Chapter 218: Mei Terumi's Maid Dress
The treaty was signed, and its terms immediately began to be implemented.
Iwagakure quickly sent back the Konoha ninja they had captured.
Unfortunately, Obito Uchiha was not among them.
As for whether Iwagakure was being deceitful, they wouldn't dare, and there was no need. Konoha still held Rōshi, the Four-Tails Jinchūriki, and several Uchiha clan ninja were among the returned captives.
Obito Uchiha had indeed died on the battlefield.
Hiruzen Sarutobi declared the deceased ninja as Heroes of Konoha, and a collective funeral was scheduled for February 15th. This ceremony would mourn those Konoha ninja who had fallen on the Iwagakure and Kirigakure fronts. The Kumogakure front's casualties would be addressed after that conflict concluded.
Early in the morning.
Just as the sky was beginning to brighten, Hoshikawa was already awake, having been roused by a knock at the door.
He quickly changed clothes, left his room, and walked to the entrance.
When he opened the door, Rin Nohara was standing outside. She was dressed in a black kimono, holding four bouquets of white chrysanthemums, and looked notably somber.
"Hoshikawa ." Rin greeted him first.
"Come in." Hoshikawa reached out, gently patting her head. "Thank you for getting the white chrysanthemums for us."
"It's fine," Rin said, already used to his head pat.
She stepped inside, took off her wooden clogs, and revealed her feet wrapped in short socks.
"Rin, you're here so early?" Kurenai Yūhi emerged from her room, stifling a yawn. She hadn't even changed yet, still wearing her pajamas.
Rin paused, feeling a pang of something heavier than before. Kurenai and Hoshikawa seemed to be living like an established couple already. Her already heavy heart sank further.
"We'll head to Master's house for breakfast, then go to the Konoha Memorial Stone together," Hoshikawa instructed. "Kurenai, go change into your black kimono."
"Okay." Kurenai turned and went back to her room.
After getting dressed, the three headed to Tsunade's house.
Hoshikawa opened the door and found Tsunade sitting on the sofa. Like Rin and Kurenai, Tsunade had changed into a black kimono. But compared to their youthful looks, she possessed a certain maturity, making her resemble the legendary war widow.
Hoshikawa quickly shook his head. Thinking of Tsunade as a widow felt like he was cursing himself to an early death.
After breakfast, the four left the house.
As they walked down the street, a familiar voice called out.
"Tsunade-sama." Kushina Uzumaki appeared before them. "And Hoshikawa , Kurenai, and Rin."
"Big Sis Kushina." The three students spoke in unison.
"Tsunade-sama." Behind her stood Minato Namikaze.
Kakashi Hatake and Might Guy were with them too.
Since they were all attending the funeral, they didn't linger in conversation. After a brief exchange of greetings, they continued on to the Konoha Memorial Stone.
As they approached the destination, the crowd grew denser. Not only ninja but also ordinary villagers were participating.
By the time they reached the Memorial Stone, people were gathered three deep around it.
Hoshikawa looked at the massive stone tablet before him. Most of the names were unfamiliar until he spotted Obito Uchiha's name.
Hoshikawa subconsciously glanced at Kakashi Hatake. The Nine-Tails incident was triggered by Kushina Uzumaki giving birth. Obito Uchiha only knew the exact time of her delivery because he overheard Kakashi Hatake talking to himself at the Memorial Stone.
But Hoshikawa couldn't blame Kakashi. He didn't know Obito Uchiha was still alive, let alone that he was capable of killing his own sensei.
Not long after, Hiruzen Sarutobi, Homura Mitokado, and Koharu Utatane—the three Konoha elders—made their appearance.
Hoshikawa immediately had a bad feeling. Sure enough, Hiruzen Sarutobi began his oration, taking the Will of Fire as his central theme and praising Konoha's heroes.
The speech only ended two hours later, moving on to the segment where everyone lined up to offer flowers.
Hoshikawa placed his white chrysanthemum before the Memorial Stone, then moved to the side. He looked at Rin Nohara. Sadness lingered on her face, but having grieved before, she wasn't crying this time.
The offering of flowers marked the end of the funeral.
"Tsunade-sama." Kushina Uzumaki proactively extended an invitation. "How about you all come over to our place for lunch?"
"Sounds good." Tsunade didn't refuse. It had been a while since she had visited Kushina Uzumaki's home.
"Then let's go!" Kushina Uzumaki waved her hand and led the way.
The group departed from the Konoha Memorial Stone.
Upon arriving home, Kushina Uzumaki pulled Minato Namikaze into the kitchen to prepare lunch.
"How have you two been lately?" Hoshikawa asked Kakashi Hatake and Might Guy.
