After finishing the meal, the sky had already darkened.
Looking at the hazy night, Naruto decided not to go out tonight. After all, the Mizukage was right across from him. To be safe, he would just take a bath and stay in the suite.
Coming out of the bathroom, Naruto wrapped himself in a towel, and before he had time to dry himself, there was a knock on the door.
He was stunned for a moment, then quickly grabbed his clothes and threw them on.
No matter who was outside, he couldn’t run out naked. Sure, he was wearing Sasuke’s face, but still…
He cautiously opened the door, but did not find the ambush he imagined. Instead, Mei is standing there. She seemed to have just finished her shower and was looking at him with a smile.
"Can we talk?"
‘Gulp.’
Naruto noticed her slightly damp brown hair and the generous assets on display. For a moment, he couldn’t quite figure out her intentions, but he nodded anyway.
"Sure, come in." He stepped aside to make way, his heart beating a little faster.
"Thank you."
Mei, with her soft and graceful movements, glanced at him and walked in. After entering, she took a quick look around before sitting down on the sofa.
"Water?" Naruto offered, sticking to the principle that saying less meant fewer mistakes. Facing Mei, he knew it was best to keep his words to a minimum.
"Sure." Mei replied, picking up the glass. As she crossed her right leg over her left, Naruto’s eyes were involuntarily drawn to her.
He quickly looked away, feeling a bit scared.
Mei’s assets were so impressive that Naruto could hardly maintain eye contact.
He was afraid that something might go wrong, so he decided to focus on the floor. Fortunately, there were no reflective surfaces to betray his gaze.
From the moment she entered, Naruto noticed that every inch of the suite was covered in expensive, soft carpet… so plush that it could double as a blanket.
This is probably to provide guests with a more comfortable experience, allowing them to ‘communicate’ anytime and anywhere.
To be honest, the two of them sitting on the sofa like this felt a bit like one of those amateur shows. The first three minutes were all polite small talk, sipping water, and covering their mouths while laughing.
At this moment, Mei was gazing at him with a soft, almost tender expression. The look made Naruto’s scalp tingle.
If it were anyone else, he might have been able to handle it, but this was Terumi Mei. He didn’t think she was a fool.
It wasn’t until Mei got up and pulled a bottle of wine from the liquor cabinet that Naruto began to believe she might not have realized something was off about him.
"I... I can’t drink." Naruto waved his hand to refuse. After all, who knows if the wine was spiked?
Right now, he was extremely anxious, wanting to know what this woman, Terumi Mei, was thinking.
‘What was her goal? Damn it!’
"It’s fine, just a little." Mei held the bottle and bend down as she prepared to sit down.
As he stared into the abyss, the abyss stared back at him. Naruto coughed awkwardly and looked away, his frown deepening.
"Just so you know, I can only take a sip." He said.
"That’s fine." Mei agreed generously.
With a pop, in front of Naruto's surprised gaze, she effortlessly pulled the cork out of the wine bottle with her bare hands.
Without any ceremony, she swirled the wine and poured some into her glass.
The blood-red wine sank to the bottom of the glass. Mei first sniffed it and then took a sip. After frowning slightly, she raised the glass again and downed it in one go.
Seeing this, the last bit of worry in Naruto's heart disappeared. Watching Mei pouring wine for him, he felt a strange sense of unease.
‘Was she really just here because she was attracted to Sasuke’s face? That seemed too absurd. No way, absolutely no way. I refuse to believe it.’
"Cheers."
Their glasses clinked, and Naruto took the opportunity to observe Mei for a moment. Her eyes were slightly unfocused, and her body was relaxed, as if she had no ulterior motives.
Putting down his glass, Naruto looked at Mei and asked, "Who are you?"
"Don’t you recognize me?" she asked back, "From the first time you saw me, there was surprise in your eyes, but not unfamiliarity."
"Yes, Terumi Mei-sama," Naruto admitted directly, "You’re a very beautiful woman. Of course, I’ve seen you before."
