Chen Xing showed no embarrassment at being caught by Mei Ming. Instead, he stepped calmly into the Mizukage's office.
Mei Ming sat behind her desk, leaning slightly back in her chair. Her auburn hair framed her face, and her expression carried a teasing warmth that did little to hide the authority of a Kage.
"Come in, little troublemaker," she said.
Chen Xing smiled and took a seat across from her without hesitation.
"Mei Ming-san, congratulations on becoming Mizukage."
She laughed softly.
"You really aren't polite at all."
Her tone held amusement rather than reproach.
"If you hadn't delivered the body of the former Kazekage before," she continued, "some elders might have delayed supporting me longer. Your actions helped push things forward."
Chen Xing nodded but did not pry into Kirigakure's internal politics. Every hidden village had its own power struggles; asking too much would be inappropriate.
Mei Ming folded her hands together.
"Still, I'm curious. Even with the alliance between our villages, there's no reason for the Celestial Shadow himself to appear here personally—especially during a sensitive period. Why come?"
Chen Xing leaned back casually.
"There's nothing urgent in the village right now. Sitting behind a desk all day is exhausting. Since you invited me, I decided to take the chance to get some fresh air."
Mei Ming raised an eyebrow.
"You left your village unattended just for that?"
"The direction is already set," he replied. "The others can handle daily matters. I'm more of a deterrent than an administrator."
She glanced at the stack of documents on her desk and sighed faintly. Unlike him, she could not simply step away. Kirigakure was still recovering from the era known as the "Blood Mist," and stability required constant attention.
"You're not worried about Sunagakure retaliating?" she asked. "You defeated their Kazekage. They won't forget."
Chen Xing shrugged.
"I left a summoning contract in place. If something happens, I can return immediately."
"A space-time technique?" Mei Ming's eyes sharpened with interest. "That's rare. Aside from techniques like the Second Hokage's Flying Thunder God, very few shinobi possess such abilities."
"There are others," Chen Xing said lightly. "Kumogakure's Heaven Transfer technique, for example—though it's too dangerous for ordinary bodies."
She studied him carefully.
"You seem to know a lot of hidden information."
Chen Xing only smiled.
They fell briefly into comfortable silence before Mei Ming leaned forward, resting her elbows on the desk.
"You said you know secrets about Kirigakure. That's a bold claim."
"It is," he admitted. "But I'll prove it."
Her lips curved into a playful smile.
"Then go on. Impress me."
Chen Xing's expression turned serious.
"The Fourth Mizukage… Yagura. He didn't die naturally."
Mei Ming's eyes narrowed slightly but she did not interrupt.
"He was the Three-Tails' jinchūriki," Chen Xing continued. "And the Blood Mist policies—the brutal academy graduation rituals and persecution of bloodline clans—weren't simply his own decisions. He was being controlled."
The air in the room grew heavy.
Mei Ming watched him silently, searching his face.
"We discovered signs of manipulation ourselves," she said at last. "But we never learned who was behind it. Do you know?"
Chen Xing met her gaze calmly.
"The control was related to the Sharingan."
Her pupils contracted.
Kirigakure had long suspected outside interference, but confirmation changed everything.
"So," she said quietly, "you truly do know more than you should."
Chen Xing only smiled faintly.
"And that," he said, "is why I came."
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