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After parting ways with Hiruzen, two full days passed without Midorima seeing Tsunade again. He could only learn about the latest developments through occasional updates from Shizune.
When he heard that the Hokage had successfully convinced the senior leadership of the Leaf Village, Midorima immediately guessed that the plan had been approved.
The reason was simple: under the current circumstances, the Uchiha clan had no other viable options available to them.
Whether the relationship between the two sides could enjoy a genuine period of easing tensions would ultimately depend on the outcome of the upcoming Five Kage Summit—specifically, whether the Uchiha could fulfill their guard duties without causing any incidents and ensure the summit concluded smoothly.
Subsequent events soon confirmed his prediction. By the afternoon of the following day, word arrived from the Uchiha clan that they were willing to cooperate fully with the Hokage's arrangements.
Tsunade only returned to the residence late that evening, and she brought an unexpected guest with her—the Mizukage, Terumi Mei, who had just hurried over from the Hidden Mist Village.
"You're here?!" Midorima exclaimed in surprise, though when he quickly calculated the travel time, it made sense that she would have arrived by now.
Terumi Mei flashed a bright smile toward Tsunade and said politely, "Please excuse us for a moment. I need to speak with Midorima about something private."
Without waiting for Tsunade's agreement, she took Midorima by the arm and led him straight out of the living room.
Shizune, who had been busy preparing dinner in the kitchen, emerged with a puzzled expression on her face. "Lady Tsunade, who just arrived?"
"The Mizukage," Tsunade replied simply.
"Her? Why would she come to our modest little place instead of going straight to speak with the Hokage?" Shizune asked, clearly confused.
"Do you really think she came here to visit us?" Tsunade smirked, handing over the two small, tender chickens she was holding. "Prepare these for me."
"Uh…" Shizune accepted the chickens, still somewhat doubtful. "So she's here to see Midorima?"
"If not him, then who— you?" Tsunade glanced toward the doorway and rubbed her chin thoughtfully. "That young lady shouldn't misunderstand anything, right?"
Shizune gave an awkward laugh. That was actually rather difficult to say for certain.
Meanwhile, Terumi Mei had pulled Midorima into a small side room separated from the main living area by a single wall. She closed the door behind them with a quiet click.
"Why are you staying here?" she asked directly.
"My relationship with her is pretty good," Midorima explained. "There was one time when I escaped from the Hidden Mist Village, and she was the one who saved me. After that…"
His voice trailed off for a moment, and Terumi Mei immediately tensed up.
"After that… what?" she pressed.
"After that, through spending time together, we simply became friends," Midorima replied with a casual shrug.
"Is that really all?" Terumi Mei sounded skeptical.
Ever since arriving in the Leaf Village and encountering Tsunade, Terumi Mei had suddenly become aware of a significant problem—she actually knew very little about Midorima's experiences after he had left the Hidden Mist Village. Details such as the people he had met, how he had managed food, shelter, and daily necessities while traveling—all of these remained largely unknown to her.
More importantly, there was one persistent worry that had been lingering in her heart: Midorima had once claimed to "observe the stars" and told her two specific things.
The first was that she would eventually become the Mizukage.
The second was that she was destined to lack a man in her life.
At the time, she had dismissed it as nonsense. Yet somehow, she had truly become the Mizukage.
That left the second prediction hanging over her like a dark cloud. Would that one come true as well?
This was what worried her the most.
As for why she felt so anxious about Midorima—well, that was obvious. If it weren't for his ridiculous "night sky observation" nonsense, she wouldn't be fretting over such matters in the first place.
"What exactly do you think happened?" Midorima countered. "Come on, Tsunade's standards are extremely high. Even back when Jiraiya was at his most prime, she never gave him the time of day, did she?"
"You're no less capable than Jiraiya, and you're much younger than him," Terumi Mei replied, staring at him with cool, narrowed eyes.
"Are you feeling unwell?" Midorima reached out and placed his hand on her forehead. "Did you come all this way just to pick a fight with me?"
"I had only just returned to the Hidden Mist Village when you sent Jugo with a letter asking me to come," she shot back. "If I weren't worried about you, do you think I would have rushed over here again so soon?"
She refused to believe in any so-called "destined lack of men." Even if such a fate existed, she would not allow it to happen.
Midorima let out a soft sigh. "I'm sorry. I know this puts you in a difficult position. But don't you want revenge for the Hidden Mist Village? Don't you want to demand answers from the Akatsuki? This might be our only real opportunity."
"I know. That's exactly why I came," she admitted.
"You just now…"
"What I said earlier was also true," Terumi Mei said, locking eyes with him. "You… really have no special relationship with her?"
"We do—we're good friends."
"I heard she also has a female disciple…"
"You really are sick," Midorima said, pressing his hand to her forehead once more. "Promise me you won't overthink this. Surviving this long has already been difficult enough. I don't have time or energy for anything else right now."
"Fine… I understand," Terumi Mei took a deep breath and temporarily set the matter aside. "Sorry about earlier. But you are still a member of the Hidden Mist Village. As the Mizukage, it is my duty to care about your well-being and daily life."
"That statement sounds far more suggestive than you probably intended," Midorima said with a wry smile.
"This is simply one of the rights granted to me by the position of Mizukage," she replied smoothly. Then, changing the subject, she asked, "By the way, aren't you supposed to be able to predict things? Tell me—how long will I live?"
"You will live…" Midorima began, but when he caught the slightly teasing glint in her eyes, he quickly corrected himself. "Wait, I'm not actually a fortune teller. How could I possibly know something like that? For all I know, you might choke on a sip of water and die in the next few minutes."
"You're the one who's going to choke on water!" Terumi Mei protested, giving him a light kick on the shin.
"Alright, enough playing around," Midorima said, turning serious. "For this summit, we really need to stay extra vigilant. The Akatsuki are far stronger than any of you realize."
"Do you think the Akatsuki will try something?" Terumi Mei asked, no longer entirely confident. "There will be four Kage present, after all."
"Exactly. If they could eliminate all of you at once, it would save them an enormous amount of future effort. Of course, that's unlikely to succeed. Your individual strengths are formidable. Still, even a small, sneaky move from them could create serious headaches for everyone."
Seeing Midorima suddenly become so earnest, Terumi Mei composed herself as well. "Is it really that dangerous?"
"I don't know for certain, but caution never hurts," he replied, shaking his head.
"Are you staying here specifically to keep watch for the Akatsuki?" she asked.
Midorima thought about it carefully for a moment before shaking his head again. "No. It's simply that I didn't have anywhere more suitable to stay. That's all."
"…"
Terumi Mei indicated that she hoped he would move in with the rest of the Hidden Mist Village delegation.
Since continuing to stay at Tsunade's residence no longer served any real purpose, Midorima agreed. Before leaving, however, he pulled Tsunade aside for a private word, reminding her once again to make thorough preparations regarding the Uchiha clan.
"Wasn't it your idea to have the Uchiha serve as guards for the Five Kage Summit?" Tsunade asked, puzzled.
"Yes, but you also need to understand that having all four Kage gathered together creates a rare opportunity. We must prepare for every possible contingency. Just make sure the Uchiha don't realize we're taking extra precautions," Midorima added.
While chatting with Terumi Mei earlier, the mention of the "four Kage" had suddenly made him realize that the Akatsuki might indeed attempt something.
Tsunade nodded. "I understand. Thank you for all your help during this time."
"I'm doing this for the sake of dealing with the Akatsuki as well… I hope everything turns out well," Midorima said. After bidding farewell to Tsunade, he left together with Terumi Mei and returned to the lodging assigned to the Hidden Mist Village group.