Adopted by Tsunade [87-88] (Patreon)

Chapter 87: I Have Several Projects Worth Hundreds of Millions

Only after Natsume finished the hairstyle did the Ring of Fate finally chime.

[Because of your actions, Mei Terumi's fate has changed. You have gained 100 Fate Points.]

Nice—this wave was worth it.

Natsume yawned and left the room.

To be safe, he set up a simple barrier.

If anyone triggered it, he'd know at once and could rush to the rescue.

…

The next day.

Natsume opened his eyes.

He wasn't quite used to sleeping alone.

Mostly because it wasn't warm enough—not that he needed constant food, drink, and entertainment.

He changed clothes and went to Mei's room.

She still hadn't woken.

He suddenly remembered something and took out a black pill.

A soldier pill.

A special pill to restore chakra.

Natsume sat by the bed, gently pried open Mei's soft lips with a finger, and placed the pill in her mouth.

Tsunade-made—melts in your mouth.

She had clearly considered the possibility of an unconscious patient.

Otherwise, Natsume would have had to sip some water and push the pill in.

After laying her down again, he wiped his slightly warm, damp fingers and waited.

Before long, Mei woke.

Her body still felt weak.

She stared blankly for two seconds. Remembering yesterday, she sat up at once, eyes full of vigilance, and looked at Natsume.

As the future Mizukage, she showed the composure she should have.

She didn't get overly grateful because he'd saved her, nor let the vague emotions from before she fainted affect her.

On the contrary, what Natsume had hidden was alarming.

A shinobi this powerful, disguised as a merchant, planning to open five sea lanes—

If he belonged to another village, by helping him, Mei would be committing a crime against Kirigakure.

Natsume smiled, pulled a stool over, and sat in front of her.

Women without love-brain really had their own flavor.

No wonder so many people in his previous life liked the cold, aloof CEO type.

"Who are you?"

Mei's eyes swept over him. "What's your real aim?"

"I was once a shinobi of Kirigakure. I fled because of the Mizukage's persecution and joined an organization called Heaven's Mandate."

Natsume spun the tale smoothly. "Our organization's purpose is simple: we want everyone to become prosperous."

"…?"

Mei tilted her head, puzzled.

Was he saying they were philanthropists?

As for him being a Kirigakure missing-nin—that had a sliver of plausibility.

One, his Water Release was indeed strong.

Two, the Village of the Bloody Mist had driven out many powerful shinobi.

She didn't really buy it, though—mostly the second half sounded too ridiculous.

"Since recorded history, the shinobi world has had three large-scale wars and countless small ones. Why do you think wars happen? Why is peace always out of reach?"

Natsume looked at her seriously.

Sensing his shift in mood, Mei unconsciously straightened up.

But it was a hard question.

Many shinobi had pondered it and even put ideas into practice to bring peace—without exception, they failed.

"War is about resources."

Mei thought for a moment. 

"Why is Konoha the strongest village? Because it occupies the best resources."

"Right—and yet not the whole picture."

Natsume asked, "In your view, does Kirigakure have the worst resources of the Five Great Villages?"

Mei nodded.

Up to now, Kirigakure's biggest resource had been various fish.

Good for filling bellies, and that's about it.

Natsume had at least put maritime shipping to use.

Come to think of it, why had Kirigakure never thought to build warships and establish a naval shinobi force?

No money? Or were the Mizukage too mired in bloody infighting?

"But in my eyes, Kirigakure has resources no less than Konoha's."

Natsume spoke softly. "You just don't know how to use them."

Ocean resources are no less abundant than those on land.

If all you think of is fishing, your vision is too short.

Though you can't blame them entirely.

"That's impossible."

Mei rejected it instinctively.

"Want to know?"

Natsume smiled.

Mei hesitated two seconds, then nodded.

"The answer ties into several projects worth hundreds of millions."

Natsume took out a contract. "And our Heaven's Mandate organization values fair trade above all."

Mei blinked, skimmed the contract, and frowned.

It was simple.

Signing would make her a temporary member of Heaven's Mandate—and put her two hundred million ryō in debt to Natsume.

"You think I'll sign that?"

Mei's expression grew icier.

A slave contract.

She definitely wouldn't sign.

Two hundred million ryō—how many missions would it take to pay off?

