The pressure was suffocating!
Kiyosuke sat kneeling in the reception hall of the Terumī household, face-to-face with the father he hadn't seen in years.
Under the man's murderous gaze, even Kiyosuke—who could face the battlefield without blinking—felt a bead of cold sweat slide down his forehead.
[Help! My father-in-law looks like he wants to kill me. What do I do? Urgent!]
Terumī's mother was off to the side, chatting quietly with Terumī Mei. Every now and then, she glanced toward Kiyosuke, her eyes filled with satisfaction.
"Please have some tea."
A servant presented a steaming cup.
"Th-thank you!"
His nerves made even his words stumble. His hand trembled as he raised the cup and took a sip.
Seeing him like this, Terumī Mei couldn't help but laugh. The proud, unshakable Asakawa Kiyosuke who had stormed across battlefields without fear was now completely undone in her home. The sight was far too amusing.
"Have you made your decision?" Terumī's father finally spoke.
"Yes!" Kiyosuke straightened his back and declared, "Please entrust Mei to me. I will take care of her for the rest of my life!"
"I don't doubt your strength," the man said coldly, "but all these years, you never once thought to come to Kirigakure to see Mei. That disappointed me. If not for the Chūnin Exams, you probably still wouldn't have come, would you?"
He snorted, glaring at the boy who had stolen his precious daughter. He'd raised his daughter for over twenty years, only for this brat to swoop in and take her away entirely. Who wouldn't be angry?
Kiyosuke met the stare head-on, eyes sharp as blades.
"You're right. I've been running from this all along. If not for a friend's reminder, I might have ruined Mei's life. I know I've been a coward and a fool… but please believe me—I'll spend the rest of my life at her side, protecting her."
"Hmph! Easy words. Show me with actions."
Folding his hands into his sleeves, Terumī's father rose to leave.
Terumī's mother stood as well, smiling.
"Kiyosuke, about the wedding… do you need an elder to help discuss it?"
"An elder…"
The only one who came to mind was Orochimaru. But with his personality, would he even agree to something like that?
Blushing, Terumī Mei tugged Kiyosuke to his feet.
"Enough. Get up already."
Her mother added with a chuckle,
"Oh, right. Tonight, Kiyosuke, you'll sleep in the guest room on the east side. And don't you go sneaking around, hm?"
Covering her mouth, she laughed and hurried after her husband.
"You gave Mei away that easily? I thought you'd hold out longer."
"What else could I do?" her husband sighed. "Mei's heart has always been with that boy. We both knew it years ago. Plenty of fine young men have passed through our household, but which of them could compare? Which of them truly deserves Mei?"
After so many years, he had finally understood.
Even if Kirigakure and Konoha tried to stand in their way, nothing would stop those two. Better to accept it.
"That boy may look fearless, but when it comes to love, he's a coward. He never took the first step. Still… once he decides something, nothing will shake him."
He exhaled deeply.
"Strength, looks—he matches Mei in every way. I don't care about his background. I only want him to treat her well."
As a father, he just wanted his daughter's happiness.
Even if he found the boy hard to stomach.
"I like him too," Mei's mother said softly. "He'll make a fine husband. But the wedding will be tricky… should it be held in Kirigakure, or in Konoha? Our village has never hosted such a thing with another shinobi village before."
The thought already gave her a headache. No matter where it was held, it would cause trouble.
"Forget that for now. Think about how the village will react once Mei's engagement is announced—especially since her fiancé is this brat from Konoha."
The man pressed his fingers to his temples.
As the Fifth Mizukage, Mei's prestige in Kirigakure rivaled Kiyosuke's in Konoha. News of her engagement would surely break countless hearts.
And worse—once people realized her fiancé was the very man who had killed the Third Mizukage, the storm of backlash would be immense.
"Let Mei handle that," his wife said calmly. "She's made her choice, and I trust she'll face whatever comes. It won't be easy, but it will be fine."
"Hmph. Enough. I'm done thinking about it."
With that, he huffed and retired with his wife.
...
Terumī Mei led Kiyosuke to the guest room and laid out the bedding herself.
Watching her graceful figure as she worked, Kiyosuke slipped forward and gently wrapped an arm around her slender waist.
"What are you doing? I'm still making the bed."
She turned, mock-scolding, then circled her arms around him with a smile.
"I can't believe you were that scared of my father."
"Hey, your dad was about to kill me! Did you see his eyes? He was this close to actually doing it! I swear, I thought I was a dead man."
"If you're that scared, why did you even come?"
"Because I couldn't let a woman as beautiful as you stay single forever."
His hand brushed her porcelain cheek as he asked softly, "My beloved Mei, will you marry me?"
No flowers.
No ring.
No romantic setting.
He had only confessed today, yet here he was proposing. But between them, no grand gestures were needed.
Their love had always been there—simple, direct, undeniable.
"Of course I will, my beloved."
Mei pressed her face into his chest, listening to the steady beat of his heart.
"I thought this day would never come… Kiyosuke, I can't believe the coward I knew could be this bold."
"I just couldn't bear the thought of you being alone."
He lifted her face and pressed his forehead against hers.
"Mei… to have your love, despite being the fool I am, is the greatest blessing of my life."
"Meeting you is the unluckiest thing that ever happened to me," she whispered, arms looping around his neck.
"You bastard. You weren't even from the same village, yet you still came and stirred my heart. Do you realize? There may not be another man like you in the entire shinobi world."
"And there's no woman like you."
No more words were needed. Their lips met.
After so many years, the step they had long avoided was finally taken.
The coward had found his courage.
The beautiful woman had waited for the day he would.
In that moment, their hearts became one, and the two of them sank gently onto the bed.
Thump!
Like a stone plunging into water, ripples spread violently outward.
...
That night, the Fifth Mizukage and Konoha's strongest shinobi clashed in a fierce battle—one that lasted till dawn!