Mei Terumi POV

The first word that came to her mind when her eyes settled on the pink-haired, weird but hot-looking man was 'rude.' Sukuna was sitting on a chair, his leg draped over the table in front of him. He seemed to lack manners, or perhaps he had such inordinate confidence in his abilities that he thought lesser of everyone else.

As she walked towards him, the full view of his strapping body only tightened the knot in her heart. She stood still, closing her eyes to control her breath, though it probably looked like she was controlling her anger. When she opened her eyes, she fixed them on Sukuna.

"What do you propose?" she asked, forcing her voice to be firm.

"Can you afford me?" he replied, his rugged voice causing a violent flutter in her lower abdomen. This was what she dreamt of on particularly sultry nights. She grabbed a chair and sat down, fearing her knees might give out.

"Your skills are great, I don't doubt that. Taking down the Kaguya Clan's leader is a significant feat. However, we are facing a foe far more powerful than him." She laid a trap. To the untrained ear, it might sound like she was questioning his abilities. But it could also be interpreted differently: she was subtly asking again about his demands. His answer would demonstrate if he was as smart as he was strong. A perfectly veiled trap for the inexperienced fool, which would let her gauge how much compensation he would require.

"My question still stands," Sukuna grinned ear to ear. He knew!

"What do you suggest as a display of power?" Mei instantly picked up what Sukuna meant. By not taking her bait and holding his position, he had positioned himself advantageously, now demanding a chance to demonstrate his true value.

Pleased, Sukuna removed his legs from the table, and Mei's right eyebrow shot up. "You are smart. I like it."

It was a test, she realized. Not only was she testing him, but he was also testing whether she was qualified to receive his services. Mei took a deep breath and crossed her legs. Raising her right arm, she adjusted her blue dress and the mesh armor underneath, covering her breasts, and let out a warm breath.

This is getting hard, she thought, crossing her arms in front of her chest to hide the shapes that had just formed. She noted to have the guard stationed far from her room tonight, as she didn't think she would have the self-control to keep it down.

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"Can you kill him?" Mei cut to the chase. There was no use trying to play games with a player; she would only reveal her own flaws, and as the leader of the revolutionary group, she couldn't allow that to happen. No matter how... tempting he looked.

"I specialize in taking down such beasts," said Sukuna. Whatever his skills were, they suited such operations. Mei would have to see for herself.

"Mei-sama," Ao called out. Sukuna's eyes turned to him before quickly scanning the room. The short distance Ao placed himself compared to others highlighted his importance in the revolutionary group's hierarchy. He handed her a piece of paper, the back of his hand covering it.

Mei read it and her gaze shifted to Sukuna. "You have kids?"

"I do," said Sukuna, resting his chin on one of his hands. Mei stood up, forming a hand sign with the paper between her fingers. The paper melted and dropped to the ground.

"Let's leave then. We have a long journey ahead. What will you do with the kids?" Mei asked.

"They will come, but they will stay at a distance when we engage."

". . . Engage?"

"Engage with the Mizukage."

With stiff shoulders, Mei turned and walked to the door. She glanced back. "Meet me in 10 minutes. Ao will guide you to the location," she said, briefly looking at Ao, who nodded.

The chair screeched back as Sukuna stood up, his towering height almost touching the ceiling. Ao quickly turned on his heel and wiped his brow, but Sukuna paid him no mind.

Back in her personal room, Mei slumped to the floor instantly. She grabbed her dress and stretched it out. Looking at the state of the dress she had worn just yesterday, she sighed.

Slowly, she made her way to a drawer and took out a new dress, this one fit for battle.

As she put on the dress, she couldn't help but think back to the paper that Ao handed her.

{ He killed Orochimaru. }

That was shocking. She had planned to test Sukuna by taking him on a mission to see him fight tomorrow, but that changed everything.

Orochimaru, probably the strongest of the three Sannin, had died at Sukuna's hands! How had that happened? She didn't know. It wasn't in the scroll Ao had given her before meeting Sukuna. This was the reason she didn't inform Sukuna about that and instead asked about his kids, a information she knew beforehand. She needed more information at hand before talking about it.

Something must have happened while they were talking that led to this new information.

Mei's ears perked up at a slight tumbling noise from a corner of the room. She hurried over and, with chakra enveloping her finger, drew an arc on the wall.

Click!

A box popped out from the wall, revealing a small scroll inside.

{ Orochimaru was meeting with Jiraiya when he suddenly disappeared in a puff of smoke. Jiraiya was confronting Orochimaru for crimes related to experimentation. Konoha declared him rogue, but a few hours later, a member of the now fractured and chaotic Kaguya Clan provided a credible report that Orochimaru was killed on their island. It was a Konoha spy, and one of our sleeper agents intercepted the message. Following our protocols, the message was then transferred to its destination in Konoha. }

That man might just be able to take down the Mizukage after all.