When Terumi i woke up, she found a wet cloth—ripped from Kiyosuke’s clothes—laid over her forehead, and a slightly scorched animal pelt covering her body.
A fire crackled nearby, and Kiyosuke sat beside it, roasting at over the flas.
Seeing her awake, he handed her a coconut shell filled with herbal concoction and said,
"Lucky for you I was nearby. Even luckier, this island happens to have herbs that bring down fevers. Drink this and let yourself sweat it out."
"...What is this on ?"
"I ran into that thing while I was looking for herbs. Took it down. Seems this island isn’t as small as it looks."
After all, large animals don’t usually live on small islands. The environnt can’t support them, and it’s not like they can just swim over here. Unless, of course, soone brought them here in the past.
"Drink it. Took so real effort to find the right stuff."
He pushed the coconut shell toward her again. The dark, murky liquid inside made i shudder. She eyed him suspiciously.
"You’re not trying to poison , are you?"
"Hey now, co on. If I wanted to kill you, I could’ve slit your throat while you were burning up. Why would I go through all this trouble? Hurry up and drink it already."
Terumi i hesitated, lips pressed together, her cheeks slightly flushed—though whether it was from the fever or the fire, she wasn’t sure.
"...Thanks."
"No need to thank . You saved my life, after all."
"It’s so bitter..." she grimaced after the first sip, her face scrunching from the taste. It was worse than a soldier pill.
"Bitter? Then close your eyes, pinch your nose, and chug it down. Not like we’re in a position to be picky."
Spoiled noble girl. Does she even realize where we are?
Terumi i stared at Kiyosuke and gritted her teeth. Couldn’t he at least say sothing nice to cheer her up?
Still, she wasn’t the type to fuss about small things. With a deep breath, she downed the rest of it. The bitter taste was awful, but once it settled in her stomach, it did warm her up a bit.
Kiyosuke handed her a coconut.
"Here. Take a sip. It’ll wash out the bitterness."
"Mm."
She took it, drank, and the awful taste in her mouth faded right away.
Feeling a bit better, she heard Kiyosuke say,
"Get so rest after this. Let yourself sweat it out, and you should be fine. Though honestly... you’re a shinobi. How’d you even catch a cold?"
i shot him a tired glare.
"Shinobi are still human. And we were both soaked for hours. Why didn’t you get sick?"
"Maybe I just have better constitution?"
As soon as he woke up, he’d used the little chakra he had left to evaporate the seawater on his body. i, on the other hand, had been stuck in wet clothes the whole ti.
Wait a second—did I wake up too late? I missed the view!
Feeling a pang of regret, he turned back to the fire and picked out a nicely cooked piece of at, handing it to her.
"Should be decent. Eat and then sleep a while."
i accepted the roast at skewered on a peeled branch.
"Thanks," she said softly, blowing on it before taking a small bite.
"You sure it’s okay to take care of like this?" she asked between bites. "We’re from enemy villages."
"You saved my life. I owe you one. Besides..." he glanced at her with a grin, "you’re way too pretty to just die out here. And anyway, my village doesn’t know where I am. They probably think I got captured or killed."
"You’re awfully optimistic." She bit into the at again, her eyes lighting up.
"...Wow, this is actually really good."
"Of course. It’s just basic sea salt, but even that helps."
"Still not as good as the food back ho. My family’s chef is better."
"Well, of course, you’re a noble lady. Folks like us never get to taste that kind of luxury. But hey—Konoha’s Ichiraku Ran? Now that’s a masterpiece." He took a bite of his own skewer and sighed.
"I’d kill for a bowl of Ichiraku right now."
"Is it really that good?"
"It’s the best. And especially now? I want it even more."
"...I want to try it soday."
"Then when this is all over, if you ever co to Konoha, I’ll take you there."
"...’When this is all over,’ huh." She shook her head.
"Let’s talk about the future when we actually get there. The war’s still going, and Konoha would never welco soone from Kirigakure."
"Wars always end eventually. The real question is... will Kirigakure open up afterward?"
Kirigakure had been closed off for years, practically eating itself alive. If it weren’t for the Third Mizukage holding things together, they probably would’ve torn themselves apart already.
i’s expression froze. Everyone in the shinobi world knew about Kirigakure’s brutal, bloody policies. For so, warti was easier than living in the village.
"You guys in Kirigakure..."
He swallowed his bite and said,
"Your village needs to open up. If it doesn’t connect with the world, it’ll just stagnate."
i’s eyes brightened at that. She nodded.
"You’re right. Kirigakure should open up. But it won’t."
She fell silent. After all, it was her village’s problem. Talking about it with a Konoha shinobi wouldn’t change anything.
Kiyosuke handed her another skewer.
"Kirigakure will open up soday. And you’ll be the one to make it happen."
"...?" i blinked, puzzled.
"You’ve got two Kekkei Genkai. A powerful clan behind you. Natural talent, growing popularity... If anyone has a shot at becoming Mizukage, it’s you. I bet the Hōzuki and Kaguya clans didn’t respect you at first. But now? They call you Lady i. You’ve earned their loyalty. If it’s you, I think you could revive the entire village."
"I-I’m not that amazing..." she murmured, cheeks burning and heart pounding. Not because of Kiyosuke himself—but because of what he said.
Mizukage...
"Of course," Kiyosuke added, "you’d still have to wait for the Third Mizukage to die. Oh, and the Fourth too."
That set her off.
"You damn Konoha bastard! Are you wishing for our Mizukage to die?!"
Kiyosuke waved it off nonchalantly.
"Just making a point. If the Third dies in this war, they’re not going to appoint you. You’re too young. They’ll pick soone else. And by the ti you’re finally considered, the Fourth will already be in charge. Unless he dies too, you’ll never get the position—even if you’re old and gray by then."
...It kind of made sense.
"Why not the Fourth?" i frowned. The Third Mizukage had always been cautious—he’d never risk the village’s future. But the Fourth...
Kiyosuke t her gaze.
"Because he’ll focus on internal affairs. Not foreign diplomacy. I’d bet anything your village is a ss right now, barely holding itself together. He’ll spend years cleaning that up. Outreach? Not happening."
He paused, then added under his breath,
...Not to ntion, in the future, that guy gets controlled by Obito and practically runs Kirigakure into the ground. Guys like him—so rare nowadays. You’re lucky to have survived.
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