In a rural home at the Water Country.
A distant bell broke the secretary-general's dreams as he stirred in bed.
His wife was already in their kitchen, and he could already smell the aroma of eggs filling the air.
"Honey," she called out in an inviting tone, "your breakfast is gonna get cold if you don't get up."
"Not now," he grumbled, slumping back against his pillow. "How can I think of eating anything with that insufferable successor to lord Hiromu ruining my country?"
The wife laughed. "Hun, you can't keep talking about lord Belfort that way. He's gonna become the feudal lord of our nation one day. And you must admit, some of the changes he's made have been good."
"Good?!" he retorted, finally rising to a sitting position. "You mean to say that because of him, the country's less of a mess?"
"Oh just come and eat something already. It'll make you feel better."
"I'll feel better when John's thrown in prison." At those words, he pulled himself up from bed with a reluctant groan. "Mark my words, I'll get him impeached from office real soon."
His wife stormed into their room. "Are you serious?!"
"Yes, I am!" he snapped.
Hands on her hips, she asked, "And just how're you gonna do that?"
"Haven't you been reading the news? More than a few trade ships have gone missing at sea under his watch. And don't forget what I told you earlier: I got a copy of his citizenship and his birth certificate. He's not even a real citizen! All this points to the biggest scandal in the country."
His wife couldn't believe what she was hearing. "Hun, you gotta let this conspiracy stuff go. It'll wear you thin, and I'm starting to worry."
"Easy enough for you to say when you're not the one pouring over these weird contracts he's always getting me to sign. But things will change. Trust me."
His wife let out a soft sigh.
✟
After half-hearted bites and minimal conversation in the kitchen, the secretary-general eventually left his home for the capital with a black briefcase.
It wasn't long until he was spotted approaching the Ministry of Affairs.
His coworkers greeted him respectfully with stately yet careful demeanours. Quite frankly, he didn't like them much because of how much they admired John. All the political parties ever did was talk about the successor.
"Hasn't lord Belfort really outdone himself this week?" one co-worker gleefully remarked.
The secretary-general forced a smile but felt a rage bubble beneath his calm facade. "He's just doing the bare minimum…"
"Still, I've heard wonderful things about the recent investments in the villages," another colleague responded, blatantly ignoring the secretary-general's cynical tone.
"Alright, alright," he finally said, storming into his office.
The quiet room reflected the tension erupting within him as he sat down to shuffle through paperwork.
Not a moment too soon, his personal assistant entered the room. "Morning, SG. I came by to remind you that you're scheduled to leave for the Mist Village this afternoon."
"Yes, yes. I know," he sighed. "What exact time is that again?"
"Once the council meeting is finished. "Oh, and there's construction on the main route, so the journey might be a little longer than usual. I suggest you let me book you a hotel to come back tomorrow morning instead."
He grunted in acknowledgment, but a knot twisted in his stomach since he didn't quite like the Mist Village. Almost as much as he didn't like John.
"Fine," he said, "but let my wife know, and make sure my room's top-notch."
✟
Upon reaching the Mist Village in a fancy black carriage, the secretary-general finally stepped down with his briefcase in hand to be escorted by a cadre of guards.
At the entrance stood Mei Terumi, the Mizukage herself.
She had an expectant smile adorned on her face.
Mei, as the current fifth Mizukage, was known to have a multifaceted personality with a touch of flirtatiousness when she wasn't wearing her Kage gear. On the surface, she was written to be a gentle and approachable leader who cared deeply about the welfare of her village.
Her interactions with Gaara, the eventual Kazekage at the time, demonstrated her open-mindedness and respect for different perspectives.
When the secretary-general laid eyes on her, he knew not to be fooled by her looks. Because deep down lied a fierce kunoichi who also possesses exceptional combat skills.
What separated her from others was her Kekkei Genkai, which granted her control over acidic substances.
And even though she did have a flirtatious side, that didn't detract from her professionalism or her ability to lead effectively.
"Welcome, secretary-general!" she greeted with a poised stance. "I hope your journey was pleasant."
"Completely uneventful," he replied.
There wasn't the slightest hint of warmth in his tone since his mind was still too fixated on the celebrations of John's so-called transformative leadership.
"Get a guard to carry his briefcase for him," she commanded.
"No!" he said. "It's quite alright. I'll care of it myself."
