Yes, the Hokage

Now she walks among the Konoha's ranks, without any status, ignored by everyone, and even the headband on her forehead seems to have a faint horizontal scratch appearing...

From guard to rogue ninja, all it takes is a nod.

When Yagura said, "Mei Terumi, go," her voice was soft, devoid of any extra emotion. But in that instant, she understood everything that wasn't said—you've been abandoned, not because of betrayal; to draw that conclusion based on just a glance is far too hasty.

The reason for being abandoned is that you might betray us, which in the Blood Mist is enough to warrant a death sentence.

She clenched her fingers at the cuffs of her sleeves, her nails digging into her palms through the fabric.

"what happened?"

Pakula's voice came from ahead. She didn't turn around, but just turned her head to the side.

"It's a bit windy..."

Pakula glanced at her but didn't ask any further questions. The other woman's eyes were quite peculiar, carrying a hint of pity for one's own kind. If it were last night, Terumi Mei would have definitely retaliated, but now she didn't even have the strength to lift her head.

Mei Terumi lowered her head, recalling the words she had spoken to Kisame when she saw him off—"I will bring back reinforcements from the Five Kage Summit, or I will bring back an opportunity."

When she said that, her tone was firm; she truly believed she could do it.

But now?

No reinforcements found, but an opportunity has arisen... to make a pact with a bastard, no, a demon.

When Kisame said those words before, Mei Terumi was somewhat disdainful. But after she overwhelmed him with a single sentence last night, she became even more confident, thinking that Feng Lan was nothing special.

But just one morning later, he was plunged into an abyss of no return by that demon, and now that he remembered Kisame's words, it was too late.

But if things continue like this, the village will truly be finished.

She thought of the faces in the resistance, some younger than her, some more impulsive, some who didn't even know what the words "Village of Blood Mist" meant, but instinctively felt that this was wrong.

She had promised them she would bring back an opportunity, even if that opportunity was just a match, as long as it was lit, it would definitely dispel the blood mist that shrouded the village.

But now she hasn't even found the match; all she's found is a demon.

If that demon is the only option...

She thought, then she would choose Fenglan, even if the price was turning herself into the second Pakura, even if the price was that Kirigakure would become the next Sunagakure, at least Kirigakure would still exist.

As long as something exists, there is a possibility of turning things around. A dead village has no future, only tombstones.

She looked up and glanced at Feng Lan's back in front of her. He looked very ordinary, just like that guy. But at this moment, Mei Terumi truly understood Kisame's words.

I know what you are, but you're the only thing I can hold onto right now.

She knew the conversation would be difficult; Feng Lan would see through all her pretenses and demand a price she couldn't afford, but at least...

At least she's moving.

She was not nailed to the spot.

After constantly changing directions to find bargaining chips, they finally arrived at the inn. Mei Terumi took a deep breath and clenched her fists tightly: "Hokage-sama, Advisor Fenglan, I have something I want to say to you both!"

"You want us to intercept and kill the Mizukage, right?" However, Feng Lan lazily saw through her intentions with a single sentence, "After all, once he arrives at Kirigakure, you're all doomed."

Chapter 126 Mei Terumi's Struggle

Mei Terumi's expression froze. She had thought that she would be seen through by Feng Lan, but being interrupted like this would still affect her thoughts. Not everyone is as abnormal as Feng Lan Danzo, who can completely ignore external interference.

She had prepared a speech for the whole journey, starting with the Hokage, followed by a description of the future of Kirigakure, a request, and finally a promise... but before she could say a single word, Feng Lan's words were like a kunai that had flown in ahead of time, hitting her right where she was about to take a step.

"Yes..." All the groundwork was rendered useless, and Mei Terumi could only bow her head and admit it.

"I just can't do anything with you." Feng Lan's face, which was so small that it could be easily lost in a crowd, began to gradually reveal a squinty smile. Terumi Mei now knew that once this guy showed that smile, it meant that he was ready to fleece a fat sheep.

The fake smile that had seemed insignificant before now felt like a gaping demon, so intimidating that it made it hard for her to breathe.

"Minato." Feng Lan snapped his fingers. "You and Obito go to the Kamui dimension for a while."

"Huh? Again?!" Minato expressed his dissatisfaction. "I'm sure there's going to be a super intense political battle going to happen next. I want to observe and learn from it."

This kid is brimming with confidence because of his excellent performance last night, and he thinks he's finally qualified to sit at the table.

"No, it wasn't intense at all; it was just a one-sided slaughter."

