Omake: Kiri's Rebranding Effort
"No, Mizukage. Just, no." Ao glares holes in the forehead protector in his hands. The metal plate doesn't have the typical signature of Kiri. No, it has a simple outline of a fish. The long 'whiskers', the wide eye, and its distinctive 'crowns' are very familiar.
In fact, he has a very strong suspicion it's the same fish in this very office.
Mei Terumi nonchalantly smiles. "The new forehead protectors are part my effort to move Kiri away from its past." She stands up and leans over the kiddie pool next to her desk. "Kirimaru loves my headband, don't you?"
Kirimaru eagerly leaps into her awaiting arms. He cries, "Margikarp."
Ao pities any future missing ninja. Who would take them seriously with this headband? Not even a slash through it (that makes it look like they murdered the fish, which is a thought he likes) will make it look better.
"Why change the headband? Village policies, I understand. Headbands, I don't get it." The headband design is perfect the way it is. One look at it and people know the ninja is from Kiri. The new headband doesn't represent Kiri well. Heck, it'll work better for a fishing company logo.
"The old design reminds people of Bloody Kiri. The new one represents a new and nicer Kiri." Mei snuggles with the rare fish. "Who can look at Kiri's mascot and think of the clan purges?"
Mei named the fish 'Kirimaru' after of course, the village. Honestly, who names someone after their village?
In another village, a the Hokage sneezes.
Ao grumbles under his breath, "Crazy fish lady." The Mizukage is not a crazy cat lady. No one who survived living in this dangerous village stays sane. Of course, people would obsess over fish instead of felines.
"WHAT WAS THAT!?"
guest reader: No, it was a random foreign ninja. The guy tried to attack the medics and the wounded. Chansey didn't like that. One of her patients was a 13 year old genin. She got super angry and beat the crap out of him. No one wanted to invoke the wrath of mini Tsunade after that incident.