I scarcely managed to restrain my annoyance from turning to rage as Junichi walked in and served Lord Funato a tray of tea and a pungent fisherman soup. I let him feel my glare but Lady Megumi quickly placed an order a refill and some snacks like my office was some restaurant.

Lord Funato slurped up parts of a sea creature coated in sauce and coughed before smacking his lips, “Good good, this will soothe my throat of all infections.” He thumped his chest and let out another whooping cough Lady Megumi reclined away from, clutching her cup of tea and eying the old man with suspicion.

He laughed a hearty laugh only good food could be responsible for, but his voice was cracked as he spoke, “Don’t mind me, current events have stressed me into illness but after this soup…yes.”

I smiled politely but it never reached my eyes, “I’m praying for your wellness, Lord Funato.”

He snorted and tore the dead-eyed fish head soaking in his bowl with his spoon, “I am not long for this world, save your prayers for the Kirigakure, it will need it now that we have Konoha shinobi lounging amongst us.”

I held back a sigh. Ever since I had the old clan head show me the Mizukage Estate, ever since he promised to make me suffer he’s been a lot less subtle with his opinions. And the opinions he has of my decisions are rarely positive, in fact, I don’t think I’ve had a single good moment with the man since I became Mizukage.

Worse still, ever since Uncle gave my office a makeover it’s suddenly become very comfortable for longer visits from the nagging old man. He’s already been here for hours, hacking and whooping coughs into my airspace before I suggested he go home and rest. Instead he summoned Junichi and asked for that repugnant soup.

Lady Megumi only arrived a few moments ago, I didn’t know what for but if I had to guess I’d say it’s the same reason Lord Funato was befouling me with his presence. Konoha.

“They are harmless amongst us, there’s nothing they can do that I won’t know about.” ANBU were assigned around the clock to watch the quarters given to them, it was within the Mizukage Tower as well, right alongside my office and my current living space. There wasn’t a more secure and isolated place for the Konoha delegates to be.

Lady Megumi raised a pleased smile, “Your confidence is admirable, Mizukage-sama, however, it will be wise not to let our guard down around them. They do not have the same blessed heart as you.”

I raised a brow at that. It sounded an awful lot like flattery and butt kissing— she wanted something. She hadn’t said why she’d visited and it seemed she didn’t care as much about the Konoha delegates as Lord Funato did or was it simply overshadowed by something else?

“That is a fair critic for most shinobi, Lady Megumi. I’m glad to have your company.” My smile behind the stack of papers gave her permission to shuffle in her seat but before she has a chance to speak her piece and knock comes on the door. “Come in.”

Raiga didn’t need to announce himself beyond the doors for me to know it was him, his chakra signature was etched in my brain ever since we battled. And now he’s my loyal ANBU Commander, temporarily anyway.

He strode in and gave curt bows to the two elders before kneeling, “Sir, it’s arrived.” He retrieved a bound scroll from his side and presented it.

Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.

“What is this?” Lord Funato demanded in an instant and attempted to snatch it out of his hands only to find resistance. “What are you…Yagura, tell him to-”

“Bring it here please.” I said, cutting Lord Funato before he managed to vex me more. Lady Megumi heaved an exasperated sigh and shook her head at her fellow as Raiga ignored the old man to deposit the scroll in my hands.

Unfurled, I find it’s a sealing scroll. I looked up at Raiga who gave no indication of it being a danger, such things wouldn’t make it as far as himself talk less of the Mizukage.

A sliver of chakra is all it took for a set of tied letters to appear in a poof of rapidly dissipating smoke. I opened the first of many letters and smiled, “Ahh, Lord Funato, Lady Megumi, you’ll be happy to know that Konoha has kept its word. These are the missing letters.”

Harrumphed, Lord Funato coughed and sat back in Uncle’s very wise choice for a couch, “They should never have seized it in the first place.”

I rolled my eyes at him, knowing that with the amount of surveillance pressed against the Konoha delegates it wouldn’t be long before Raiga was presenting me with the option to intercept their letters as well. Though, from what I hear they’ve only sent confirmation reports about their arrival and residence in Kiri. Nothing that besmirches the truth and nothing too truthful either.

“What do they say?” Lady Megumi wondered.

I skimmed through them easily as they weren’t thickly worded. It was much the same reports before we stopped getting them— simple things they noticed about the village, speculations and updates on their search for any involvement in the Sandaime’s death which was always a shamefully written dead end.

My eyes widened at the last letter though, it was the most useful piece of knowledge they’d reported in a while. “Much of the same things but according to this, the Snake Sannin has abandoned Konoha to become a rogue-nin.”

Lord Funato’s head whipped at me, eyes wide as I’ve ever seen them. Lady Megumi was speechless but her eyes skirted about their sockets as she thought miles per minute. I handed the letters over to Raiga and he placed them on the centre table with Lord Funato’s disgusting soup.

They ignored all the others and skipped to the last before Lady Megumi mused aloud, “What could have forced the man to betray his village? Last I heard he was a shoe-in for Yondaime Hokage.”

“And now that Yellow Flash is Hokage, perhaps that is the reason?” Lord Funato stroked his beard in thought before fixing a look at me. “We should update our bingo book, Mizukage-sama.”

“Of course, but to what?” My fingers drummed against the desk, I couldn’t predict what Lord Funato would say but I had a feeling I wouldn’t like it.

“To capture him alive. If he defects to Kirigakure then-”

“Then Konoha and Kiri’s friendly relationship will be no more, Funato-dono. I will not sabotage myself in such away.” He frowned and made to say something but his whooping cough finally did something good for once. “Raiga, update the bingo books, dead or alive but under no circumstances is he to be engaged by Hunter-nin…waste of shinobi.”

Orochimaru would kill anyone stupid enough to come after him, that was Jason’s gut instinct and this time I was going with it. However, Yagura had some alterations to my orders that could make sense, “Wait…if there is a sighting of the Snake Sannin, leave him a message. Kirigakure will offer refuge, with conditions.”

Both elders looked at me curiously but I merely smiled. Jason didn’t believe Orochimaru would bother with another hidden village but on the off chance that he does, Yagura will have some use of the S-rank shinobi yet.

“There’s one more thing, sir.” Raiga said in a low voice, a sign he needed to speak freely about sensitive matters.

I glanced at the elders, happy to chase them away now that I had a good excuse. “Lord Funato, Lady Megumi, if you don’t mind now…I’ll take this report in private.”

Lord Funato looked offended as always and Lady Megumi was simply disappointed, whatever she’d come to kiss ass about would have to wait. Together they left with a silent bow and shut the door behind them, I wish Funato had taken the remnants of his putrid soup with him.

“Speak, Raiga.”

Behind the red swirled ANBU mask Raiga announced, “The proofs are ready, Genin Hisako Yuki is implicated in the crime, the Yuki clan seems to have supported her actions.”

Great, it’s just as I feared then. The Yuki clan was behind the death threats.