The Third Hokage's hand paused.
The watering can was tilted, and the water continued to flow, pouring over a flowerpot that had already been thoroughly watered, overflowing onto the windowsill.
He set the watering can down, picked up the scroll, and unrolled it. Smoke rose from the pipe clamped in his mouth, swirling before his face.
"... The Mizukage agreed to come?"
His voice was flat, devoid of any emotion.
"Yes." The Anbu knelt. "She said it is for 'alliance and openness'."
The Third Hokage did not speak. He stared at the official document, staring at the bright red seal upon it.
Fifth Mizukage, Mei Terumī.
The only woman in the Village Hidden in the Bloody Mist in decades to have crawled out of the bloody mist alive.
A wielder of the dual Kekkei Genkai of Yōton and Boiling Release. It is said that a large group of people has gathered around her: Chōjūrō, Ao, and several others of note.
In less than three years since taking office, she has cleaned up most of the mess in the Hidden Mist.
The Third Hokage was silent for a long time.
Ash fell from his pipe, dropping into the flowerpot and landing on the soil that had just been watered.
The gray ash sank into the dark brown earth, disappearing from sight almost immediately.
"Did she say anything else?"
"No."
The Anbu kept his head lowered. "She only said she wants to see the Chunin Exams with her own eyes."
The Third Hokage closed the scroll. He turned around and looked out the window. The sunlight shone on his face, revealing the wrinkles and age spots.
The Chunin Exams. The Chunin Exams jointly hosted by Konoha and Sunagakure. Many people from various Villages will come to watch.
The Mizukage coming is a good thing.
Peace is precious.
The Sandaime puffed on his pipe, taking a drag.
Smoke exhaled from his mouth, dispersing into the sunlight and turning into a blurred mass of gray-white.
In the distance, the sounds of Ninja Academy students training could be heard, with the faint chants of 'one, two, one, two.'
Someone was laughing, someone was shouting, and someone was arguing loudly about something. It was lively, just like always.
The Third Hokage took the pipe from his mouth and tapped it gently. Ash fell into the flowerpot again.
"Reply," he said. "Tell them Konoha welcomes the visit of the Fifth Mizukage."
The Anbu bowed and withdrew. The room fell silent.
The Third Hokage stood there, looking out the window.
The sun was bright.
But he couldn't shake the feeling that something was about to happen.
...
Two weeks until the Chunin Exams.
The Land of Waves.
Zabuza's blade lay horizontally in front of Haku. Water droplets on the blade slid down the spine, dripping one by one into the puddle on the ground.
Haku stood there, fingers forming seals, his Ice Release Chakra still surging within him. But he did not move, because Zabuza's blade was in front of him.
It wasn't to kill him; it was to block him.
Kakashi knelt on one knee, blood seeping from his Sharingan, flowing down his eye socket, over his forehead protector, and dripping onto the ground.
He gasped for air, his Chakra bottomed out, but that eye remained fixed on Zabuza.
Sasuke crouched on a treetop. The lightning of his Chidori flickered in his palm, the sound of a thousand birds chirping gathering together, sharp and piercing.
His hand was trembling, not from fear, but because his Chakra was nearly exhausted. Yet, he gritted his teeth and stared intently at the battlefield below.
Naruto, trapped by Haku's Ice Release and unable to move, could only shout:
"Sasuke!"
"Kakashi-sensei!"
Then, a white mist rolled in.
It was not the kind of cold, damp mist of the Hidden Mist that seeped into one's bones. It was warm. It carried a slight acidity, like grass after the rain baked by the sun.
The mist surged from the sea, silent and soundless, instantly flooding the entire battlefield.
Kakashi's Sharingan contracted sharply; he could not see clearly.
Sasuke's Chidori flickered in his palm, but he could not find his target. Naruto was swallowed by the mist, his shouts becoming muffled.
Only Zabuza.
He stood there, gripping the kubikiribōchō, his back to the direction the mist was rolling in.
The mist landed on his shoulders.
It was warm.
It carried a hint of dampness. It was like the Hidden Mist, yet not quite.
He turned his head because the footsteps were too familiar—not the person, but the rhythm.
Neither fast nor slow, steady, every step falling at the same frequency.
That was a gait only those who grew up in the Village Hidden in the Bloody Mist possessed, accustomed to treading on slippery reefs and the mist that never dispersed year-round.
The silhouette of a tall woman emerged from the mist.
Tea-brown hair, emerald eyes.
The Hidden Mist forehead protector refracted fine light on her forehead; even in this gray, hazy mist, it stung one's eyes.
Fifth Mizukage.
Zabuza's grip tightened on the handle of the kubikiribōchō, his knuckles turning slightly white, but he made no further move.
He simply stood there, watching the figure step by step pass through the mist until she stood before him.
Mei Terumī glanced at him. The look was very calm, devoid of hostility or goodwill.
It was merely a scan, as if confirming his identity, before she looked away.
"... You certainly don't learn your lesson." Mei Terumī spoke. Her voice was calm, as if she were commenting on the nice weather.
Zabuza did not make a sound; he did not know what to say.
The Fifth Mizukage!
He had only seen her from afar twice before he defected.
The first time was a chance encounter during a mission; he hadn't defected yet, he was just a small Anbu squad leader.
The second time was after his failed assassination attempt on the Fourth Mizukage; he had snuck back to watch the new Mizukage's inauguration ceremony.
Mei Terumī stood on a high platform wearing the Mizukage's robes, while he hid at the very back of the crowd, separated by a distance of several dozen zhang.
He never imagined the Mizukage would appear here.
That Boiling Release came too quickly.
He didn't even see how she formed the seals—perhaps she hadn't formed any at all.
She simply raised her hand, and a wave of heat surged from her palm, brushing past his shoulder and heading straight behind him.
Kakashi's Chidori had only just pierced halfway.
The chirping of the Chidori was sharp and piercing, the lightning tearing a bright trail through the mist.
Then, that trail collided with the Boiling Release.
It was not a contest. It was not a stalemate. It was evaporation.
The lightning, along with Kakashi's hand holding the blade, the ground beneath his feet, and the mist within three zhang behind him, were all evaporated into a vast, white wave of steam.
Kakashi was sent flying, crashing into the mist and rolling three times on the ground before coming to a stop.
That Sharingan was still open, but it had lost its focus. He gasped for air, his Chakra completely bottomed out; he couldn't even crawl.
Mei Terumī did not look at him. She did not look at Sasuke. She did not look at Naruto.
She simply pulled two scrolls from her sleeve.
One was tossed at Zabuza's feet. It was a transfer order from the Hidden Mist Anbu directly, the sealing patterns clearly visible.
It was not a pardon, nor a favor; it was "I am short on people."
She unrolled the other one toward Kakashi.
The scroll unfurled slowly in the mist, so slowly it seemed intentional, as if to let everyone see clearly.
The paper was a pale yellow, with characters written on it and a stamp. It bore the seal of the Hokage Building and the personal signature of the Third Hokage.
"The old man Third's signature!"
Naruto recognized that seal.
He had seen it countless times on mission request forms and notices. It had even been on the notes the old man scribbled when he brought him instant noodles.