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Chapter 274: I Look Forward to Working With You
Sky Fortress, main deck.
The sky had gone completely dark. Brilliant stars dotted the night canopy, twinkling softly in the vast expanse.
Konan sat in the pavilion, her gaze fixed on the night sky, slightly lost in thought. This was the very first time she had ever seen such a breathtaking starry sky from within the Village Hidden in the Rain.
In the past, the entire Land of Rain was shrouded in perpetual downpours, day and night, year after year. The thick, oppressive clouds blocked out everything. Let alone stars, they couldn't even see the sun. Witnessing the night sky from her homeland for the very first time naturally stirred complicated, unfamiliar feelings within her. Her heart rippled with emotion.
"Lady Konan," Honoka said, sitting beside her and looking up at the sky with curiosity. "Is there something special about those stars? You've been staring at them so intently."
"This is the first time the starry sky has ever descended upon the Land of Rain." Konan smiled softly. "Tonight, countless people across the entire Land of Rain will be staring blankly up at this sky, seeing it for the very first time."
The vast majority of civilians living in the Land of Rain had never once left their country's borders in their entire lives. Today, Konan had personally cleared away the eternal storm clouds covering the nation. For them, too, this would be their first time laying eyes on such a clear, brilliant night sky.
Honoka reached out a hand, as if trying to pluck a star from the heavens, but obviously grasped nothing but air. She gave up, asking, "Lady Konan, how far away are those stars? With your god-like power, could you travel to them?"
"They are incredibly far. So far that even a Kage-level powerhouse could run for their entire lifetime and still never reach one."
"The only way to reach them would be through space-time ninjutsu, but..." Konan paused for a moment. "Alex once told me that the stars we're looking at right now might not even exist anymore. What we're seeing could just be the light they emitted hundreds of millions, or even billions of years ago."
"The true stars may have already been destroyed, and we are merely looking at the light of their deaths."
"The light of their deaths?" Honoka stared in absolute bewilderment, completely lost. She couldn't wrap her head around Konan's words. The stars were clearly hanging right there in the sky—how could they be dead? And dead for millions or billions of years? That scale of time was so absurdly immense it defied imagination.
"Big sis, do you know what Lady Konan means?" Hanabi asked, sitting comfortably on Hinata's lap. She looked up innocently at her older sister, pointing at the sky. "Are those stars really dead... and gone?"
"Uh..." The question completely stumped Hinata. She had only studied at the Ninja Academy for six years, and the curriculum was strictly focused on ninja tactics and assassination. She had absolutely no concept of the universe or celestial bodies. She understood every single word Konan said, but strung together, the meaning completely eluded her.
Hinata shook her head, resting her pale chin gently on top of Hanabi's head. "We'll find out eventually."
Samui and Mabui exchanged glances, both wearing identical expressions of complete mystification.
In the corner of the pavilion, Ino nudged Mei Terumi in the ribs with her elbow and whispered, "Lord Mizukage, did you understand any of that?"
Mei batted Ino's elbow away in annoyance, keeping her voice low. "I'm not the Mizukage anymore. Don't call me Lord Mizukage." She then shot Ino a sideways glare. "And another thing... you little blonde brat from Konoha, I don't recall us being quite this close."
Not close was an understatement. Before the Fourth Shinobi World War, the two of them had never spoken a single word to each other.
"Aw, don't be such a stranger~" Ino brushed it off without a hint of awkwardness, displaying her natural, carefree optimism. "We're both Lord Alex's maids now. We might even have to serve him together in the future. Since we'll have to bare everything eventually anyway, what's a little nudge between friends?"
"You—" Mei glared fiercely at Ino, utterly shocked that the girl could say something so scandalous without blinking.
"Hmph!" But after her cold snort, Mei noticed the faint dusting of red on Ino's earlobes. A teasing smile immediately graced her lips. "And here I thought you were so calm and collected. Turns out you get embarrassed saying things like that too. Tsk, tsk, your ears are completely red."
"W-Who's ears are red? Mine aren't!" Ino argued defensively. "I'll have you know my knowledge in that department is far richer than yours! I've extensively studied the materials!"
To prove her point, she proudly puffed out her chest, shooting Mei a triumphant look.
Mei chuckled softly and mirrored the action, deliberately showcasing her own assets. From a side profile, her landscape was far more vast and imposing than Ino's.
She licked her lips, her smile dripping with mature allure. "You're still too green, little girl. This is what a mature woman looks like." To emphasize her point, she gave a subtle, deliberate bounce.
Ino carefully eyed the competition, making a silent comparison. To her great despair, she realized the former Mizukage's chest was indeed incredibly generous—much more generous than her own.
"Don't get too cocky," Ino muttered, grinding her teeth. "I'm still young! I have room to grow! You're already fully developed and stuck that way. I'll definitely surpass you in the future!"
"Oh, I wouldn't be so sure my growth has stopped." Mei smiled, her tone relaxed and naturally charming.
Since she had already made her choice, she refused to regret it. Stepping down from her role as the Fifth Mizukage to act as an obedient maid for the god-like Alex was simply a change in lifestyle. Compared to her past burdens, it might actually be the right choice. At the very least, she no longer had to exhaust herself worrying about the village, the villagers, looming threats, or endless battles.
Looking into the older woman's eyes, Ino saw a reflection of her own resolve. She chuckled warmly. "Mei Terumi, I look forward to working with you from now on."
Mei leaned in close to Ino, her warm breath ghosting over the girl's ear as she whispered seductively, "Then I suppose... I'll be in your care, Ino~"
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