Chapter 243: The Bottom Line
Terumi Mei stood outside Genji’s office.
She raised her hand but didn’t knock immediately. Instead, she took a deep breath, carefully sliding back into her mask of cold, steady composure. Only after doing so did she finally knock.
"Come in," an aged voice called from within.
Terumi Mei pushed the door open and entered. Genji was seated behind his desk, head lowered as he studied a scroll. Hearing her footsteps, he looked up with clouded eyes, his gaze landing on her.
"You’ve come."
Terumi Mei bowed her head slightly and stepped forward to stand before the desk. Without beating around the bush, she got straight to the point. "Did you call for me regarding Yagura?"
Genji shook his head. "Yes, and no."
Mei’s brow furrowed slightly, but she remained silent, waiting for him to continue. Genji pulled two letters from his wide sleeve and placed them on the desk, pushing one toward her.
"Read this first."
Confused, Terumi Mei reached out, took the letter, and opened it. It was the official reply from Konoha to Kirigakure.
The content was brief. The Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze, had used very polite language. He first thanked Kirigakure for their intention to form an alliance, and then stated that he fully understood the "resistance" Kitahara Kaede was encountering within Kirigakure.
Therefore, Konoha agreed that Kaede could "proceed slowly" with the alliance matters, depending on the actual situation in Kirigakure.
’Proceed slowly.’
Terumi Mei’s gaze lingered on those words. She recalled the day Kitahara Kaede wrote his letter; had he been trying to set expectations for Konoha? Was that why they had replied this way?
’Does this... mean...’
’He didn’t actually want to leave so soon?’
Terumi Mei’s breath hitched. The logic was perfectly sound! If he truly wanted to return as quickly as possible, he could have written "requesting support" or "suggesting additional personnel." Instead, he specifically wrote that he "needed time."
Wasn’t that just a way to stay in Kirigakure?
He wanted to stay here. He wanted to stay by her side!
A flash of uncontrollable joy flickered in the depths of Terumi Mei’s eyes, though she quickly forced it down, regaining her calm.
Genji, who had caught every subtle shift in her expression, suddenly spoke. "You helped Kitahara Kaede send his letter, didn’t you?"
Mei’s heart leaped, but her face remained impassive as she nodded. "Yes. After he finished writing it, he asked me to send it through ANBU channels."
Genji gave a noncommittal "hmm" and didn’t press further, his tone seeming to soften. "Since Konoha isn’t rushing to bring him back, you can continue at your own pace."
Terumi Mei was ecstatic. However, she only gave a slight nod and responded steadily, "I understand."
Suddenly, Genji’s tone shifted, turning sharp and cold.
"However, the issue with Yagura is a sword hanging over Kirigakure’s head."
"Konoha can wait, but we in Kirigakure cannot wait too long."
"This matter must be resolved as soon as possible."
The romantic fantasies that had just begun to bloom in Terumi Mei’s mind were instantly shattered. She understood—this was Genji’s bottom line. As long as Yagura remained a problem, Kirigakure would never be stable.
Terumi Mei immediately regained her focus and nodded solemnly. "Yes. I will not disappoint you."
Genji watched her for a long moment before pushing the remaining letter across the desk. "This is a private letter from Konoha to Kitahara Kaede. It is not appropriate for me to open it privately, so please deliver it to him for me."
Terumi Mei’s gaze fell upon the letter. It bore the wax seal of Konoha, the envelope perfectly intact.
She took it and responded in a low voice. Then, she turned and left the office.
As the door closed behind her, the peaceful expression on Genji’s face vanished.
’That girl has been acting far too strange lately.’
Furthermore, the redistribution of guards around Yagura... there seemed to be some issues there as well. A sharp glint flashed in Genji’s clouded eyes. He hadn’t exposed her just now because Terumi Mei was indeed a rare talent.
But if she couldn’t get Kitahara Kaede to resolve the Yagura situation within half a month, it would prove that she had let her personal desires interfere.
In that case, for the sake of Kirigakure, he would have to step in personally, bypass her, and deal with Kitahara Kaede directly.
***
In the hallway, Terumi Mei’s pace slowed as she held the private letter. She looked down at the envelope.
The last time she had opened Kaede’s mail, she had wavered and struggled with the decision for a long time. But this time...
Hesitation?
She only hesitated for a second.
This morning, she had barged into his bedroom, sat by his bed, and breathed into his ear. He hadn’t truly gotten angry despite her acting so out of line.
He was indulging her.
Since he allowed her to slowly invade his life, what did opening one letter matter?
With a flick of her finger, Terumi Mei tore open the envelope and pulled out the stationery.
The letter was written by Minato Namikaze. The first half consisted of standard pleasantries—mentioning that Konoha’s finances had improved, that the village was expanding its training grounds, and that Kushina had been missing him lately, wondering when he would return.
Terumi Mei skimmed through the lines expressionlessly until her eyes hit the final paragraph. At the end, Minato added a postscript:
"Additionally, Pakura asked me to tell you that the matter you discussed with her previously is now becoming a bit problematic. She wants to know when you will finish your business there and return as soon as possible."
’Pakura?!’
Terumi Mei stared at the words "return as soon as possible."
What did she mean by "becoming a bit problematic"? From the Kirigakure meetings, she knew that the situation in Amegakure was moving in a positive direction. What could possibly be problematic?
This was clearly a ploy! She was using such a flimsy excuse to pressure Kaede to return to Konoha!
Wasn’t it enough that she had caused his death once? Now she wanted to use these tactics to trick him away from her side?!
A surge of twisted, frenzied malice welled up from the depths of Terumi Mei’s heart. With a blank expression, she carefully refolded the letter.
There was no need for Kaede to see this.
Terumi Mei pushed open the office door. Kitahara Kaede was sitting in his chair, scanning a piece of intelligence. Hearing her enter, he looked up.
Terumi Mei walked straight to her desk and pulled open a drawer. She tossed the letter in with the top-secret investigative files on Pakura. Then, with a sharp *click*, she locked the drawer.
Noticing her slightly dark expression, Kaede asked casually, "What’s wrong? Did Genji scold you?"
Terumi Mei turned around. When she looked up, there wasn’t a trace of darkness left on her face. In its place was a gentle smile.
"Not at all."
"Genji said that Konoha isn’t rushing you, so we can take our time."