"Since you know me, there’s no need to be so formal." Mei said.
"Alright," Naruto replied, though he couldn’t help but complain in his heart, ‘Can I afford not to be cautious?’
"More?" She offered, raising her glass.
The two clinked their glasses again. Mei’s eyes were fixed on Naruto as she brought the glass to her lips, her throat moving slowly as she drank. The two of them chatted idly, with Mei subtly probing for information.
She was also suspicious that this man might be the intruder she was looking for. With her woman intuition, she subconsciously felt that something was wrong with this man.
This face was just too good-looking. There was no way someone this handsome could exist in Kirigakure without her knowing about it. So she took a gamble and waited patiently.
Patience was a necessary quality for an excellent hunter.
Before long, the bottle of wine was empty. Naruto was about to get up and make an excuse to go back to his room, but unexpectedly, Mei was faster than him. She stood up and walked towards the liquor cabinet.
"Let’s have a little more. It’s only been one bottle." She said, her heels clicking against the floor as she walked away, leaving Naruto with her back.
‘More wine? More my foot! If we keep drinking, I’ll end up spilling all my secrets. No way, I’m out of here.’
"Uh... I’m not much of a drinker." Naruto said, holding his head and pretending to feel dizzy, "I can’t handle any more. I need to go rest."
"You’re not drunk. Stop pretending." Mei’s smile deepened and she back with the bottle.
She was now almost certain that the intruder was the man in front of her, ‘You are clearly on edge, about to slip up. Hmph, you think you can leave? Dream on.’
Seeing that his act had been seen through, Naruto chuckled awkwardly and felt a little embarrassed.
Mei sat back down, holding the bottle and giving him a triumphant smile. She raised an eyebrow and asked, "More?"
"Sure, more." Naruto said, having no other choice.
As time passed, Naruto felt like he was sitting on pins and needles. Mei’s questions became more and more pointed, and her intentions clearer.
‘This woman definitely suspected me.’
Just as Naruto was about to crack and reveal everything, a loud explosion echoed through Kirigakure, shattering the quiet of the night.
"What’s going on?" He asked, looking up.
Mei didn't say anything. She quickly stood up and walked to the window. In the distance, a part of Kirigakure was on fire, the explosion lighting up the night.
Immediately, many noises were heard outside, making a chaotic scene.
With a rustle, she stepped out onto the balcony and opened the window. Just then, a Kirigakure’s Anbu happened to pass by in front of her and he was immediately caught by Mei for questioning.
"What's happening?" She asked.
"Mizukage-sama, the intruder from this afternoon has appeared again! And there’s more than one!" The Kirigakure’s Anbu recounted the entire incident in a concise manner.
It turned out that Ao, after going back, had grown increasingly frustrated, so after work, he had taken a few people and continued searching the village.
However, he did not expect that he really found the intruders, and there were multiple of them.
Hearing this, Mei nodded with a grim expression and let the Kirigakure’s Anbu leave.
Returning to the suite, she looked at Naruto, who was still sitting on the sofa, with a conflicted look on her face. She wasn’t entirely sure if this man in front of her was the intruder or if this was just a diversion.
For a moment, Mei was at a loss.
Naruto, on the other hand, sat there calmly drinking his wine, though internally, he was panicking, ‘Thankfully, some unknown hero had come to stir up trouble. What a lifesaver!’
Naruto turned his head to look at Mei and tried to get up, but she stopped him again.
"Terumi Mei-sama, something’s happening in the village. Aren’t you going to check it out?"
"It's just a small matter. The Anbu can handle it." Mei said with a smile, her expression unreadable, "Come on, let’s keep drinking."
‘Keep drinking?’ Naruto was surprised but didn’t show it, ‘Fine, if you want to keep drinking, then let’s keep drinking. A Shinobi’s strength is not directly proportional to their drinking capacity. Tonight, I’ll drink you under the table, you little idiot.’