While Natsume just ran his mouth.

Far too unfair.

Though she really did want to know what resources could make Kirigakure rival Konoha.

"That's too bad."

Natsume tucked the contract away. "If wars stem from unequal resources, then if everyone becomes wealthy, wouldn't war vanish? That's Heaven's Mandate's purpose—and why I helped you."

Weird.

But it sort of made sense.

Mei couldn't digest it all at once.

"I can't trust you."

"Understandable."

Natsume adjusted his posture, leaning back into a comfortable position. "But you should also know—if I meant you harm, you'd already be a corpse."

Mei was silent for a few seconds. "Thank you."

This was thanks as an individual, not on behalf of Kirigakure.

Natsume understood. He asked, "About our cooperation on opening sea lanes—are you continuing?"

"…"

Mei faltered, unsure what to say.

Her instincts told her to cut ties.

But Kirigakure's current state didn't allow refusal.

Too poor.

"I hid things from you first—that's on me. As compensation, I'll give you one intel for free."

Seeing her hesitate, Natsume laid his cards on the table. "Your Mizukage has betrayed Kirigakure."

"What nonsense is that?!"

Mei's steady breathing grew ragged.

Though Yagura had ordered her execution, she had never imagined he would betray the village.

He already held the highest power in Kirigakure—why betray it?

Absurd!

"Have Ao use his Byakugan on the Mizukage. You'll know if I'm lying."

Natsume waved a hand.

Mei's pale face turned paler.

Use Byakugan—

That meant Yagura was under someone's control.

But he was the perfect Three-Tails jinchuriki—how could he be controlled?

As for that question—Natsume had considered it too.

Either Uchiha Madara helped, or the control was split into stages.

For example, control the Three-Tails first; once Yagura sealed it into himself, control him.

Chapter 88: Flying Thunder God Technique

After hearing the news that Yagura Karatachi might be under someone's control, Terumi Mei could no longer sit still. Ignoring her weakened body, she returned to Kirigakure.

To keep her from running into danger, Natsume personally escorted her part of the way.

Eigi and the others couldn't possibly come back from the dead, but there might be other shinobi out there.

"Thank you."

Even in a foul mood, Terumi Mei still maintained the etiquette befitting the Mizukage's successor.

"I'll come find you once I've confirmed it."

She turned and stepped into a residence.

"Terumi Mei?"

It was Ao, a veteran jonin of Kirigakure with considerable renown.

His most famous alias was the Byakugan Killer.

During the Third Shinobi World War, he took a Byakugan as a war trophy and implanted it into his right eye.

"Why do I surprise you so much just by showing up?"

Terumi Mei noticed his expression and immediately grew wary.

Could it be that Ao also knew about Eigi and the others' attempt to assassinate her?

"It's rare to see you change your hairstyle. It's got quite the girlish vibe."

Ao nodded with a smile, then asked, "What brings you to me?"

"Hairstyle?"

Terumi Mei blinked, but quickly set it aside and brought up Yagura Karatachi.

"Is that even possible?"

Ao looked stunned when she finished.

"With the Mizukage's strength, it's hard to imagine him being controlled."

"Yet in recent years, his behavior has been baffling—almost like he's become a different person," Terumi Mei said in a low voice.

"I'll take a look."

Ao finally agreed.

If they were wrong, they could always apologize to Yagura.

But if it was true… he didn't dare imagine the magnitude of that disgrace.

The Five Kage of the five great villages—five people standing at the very summit of the shinobi world—being controlled? What face would Kirigakure have left?

After Ao left, Terumi Mei sought out Genji and informed him.

Even that worldly elder fell silent.

He truly had never seen anything like this.

Thinking that Kirigakure might have been under an outsider's rule for so many years, he could barely keep it together.

While she waited, Terumi Mei recalled what Ao had said.

She went to the lake in the courtyard and looked down at her reflection, noticing her new hairstyle.

She'd assumed her hair was a mess from battle, but it was nothing like what she'd imagined.

Clearly, Natsume had tidied it for her.

Terumi Mei grew a little dazed.

What kind of person are you, really?

…

Meanwhile, Natsume currently had nothing to do.

He was about to go mess around with Hinae when he suddenly realized he hadn't seen Hinata in quite some time.

