Mei Terumi is really a slacker

Chapter 271: Mei Terumi is really a slacker

Mei Terumi alone would not have caused much of a reaction, but these people from Konoha were rather astonished.

"Who is this person?"

"I don’t know."

"Even when the Hokage comes here to eat, I’ve never seen Teuchi be this courteous."

"Could he be a food critic from somewhere?"

"Quite possible."

Because Shen Mo had used a little trick, aside from Teuchi and the two people beside him, Mei Terumi and Ikaros, no one else could recognize him.

But these words reached Mei Terumi’s ears.

Not someone from Konoha?

She was slightly curious, but then she sniffed the air and felt how delicious it smelled.

The fragrance filling the air made even her mouth water, stirring her appetite.

It was an enticing aroma she had never smelled before.

"As expected of Konoha. Even an ordinary ramen shop has such delicious food." Mei Terumi spoke with a hint of envy. Then her eyes lit up, and she pulled Chojuro straight toward Shen Mo.

There were still many people here. Since it was mealtime, only a few seats remained by the kitchen counter.

She sat down beside Shen Mo without the slightest hesitation.

She propped her chin up with one hand and turned sideways, her slender waist bending into a soft curve. Her thin red lips curved into a charming smile.

"Sir, are you a food critic?"

At this moment, Mei Terumi’s mature allure was being released without restraint.

Chojuro could not help covering his face.

This was nothing like the Mei Terumi he knew.

Shen Mo turned his head. He had not expected that instead of going to find her himself, she would come over on her own.

Various thoughts flashed through his mind, but all he did was smile and say, "Although I’m not a professional food critic, there should be no one in this world better at judging delicious food than me."

"What a Haki statement." Mei Terumi lightly licked her red lips, only then realizing that the gesture had been a little too seductive. A faint blush spread across her face.

However, the man in front of her did not make a fool of himself like ordinary men would.

Instead, Mei Terumi noticed his eyes.

Black eyes were fairly common in the Ninja World, but this man’s eyes were exceptionally deep. Just looking into them gave her the feeling that she was sinking into them despite herself.

"Master."

At that moment, a sweet, delicate voice pulled Mei Terumi back to reality.

It was Ikaros, tugging at Shen Mo’s clothes while staring at the small bowls displayed on the counter.

"Master?" Mei Terumi froze, her slender eyes narrowing slightly.

"She’s Ikaros. I bought her from somewhere a long time ago." Shen Mo smiled as he explained. Then he reached out and gently rubbed the top of Ikaros’s head, his eyes filled with affection. "In this world, we’re the only companions each other has."

"Meow, meow—"

Two cat cries came from his shoulder.

"That’s right, there’s also Hikari."

Shen Mo smiled again and used his other hand to rub Hikari’s tiny cat face.

Mei Terumi gazed at Hikari rubbing against his palm, as well as Ikaros, whose eyes were half-closed as though she were enjoying herself.

She felt an indescribable warmth emanating from the group.

It was almost as if the three of them formed a group independent of the rest of the world.

He really is incredibly gentle.

Mei Terumi’s eyes sparkled, and she wore an utterly lovestruck expression.

Shen Mo had not expected that one day he would win the favor of such a mature beauty after meeting her only once.

As expected, a man’s charm lay in his bearing.

He chatted idly with Mei Terumi for a while and learned each other’s names. Shen Mo said that he was a traveling merchant, while Mei Terumi merely said that she came from Kirigakure without mentioning her status.

"Kirigakure." Shen Mo sighed with a drawn-out tone. "I’ve heard that although it’s covered in thick fog all year round, it’s a beautiful place."

"Of course." Mei Terumi sounded a little proud. "The mountains in the mist have wonderful scenery. If you climb to the highest peaks, you can even see the fog rolling beneath your feet. The sunrise over the sea of mist is also breathtakingly beautiful."

Although she had grown up there, Mei Terumi had never grown tired of the scenery.

Rather, it was precisely because of the harsh life she had endured that the beauty seemed all the more precious.

"From the sound of it, Miss Mei Terumi must really love your village." Shen Mo smiled.

"Mm. I love it very much."

Mei Terumi admitted it without hiding anything, a deep tenderness in her eyes.

If she did not love her village, why would she have worked so hard to grow stronger, launched a coup, and risked her life to save it?

Just as I thought.

Through the Mind Reading Technique, Shen Mo could experience Mei Terumi’s love for Kirigakure even more clearly.

If people like Minato Namikaze loved their village because they cared deeply about their companions and fellow villagers, then Mei Terumi’s love was purer: it was love for the land that had given birth to and raised her.

But that alone was not enough.

Looking at this future Fifth Mizukage, Shen Mo asked as casually as if he were making conversation, "Then what do you hope your village will become?"

"Become what?" Mei Terumi seemed stumped by the question.

"Because I’m a traveling merchant, I’ve been to many places." Shen Mo spoke softly. "Every place has its own distinct character. Take Konoha, where we are now. It has prosperity, heritage, spirit, and nature, as well as unknown shadows. All of these things make up the entire village. So what do you hope the Kirigakure you love so dearly will look like?"

Listening to Shen Mo, Mei Terumi turned her head and looked at the people in the noodle shop.

Some wore smiles, some looked worried, some silently ate their noodles, and some chatted animatedly with their companions.

None of this existed in Kirigakure. It was the prosperity she had just envied.

But if such a scene were moved to Kirigakure—

Mei Terumi merely imagined it, yet already felt an indescribable sense of strangeness.

Kirigakure had been essentially isolated from the other nations ever since its establishment.

Although Mei Terumi intended to open the village up and build prosperity, she indeed had no direction.

"You can’t think of anything?" Shen Mo was slightly disappointed.

Thinking about it, the original story had been much the same. Aside from overthrowing the Fourth Mizukage, who was controlled by Obito, and participating in the Ninja World War, Mei Terumi had no other particularly impressive achievements.

She had even stepped down very soon afterward and handed the position of Mizukage to Chojuro, who stood beside her.

Seen this way—

She was too much of a slacker.

It seemed that after overthrowing the Fourth Mizukage, her life had already reached its peak.

Unless the village faced a major threat, she had no need to keep struggling as tirelessly as she once had to save it.