"Since Minato-sensei has been tied up with negotiations, Gai and I went out and completed two missions," Kakashi Hatake replied.
"Just the two of you?" Hoshikawa raised an eyebrow, surprised. Normally, after Obito Uchiha's death, they should have had a new teammate assigned to their squad.
"The village found us a teammate before, but Kakashi drove them off, saying their skill wasn't good enough," Might Guy said, glancing at Kakashi Hatake.
"Their skill level was indeed mediocre," Kakashi Hatake said flatly.
"It's unlikely there are many teammates who can meet your standards," Hoshikawa said, suddenly remembering someone: Yamato, the only survivor of the Wood Release experiments.
Jiraiya had previously said he hadn't found any trace of him, which likely meant he was near Danzō Shimura. Once the war with Kumogakure ended, they could probably find him. Although people often said Yamato's Wood Release was weak, his skill level was undoubtedly elite Jōnin, excluding the few true monsters. His lack was chakra. During the Fourth Great Ninja War, after being possessed by Zetsu-Obito, Yamato was even able to use powerful Wood Release jutsu like the Wood Release: Wood Human Technique.
And most importantly, his relationship with Kakashi Hatake was decent. At least, that's how it was in the original story.
"No need to rush, though." Hoshikawa shook his head. "A suitable teammate will turn up eventually."
"It's ready!" About an hour later, Kushina Uzumaki and Minato Namikaze began serving the dishes.
Hoshikawa and the others also got up to help set the table and bowls.
"Let's eat!" After saying the pre-meal grace with clasped hands, everyone began their meal.
"Minato," Tsunade asked casually, "will you be going to the Kumogakure front next?"
Minato Namikaze had been in charge of the Iwagakure negotiations. With those concluded, he had no other mission. With his power, keeping him in Konoha for long would undoubtedly be a waste.
"The Hokage hasn't told me yet," Minato Namikaze said, offering his characteristic smile. "I actually hope to stay in Konoha a bit longer."
"With Orochimaru-sama on the Kumogakure front, there won't be any problems!" Kushina Uzumaki exclaimed, pumping her fist.
Tsunade suddenly remembered Orochimaru's involvement in the Wood Release experiments and sighed inwardly. He could have been a hero. It was Nawaki's death that ultimately led him down a different path.
Just then, Tsunade felt someone tap her thigh. She instinctively looked down and saw Hoshikawa 's hand. Meeting his eyes, she could clearly sense his concern.
Tsunade's heart warmed. This boy was constantly looking out for her.
After lunch, Hoshikawa and the others returned to their daily routine of ninjutsu practice. Of course, this also included Tsunade's extremely vexing negotiations with Kirigakure.
Half a month quickly flew by.
It was March, and with the grass growing and the orioles singing, the weather was warming up.
Hoshikawa received a very unexpected invitation. It was from Tenshi, the ninja who had forged his Lightning-Fire Sword. His daughter was born on March 9th and named Tenten. Tenshi was inviting him to Tenten's 100-day banquet.
Hoshikawa found it quite surreal. The original Twelve Genin were finally beginning to appear one by one. After Tenten, Neji Hyūga would be next. Hizashi Hyūga's wife was already six months pregnant, and the baby was expected in July.
Tenten's banquet was still some time away. Hoshikawa currently had a more important task: his bet with Mei Terumi.
After two months of study, he had finally mastered the Lava Release: Melting Apparition Jutsu. Fortunately, the fact that these were tripartite negotiations meant the peace talks with Kirigakure dragged on, which gave Hoshikawa enough time. However, two months was already quite long, and the negotiations were officially drawing to a close. Hoshikawa estimated that the three ninja villages would finalize the contract in half a month at most.
The courtyard where the Kirigakure ninja delegation was staying.
Hoshikawa greeted the young ninja guarding the gate and walked in. He had come here daily for two months, and he and the guard were quite familiar. At one point, there were even rumors that he and Mei Terumi were dating, but Mei Terumi quickly quashed them.
Hoshikawa raised his hand and knocked.
The door quickly opened.
"Come in." Mei Terumi's attitude hadn't changed; it was still lukewarm.
"No, you come out with me," Hoshikawa shook his head.
"Where are we going? What are you doing?" Mei Terumi's eyes narrowed, and a wary expression crossed her face.
"I'm going to demonstrate a jutsu for you," Hoshikawa said with a smile.
"What jutsu... You've learned the Lava Release: Melting Apparition Jutsu?" Mei Terumi suddenly realized the meaning, freezing in place. "Impossible!"
"You'll know whether it's possible or not soon enough." Hoshikawa turned and walked out.