After confirming she was in her room, he performed the Reverse Summoning Technique.

"What are you thinking about?"

Hinata, frowning in thought, came into view. Combined with her cute face, the look made her seem especially adorable.

"Natsume-nii!"

She came back to herself and called out excitedly.

Not only that, she instinctively ran over to him.

Only when she reached him did she stop, cheeks flushed, head lowered in embarrassment.

Natsume crouched down, gave her a quick hug, and immediately let go.

Even so, Hinata turned beet red and practically steamed.

Once she'd calmed down, Natsume asked, "What were you thinking about just now?"

Hinata didn't hide it. She drooped a little and said, "It's about Brother Neji. I told him this morning that I will definitely remove the Caged Bird. He didn't believe me and even said I was being hypocritical."

Natsume raised an eyebrow.

What a brat.

With that attitude, even I feel like giving you a beating.

"Do you know why he doesn't believe you?"

Natsume lifted her chin and cupped her small face. It was soft and warm.

Hinata's eyes widened. If the question hadn't kept her attention, she would've fainted on the spot.

"Because you haven't beaten him into submission."

Natsume smiled. "Taking off the Caged Bird is difficult to begin with. If you can't defeat him, why would he believe you?"

"I…I can't beat him," Hinata whispered. "Brother Neji is more talented than me."

"He isn't."

Natsume shook his head. "Your talent is greater than his; it just hasn't been fully developed."

Setting the Byakugan aside, Neji secretly learning Eight Trigrams Palms: Rotation was indeed impressive.

But Hinata created Protecting Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms, which is in no way inferior.

In fact, with his frequent feeding and guidance, her performance already surpassed her counterpart at the same age in the original story.

How to put it—

It's a mindset issue.

Hinata tended to be timid.

And as everyone knows, the more nervous, anxious, or angry you are, the easier it is to choke.

On top of that, Neji and Hiashi had accumulated too much gravitas in her heart.

Some might chalk it up to personality.

But in truth, Hinata acts fairly normal around others—

Like her teammates Inuzuka Kiba or Aburame Shino.

Only when she's around the person she likes does she turn into a steaming maiden.

Natsume had plenty of experience with such psychological knots.

After all, he had cured Tsunade's hemophobia.

In short, more practice would do the trick.

"Let's go."

Natsume rubbed her head. "I'll take you to train and help you unlock your potential."

Seeing from his expression and gaze that he wasn't joking, Hinata nodded vigorously.

Real or not, if it meant spending more time together, she was more than willing.

Natsume spirited the Hyuga young lady away from home once again.

They arrived at a secluded spot in the Forest of Death.

Under Hinata's wide-eyed stare, she was drawn into a nightmare-like illusion.

Natsume had activated his Mangekyō Sharingan.

It was, without a doubt, the most convenient method.

Of course, he wasn't as merciless as Itachi, who repeatedly forced Uchiha Sasuke to relive the clan massacre.

He had plenty of time. He could slowly ramp up the difficulty until Hinata no longer feared Hyuga Hiashi and Hyuga Neji.

After a long while, the genjutsu ended.

Hinata immediately threw herself into Natsume's arms.

Her body trembled slightly.

Natsume gently stroked her hair. "Don't be afraid. It was all fake."

Hinata said nothing.

After a moment, Natsume realized she seemed to have fallen asleep—or fainted.

He couldn't help but chuckle.

So cute.

Natsume carried her back to the Hyuga compound.

When he entered her room, he found she was already awake.

"How do you feel?"

He set her down and asked.

"A little scared, but not too much," Hinata said softly, head lowered.

Which meant she hadn't fainted from fear earlier, but from embarrassment.

"That's good."

Natsume patted her head. "After you've eaten, wait by the window. I'll show you something pretty."

Hinata blushed and nodded.

Natsume didn't linger. After reminding her not to tell anyone about this, he vanished from the room.

He didn't return to Kirigakure, though. He was still in Konoha.

When Hinata finished dinner and looked up at the starry sky outside her window, countless fireworks bloomed just for her.

Once he was done with the fireworks, Natsume headed to Orochimaru's courtyard.

Ever since he'd snatched Uchiha Shisui's Mangekyō Sharingan, he hadn't seen Orochimaru again.

This time, he'd come for one thing:

The Flying Thunder God Technique.