The Demon King, reborn in Japan as a monk

It's fair to say that if the daimyo of the Land of Water hadn't been so well-prepared, he might have died that very night, and wouldn't have survived until now.

He naturally wanted to arrange everything as well as possible so that he could close his eyes in peace and meet his ancestors in the afterlife...

So, just two days after Ishihara Akira officially began acting as the Crown Prince of the Land of Water, the daimyo, having completed all his arrangements, finally passed away, leaving this world to join his ancestors and children in the Pure Land.

Then came the matters of laying the body in state, chanting sutras, and burial, which took Ishihara Akira about half a month to prepare. Finally, under the urging of many ministers who had entrusted him with the care of the young emperor, he officially sat on the throne of the Daimyo of the Land of Water and became the de facto ruler of the Land of Water.

"As expected, becoming a daimyo will help improve my authority." Ishihara Akane, after becoming a daimyo, assessed his new level of authority and couldn't help but feel secretly satisfied.

……

"Mei Terumi pays her respects to Your Majesty the Daimyo." After finishing many miscellaneous matters, Ishihara Akira issued his first order as Daimyo, summoning Mei Terumi, the Mizukage of Kirigakure, to an audience.

As it happened, Mei Terumi, as the direct head of the military organization of the Land of Water, was also required to pay homage when the daimyo ascended the throne. Therefore, it did not take much effort for Mei Terumi to appear in front of Ishihara Akira.

"Rise, please take a seat," Ishihara Sho said tactfully.

"Thank you, Your Highness." Mei Terumi stood up and sat down in a chair.

"I wonder what Your Highness has for me?"

"I just have some personal questions I'd like to discuss with you, Mizukage," Ishihara Akira said with a smile.

"Oh? What would Your Highness like to talk about?" Mei Terumi asked curiously.

"I heard that you're still single, Mizukage?" Ishihara Akira asked with a smile, bringing up a topic that was somewhat painful for Terumi Mei.

"Your Highness's information is correct; I am indeed currently single," Mei Terumi replied, her smile somewhat forced.

"Have you thought about marriage?" Ishihara Akira continued to rub salt into her wounds.

"Yes, but unfortunately, there aren't many good men around me. Even if I wanted to find someone who shares my interests, I wouldn't have anyone to choose from," Mei Terumi said with a wry smile.

"Then, what do you think of me?" Ishihara Sho asked, revealing his ultimate purpose in summoning her.

"Huh?" Mei Terumi looked at Ishihara Sho with disbelief.

For a daimyo to marry the Kage of a ninja village is something that has never happened since the establishment of the ninja village system. Moreover, Ishihara Akane looks like he is not yet an adult—for the sake of disguise, although he is no longer the 12-year-old he was in Konoha, he still looks around 15 years old, and looks about the same age as Haku, young and tender, completely beyond Mei Terumi's hunting range for men...

No, not entirely. After all, since she could do *that* with Sasuke, who was also 15 years old in the original work, it's possible that she might have feelings for Ishihara Akira.

"Your Highness, you're not joking, are you?" Terumi Mei asked with a forced laugh.

“I am unmarried, and you are unmarried. It just so happens that I, Your Highness, am also very fond of an outstanding woman like you, the Mizukage. Why is it not possible? Is it because you are the Mizukage and I am the Daimyo? Who made that rule?” Ishihara Akira asked curiously.

Chapter 86 Agree

"Please allow me some time to consider this, Your Highness," Terumi Mei hesitated for a moment before politely declining.

“Okay, I’ll give you a day to consider it. But if you can’t give me a satisfactory answer after a day, then I will have no choice but to use my power to achieve my goal.” Ishihara Akira looked at Terumi Mei for a while, leaned back, and responded with a seemingly accommodating but actually threatening tone.

"Yes, I will consider it carefully." Mei Terumi's expression changed upon hearing this. She bowed, stood up, and left the daimyo's palace.

"My lady, what does His Highness the Daimyo want with you?" Ao, Mei Terumi's bodyguard and also her office secretary, immediately asked upon seeing Mei Terumi.

After all, a new emperor brings a new court, and who knows what the newly appointed daimyo thinks of their Kirigakure village?

Therefore, he, being a mature and prudent person, had no choice but to show more concern.

Chojuro also turned his head and looked at Mei Terumi.

“We’ll talk about it when we get back,” Mei Terumi said, frowning.

Proposing marriage is not something that can be said openly in a place with so many officials and eyes and ears, so it's better to wait until we return to the Kirigakure's base in the capital.

The two then asked no further questions and escorted Terumi Mei back to her base.

……

"The daimyo wants me to marry him and become his wife." After finishing her chores, Terumi Mei sat down in the room and said to Ao and Chojuro, who were sitting opposite her.