Mei Terumi quickly followed him.
But the usually calm Kunoichi was in complete inner turmoil. Hoshikawa mastering her Lava Release: Melting Apparition Jutsu in two months shattered her confidence. The consequence of losing the bet was something her pride simply couldn't bear.
As Mei Terumi pondered, a layer of cold sweat beaded on her pristine forehead.
Hoshikawa reached a nearby training ground. He glanced at Mei Terumi, then formed a sequence of hand signs.
Chakra gathered in his throat, then transformed into a searing, orange-red acid.
The acid sprayed out like a torrent, landing on the ground and immediately beginning to dissolve it. The ground was corroded into numerous deep pits.
"Th-That's actually true?" Mei Terumi's body swayed, and she subconsciously took half a step back. She desperately hoped she was under a Genjutsu, but she wasn't. This absurd thing was happening right before her eyes.
How can such a genius exist? He can even easily learn a Kekkei Genkai.
"Hey." Hoshikawa walked up to her. "Did I win?"
"Y-You won..." Mei Terumi struggled to force the three words out.
"Let's go. To my house." Hoshikawa smiled.
"What do you want to do?" Mei Terumi's heart skipped a beat, and she quickly asked.
"Help you fulfill the terms of the bet." Hoshikawa looked at her. "You're not thinking of backing out, are you?"
"Of course not!" Mei Terumi gritted her teeth.
Hoshikawa took her back to Kurenai Yūhi's house. Kurenai was practicing Water Release jutsu at Tsunade's place, so the house was empty.
"Here you go." Hoshikawa produced the maid dress he had bought long ago.
"Why does it include this kind of thing?" Mei Terumi scanned the outfit, her expression instantly stiffening as she pointed at the collar and cat ears on the maid dress.
"A cat-ear maid outfit; it's a classic look," Hoshikawa explained.
"You pervert!" Mei Terumi's voice trembled as she cried out in embarrassed fury. "Where is this a 'classic look?' I've never even heard of a cat-ear maid!"
"A bet is a bet." Hoshikawa said calmly.
"You... you..." Mei Terumi pointed at him, unable to form a coherent sentence.
"The room is right there; you can change your clothes." Hoshikawa prompted.
"Bastard!" Mei Terumi clenched her fist, then scooped up the maid dress and stormed into the room.
Hoshikawa sat unhurriedly on the sofa and began to wait.
Half an hour passed, and Mei Terumi still hadn't emerged.
"Hey!" Hoshikawa couldn't help but call out. "If you don't come out, I'm coming in!"
The sound of the door opening echoed.
Mei Terumi walked out, radiating indignation.
Hoshikawa looked up at her, and his eyes instantly brightened.
She had changed into the black and white maid dress. White lace sleeves covered her wrists, and a black collar encircled her neck. A pair of black cat ears rested on her head, and her reddish-brown, wavy hair had been unbound, gathered into a ponytail, and draped over her shoulder.
Mei Terumi's usual black fishnet stockings had been replaced with black silk stockings. The stockings hugged her toes, ran up her long legs, and disappeared beneath the maid dress's skirt. Below the hem, the exposed thighs were adorned with black and white thigh bands.
"Spectacular." Hoshikawa couldn't help but say.
"Have you finished looking?" Mei Terumi ignored his compliment, asking fiercely.
"Did you forget? The terms of the bet were for you to wear the maid dress for one full day," Hoshikawa said, admiring her outfit with a smile.
"No! Not for an entire day!" Mei Terumi's expression drastically changed, and she quickly refused.
She could barely accept being seen by Hoshikawa alone. But if the time was extended to a whole day, she was bound to be seen by others. Unless Mei Terumi stayed with Hoshikawa all day, but even then, Kurenai or Tsunade might discover them. She, Mei Terumi, was a great genius of Kirigakure. If word of her wearing a maid dress got out, she would rather die on the spot.
"But you agreed to a full day originally," Hoshikawa said, a playful look on his face. "Are you trying to go back on your word?"
"I..." Mei Terumi hesitated, stuck in place.
"I might have a solution." Hoshikawa snapped his fingers. "Installment payments."
"...?" A look of confusion appeared on Mei Terumi's face.
"One day is twenty-four hours," Hoshikawa smiled. "We can spread those twenty-four hours out—for example, over twenty-four days, one hour per day."
"You... you're shameless!" Mei Terumi's eyes widened.
With her intelligence, she instantly understood Hoshikawa 's intention. Wearing the maid dress once was mortifying enough; now he wanted her to wear it twenty-four times. It was utterly humiliating.
"The choice is yours," Hoshikawa said, unconcerned.
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