Chapter 216: Mei Terumi's Private Instruction
Morning.
Hoshikawa pushed open the door and found it was snowing outside. The snow was light, falling like granules of white sugar. Hoshikawa paid it no mind, walking through the snow, heading to Tsunade's house to make her breakfast.
"Hey, pervert!"
After a few steps, he heard a familiar voice. Hoshikawa looked up. Mei Terumi stood not far away, arms crossed over her chest, looking at him with an expression of disdain.
Hoshikawa scanned her up and down. Though she was a young woman, she was already well-developed. And being tall, her legs looked straight and her figure slender.
Hoshikawa slowly walked up to her. Mei Terumi instinctively wanted to step back, but, fearing a loss of face, she stood her ground, glaring at him without fear.
"Then perhaps I should do something perverted?" Hoshikawa leaned close, blew a breath into her ear, and asked with a smile.
Mei Terumi's body trembled. She quickly stepped back two paces, widening the distance. She subconsciously touched her ear and cursed, "Pervert!"
Body Flicker Jutsu!
Hoshikawa instantly appeared in front of her and raised his hand, letting it rest on her hip.
"W-What are you doing?!" Mei Terumi let out a stifled groan, her face immediately twisting in disbelief.
"What do you think?" Hoshikawa smiled. "Feels pretty good."
"Bastard!" Mei Terumi's face visibly flushed red. Mortified and enraged, she immediately raised her leg and kicked at Hoshikawa .
Bang!
Hoshikawa effortlessly caught her ankle. Her skirt fell away, revealing her pale, smooth thigh wrapped in black fishnet stockings. The muscle was taut from the effort of the kick.
"Next time, try solid black stockings," Hoshikawa suggested after a quick glance.
"Drop dead!" Mei Terumi clenched her fist and punched toward his face.
Hoshikawa raised his hand and blocked her strike. He released her leg, and taking advantage of her unsteady stance, he spun her around. Hoshikawa raised his hand high and brought it down hard.
Mei Terumi let out an involuntary gasp. She froze in place, feeling a tingling numbness spreading from her bottom.
"With your current strength, who exactly can you beat?" Hoshikawa chuckled and asked.
"You pervert!" Mei Terumi quickly widened the gap between them. Despite her fury, she realized that if she kept provoking him, she wouldn't gain anything.
"If you maintain this attitude, the punishment next time will be more severe." Hoshikawa watched her flushed face and narrowed his eyes.
Mei Terumi's heart skipped a beat, and she instinctively bit her lip.
"What did you want to see me about?" Hoshikawa asked when she fell silent.
"Why is Konoha demanding Corrosion Release and Vapor Release Ninjutsu?" Mei Terumi reluctantly suppressed the urge to beat him and asked.
"I was the one who demanded them," Hoshikawa raised an eyebrow.
"You?" Mei Terumi was startled. "Why?"
"To learn them, of course," Hoshikawa said without hesitation.
"Learn?" Mei Terumi paused, then immediately said, "Impossible!"
"Why is it impossible?" Hoshikawa countered. "If you can learn it, I can learn it."
"Pipe dream!" Mei Terumi sneered. "You might have high talent, but Kekkei Genkai require more than just that!"
"And what if I do learn it?" Hoshikawa met her gaze and asked with a smile.
"I..." Mei Terumi stopped. She realized she had no leverage over Hoshikawa .
"Tell you what," Hoshikawa suddenly had an idea. "How about we make a bet?"
"What kind of bet?" Mei Terumi narrowed her eyes.
"Negotiations between our villages usually take a long time to finalize," Hoshikawa said slowly. "Let's bet on whether I can learn one Corrosion Release Jutsu during this period."
"You don't understand the difficulty of Corrosion Release at all!" Mei Terumi complained. Corrosion Release was her unique Kekkei Genkai. Hoshikawa 's casual attitude made her feel insulted.
"What are the stakes?" Mei Terumi glared and asked.
"If I lose, I will return Mangetsu Hōzuki to your village free of charge," Hoshikawa thought for a moment and said. Mangetsu Hōzuki was his prisoner, giving him the right of disposal.
"Fine!" Mei Terumi's eyes lit up, and she quickly agreed. To her, this was practically a free win.
"Aren't you going to hear what happens if you lose?" Hoshikawa asked, smiling.
"It'll definitely be a perverted demand!" Mei Terumi wore an expression that said, I've seen right through you.
"Since you put it that way, I certainly must accommodate you," Hoshikawa observed her, stroking his chin. "In that case, you have to wear a maid outfit for a whole day."
