Elsewhere, in a tranquil, highly exclusive courtyard in the Holy City's inner ring reserved for high-ranking members.
Moonlight pierced through the gaps in the bamboo forest, casting mottled shadows over the bluestone pavement.
Ao and Chojuro sat on exquisite rattan chairs, looking somewhat uneasy.
On the mahogany tea table in front of them, a Yixing clay teapot was emitting tendrils of white steam, exuding a calming, fragrant aroma.
The sliding door was gently pulled open.
Mei Terumi walked in, wearing a loose yet incredibly figure-hugging silk kimono, her wooden sandals clacking lightly against the floor. A warm, alluring smile danced in her eyes.
The heavy burden of the Mizukage robes was gone, as was the exhausting fatigue from endless paperwork.
Right now, her skin was so pale and tender it looked like it could drip water. Her eyes and brows rippled with a deeply nourished, languid charm. It was as if she were aging backward, exuding an astonishing, ripe radiance.
"Sorry for the wait." Mei naturally took the main seat and reached out to pour tea for the two of them. "The Holy City is just starting construction. You two have been in charge of redirecting the craftsmen and civilians from the Hidden Mist over there. You've worked hard, haven't you?"
Ao lowered his single eye and respectfully accepted the teacup. "It is merely my duty. It's just... Lady Mei, we came today to ask about the future arrangements for the Mist villagers. After all, it's a mixed bag of people here, with folks from other villages present too. I worry they might be ostracized."
"Just call me by my name. I'm no longer the Mizukage."
Mei took a small sip of her tea, her smile relaxed and confident. "Don't worry. As long as I am here, the civilians of the Mist won't suffer any grievances. Even though I joined the Akatsuki as a 'maid' to ensure everyone's survival, now that I hold a title as an Akatsuki member, I at least have the power to look after them."
She paused, setting her cup down, her gaze deepening slightly.
"Though, honestly, there's no need for me to go out of my way to protect them. Every bit of planning and resource allocation in the Holy City is under the absolute will of Lord Alex and Lady Konan. This place has the fairest, most rational system, monitored relentlessly by enforcement puppets and the surveillance of the Byakugan. Under the watchful eyes of the two Lords, no old noble or upper-class official would dare play any two-faced games."
"As long as they are willing to work, the life they lead here will be a hundred times better than in that sunless 'Village of the Bloody Mist'."
Hearing these words, the tight tension in Ao's shoulders finally relaxed.
Combining what he had observed at the construction sites over the past few days, it was exactly as Mei said. The Holy City's laws were as cold as steel but absolutely just. He had even seen smiles on the faces of the commoners that he had never witnessed in the first half of his life.
With business concluded, the atmosphere should have relaxed further.
But Chojuro, sitting next to Ao, was gripping his trouser legs so hard his knuckles were white.
He kept his head down, staring dead at the bamboo shadows on the ground. He held it in for a long time before finally speaking, his voice trembling slightly and laced with heavy suppression: "Then... what about you, Lady Mizukage?"
Mei paused slightly. "What about me?"
"Inside the Akatsuki... are you doing well?" Chojuro suddenly jerked his head up. His usually timid eyes were entirely bloodshot, his voice carrying a tremor and a profound, unwilling sorrow that even he couldn't hide.
"You were the high and mighty Mizukage, but you became someone else's maid for the sake of the village... Did he... did that Lord Alex humiliate you? Did he mistreat you?"
The wind in the courtyard seemed to completely freeze.
Ao's heart skipped a beat in terror. He tried to speak up to stop him, but it was already too late.
Mei looked at the young man before her—the boy she had personally promoted and treated almost like a younger brother. She froze for a moment, then suddenly burst out laughing.
Her laughter was hearty, incredibly feminine, and didn't carry a single trace of forced bitterness.
"Chojuro, what on earth are you letting your imagination run wild about?"
Mei laughed until she was practically trembling, her eyes shimmering with alluring light. "Mistreat me? Humiliate me? I honestly wish he would 'mistreat' me a few more times."