"Are you sure?"
"Positive…"
As the two walked side by side towards her office, Mei inevitably asked, "Have you heard how lord Belfort's recent investments have turned around the village's economy?"
"Please spare me the details."
Not many were allowed to talk in such a manner in front of the Mizukage. Had it not been for the fact that he outranked her, he might not have spoken ill about her comment.
That didn't stop her from becoming speculative. "Is there some animosity between you and the soon-to-be feudal lord? I'll have you know that I don't want any part of that if there is."
"You're starting to sound like my wife."
The words escaped his lips before he could think.
"Excuse me?" she asked in surprise.
"Sorry. This morning she was trying to tell me the same thing for peaceful purposes."
"I'll take that as a compliment then, I guess."
'Quite frankly, it wasn't…' he thought to himself.
The rest of their talk would end in her office where their meeting eventually wrapped up.
The discussion focused heavily on John's plans to use up more land within the village for money affairs. While Mei didn't side with the idea, the rest of the board did. Including the secretary-general.
Once the meeting was over, he politely excused himself with his black briefcase in hand.
'Oh, I can't wait!'
Not a moment too soon, as the sky was darkening, he checked into a lavish hotel under the pleasantries of the town's hosts. The room was on the highest floor, much to his content.
There, he rifled through the documents on John. The plan was simple: expose the successor through the many scheme-like contracts and forged papers to help put the secretary-general in a position to make him the successor instead.
Stacks of paper littered a table as he sorted out every incrementing piece.
Suddenly, he heard a noise and turned around, only to see an unexpected figure in the corner.
"John?!" he gasped.
"Nice room," Arthur coolly remarked. He had a very calm arrogance in his demeanour which turned the room cold. "Booked on the highest floor by your assistant, I presume."
"W-what are you doing here?" the secretary-general barked. "No—how did you even get in here?!"
"Come now… Did you really think I wasn't aware of what you were plotting?"
"I… I don't know what you're talking about."
"But you do…"
A chill settled in the secretary-general's bones. "You think you can intimidate me by showing up just as I was ready to expose your crap?"
"Please…" His lordship began, leaning against the wall. "You seem to have forgotten a few things. Like your manners, for instance." Arthur was referring to the fact that not once had the secretary-general called him 'lord'. "I suppose I owe it to my personal assistant and your wife."
"My wife?! What the heck does she have to do with any of this?!"
"Isn't it obvious?" Arthur said, removing himself off the wall. "She was so worried that she came to me personally about your affairs."
The weight of the truth struck the secretary-general like a dagger as fear roiled within his chest.
"Y-you're lying!" he tried. "You wouldn't know a thing about me or what I've done for my country!"
"Don't you mean 'our' country?" Arthur calmly corrected. "Evil illusion flattery jutsu…"
A curtain of darkness suddenly filled the secretary-general's vision before he heard a voice and turned around.
✟
The next day.
After that encounter, the secretary-general found himself finally at home, now sitting across from his wife at their dining table.
The sun poured in through the window, making the place seem more alive than ever.
"Can't believe I ever doubted him," he announced. "John, I mean lord Belfort... He's not at all what I thought him to be."
His wife paused mid-bite. "What?"
"You heard me. He's actually more insightful than anyone's saying out there."
She almost choked at the comment.
"Yep!" he declared. "I was wrong; he's what this country needs."
"I'm shocked to hear," she finally spoke.
"What do you mean?"
"Well… Since we're being honest. Yesterday, you had me so worried that I went to visit our lordship."
"Well, I'm glad you did!" he confessed. "All those backdoor grievances were giving so much stress that I just let them go."
With a sigh of relief, his wife looked at him as the husband she adored. "I'm happy to hear, hun. But I'm still confused about something: what did you do with all those papers you talked about?"
"Get this," he laughed, "there was a mysterious fire in my hotel room, and they were all burned in the aftermath."
"Oh my gosh!" she said, covering her mouth. "Are you okay?"
"Of course. But forget about me. That fire was just another sign that I shouldn't have gone through with my plan."
"Well, the important thing now is that you're safe and able to help lord Belfort."
As the two finished sharing their conversation, Arthur had his eyes closed and his back rested casually outside their walls. On his person was the black briefcase.
A country like this was always a daunting one to manage. But at least for now, his citizens could linger peacefully in his quiet sanctuary.