Feng Lan didn't hold back at all despite Mei Terumi's presence, and began with a long, complex sentence: "The reason I'm not letting you stay is because my upcoming conversation with Ms. Terumi is expected to involve some unavoidable details in diplomatic procedures, which, despite extensive coordination, still require a degree of realism to advance. Considering that such discussions might deviate from your long-held idealistic framework that inter-village relations should be based on goodwill and mutual trust, and could potentially create unnecessary communication barriers between us regarding methodological aspects—barriers that, while not fundamentally different, would only increase mental strain—I personally believe that at this stage, maintaining cognitive harmony is just as important to the team's overall operational efficiency as any concrete achievement we make at the negotiating table. Therefore, if you could temporarily step aside, it would not only help us maintain strategic flexibility in the following communications, but also allow you to prepare for the subsequent wrap-up work more calmly, without being distracted by these technical details."

Minato: "...Huh?"

"You don't understand, do you?" Feng Lan patted his shoulder. "You're still a long way from being able to sit at the table and eat. Go and figure it out slowly in the Divine Might Space."

“Alright… wait!” Minato frowned and looked at Pakura. “How can she stay? You’re not allowed to talk like that anymore. Explain yourself in a way that even a monkey could understand, you bastard!”

"Alright, alright." Feng Lan shrugged and translated for him, "That string of nonsense just now actually had one main point—you're too soft-hearted, which might hinder my ability to extort you later."

"As for leaving Pakura here, one reason is that the Kamui dimension is not suitable for showing her, and another reason is that her experience is somewhat similar to Mei Terumi's, so we hope it will give her some insights. Is that concise enough?"

"Oh……!"

Minato's voice trailed off, his face full of displeasure, but he couldn't think of any way to refute it, so he could only obediently enter the Kamui dimension with Obito. As for Obito? He was already starting to feel an itch on his head, wondering if he was growing a brain or tentacles.

Mei Terumi watched as Minato and Obito vanished into thin air, and her heart trembled once again. First of all, Minato, someone she could move and who was willing to help, had been sent away by Feng Lan. This proved that Feng Lan had completely seen through all her strategies before she even uttered them.

Furthermore, the fact that Feng Lan used the Divine Might Space, which seems to be of great strategic significance and absolutely needs to be kept secret, without any concern, proves that in her eyes, she has completely controlled it and cannot cause any trouble.

"sit down."

Feng Lan sat cross-legged next to the low table, while Pakula naturally knelt down next to him, poured two cups of hot tea, one for Feng Lan and the other for Terumi Mei.

Mei Terumi hesitated for a moment, but then sat down, because she had no other choice. She didn't touch the tea that Pakura had placed there, and kept her hands flat on her knees, as if trying to maintain a posture that suggested she was still in control.

“Mr. Fenglan, I can explain, Wuyin is now…”

“You have no bargaining chips right now.” Feng Lan blew on her tea. “You’re being held hostage here, your communication lines are cut off, and your subordinates in Kirigakure could be purged at any time. The only thing you can do now is to persuade me to let Konoha take action.”

“Yes, yes…” Mei Terumi lowered her head, “I need Konoha’s help.”

"Need? I think 'request' is a more accurate word." Feng Lan smiled. "It's like how the Führer thought everything would be fine as long as Steiner launched an attack. Do you think Kirigakure would be alright as long as Yagura was intercepted halfway?"

Mei Terumi didn't know anything about the Führer or Steiner, but she could understand the mockery in their words: "I can stabilize the situation; the resistance is ready..."

"What have you prepared?" Feng Lan finally looked up at her, his narrowed eyes opening slightly to reveal a cold glint. "How many men do you have in Kirigakure? How many Jonin are under your command? After Yagura dies, will the faction supporting the Blood Mist Village surrender obediently, or will they wipe you out and your entire resistance?"

Mei Terumi opened her mouth, but no sound came out.

"The problem of Kirigakure cannot be solved by killing Yagura. This village is rotten to the core. The Village of Bloody Mist is not a specific person, but a set of rules and an order. As long as this system is still in operation, the outcome will not be different even if a different Mizukage takes over."

"To completely destroy something like this, a major overhaul is needed. If it were me... please forgive my boasting, but I am capable of operating it slowly and bloodlessly, eliminating the Blood Mist Village from top to bottom without lifting a finger. What about you? Do you have that ability? Could you understand the long and complicated sentences I just said to Minato?"

Mei Terumi bit her lip: "Mr. Fenglan, I know I don't have enough leverage, but the future of Kirigakure..."