Chojuro was struck as if by lightning, his body stiffening entirely in the rattan chair.
"I am infinitely grateful for the choice I made back then." Mei reined in her laughter slightly, but the fervor and yearning in her eyes grew even more intense.
"You simply don't understand what kind of magnificent existence Lord Alex is. The 'Kage' of the old era are nothing more than bugs he could crush with a flick of his wrist."
She raised her jade-white arm, admiring her flawless, unblemished skin.
"By staying there, not only did I ensure the safety of the Hidden Mist, but I also gained things I wouldn't have dared to even dream of before." Mei's voice trembled slightly with excitement.
"That Six Paths power Hinata possesses, which is enough to completely crush the entire ninja world... and this eternal youth that drives countless women to madness... As long as I work hard enough, as long as I can please the Lord, I will have all of that in the future too!"
She looked at Chojuro, her tone entirely sincere. "So, don't ever think I've been wronged. This is the wisest decision I have ever made in my entire life."
Every single word was like a poison-laced ice blade, plunging violently into Chojuro's heart and twisting mercilessly.
He stared blankly at the radiant Mei Terumi, who was more beautiful now than she had ever been.
Suddenly, an image from a few days ago uncontrollably surfaced in his mind—
On the day of the relocation in the Hidden Mist Village, Lady Mei had pulled him aside with a red face and secretly asked him for some 'study materials'. Specifically... the kind of adult manga featuring highly shameless, compromising positions.
At the time, Chojuro's mind had gone completely blank. When he handed over the manga, he didn't even dare ask a single question.
But now.
Seeing the willing, even eager and fawning smile on Mei's face, Chojuro felt his heart shatter as if it had been crushed by a giant hand.
He understood now.
All those things in the books—the things that made his face burn and seemed unbelievably shameful—were things Lady Mizukage would likely perform in the dead of night, holding nothing back, eagerly and devotedly trying to win the favor of that man named 'Alex'.
Jealousy.
Insane jealousy gnawed at his organs like a venomous snake.
But accompanying that jealousy was an even deeper, bottomless sense of powerlessness and sorrow.
What could he do?
He was just a relic of the old era who could barely even hold the Hiramekarei properly anymore.
He couldn't give her eternal youth, he couldn't give her Six Paths level power, and he certainly couldn't give her an era of absolute peace!
Before this absolute God, he didn't even have the right to draw his sword. He was only fit to stand below and watch as God played with the unattainable white lotus of his heart.
"I... I understand."
Chojuro abruptly stood up. His movements were so violent he knocked over the teacup in front of him. Tea splashed across the bluestone pavement.
He kept his head buried low, his bangs covering his red, tear-filled eyes. His voice was entirely hoarse: "As long as you are happy... There's still work at the construction site. I'll take my leave!"
With that, he didn't even dare wait for Mei's response. He turned around and stumbled out of the courtyard like he was fleeing for his life.
Watching Chojuro's pathetic, retreating figure, a brief, dead silence fell over the courtyard.
Ao held his teacup, a complex sigh flashing through his single eye.
"Lady Mei, what you said just now... it was a bit too cruel for him." Ao shook his head, his voice somewhat dry. "Chojuro's... feelings for you all this time, you must have been aware of them, right?"
The smile on Mei's face gradually faded.
She picked up the teapot once more and elegantly poured herself another cup. The rising steam blurred the emotions in her eyes.
"Cruelty is better than letting him drown in hollow fantasies."
Mei took a small sip of her tea, her tone regaining the cold decisiveness she once wielded as the Mizukage.
"That was nothing more than a puppy's infatuation with its former master. The pain of recognizing reality is the only thing that will make him truly grow up and mature. It's time to wake up from the dreams of the old era."
She set the teacup down and turned her head slightly, looking out the window toward the towering Angel Statue and the magnificent shrine beside it.
The night breeze ruffled her long hair. The coldness in Mei's eyes gradually melted into a thick, inescapable pool of spring water, carrying an unshakeable, profound devotion.
"As for me..."
"My body and soul now, and for all the lives to come... belong only to Lord Alex."
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