Konoha and Kiri were very different places. One was sunny, cheerful, and bright, with a thriving economy and a relatively open and carefree attitude, helped in no small part by the philosophy of the village – the Will of Fire. Sure, the villagers did not always live up to these ideals – their cruel treatment of Naruto a big example – but those ideals did in fact exist.
Kiri, in contrast, was cold and gloomy, always swaddled in a blanket of thick, dense mist. The place had been devastated by a bloody civil war, not exactly conducive to a carefree and open attitude or a thriving economy. Its philosophy was a stark departure from Konoha's, what with the bloodthirsty battles to the death that all Academy kids were forced to undergo. With the passing of the Yondaime Mizukage, the village was in the process of unloading all that baggage and rebuilding from scratch, but there was still a long way to go.
But in one respect, Konoha and Kiri were exactly the same: they were presently run by fierce, dedicated women who would put their lives on the line for their respective villages. Both Tsunade and Terumi Mei were experts in their chosen fields, possessed with either monstrous strength or two special kekkei genkai.
But here too, there was a drastic departure. Tsunade's one true love, Kato Dan, had died decades ago, and she never desired to find another. There was no romance in the air for the Godaime Hokage. She would cherish Dan deep in her heart for the rest of her days.
Terumi Mei was single, on the other hand. She was actively looking for a suitable life partner when she heard the news of Hyuuga Hinata's "harem," and Arashi, the guy who started this all, would come to seriously regret telling her.
She did have a habit of casually threatening to kill people, after all.
It started out reasonably enough. Mizukage-sama had a penchant for individually reviewing mission outcomes, because she believed that as the village leader, it was her responsibility to foster the trust and camaraderie that had been so sorely lacking in Kiri for ages, and what better way to start than by telling all the good little genin and chuunin what a great job they were doing on their missions? Mizukage-sama would reward them all with a smile and nod, and many people were head over heels for her as a result, which she was ironically oblivious to.
Arashi was in this boat, earning many smiles and nods from Mizukage-sama, and after his D-rank surveying mission on the outskirts of Water Country was complete, he was hopeful that he would even receive a head pat from her. Her bodyguard Chojuro had gotten one, and Arashi was waiting for his turn.
He was wrong. So, so wrong. Poor Arashi.
"The mission was a success, Mizukage-sama. The islands are all peaceful, with only small skirmishes between some villages," he said. "There have been no attacks on kekkei genkai wielders for the past three months, and one of the villages was even quite festive."
Mizukage-sama smiled warmly and his heart fluttered all the way to the sky and flew off.
"That's wonderful, Arashi. I'm glad to hear that the rebuilding efforts are going well. Now, what's this about a village being festive? The New Year is still a few weeks away."
"Oh, it wasn't a New Year festivity, Mizukage-sama," he replied. "They were celebrating something called Hinata-matsuri."
This was a mistake. A big, big mistake.
The Mizukage tilted her head sideways. "Hinata-matsuri?"
"Yes, a festival in honor of Hyuuga Hinata from Konoha. I've heard of her from Konoha's recent Chuunin Exams, you see, and she's a serious catch. Her harem is – "
Mei's lips flattened into a thin line. "Harem. Did you just say harem, Arashi?"
"I...yes, Mizukage-sama. Her lovers include Tamanegi, Aonegi, Shiraganegi, Takana, Nori, Wakame, Kikurage – "
"Arashi?"
Mizukage-sama's lips had curved into the tiniest of angry smiles. Those who observed closely could see a sharp tooth bite into her lower lip, drawing blood, and for some strange reason, little globules of lava dripping from her fingers and onto her handsome, wood-panelled desk, singeing her meticulously sorted paperwork.
A vague unease settled into Arashi's stomach.
"Y-yes, Mizukage-sama?"
He...he wouldn't get a head pat, would he?
Terumi Mei smiled a bit more widely, her eyes as ruddy as her hair. It was terrifying.
"Shut up, or I'll kill you."
Far, far away in Konoha, Hyuuga Hinata sneezed as she gloomily studied the brand-new mission report in her hands.
Just her luck, she had to go to Noodle Country again.
A/N: Thanks for all the ideas, Icha Icha Ichiraku. :)
Hope you all liked this one. Tell me what you think!