Kurenai and Mei stood frozen for a heartbeat, then, each believing the other's insults must be part of some coincidence, they turned to glare at Ayato in unison.
"You filthy pervert — we're done! Why are you still here?" Kurenai snapped.
"Disgusting creep! How dare you show your face here — are you looking to get yourself killed?" Mei hissed.
Both women spoke at once, then fell utterly silent, staring at one another in disbelief.
Ayato picked up a takoyaki with a toothpick, twirled it and said with a lazy smile, "Me? I was just sampling all the snacks—so many new stalls around because of the Chūnin Exams."
"Who asked you?" both women shot back immediately.
Ayato rolled his eyes inwardly. Damn Third Hokage for arranging this meeting. Of course these two would bump into each other. This was going to be entertaining.
Kurenai's smile faded; she dropped the formal tone and asked cautiously, brow tightened, "When you said 'disgusting creep,' did you mean Ayato?"
She'd begun to suspect something: perhaps the "boyfriend" rumor Mei had been whispering about referred to the man leisurely eating takoyaki and watching the commotion—Ayato himself.
Mei, catching the look from Kurenai, narrowed her eyes. "When you said 'pervert,' did you mean Ayato as well?"
Kurenai bristled inwardly at the thought that Kurenai might be fond of the very man Mei disliked. She'd thought Kurenai might be a kindred spirit, but this was getting complicated.
Mei's face hardened. A strange heat passed through her, and the ground beneath them cracked as chakra surged up—she was moments from striking Ayato.
Kurenai drew her kunai and stepped protectively in front of Ayato, blade ready, eyes sharp. "Mizukage-sama, please — this is Konoha. What are you doing?" she warned. Mei was an honored guest, but if Mei attacked first, Konoha would not simply stand by.
Mei smiled with icy calm. "This is personal. I have a grievance with that pervert." Her eyes flicked back to Ayato with clear, dangerous anger. "It is a private matter. Please stand aside."
"Private matter?" Kurenai swallowed, a sudden pang of jealousy flaring up. "What kind of private matter?"
They had hardly interacted, right? How could there be a personal feud between Ayato and the Mizukage? But Mei's glare suggested otherwise. Kurenai fought down an uncomfortable twist in her chest. Was the pervert the same man she'd been thinking about? The shame curdled into possessiveness.
Mei's expression turned icier. "Move." Her voice was low and firm.
Kurenai's jaw set. "I won't. Mizukage-sama, please remember where you are."
Mei's smile sharpened, but she tried to keep it polite. "I'm not here to fight your village — I want to settle a private score with Ayato. Please make way." She stressed the words "private score," intentionally loud enough to sting.
Kurenai bristled. How dare Mei assume what Kurenai's relationship with Ayato might mean. Kurenai stepped her ground. "I told you—no. This is Konoha. You don't get to act like this."
Ayato shrugged, chewing his takoyaki, amusement curling his lips. "Women's friendships can flip so fast," he said casually, looking between the two.
He nudged a small plate toward Ao and offered, "Want one?"
Ao, stunned by the whole scene, declined weakly. He'd never seen his Mizukage like this. Usually Mei was composed and lordly; today she looked like someone betrayed.
Chōjūrō and the other Kirigakure genin watched, baffled by the sudden, heated drama. Ao tried to speak, but Mei's glare silenced him. No one wanted to get between a furious Mizukage and whatever — or whoever — had provoked her.
A junior Kirigakure genin murmured to the others, still puzzled: what was happening? It slowly dawned on them: Mei had come to Konoha apparently because of Ayato, and seeing him cozy with Kurenai had upset her. The realization shifted the mood—Mei was jealous.
The Kirigakure contingent exchanged looks and low whispers. So the Mizukage was jealous? That explained a lot. Ao's jaw tightened—Ayato had been careless to leave such impressions. If he was Mei's object of affection, then the double-sparks at the gate made sense.
Naruto, who had been running through the streets, tugged at Ayato's sleeve and cried, "Ayato-sensei! I can summon something huge now!"
Sakura shielded her eyes with a hand, squinting at the crowd. "So many people," she murmured, then froze as she recognized the imposing figure of the Mizukage and the tense standoff. Her admiration for Mei bubbled up—she'd heard the woman was a hero who had led Kirigakure out of its bloody past. Sakura's respect made her step forward.
Sasuke, hands shoved in his pockets, observed the Kirigakure shinobi's headbands and said flatly, "They're from Kirigakure, right? I heard Kirigakure sent representatives for the Chūnin Exams."
Sakura nodded, eyes wide as Mei's presence registered. "Is that the Fifth Mizukage?" she whispered in awe.
Ayato glanced at Team 7 and offered a lazy smile. "You lot are working hard," he said.
"Ayato-sensei, I want to show you something great!" Naruto announced, eager to impress.
Ayato waved a hand dismissively. "I'm not interested in toads."
Before Naruto could protest, Sakura smacked him in the gut hard enough to send him sprawling. "Focus on the situation!" she hissed, and Naruto groaned on the pavement.
The stand-off had become a full-on showdown. Mei's chakra was immense—Sasuke's Sharingan sharpened as he watched, the red pattern flashing. This was power on the level of an Kage, and even Sasuke felt the weight of it.
Mei's eyes flicked to Team 7. "Is he your sensei?" she asked, soft but laced with contempt. "Such a pervert has students? How disappointing."
Kurenai forced a smile. "He's… careless, but he is their instructor."
Ayato looped an arm around the three of them, still casual. "Come on, kids. Let's train. You're an annoying bunch, but you're my annoying bunch."
Sasuke's brow twitched—Ayato's look met his for a heartbeat. Sasuke flickered an understanding in his expression and something like pride crept up at catching the nuance in Ayato's glance. He'd expected to be singled out; instead he understood the signal Ayato had just sent.
"Sensei, ignore these foolish women and teach me chakra control," Sasuke said coolly. "Women just get in the way of progress."
Ayato's expression shifted for a second in disbelief at Sasuke's bluntness, then he smirked.
Suddenly Mei flashed forward—faster than anyone expected—and struck Sasuke in the stomach with a single, precise blow. Kurenai vanished into place as well, delivering a swift strike. Sasuke flew across the plaza, skidding into a wall and landing hard.
Mei's smile was small and predatory as she turned and asked softly, "Which of us did you call the foolish woman?"
Kurenai shot a glare at Ayato. "Control your students," she snapped.
Sasuke, gritting his teeth, picked himself up. He swallowed whatever retort burned his tongue when he saw the dangerous smiles on Mei and Kurenai; better to keep his pride in check for now.
A tiny Kirigakure genin muttered loudly enough for many to hear, "Ayato is Mei-sama's boyfriend, right?"
The crowd erupted into surprised murmurs, and Mei's face went still. The rumor—spoken thoughtlessly by a junior—hung in the air. Had the whole of Kirigakure been buzzing about this? Had someone spread the talk that Ayato was Mei's partner? That would explain why Mei had been so worked up.
Mei stared at Ayato, the possibility blooming in her mind: had he really been teasing her with that story? Had Ayato been making a show of it? If so, that would be a bold, terrible confession.
Kurenai's hand trembled around her kunai. "Boyfriend?" she whispered.
The plaza trembled with whispers as everyone tried to piece the puzzle together: Ayato lounging at the gate, the Mizukage's sudden outburst, Kurenai's prickly protectiveness—everything suggested a tangled, rumoured love triangle nobody had expected.
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