Land of Iron.
Inside a warm house, dry firewood burned with a raging flame, making the room unusually cozy.
"Shameless! How could you take such embarrassing photos, you little floozy..."
"I have a husband now."
"Despicable! You even had the nerve to send them to me."
"My husband is handsome."
"You! I'm not like you. In this world, I became the Fifth Mizukage through my efforts."
"My husband is the strongest in the ninja world."
On the sofa, the two Mei Terumi(s) were having a catfight.
But it was obvious that this world's Mei Terumi was angrily pointing at her counterpart, while the other world's Mei Terumi was acting infuriatingly nonchalant.
No matter what was said, she would always respond with a smile and bring up her husband, Uchiha Shirou.
This stabbed right into this world's Mei Terumi's heart, making her feel stifled and angry.
Wasn't this just bullying her for not having married?
"Even though you are also Mei Terumi, we're not the same! I changed Kirigakure with my own hands!"
Looking at her overbearing demeanor, the other world's Mei Terumi just smiled seductively, raising her brows with a hint of provocation.
The next moment, she kicked off her long boots, revealing her fair feet painted with blue nail polish, and coquettishly said:
"Shirou-sama, do you like my new nail polish?"
Shirou, who was just watching, was speechless. But looking at the delicate white feet in his arms, especially the blue nail polish thoughtfully matching his outfit for the day, he had no choice but to nod helplessly.
"It looks good."
When she heard Shirou's praise, Mei Terumi's face bloomed with a smile, and she glanced provocatively at her counterpart, then teased:
"Shirou-sama, I'm wearing stockings tonight."
The Fifth Mizukage Mei Terumi on the side was so angry her face turned pale—what did this mean? Was she being bullied for not having a man? Or was it that no one wanted her?
"By the way, what were we talking about?"
Then, the coquettish Mei Terumi suddenly seemed to remember their earlier conversation, and with a laugh, said,
"Oh, right, we were just saying how you changed Kirigakure all by yourself. That's amazing."
Even though she was complimenting her, there wasn't a trace of admiration on that seductive Mei Terumi's face. Instead, she smiled meaningfully to herself and murmured,
"It's a pity, I'm not as amazing as you. I only became Mizukage thanks to my husband. Kirigakure is just too hard to manage, with the Kaguya, Hozuki, and Yuki clans.
Seriously, why are there so many bloodline clans? You should know, especially the stubborn Kaguya clan. Such a headache."
Geez, that sarcasm was a killer blow.
You say you changed Kirigakure by yourself, but she mocks, "I relied on my man, but at least all the bloodline clans are still around."
Both changed Kirigakure, but what's the difference?
Did you just clean up the mess?
She kept it whole!
"You!"
This world's Mei Terumi's face turned pale with anger, looking at her counterpart with frustration.
So infuriating!
She had doubted the existence of another world, but after entering the house that night, in just a few minutes, she had spent three days in the other world.
And then, the other world's version of herself arrived.
This made her realize one thing completely: The other world existed.
More importantly, even though the other world's Kirigakure had become a vassal of Konoha, it was, as the counterpart said—
A whole Kirigakure was under her rule. That's also why she was silent.
On the other side of the sofa, Tsunade watched all this with a calm expression and shook her head. Unifying the ninja world was inevitable.
There were only two choices in this world: resist or join!
And as part of Konoha, her choice was clear: join.
After all, they were all her people, still Konoha.
But for Mei Terumi, this was a tangled mess in her heart.
"Tsunade..."
At that moment, suddenly feeling another pair of delicate feet in his lap, Shirou looked up to see Tsunade beside him.
Those feet belonged to Tsunade, who yawned and placed them on Shirou's lap, squinting her eyes.
"Shirou, what color nail polish should I use?"
"Red."
Without hesitation, Shirou answered—after all, Tsunade usually liked bright red.
Sure enough, Tsunade smiled and fiddled with a bottle of red nail polish on her fingers.
The firewood burned brightly in the room, Tsunade was nearly asleep, and Shirou gently caressed the delicate feet in his arms.
The blue and red contrasted beautifully, like a work of art, making Shirou's heart race.
He wondered what color stockings should be worn tonight.
Across from them, Mei Terumi's expression kept shifting, struggling inside.
Join?
But she had just managed to change Kirigakure, and everything was finally looking up, only to learn that Konoha in another world was already uniting the ninja world.
And even her world was being swept in. Worse yet, in the other world, Kirigakure had even merged with Konoha.
"It's so late already. I think I'll go to rest with Hikari. You all keep chatting."
Tsunade yawned and stretched lazily, glancing meaningfully at the Mizukage from this world.
Her actions declared her stance, even telling the Mizukage Mei Terumi, "We all found the same man. I'm Konoha's Hokage, a princess of the Land of Fire.
By status, I should be a level above you, right? If I made this choice, what about you?"
With Tsunade's hint, Shirou's Mangekyō Sharingan flashed red, and a space-time portal opened, leading directly to Hokage's private room.
Uchiha Hikaru was waiting on the other side.
...
