin tinged pink.

Her lips had lost their rosy hue, paling slightly, now swollen and glistening from the passionate exchange.

But, unexpectedly, she wasn't angry.

"Thanks for the hospitality."

Natsume smiled.