"Feels like something's a bit off today..."
The air felt unsettled to Ao, one of Terumi Mei's bodyguards, early in the morning.
"What feels off?", Terumi Mei put on her Mizukage hat.
After today, who knows when she'll get to come to Konoha again...
'Should I try to find a way to take Kage back to Kirigakure?'
She couldn't help but start having wild thoughts.
"Konoha seems to have mobilized a lot of manpower today."
It was unclear what for.
Ao used his Byakugan to glance around Konoha Village.
"What's strange about that? There'll be a daimyo watching the final round of the Chunin Exams, and soon we'll officially announce our alliance with Konoha on stage. Deploying extra security makes perfect sense."
He just didn't know if Uchiha Kage would be nearby today.
"That's true…"
'Maybe I really am overthinking it.'
Ao shook his head and stopped dwelling on it.
Either way, as the allied side appearing in Konoha, Konoha definitely wouldn't want anything to happen to them even more than they wouldn't.
'But... Lady Mei's current state…'
'Is that Uchiha boy an incubus or something?'
'Just one day without seeing him and Lady Mei looks like she's lost her soul.'
'If this keeps up, what's going to happen?'
———
"Hanabi, can't you sit in your own seat?"
In the stands for the final exhibition match of the Chunin Exams.
Hinata looked somewhat troubled at her little sister, who had immediately sat down in Uchiha Kage's lap upon arriving.
At home was one thing, but even in public...
"What's the big deal, Kage-nii isn't an outsider," Hanabi placed the boy's arm behind her around the front, wrapping it around herself, then happily leaned against her big brother's chest.
Ever since they'd "played" like this at home last time, she'd come to like this feeling.
'Neji-niisan has never given me the feeling of an older brother. On the contrary, this newly arrived Kage-nii…'
'He gives me the warmth of a real big brother.'
"Still, you can't…"
'How is he not an outsider... What nonsense is Hanabi talking about?'
Hinata glanced shyly at Uchiha Kage's expression, but somehow, against her better judgment, didn't correct Hanabi's words.
"If Onee-chan is jealous, I can give up my seat to her too."
"Hanabi…"
'Since when was Hanabi this mischievous?'
Hinata helplessly turned her already blushing face aside.
'If I sit in Kage's lap, won't that be...'
'Just like in my "dream"?'
Her mind instantly filled with a bunch of not-so-decent scenes, and her face grew even redder as she buried her head lower and lower.
And maybe because her head was overheating, she couldn't help but start leaning closer and closer to Uchiha Kage.
Just like a little kitten wanting to snuggle up to its master.
Uchiha Kage couldn't help but glance at Hinata, who was deliberately brushing his arm and shoulder.
'What's going on?'
'Why does Hinata seem a bit... unsatisfied?'
"Hmph, even my cutest Hanabi is…", Sitting on the other side of Uchiha Kage, Kurenai Yuhi also looked speechlessly at the little Hanabi sitting in his lap.
'Not even letting off such a little kid, this bratty disciple really is a beast... well, just kidding.'
Hanabi's still so small. Sitting together like this, if not siblings, could even be taken for father and daughter.
Especially adding her into the mix, it's basically like a family of three.
'But last night...'
Kurenai really didn't expect Uchiha Kage not to make a move on her.
'I even dressed like that and left the door unlocked on purpose...'
'Seriously, do I really have to take the initiative?'
'This blockhead disciple!'
———
"Gaara, you..."
On the other side, because Uchiha Kage had stripped him of his qualification during the exams when acting as a referee and even defeated him in one move, every time Gaara saw Uchiha Kage's figure now, his whole body surged with killing intent.
"Kill... Kill... Kill..."
Temari and Kankuro tried to calm him down repeatedly, but it didn't change his expression.
"Don't forget the plan, Gaara!"
Fortunately, Maki, their Jonin sensei from Sunagakure, spoke up and stopped Gaara's outburst.
"Sensei, if Gaara can't go on stage later, how are we going to execute the plan?"
Whether it was Gaara's reaction or the noise of the crowded Chunin Exam venue, Temari was feeling extremely uneasy.