After the house quieted down again, after a while, the other world's Mei Terumi shook her head. It seemed her counterpart still couldn't make up her mind. But she would help.
"It's getting warmer in here… maybe I'm wearing too much…"
Mei Terumi muttered, wiping off imaginary sweat, and slowly lowered her aqua-blue dress, revealing her ample chest.
Now she looked even more seductive, making her counterpart's face darken.
"Shameless!"
"I am you! If you insult me, you're insulting yourself!"
"You!"
Seeing her counterpart so flustered, Mei Terumi provocatively lifted her chest and teased:
"Even though we're the same, there are differences. For example, I'm stronger, I have Shirou-sama's curse mark, and this chest—Shirou-sama loves it most. It's much bigger than yours…"
She was still wearing a lacy blue bra, but being half-covered was the most tempting.
"Do you have my strength? If it weren't for you, do you think this world's Kirigakure would be worth our attention?"
Mei Terumi, as seductive as a water snake, smiled dangerously, crawling over to the other side of the sofa and staring at herself.
The next moment, curse mark patterns spread from her chest, quickly covering her whole body, and she entered Sage Mode.
"This mode isn't perfect yet, but do you think you could beat me?"
Now, blue patterns spread across Mei Terumi's face and body, clearly her Sage Mode.
The powerful aura and overwhelming chakra pressure made sweat beads on Mei Terumi's forehead.
But she still stared her counterpart down.
"How is this possible! How can you be so strong? Even if you're from another world, we're about the same age—I'm even older!"
Mei Terumi was frustrated; it was obvious her other self was far stronger.
The next moment, Mei Terumi smiled charmingly and reached for her fishnet ninja boots.
"You!"
"These beautiful legs, just like mine, of course, I'll use the same nail polish. Otherwise, it'd be a waste..."
The wood crackled in the fire, and under the heat, Mei Terumi's forehead was sweating. Her face flushed, but she didn't resist.
Her delicate feet fell into a pair of strange yet familiar hands, and cool nail polish was slowly applied, making her dazed.
"I know you better than anyone. We're both Mei Terumi. In your heart, you've already made a choice, but your pride… isn't this good?"
Under her other self's persuasion, Mei Terumi's eyes grew hazy, her emerald eyes staring blankly at Shirou.
"The most handsome man in the ninja world, and also the strongest. Isn't that perfect?"
Mei Terumi was a classic face-value lover and with her other self's temptation...
Her earlobe was gently sucked by her counterpart, and her snow-white skin instantly turned red.
"Mei, this masterpiece is finished."
No man had ever been so intimate with her before. This feeling...
Especially looking at her ten delicate toes, now painted blue, Mei Terumi was dazed.
Shirou smiled tenderly and stroked Mei Terumi's reddish-brown hair.
"The Five Kage Summit is soon. You make the decision—I'll respect your choice. But if you lose, I'll take you back with me."
His gentle yet domineering voice echoed in her ears, making Mei Terumi freeze. The meaning was clear:
Even if she chose the wrong path, he would take her back anyway.
He says he'll respect her, but then is so forceful!
"But you're too weak now. Let me give you a gift; the future ninja world won't be peaceful."
Shirou didn't take advantage but smiled softly. He planned to place a curse mark on her neck.
But the other world's Mei Terumi raised an eyebrow, and in the next moment—a cry of surprise!
In the firelight, Mei Terumi smiled.
"We're both Mei Terumi, so the curse mark has to go in the same place."
In the flickering firelight, full of youthful energy.
Above, this gentle yet domineering man, Uchiha Shirou, was giving her a curse mark—which she accepted.
But her other self was too much, taking advantage of the situation!
There were even more outrageous pictures, but having this happen for real was enough to make her panic.
In the Tsukuyomi world, Mei Terumi's dream was simply to find a man who loved and cherished her.
Who would have thought? The prestigious Mizukage of the Five Great Ninja Villages and her wish was something so simple.
"Tch! Who wants a man anyway?!"
This world's Mei Terumi glared, refusing to admit it, but her stubborn eyes were a bit empty.
From not refusing, to finally closing her eyes and accepting the curse mark, she had made her choice deep down—she just couldn't accept it yet.
Shirou saw this and gave her time, while also telling her this was the right choice.
But the other world's Mei Terumi didn't play by the rules.
"All right, if we work together, not only can we save Kirigakure, but more importantly, in the future, we can be on the same side as Sister Kushina…"
Mei Terumi was gathering backup. Anywhere with people has its politics, even in Uchiha Shirou's harem.
There were still little cliques. Shirou knew this but didn't interfere; people have their minds.
Sometimes, it's not what they want, but what those below them will do.
But throughout, Uchiha Mikoto, Senju Tsunade, and Uzumaki Kushina's positions as the main wives never changed, so things wouldn't get out of hand.
As for Mei Terumi and the other outsiders, they tended to side with the Uzumaki clan, who also joined Konoha from outside.
Especially with someone like Kushina, who had no ambition for power—these women were smart. They appeared to join Kushina's camp, too.
At the same time, this sent a message to outsiders: "We're not that ambitious."
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First Goal: 1000 PS.