"You truly are a pervert!" Mei Terumi ground out the words.
"Are you taking the bet?" Hoshikawa asked, ignoring her gaze.
"I bet!" Mei Terumi practically hissed the word through clenched teeth. In her mind, it was impossible for Hoshikawa to learn Corrosion Release in such a short time. In short, she was certain to win!
"Very well," Hoshikawa nodded. "Then you will teach me Corrosion Release while you are in Konoha."
"I teach you?" Mei Terumi's beautiful eyes shifted. "Any Corrosion Release jutsu is fine?"
Every ninjutsu has a corresponding difficulty. The difference between D-Rank and S-Rank is immense. The same applies to Corrosion Release.
"Anything is fine," Hoshikawa said carelessly. He already possessed the Hōzuki clan's Water Release secret techniques, so Mangetsu Hōzuki had no remaining value to him. Giving him away for free to Kirigakure was irrelevant.
"You certainly are confident!" Mei Terumi sneered. But this was good news for her. She planned to teach Hoshikawa the most difficult Corrosion Release Jutsu she currently knew, which was her regularly used Corrosion Release: Melting Apparition Technique .
"I'll come find you when I have time." Hoshikawa naturally knew where the Kirigakure ninja were quartered in Konoha. Mei Terumi nodded, glared at him once more, and then turned to leave.
Hoshikawa watched her figure disappear and couldn't help but smile. He proposed this bet because he trusted the Corrosion Release Talent granted by his Title. Whether he could learn it within the time limit was debatable. But it only cost him Mangetsu Hōzuki, so there was no real loss. And he stood to gain a Corrosion Release Jutsu and a limited-edition, maid-outfit skin of the future Mizukage, Mei Terumi.
Hoshikawa arrived at Tsunade's house. Although his encounter with Mei Terumi had delayed him slightly, it didn't affect Tsunade's habit of sleeping in. Hoshikawa woke her up, then went to make breakfast.
"The negotiation with Kirigakure is at nine in the morning," Tsunade reminded him, sitting at the dining table after washing up.
"I'll participate for two days," Hoshikawa handed her a pair of chopsticks. "If there's no quick resolution, I'll go back to training my jutsu."
"Alright," Tsunade nodded casually. For Hoshikawa , learning ninjutsu was clearly more important. His only reason for attending the negotiation was to show his face, which helped boost his reputation and his path to becoming Hokage. If Hoshikawa weren't aiming to be Hokage, Tsunade wouldn't even bother including him.
Two days flashed by. Naturally, the negotiations between Konoha, Sunagakure, and Kirigakure had yielded no results. They were even more complicated than the concurrent talks between Konoha and Iwagakure, due to the third party. The three sides argued intensely. Although Sunagakure was an ally of Konoha, they would not yield when their own interests were at stake. Hoshikawa felt that a resolution in one or two months was an optimistic scenario; it might take even longer.
On the third day, early morning. After breakfast, Hoshikawa went to the lodging provided for the Kirigakure delegation—a rather lavish courtyard. All the Kirigakure ninja were resting there.
"Lord Hoshikawa ," the Kirigakure ninja guarding the gate stopped Hoshikawa . "May I ask your business?" Knowing Hoshikawa 's strength and status, his attitude was very respectful.
"I'm looking for Mei Terumi," Hoshikawa replied honestly.
"Please wait a moment." The Kirigakure ninja was momentarily surprised, then turned and walked into the courtyard to relay the message.
Hoshikawa didn't wait long before Mei Terumi appeared.
"Follow me," she said expressionlessly, giving him a quick glance. With the Kirigakure ninja present, she had to maintain her image and couldn't openly insult him. Besides, she also worried that insulting him might provoke Hoshikawa to hit her, which would be an even greater loss of face.
"This is my room," Mei Terumi pushed the door open. "Please."
"You're quite polite today," Hoshikawa said, blinking.
"Take off your shoes!" Mei Terumi commanded coldly. "Don't track dirt into my room!"
"And are you going to take yours off?" Hoshikawa walked into the room, standing in the entryway, and asked.
"Of course!" Mei Terumi snorted.
"Go on, take them off." Hoshikawa changed into slippers and stood there, watching her.
"Pervert! Foot fetishist!" Mei Terumi's face darkened as something occurred to her, and she snapped angrily.
"Do you know what happens when you slander me?" Hoshikawa asked, his gaze falling to her thighs.
"That's not slander, it's a fact!" Mei Terumi replied with contempt.
"What's wrong? Are you scared?" Hoshikawa raised an eyebrow.
"Why would I be scared?" Mei Terumi grit her teeth and took off her shoes.