After all, she is the Mizukage, and the person who proposed to her is the Daimyo of the Land of Water. Therefore, her marriage is no longer a private matter, but a major event concerning the ninja village and the Land of Water.

Furthermore, there is no historical precedent for a daimyo marrying a kage. This is the first time since the establishment of the ninja village system, so it is necessary to listen to the advice of Ao, a mature and prudent person, to see what is the appropriate course of action.

Even though she knew that as the Mizukage, she probably couldn't avoid this marriage.

"Then what do you think, sir?" Qing was surprised at first, but then realized how tricky the problem was, and couldn't help but ask in return.

“My thoughts are irrelevant now. Because when I left, the Daimyo said that if my answer didn’t satisfy him, he would use his power as Daimyo to achieve his ultimate goal of making me his wife,” Mei Terumi sighed.

Although marriage is a good thing, and Da Ming himself is not bad-looking, and is more or less among her type, and is also very young, this way of forcing her to comply makes her very unhappy.

She's not some ordinary, weak woman who can just do whatever the daimyo says. She's the Fifth Mizukage of Kirigakure. If she's really pushed too far and can't kill the daimyo, can't she just quit and run away?

Given the current quality of the ninjas in Kirigakure, it's not that Mei Terumi is arrogant, but that no one can stop her.

"How can a daimyo do this?" Chojuro said, dissatisfied.

“But he is a daimyo,” Ao sighed. He paused, then continued, “If you, sir, were to marry, what would happen to Kirigakure? We can’t possibly choose a new Kage just because you’re getting married, can we?”

“This is also a headache for me,” Mei Terumi sighed.

"It's just getting married, why change your shadow?" Chojuro asked, puzzled.

"Because the Mizukage will be staying in the capital to serve the daimyo, which means she will be unable to stay in the village for a significant amount of time. The village cannot function without a Kage in charge; this is not only necessary for maintaining authority, but also because many government affairs can only be truly implemented after the Kage has signed off on them. If the Mizukage stays in the capital..."

"Can't we think of other ways? Like summoning beasts or something?" Chojuro asked in surprise.

As the only basic space-time ninjutsu in the Naruto world that can be mastered by ordinary ninjas, there's no reason why it couldn't meet Mei Terumi's needs and couldn't even transmit a file.

"Hmm, that's not a bad idea." Qing paused, her expression becoming thoughtful.

"You can't just send a copy of every document you get, can you? Even if you could, I wouldn't need to do anything else; I could just use summoning jutsu." Mei Terumi said speechlessly.

"We can categorize the documents according to their urgency. For general ones, we can set them aside and send them to you three times a day—morning, noon, and evening—for processing. Urgent ones that require immediate attention can be sent directly using summoning jutsu. Furthermore, to avoid disturbing the daimyo's rest when using summoning jutsu, we can select several female ninjas to accompany you into the capital as your bodyguards, specifically to handle the use of summoning jutsu and document transfers." Ao, true to his sharp mind and capable of serving as a Kage's secretary, quickly devised a solution.

"This……"

……

In short, after the unified discussion, the next day arrived.

Mei Terumi entered the palace again as promised and met Ishihara Akira, who was serving as the daimyo.

"Has the Mizukage made up his mind?" Ishihara Sho asked directly upon meeting Terumi Mei.

“Yes. I am willing to marry Lord Daimyo and become your wife.” Terumi Mei took a deep breath, her expression cool, as if she were talking about something unrelated, and calmly answered Ishihara Akira.

After a pause, he continued, "At the same time, I request to resign from the position of the Fifth Mizukage and hand it over to the Jonin Chojuro of Kirigakure."

"Resign from the position of Mizukage? Why?" Ishihara Sho asked in surprise.

“Because after I marry into this family, I will serve you wholeheartedly and bear you worthy offspring. I suppose I will not have the energy to manage the affairs of Kirigakure. Please allow me, Your Highness,” said Mei Terumi.

"No need. You can continue to fulfill your duties as Mizukage. I'm not some incapacitated patient. I don't need anyone to take care of me 24/7. As for the management of Kirigakure after you marry into the capital, I believe in the magic of your ninjas. You'll definitely find a solution." Ishihara Sho waved his hand, rejecting Terumi Mei's suggestion.

"Then thank you for your magnanimity, Your Highness." Mei Terumi breathed a sigh of relief and relaxed upon hearing this.

She was genuinely afraid that Ishihara Akira was a traditional daimyo who would keep his wives locked up in the house and prevent them from participating in external affairs, such as managing and operating the Kirigakure village.

Now it seems things aren't as bad as I thought.

