When Yagura saw the Rinnegan in Wen Lan's eyes, he was instantly shocked.
His first thought was that Wen Lan had dug out Nagato's eyes.
But on second thought, that didn't make sense.
First, Nagato's Rinnegan didn't look like this.
Second, Nagato had still been leaving the village regularly to carry out missions recently—there was no way those eyes were fake.
Isobu stared deeply at Wen Lan for a moment, then nodded.
"I agree to hand over a portion of my chakra.
I only hope that when the time comes, you will be able to control the situation."
With that, the Water Mirror Technique shattered instantly, dissolving into a puddle on the ground.
"The night is already deep," Wen Lan said softly as he stood up.
"I should return and rest."
"I'll see you out," Yagura replied, rising as well.
After returning to the envoy residence, Wen Lan quickly formed hand seals and used the Summoning Technique to call forth a Messenger Crow.
He wrote a short letter and handed the crow to Obito.
The message was simple:
Prepare to receive the chakra of the Three-Tails, Isobu.
Soon, the day of the Mizukage Inauguration Ceremony arrived.
In front of the Mizukage Building, the area had been decorated with solemn grandeur.
Shinobi dressed in traditional attire stood in orderly ranks.
Outside the building, a massive crowd had gathered—villagers and ninja alike.
Karatachi Yagura, wearing the Mizukage robe and holding the Mizukage hat, stood atop the building.
Facing the sea of people, he raised his voice:
"Everyone—
I, the Fourth Mizukage, Karatachi Yagura, committed many shameful acts during my tenure.
Later, I came to my senses, yet the guilt in my heart has never faded.
At that time, I wished to step down—but the pillar of the Hidden Mist had not yet emerged.
Today, I finally see new hope.
Now I can relinquish the title of Mizukage with peace of mind.
I ask that all of you support the Fifth Mizukage and lead the Hidden Mist toward an even brighter future!"
Thunderous applause erupted from below.
Amid the roaring cheers, Terumi Mei stepped slowly onto the platform.
Her eyes were calm and resolute.
Yagura lifted the Mizukage hat with both hands and placed it firmly upon her head.
Trust filled his gaze as he spoke solemnly:
"Terumi Mei…
The Hidden Mist is now in your hands."
"I will not fail the trust of the Fourth Mizukage," Mei replied firmly.
She turned to face the countless eyes below and declared in a steady, powerful voice:
"From this day forward, I will protect the Hidden Mist with the Will of Water.
A new Hidden Mist will be built—by all of us together."
"Long live the Fifth Mizukage!"
The crowd roared in unison, their voices surging like waves across the village.
Standing atop the platform, Terumi Mei was bathed in rare sunlight.
For once, the ever-gloomy skies of the Hidden Mist parted, and golden light fell across the brim of the Mizukage hat—illuminating her determined profile.
Not far away, Wen Lan watched her with a faint smile.
Who would have thought that this alluring and graceful woman would one day grow into a middle-aged aunt?
After the ceremony concluded, Wen Lan, Yagura, and Mei gathered in the Mizukage Building's conference room.
Their purpose was long-term cooperation.
Wen Lan spread open a scroll, his brush moving swiftly as line after line of contract terms filled the parchment.
Each clause had been carefully considered.
They protected the Hidden Mist's sovereignty while clearly defining the boundaries of cooperation with the outside world.
At the end of the document, Wen Lan, Yagura, and Mei pressed their handprints onto the scroll.
The ink slowly settled in the sunlight—
a symbol of trust and agreement.
When the contract was finalized, silence filled the room for a brief moment.
Only the wind outside brushed softly against the windows.
Wen Lan rolled up the scroll and glanced at the two of them.
"I'll stay one more day.
Tomorrow, I'll depart for Konoha."
"You won't stay a few more days?" Mei asked, slightly surprised.
"I'm afraid not.
Village affairs are too numerous. I can't remain away for long."
Mei nodded, understanding flickering in her eyes.
"That makes sense.
The Hokage cannot do without a strategist like you."
Wen Lan felt a bit embarrassed hearing that.
Aside from reviewing paperwork, he hadn't really done much at all.
After exchanging a few more pleasantries, they parted ways.
That evening, Wen Lan arrived once again at Yagura's home.
This time, Obito accompanied him.
To avoid unnecessary trouble, Wen Lan had Obito leave his mask behind—after all, Yagura had seen that mask before.
Yagura opened the door.
His gaze lingered briefly on Obito's face, but his expression remained calm as he stepped aside to let them enter.
What followed was simple.
Wen Lan stood guard.
Obito took out the Amber Purification Jar and absorbed a portion of the Three-Tails' chakra.
And with that—
the matter was settled.
Soon afterward, Wen Lan returned to Konoha.
Traveling swiftly, he arrived at the village gates at dawn on the third day.
He went straight home—
and immediately began living a carefree, lazy life.
On the fourth morning, urgent knocking sounded at his door.
When he opened it—
Sasuke stood outside.
Furious.
"What exactly did you do to the Ninja Cat Clan?!" Sasuke demanded.
Wen Lan blinked in confusion.
"I haven't even visited the Ninja Cat Clan in years."
Sasuke glared at him and thrust a yellowed scroll forward.
"Look for yourself!"
He slammed the scroll into Wen Lan's chest.
Wen Lan opened it—
and his face instantly darkened.
Because the scroll contained a supply list.
And every single price was double what it used to be.
At first, Sasuke hadn't understood why.
But after asking around, he discovered the truth—and stormed straight here in anger.
The reason?
Granny Cat still held a grudge from years ago when Wen Lan had thrown catnip everywhere.
She hadn't made things difficult for the Uchiha clan in general.
But she knew Wen Lan was the Third Elder of the Uchiha.
So instead, she secretly inflated the prices specifically for Fugaku's household, venting her resentment that way.
Fugaku and Itachi had been completely unaware.
Monthly purchases were handled by clan servants.
It wasn't until Sasuke recently ran out of training kunai and personally went to restock that he noticed something was wrong.
After reading the scroll, Wen Lan rubbed his forehead with a helpless smile.
He had genuinely forgotten that trivial incident from years ago.
Yet Granny Cat had remembered it all this time.
And her revenge was vicious—
she was straight-up fleecing the Uchiha.
Worst of all, the Ninja Cat Clan conducted exclusive trade with the Uchiha.
They didn't do business with other clans at all.
It really proved the saying:
Never do business with acquaintances—
they're the ones who overcharge you the hardest.
Wen Lan took a deep breath, tossed the scroll back to Sasuke, then reached into his pocket and pulled out a 100,000-ryō banknote, throwing it to him.
"Take this to Granny Cat," he said.
"Tell her it's an apology.
And if she raises prices again—
I'll plant catnip all over the Ninja Cat Clan's territory."
"Will that actually work?" Sasuke asked skeptically.
"Go try it," Wen Lan replied.
"If it doesn't, come tell me."
"Fine."
Sasuke stuffed the money into his pocket and left.
After Sasuke departed, Wen Lan stared at the rising sun on the horizon and sighed softly.
"That old lady…
Even ripping off a kid's money. No shame at all."
He turned and went back inside.
Then resumed doing absolutely nothing.
He planned to rest properly for the next few days.
As for those stacks of paperwork—
Water Gate and Shikaku could handle them themselves.
—------------------------------
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