As Naruto Uzumaki rushed toward the Land of Water, he sent letters proposing peace to both the Mist Village and the rebel army. The letters announced that Konoha's Fifth Hokage was on his way to mediate, hoping both sides could sit at the negotiating table to resolve their dispute.
However, neither Zabuza Momochi nor Terumi Mei was pleased about this. Who did Konoha think they were, taking the moral high ground? If they weren't in the middle of a war, they would have started cursing by now. What they needed was material support from Konoha, not verbal mediation!
Rebel Army Camp
Zabuza Momochi received Konoha's letter and began to grumble, "That kid, Naruto Uzumaki, really likes to meddle in other people's business!"
When he'd met Team 7 in the Land of Waves last year, the blond boy was just a genin. Now, he was sending him letters as the Hokage. The thought alone was infuriating. Zabuza had worked so hard for so many years to seize the position of Mizukage, and only this year, after launching a rebellion, did he finally see a glimmer of hope of controlling the Land of Water.
But that kid? Had it even been a year? He just went and became Hokage.
"Lord Zabuza," Haku said gently, trying to persuade him, "since Lord Utakata left, our war effort hasn't been going well. At a time like this, shouldn't we accept Konoha's mediation?"
The disappearance of Utakata, the Six-Tails Jinchuriki, was a huge blow to the rebel forces. For several days straight, their attacks on the Mist Village had failed, repeatedly being crushed by the ninjas led by Terumi Mei.
"We can't accept," Zabuza said coldly, gripping his Executioner's Blade. "The Mist Village, like Konoha, is one of the five great ninja villages. We can accept Konoha as an ally, but we absolutely cannot accept them meddling in the internal affairs of the Land of Water!"
Clearly, the rebels weren't the only ones who felt this way. Terumi Mei of the Mist Village had the same opinion.
As one of the Mist's rare beauties, Terumi Mei's slender figure was truly captivating. But the Boil Release and Lava Release dual kekkei genkai she displayed on the battlefield made any ninja who might have had ideas lose their nerve. No matter how you looked at it, the woman was more than a little deadly.
"Lady Terumi, what should we do?"
"We absolutely cannot agree." The beautiful, brown-haired woman was filled with anger. She slammed her fist on the table and gritted her teeth. "Ao died at the hands of Naruto Uzumaki. If it weren't for the sake of the Mist Village, I would never be willing to talk peace with Konoha, let alone request an alliance! I never expected that kid would not only disregard an alliance but also try to use this opportunity to humiliate our village."
Ao's death was a massive blow to Terumi Mei. Due to the years of the "Bloody Mist" policy, the number of kekkei genkai users in the village had dwindled. Outstanding masters were a rare sight, and ninjas with actual intelligence were even rarer. Ao was, without a doubt, the subordinate Mei valued most, especially with the Mist Village in turmoil.
Unfortunately, Ao was dead.
Now, by Mei's side was the sixteen-year-old Chojuro, a young man who had inherited one of the legendary ninja swords. It's just that his personality was a bit timid, and he wasn't yet ready for great responsibility.
Chojuro gritted his teeth and tried to persuade her. "But, Lady Terumi, this is a chance to end the civil war. Zabuza-senpai was once a hero of the village, too..."
"Chojuro!" The brown-haired woman stood up abruptly, her face flashing with anger. Then, she spoke with a tone of disappointment. "If we reach an agreement with Zabuza, then the next time a village rebel starts a civil war, are we supposed to negotiate again?"
Chojuro was a few years older than Naruto, so how did he seem more like a child than that insidious, cunning, and evil boy?
How could the Mist Village make peace with rebels? Once you set a precedent like that, it can never be stopped. It couldn't be allowed to happen even once. Look at the five great ninja villages. Forget making peace with rebels—even allowing a missing-nin to return to service was something that could never happen openly.
"However," Terumi Mei's tone shifted as she frowned in thought, "this time, that kid's visit to the Land of Water is an opportunity for us. With this chance, perhaps we can try to gain the upper hand."
Important war materials like paper bombs and ninja tools could be obtained through negotiation. As long as the terms were right, Mei didn't mind agreeing to some of Konoha's unreasonable demands. Even if Konoha proposed that she, the number one beauty of the Mist Village, marry into Konoha... it wasn't out of the question.
It's just that the Hokage of Konoha was a bit young.
To be honest, Terumi Mei would, of course, prefer a handsome Uchiha man. Unfortunately, she'd heard the Uchiha clan had been wiped out, with only a teenage boy left. She wondered if any ninjas like Kakashi Hatake would come along instead. Mei was indeed very interested in that famous Konoha "technician." Compared to the mismatched bunch in the Mist Village, Kakashi's looks were very much to her taste.
However, when Naruto Uzumaki entered the Mist Village, Terumi Mei was still a bit disappointed. Perhaps because this young Hokage had just taken office, his entourage consisted only of young people. The only one of a suitable age was the captain of Naruto's guard, but he looked a bit simple and honest.
In order to negotiate with Konoha, the Mist Village elder, Genshi, couldn't find anyone else with a suitable status. He could only temporarily appoint Terumi Mei as the Fifth Mizukage, letting the village's current strongest ninja preside over the talks.
Mei sized up the famous young Hokage, glanced over the members of his guard, and extended her hand.
"Lord Hokage."
"Lady Mizukage."
Naruto Uzumaki was no stranger to Terumi Mei, but he was shocked by the miserable state of the Mist Village. White banners were hanging everywhere. The tragedy of the war was evident.
"While I am grateful for your visit to the Mist Village at this difficult time, and I appreciate the goodwill in your letter..." As Terumi Mei spoke, the gentleness on her face gradually disappeared, and her gaze, fixed on the young Hokage, was left with only firmness. "But the affairs of the Land of Water are best resolved by us."
"I was too presumptuous." Naruto Uzumaki smiled brightly before his own smile slowly faded. "I just hadn't considered that someone would be able to refuse what I want to do."
Yamato was completely stunned. Going on missions with this Hokage is really too dangerous, isn't it? That sentence was a blatant provocation to the Mist Village.
A tense atmosphere filled the air.
With just one sentence, Terumi Mei had to completely change her opinion of Naruto Uzumaki. She originally thought that, judging by his looks, he was a kind and gentle person. She didn't expect his attitude to be so tough, not even tolerating another great ninja village's refusal.
Does this kid know what he's saying?
Finally, a Mist ninja couldn't hold back and was about to shout, "You brat, do you think this is your Konoha?"
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Bonus:
Yamato: I want to quit.
Kakashi: Why? The position in the Hokage Guard Unit should be much easier than ANBU, right?
Yamato: But you can't stop the Hokage from looking for trouble himself!
Kakashi: How is he looking for trouble?
Yamato: He was so arrogant in the Mist Village. He thinks he's Sasuke!
Kakashi: Sasuke's arrogance is genetic. Naruto is just high on his early success. It's normal, it's normal... So what happened?
Yamato: In the end... in the end, he successfully pulled it off.
Kakashi: ...