"Someone, go and summon the Grand Steward of the Imperial Household Department, the officials of the Divine Palace, and the officials of the Empress Palace." After calming Terumi Mei down, Ishihara Akira immediately shouted towards the door of the main hall.

Chapter 87 Talking Between Husband and Wife

A month and a half later, on the so-called auspicious day chosen by the priests, Ishihara Akira and Terumi Mei officially became husband and wife. In the presence of envoys from the five great nations and even envoys from the ninja village, they completed their Shinto wedding and entered the bridal chamber.

As for drinking and such...

He is a daimyo, not an ordinary person. So what if the visitors are envoys from various countries? There will naturally be officials from the relevant foreign ministries to handle the reception, arrangements, and accompaniment. There is no need for his daimyo to personally go and greet them.

The two people are not on equal footing!

It would be more like it was the leaders of the five great nations who came in person.

"Finally, finally I've married you." Ishihara Akira said, looking at Terumi Mei kneeling there in her white kimono, his expression filled with barely concealed excitement.

"Your Highness, it's time for us to drink the nuptial wine." Mei Terumi glanced at the excited Ishihara Akira with satisfaction and reminded him.

It seems she has quite the charm, captivating the daimyo, or perhaps the daimyo truly loves her enough to want to marry her, rather than for some unspeakable reason. This has made Terumi Mei, who has always felt uneasy about her marriage, feel much better and finally has the mind to face her marriage and consider her future life.

"Yes, yes, drink the nuptial wine, drink the nuptial wine." Ishihara Akira suddenly realized, and quickly walked to the side, picked up the wine cup that had been prepared in advance, and drank the nuptial wine with Terumi Mei, which represented the unity of husband and wife and their oneness, thus completing the final ceremony.

"Mei Terumi, it's getting late, let's rest." Ishihara Akira put down his wine glass and looked at Mei Terumi across from him, whose hair was combed up for the wedding, fully revealing her green eyes.

“It’s only noon…” Terumi Mei rolled her eyes at Ishihara Sho.

However, she did not refuse, got up, and walked towards the bed.

Seeing this, Ishihara Sho chuckled and got up to follow.

……

"Are there any ninjas in Kirigakure who know Earth Release?" Having dealt with Mei Terumi, Ishihara Sho, whose authority in the Naruto world had increased again, even surpassing 10%, asked the petite Mei Terumi beside him.

"There are some, but not many, and their strength isn't very good. After all, the environment of our Kirigakure is more suitable for the growth and birth of Water Release ninjas," Terumi replied after a moment of contemplation.

“No? ...Never mind then. You can send an order to the Mist Ninja later, consider it a mission: capture the Sand Ninja's puppeteer and the Rock Ninja's Earth Release ninja, alive. The price will vary according to their strength: 10 for Genin, 20 for Chunin, 50 for Elite, and 100 for Jonin. There is no limit to the number.” Ishihara Sho said.

"What do you need a puppeteer and an Earth Release ninja for?" Mei Terumi asked, puzzled.

“Didn’t I ask Gato to bring me a lot of scientists before? I feel their technology is a bit insufficient, so I want the puppeteers to help them out. As for the Iwa ninja, they are naturally there to facilitate my road and bridge construction for the Land of Water! In fact, if I weren’t worried that building a cross-sea bridge would damage the Land of Water’s superior geographical environment and defensive advantages, I originally planned to build a cross-sea bridge from the Land of Water to the Land of Whirlpools, to facilitate our Land of Water’s army’s attacks on inland areas,” Ishihara Akira explained.

"You want to start a war between nations?" Mei Terumi asked in astonishment.

The national war is a war between the five great nations, fought by ordinary people's armies. It is a war as understood by normal people, not a battle between ninja villages like the Ninja World War, which only involves ninjas.

“Yes,” Ishihara Akira affirmed.

“A month’s worth of training isn’t enough to produce many soldiers who can master chakra,” Mei Terumi cautioned.

Yes, Ishihara Sho, who has been consolidating power and reforming the noble forces of the Land of Water over the past month, has not been idle! In addition to recruiting scientists and skilled craftsmen from all over the country, he has also ordered that the information on chakra extraction techniques be made available to the soldiers of the capital, namely the left and right guards and the capital garrison, allowing them to learn and refine chakra.

He also promised that anyone who could extract chakra would receive a salary increase and be included in the daimyo's special talent training list, enjoying the daimyo's special attention.

In addition, every soldier who has refined chakra can enter the ninja training institution in the capital, which is jointly run by the daimyo's subordinate ninjas and Kirigakure, to receive targeted training. This allows them to easily transform from an ordinary soldier into a samurai or a prospective ninja who wields the magical power of chakra.

At first, Mei Terumi didn't understand Ishihara Sho's purpose in doing this, but now she does: it turns out he was preparing for the national war.