“That’s not my problem.” Fenglan interrupted her. “Why should I risk assassinating the current Mizukage for the future of other villages? If Yagura dies on his way back to Kirigakure, Konoha will be the first to be suspected.”

"Even if we can't find out, the advantage we just built at the Five Kage Summit will be completely wiped out; but once we do find out, hmph~ Konoha will become the enemy of the entire ninja world. Unless Danzo immediately comes back to life and takes all the blame, it will be the Fourth Shinobi World War, and it will be a Fourth Shinobi World War against the entire ninja world."

"Of course, as long as there is enough benefit, such a risk is not unacceptable. With proper planning, I have many ways to make Yagura disappear without a trace, but... if I may be frank, you are not worth the price."

This last sentence was also said by Fenglan to Yahiko and others in Amegakure, but the context and purpose of using this sentence were different.

When he said this to Yahiko and the others, he was stating the facts, because Amegakure had no other benefits to exploit besides the Rinnegan. However, when Mei said this, it was just a way to lower the price in advance in order to gain more benefits.

He certainly didn't want Yagura to succeed in suppressing the rebellion so easily. If Kirigakure continued to remain closed off, it might gradually decay and disappear, but he wouldn't be able to get any benefit from it.

However... his plan wouldn't make much difference whether Mei Mi was there or not. Feng Lan was following the Kisame route and wasn't really familiar with this little girl.

Mei Terumi fell silent again. Feng Lan's words were not malicious, nor were they reproachful. He was simply stating the facts: he really had no bargaining chips to offer.

Perhaps, I can still...

She racked her brains and finally came up with a plan, but before she could even lift her hand or brush her hair aside, Feng Lan's voice rang out again: "Also, Miss Terumi Mei, didn't I tell you? You're not suited to using your beauty to seduce others."

Mei Terumi's hand froze in mid-air. She had indeed been preparing to go all in, not even caring that Pakula was right next to her. She hadn't expected that the idea would be stopped so soon, before she could even put it into action.

This man had everything under control. Just as he told Minato, there was no fierce confrontation at all; it was just a one-sided slaughter.

Man is the knife, I am the fish.

This was something Pakula had just experienced last night, so she could naturally empathize with her. When she looked at Mei Terumi, she couldn't help but feel a little more sympathy and emotion. The girl in blue lowered her head, clenched her fists tightly, and gritted her teeth, as if she was trying her best not to shed tears.

[This is... the fate of a ninja abandoned by the village...] She sighed inwardly, feeling that Mei Terumi could not escape the arrangement of fate after all. This girl, who had been at odds with her last night because of the village's stance, could only follow Feng Lan and clumsily and helplessly search for a new meaning in life.

But at that moment, Mei Terumi raised her head again. There were indeed tears in her eyes, her lips were bitten raw, and her body was trembling violently.

But instead of dimming and losing their sparkle, her eyes shone even brighter, so resolute and unyielding, as if she were throwing a punch at fate.

“Mr. Fenglan is right, I really have no other cards left.”

At that moment, Pakura was stunned by the expression on Mei Terumi's face: "But... I won't give up, I must save the village!"

"Oh?" Feng Lan's fake smile faded slightly, and an expression of appreciation appeared in her eyes. "I'm all ears."

She took a deep breath, trying to keep her voice from trembling with her body: "Konoha certainly won't send troops directly, but you don't only have Konoha ninjas under your command..."

Mei Terumi said, enunciating each word clearly, "You still have Amegakure and Akatsuki! As long as Akatsuki takes action, even if others know what happened, they won't hold Konoha responsible. More importantly... you can gain a lot from it!"

At that moment, Feng Lan's fake smile finally turned into a genuine one: "Not bad, not bad, you're teachable."

Chapter 127 The Succubus Who Isn't Good at Using Her Beauty

Mei Terumi is undoubtedly an elite ninja. As the Fifth Mizukage in the original work, her mental fortitude is already very strong. It's just a pity that she was facing Feng Lan—a bastard who knows the plot well and can't even gain the upper hand in a verbal battle with the Raikage and Tsuchikage working together. She was seen through not because she was weak, but because her opponent was too strong.

So far in the conversation, Feng Lan was quite satisfied with her performance. She had used information suppression, identity suppression, logic suppression, value suppression, and action prediction in succession, but she was still not defeated. Although it was a bit like creating cards out of thin air, she was still able to take the initiative to play her cards in a desperate situation, which was already very remarkable.

Most importantly, she can see through the essence of things, which is that everything she does is for personal gain. This is enough to pass the test, even Minato couldn't see that.

Therefore, Fenglan decided to give Terumi Mei a chance in order to gain more benefits from her.