"Don't worry. Once Lord Kazekage acts, we'll directly attack the Konoha ninja here. No need to use the Chunin Exam as a pretext."
"A direct attack…"
Konoha's ANBU are everywhere, plus Jonin in the audience.
They're just Genin, and even if Gaara successfully releases Shukaku, they might still…
'This plan is way too sloppy.'
Temari couldn't help but look at the 'Fourth Kazekage' sitting on the highest stand with the Hokage and acting Mizukage from Kirigakure.
"But having Kirigakure's ninja present... that's definitely an unstable factor," Maki also noticed the female ninja from Kirigakure wearing a Mizukage hat.
'Forget it. At this point, even if the Mizukage from Kirigakure is here, it can't stop anything.'
But just as he was thinking that, the Hokage Hiruzen suddenly announced an alliance with the acting Mizukage of Kirigakure right in front of everyone.
'What? Konoha and Kirigakure suddenly allied?'
Now even Maki started feeling something was off.
———
"Everyone... Konoha and Kirigakure have finally formed a friendship! From now on, not only Sunagakure, but Kirigakure will also be Konoha's firm ally. Our three great ninja villages will join hands to build peace in the ninja world."
Standing on the highest observation platform of this open-air stadium, the Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen, gave his opening speech for the final match of the Chunin Exams.
With this statement made in advance, if Sunagakure were to backstab Konoha later, he could fully occupy the moral high ground and strike back at them.
Everyone would see Sunagakure as the peace-breaking villain, and he, Sarutobi Hiruzen, would be the true defender of peace!
"Great!!"
Hearing the great news that Konoha had allied with another major ninja village, the Konoha citizens below burst into thunderous cheers.
"How unexpected," Orochimaru, hidden under the Kazekage's hat, looked up disdainfully at the cheering crowd below.
Then his cold, gleaming eyes fixed on Terumi Mei, who sat in the chair to Hiruzen's left.
"The infamous Village of the Bloody Mist actually formed an alliance with another ninja village?"
Though he already knew about the Kiri-Konoha alliance through intel, Orochimaru still couldn't resist mocking.
"This just proves the Bloody Mist is mere rumor. Our Kirigakure has always been misunderstood by the outside world. In truth, we also love peace."
Terumi Mei responded with perfect poise to Orochimaru's jab.
But her gaze wasn't on Orochimaru. Instead, she was constantly scanning the lower stands.
Until she locked eyes with a pair of wine-red eyes.
Of course, she wasn't interested in the kunoichi she locked eyes with, but the boy that kunoichi provocatively clung to, her so-called "fiancé."
'Damn it, this shameless Konoha kunoichi dares hug and cuddle my 'fiancé' again...'
"Hokage-sama!"
With veins bulging on her forehead, Terumi Mei couldn't help but grow angry.
"Is Konoha really not planning to arrange a marriage alliance with me—us, Kirigakure?"
"Well… Kage might still be too young, and a forced union bears no fruit. Mizukage-dono, maybe it's best not to force things…", Terumi Mei's sudden outburst almost gave Sarutobi a cold sweat.
He thought Kirigakure was about to back out or had conspired with Orochimaru to assassinate him today.
'Turns out, it is jealousy…'
'These youngsters really…' left him speechless.
Still, there's no way he'd let the Uchiha bloodline escape.
Naturally, he wouldn't agree to Uchiha Kage and Terumi Mei's marriage.
Even if the Uchiha all die, they must remain in Konoha.
"What if I insist?"
"Lady Terumi Mei!"
"Please calm down, Lady Terumi Mei…"
Seeing her suddenly stand up, even before the ANBU behind Sarutobi could react, her two bodyguards Ao and Chojuro were already trying to dissuade her.
It had taken so much effort for Kirigakure to reach this alliance with Konoha, there couldn't be a diplomatic incident over a single boy…
This was going way too far.
"Hmph!", Terumi Mei snorted coldly, but finally sat back down obediently.
Soon, however, she came up with an idea to make that provocateur Kurenai Yuhi suffer.
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