"Is there any tea?" Hoshikawa withdrew his gaze, walked to the sofa, and sat down.
"I am not your maid!" Mei Terumi glared at him. "Pour your own if you want some!"
"I'm having you practice in advance," Hoshikawa said calmly. "You'll be punished for being an unqualified maid when you lose."
"I can't possibly lose!" Mei Terumi said with great confidence. "You won't learn my Corrosion Release!"
"You won't know until you teach me," Hoshikawa said nonchalantly. "Just make sure you don't welch on the bet when you lose."
"I would never!" Mei Terumi declared instantly.
"Nor will I." Hoshikawa nodded slightly. "What Corrosion Release Jutsu are you going to teach me?"
"Corrosion Release: Melting Apparition Technique (Yōton: Yōkai no Jutsu)." Mei Terumi paused and added, "This is my most powerful and most difficult Corrosion Release Jutsu."
"That works for me." Hoshikawa was not surprised at all and said unhurriedly, "Let's start the lesson now."
Just as I thought, Mei Terumi inwardly noted. This pervert is completely overconfident. Even after she told him the truth, he remained unconcerned. Mei Terumi wasn't being kind, of course. She had intended to mock him but didn't get the chance. No matter, she thought. I'll just laugh at him properly when he fails to learn it.
"Corrosion Release is a ninjutsu created by combining the Earth and Water chakra nature transformations," Mei Terumi said slowly, sitting opposite him. "It manifests as a highly corrosive, viscous liquid."
Hoshikawa , in terms of both strength and knowledge, was a legitimate Elite Jōnin. Based on his understanding of Earth Release and Water Release, and by contrasting it with Lava Release, he found that Mei Terumi was not playing tricks; she was telling the truth.
"Could you stop looking everywhere?" Mei Terumi's face darkened, and she asked angrily.
"You can't blame me," Hoshikawa said, blinking. "Put your legs down, and I won't look anymore."
"Shameless!" Mei Terumi uncrossed her legs, placed them side-by-side, and used her dress to cover them.
"Alright, continue speaking." Hoshikawa 's gaze moved up, settling on the large area of fair skin exposed at her neckline.
"..." Mei Terumi took a deep breath, ignored him, and continued explaining Corrosion Release. She wasn't lying or holding back. She dared not. Hoshikawa 's power and status were too immense; if she angered him, Kirigakure would pay a heavy price.
Time slowly passed, and it was soon noon. "Let's break for lunch," Hoshikawa said, glancing at the clock on the wall.
"Good riddance." Mei Terumi crossed her legs again. The black fishnet stockings pressed against her flesh, creating a grid-like squeeze.
"Who said I was leaving?" Hoshikawa asked with a laugh. "Is this Kirigakure's way of hosting guests? Shouldn't you cook a meal to entertain me?"
"I don't know how!" Mei Terumi replied indignantly.
"You don't know how to cook?" Hoshikawa asked, somewhat surprised. In his memory, most female characters in the original series were quite domestically capable.
"I'm a ninja. What's strange about not knowing how to cook?" Mei Terumi countered.
"In that case, I suppose I'll reluctantly cook a meal for you," Hoshikawa stood up.
"...?" Mei Terumi watched him walk toward the kitchen, her face a question mark. He can cook? It must be awful. Is this pervert trying to poison me?
Mei Terumi was lost in wild speculation until the food was served, when the enticing aroma brought her back to reality. It made her mouth water instinctively.
"I'll come back this afternoon," Hoshikawa said, handing her a pair of chopsticks.
"You're not eating?" Mei Terumi was stunned and looked suspicious. It can't actually be poisoned, can it?
"I'm going home to eat." Hoshikawa noticed her expression and laughed. "Killing you wouldn't be worth wasting my poison."
"What are you implying?!" Mei Terumi was instantly enraged.
"Exactly what I said," Hoshikawa looked at her. "Want to test it?"
"Two o'clock this afternoon. Don't be late!" Mei Terumi's heart skipped a beat, and she quickly changed the subject.
"Got it." Hoshikawa waved at her and turned to leave.
"What is wrong with that pervert?" Mei Terumi sighed in relief and grumbled.
She hesitated for a few seconds, picked up her chopsticks, and put a piece of chicken into her mouth. Mei Terumi's eyes widened instantly. Why is this so delicious?!
(Hoshikawa, for his part, was operating with a cheat code.)
[B-Rank Talent Title: Master Chef.]
[Effect: Flavor increased by 100%.]
His 'Chef' series Title had leveled up again, reaching B-Rank.
(End of Chapter)