Kiyosuke left the monk in Gaara's hands. This was Sunagakure's affair, so naturally it was best handled by them. He had no intention of interfering in their village's matters.
Let Gaara deal with it himself.
Saving them was just something he happened to do along the way.
He had been curious about the monk's sealing technique, but it seemed riddled with flaws. On second thought, it wasn't worth learning at all.
Ignoring the noisy Fu, Kiyosuke turned to leave, leaving everything else for Gaara to handle.
Because of this incident, the Chūnin Exams once again followed tradition—interrupted midway. Still, Gaara carried on with the process. Using his Sand Eye, he observed every ninja's performance during the second exam, recording everything down to the smallest detail.
He then had the results delivered back to each village so their leaders could decide who was worthy of promotion.
The Konoha Twelve all performed exceptionally well, earning promotion to Chūnin. Among them, Neji even received Shikamaru's personal recommendation to apply for Jōnin. That, of course, required the approval of Tsunade and the other leaders. But with Neji's talent, passing the assessment was practically guaranteed.
Neji was destined to be the first of the Twelve to rise to Jōnin.
Kiyosuke also recommended Shino. With his judgment, knowledge, and overall ability, Shino was more than qualified. He had a few shortcomings here and there, but nothing that couldn't be remedied.
So, after the Chūnin Exams ended, Kiyosuke and Shino's father began giving him specialized training to ensure he would pass the Jōnin test and officially take his place as one of Konoha's Jōnin.
Once the exams were over, Sasuke spent a few days at home. Seeing his son's rapidly growing strength, Uchiha Fugaku said nothing. Soon, Sasuke returned to Orochimaru's side to continue his training, and this time Fugaku didn't try to stop him.
Naruto, on the other hand, only left the village once Jiraiya had recovered from his injuries.
...
Kirigakure – Morning
Kiyosuke awoke, carefully moving the long, slender leg draped across his stomach before stretching with a satisfied sigh. Last night had been… intense.
Mei Terumī truly lived up to her title as Mizukage. Her Water Release completely smothered his Fire Release, forcing him to fight in full physical form the entire time. Fortunately, he had put great emphasis on taijutsu. By the second half of the night, he had overwhelmed her, leaving Mei trembling, her chakra surging uncontrollably, before she finally collapsed into deep exhaustion.
As expected of the Fifth Mizukage—her strength was no joke. She was almost thirty, right in her prime. And at night… Mei turned out to be far clingier than he had anticipated.
"You're already getting up? Don't you want to sleep a little longer?"
Sensing her lover's movement, Mei stirred awake. Lying on the soft mattress, a thin blanket draped loosely over her, her graceful figure was still visible beneath it. Her bare shoulder peeked through strands of chestnut hair, the contrast only making her skin look fairer. Still drowsy from waking, her beauty was tinged with a lazy allure.
"Mm. I should get up. It's time for me to head back."
He had been staying in Kirigakure under the pretense of establishing diplomatic ties. But now, it was time to return.
Kirigakure was walking the path of peace and openness. Konoha had extended a hand of friendship, proposing an alliance to bury past grudges and start anew. To show sincerity, Tsunade had personally sent Kiyosuke here.
Take him, if you can. If not, then let's build ties.
At first, dissenting voices had echoed through the village, but Mei and Genshi masterfully silenced them. Kirigakure needed to reach outward—it couldn't remain as isolated as before. Many of the village's high-ranking officials supported the move, seeing the importance of this diplomatic mission.
Thus, Konoha became the first village to establish formal ties with Kirigakure, soon followed by Sunagakure.
Due to lingering resentment toward Kirigakure, Pakura hadn't come. Instead, Gaara personally represented Sunagakure as a gesture of good faith, while Pakura stayed to guard the village.
As for Kumogakure and Iwagakure—they acted as though nothing was happening, ignoring it outright. But deep down, they had caught wind of the danger. With three villages aligning, they could no longer remain indifferent.
Especially when it came to Konoha. Everyone still remembered the Third Great Ninja War, when Konoha had stood alone against four other villages.
With the Fourth Hokage, Asakawa Kiyosuke, Kakashi the Copy Ninja, and Might Guy the Green Beast, Konoha had proven its might. Now, with Kiyosuke still in the village, Konoha's strength was undeniable. Their power inspired both awe and fear.
Three villages forging ties—anyone could guess what others might suspect.
To them, Konoha was the greatest threat of all.
Hearing that Kiyosuke was leaving, Mei became fully awake. Under his admiring gaze, she slowly dressed herself—slipping into her dress, pulling on fishnet stockings, standing tall and elegant at his side.
A striking man and a dazzling woman—truly a perfect pair.
Kiyosuke guided her to the vanity, gently brushing her hair aside and taking up a comb to tend to it.
"Your hair's so long. Doesn't it get hot?"
"Not really. Summers in the Land of Water aren't too warm, and winters are freezing. Long hair actually keeps me warm. Why, you don't like it?"
"I love it. I love everything about you." He tied her hair up with a ribbon and added softly, "For all the days ahead, whenever I think of you, my heart will be filled with an eternal spring. I hope it's the same when you think of me."
"Mm." Mei leaned against him, her eyes half-closed, her voice tender. "Kiyosuke, why do you love me?"
Kiyosuke paused, his thoughts drifting.
"Because your legs are long, your chest is big, and your body's amazing?"
Bang!
The romantic mood shattered in an instant as Mei smacked him clear across the room, slamming him into the closet.
Her chest heaved with anger. This shallow man!
"Sorry, sorry, just kidding. I love you because it's you. That's all."
Because it was her, he loved her.
Laughing, he turned into a blaze of flame, reappearing at her side. Pulling her close, he pressed his forehead to hers and whispered,
"That's why, Mei—I love you."
To Mei, no words could have been sweeter. She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him deeply.
When at last they parted, her face was flushed red. She looked into his eyes and asked softly,
"Kiyosuke, when will we get married?"
Kiyosuke was silent for a while before answering,
"Not yet. I don't want anyone barging in when we do. Once I've cleared away all the unstable elements, we'll marry."
Damn… did I just raise a death flag?!
"Alright. Once you've taken care of everything, then we'll—mmph!"
Before she could finish, Mei's lips were sealed with another kiss.
Not another word!
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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