Meanwhile, Pakura looked at Mei Terumi in astonishment. She had been forced into the same situation as him... no, she was even worse off, having become a rogue ninja. But this girl, who looked even younger than him, did not kneel down; instead, she straightened her back even more.

"Continue," Feng Lan said calmly, maintaining her smile.

"Yes."

Mei Terumi gathered her thoughts and tentatively said, "Before coming to the Land of Iron, I always used the token Kisame gave me as a stepping stone. I was confident that I could control everything, but now I've come to terms with reality... That kunai was never mine from the beginning. It has always belonged to Kisame Hoshigaki, the person you chose."

“That’s right, I do intend to have the Akatsuki take action. Ever since Yagura brought you here, I’ve already planned everything. Why don’t you think about it… when do I plan to have the Akatsuki make their move?”

Mei Terumi's mind raced. Her deepest desire was naturally to intercept and kill Yagura, but Feng Lan had clearly stated he wouldn't do that: "Calm down. Don't let your position or situation cloud your judgment. Put yourself in Feng Lan's shoes and find the best angle to gain his benefit."

She spent almost half a minute analyzing the situation again, and then couldn't help but feel a little jealous. Feng Lan had such a good and numerous hand, so many that even if she had just given her any one of them, she wouldn't be in such a passive position.

Control yourself, control your emotions.

Mei Terumi took a deep breath: "It was when Yagura really started to make his move. The resistance would never sit idly by and wait to be defeated. Moreover, the strength of the two sides was not on the same level. Just when the resistance was about to collapse, Kisame led the Akatsuki's divine troops to descend from the sky."

"There are two advantages to this. First, it will turn the tide of the battle and further strengthen their gratitude and awe of Kisame. Second, at this time, all of Yagura's attention is on the resistance, so the losses from attacking Akatsuki will be minimized... Is that right?"

“That’s right, this is exactly what I’ve been planning.” Feng Lan clapped his hands. “You should be able to tell that this plan is neither much nor little more than having you… In fact, it would be easier for Kisame to recruit the resistance without you. So if you want me to include you, the price will be very high.”

Mei Terumi fell silent again. She knew that it was time for Feng Lan to kill her, but no matter what, she had to endure it and not give up... She absolutely had to hold on to this last hope and completely dispel the blood mist!

Pakula, who was watching from the sidelines, could clearly sense the turmoil in Terumi Mei's emotions. While feeling extremely complicated, he couldn't help but want to cheer her on.

"Please speak." Finally, Mei Terumi composed herself. "I've made up my mind that even if it means making a pact with a demon, I will save the village!"

"Come on, don't be so nervous." Feng Lan's genuine smile turned into a fake one again. "I'm not some kind of demon. Of course, I have requirements, but they won't be unacceptable to you."

"First of all, Konoha has the priority to receive all the existing bloodline limit clans and ninjas of Kirigakure when I need them. You cannot refuse, you cannot withhold them, and you cannot obstruct them for any reason."

Mei Terumi's cheek twitched slightly: "All of them?"

“All of them.” Feng Lan said with a smile, “Even if you disagree, after being tormented by the Village of Blood Mist for so long, how many of the bloodline limit ninjas do you think would be willing to stay if Konoha extended an olive branch?”

Mei Terumi didn't nod, but she didn't refuse either, because all three people present knew that this was just the beginning.

"Second," Feng Lan held up two fingers, "Kirigakure must open all its border checkpoints to Konoha. This is not for friendly trade, but for Konoha's caravans, ninjas, and intelligence personnel to freely enter and leave Kirigakure. You must not censor, obstruct, or track them."

Mei Terumi's face turned pale. This sentence was basically equivalent to "Open the door, free trade!" This is even more ruthless exploitation than Sunagakure has against Kumogakure!

"third……"

However, Fenglan's exploitation was not over yet: "You can't really kill Yagura, but beat him to his knees... cough cough, capture him alive and send him to Konoha."

"That's impossible!" Mei Terumi blurted out instinctively. "The Three-Tails is the foundation of Kirigakure. Without it, what difference is there between Kirigakure and a small country?"

"Don't you still have the Six-Tails?"

Fenglan took the opportunity to gather intelligence. Although in the anime's original storyline, the Six-Tails Jinchuriki, Utakata, became a rogue ninja because of a misunderstanding and killing his master, the timelines in the original chapters were too Schrödinger's cat-like, and he could not accurately determine the specific time.

Mei Terumi fell silent again, but sometimes saying nothing is the best answer.

[Yes, Utakata has already defected, right?]