"Should I say it's well-deserved?" Mei Terumi, who was controlling the Hidden Mist Village under tremendous pressure, began to feel that she had a long way to go.

After thinking for a while, Mei Terumi said, "It's good to have a powerful ally, but it's not good to be too strong either. I originally thought that Konoha, which had suffered a heavy blow, would show signs of decline. Now it seems that although Orochimaru's attack and the betrayal of the Sand Village have caused Konoha to suffer serious injuries, they have not hurt the foundation at all. It seems that we have to lower our expectations a lot."

"I am incompetent and cannot help you, Mizukage."

Qing answered with some embarrassment. In the end, it was still because of their lack of strength that they were at a disadvantage in the test of "showing off their muscles".

"Okay, thank you for your hard work. I didn't expect Konoha to send such a powerful ninja, 'Copy Ninja' Kakashi. Even I have to be careful when dealing with him. There's nothing we can do about it." Suffering from a shortage of manpower, Mei Terumi had no choice but to comfort this one of the few capable subordinates.

"Now you have to work harder. Those traitorous ninjas roaming around must be eliminated as soon as possible. Especially the fleet coming to the Water Country, we must pay more attention to protecting it. We can't let the outside world think that we are still the 'Blood Mist Country' that only knows how to kill. The patrol intensity must be maintained for a while."

Qing replied with some embarrassment: "The secret cleanup is handled by the Anbu, but the combat power in the open is too few. Lord Mizukage, can you add some more manpower?"

"That won't work. You have to find a way yourself. Even Genin has extremely heavy tasks now. Maintaining the order and stability of the Water Country is the most important thing..."

"Okay, I'll try my best..." Qing had no choice but to nod and agree. In this difficult moment, he couldn't lose his composure. It seemed that he had to fight on the front line by himself.

Looking at Qing who was about to leave, Terumi Mei seemed to remember something and suddenly asked, "What happened to that little guy named Chojuro some time ago?"

Mei Terumi, who had just secured the position of Mizukage, was clearing out the people under her control when this young man with a clean background and outstanding talent came into Terumi's sight. The key point was that this person seemed to admire her quite a lot and was a talent who could be trained well.

"That weak boy who has no ninja spirit and courage?" Hearing that it was the guy he looked down upon, Qing showed his contempt without hiding it. "Now it seems that he has been arranged to be the guide and contact person of Konoha Ninja. I think he can only do this kind of thing."

The prejudice caused by the difference in personality made Ao, a senior ninja who had experienced the era of the Fourth Mizukage Yagura, quite dislike the new generation of up-and-coming guys like Chojuro, especially his submissive personality, which was completely incompatible with the style of the Mist Ninja. The old-fashioned Ao was very angry that such a guy actually won the favor of the Mizukage.

"Dealing with Konoha ninjas? Well, let me see what progress he can make by staying with Konoha's Genin..."

As if she didn't notice the strong disdain in Qing's tone, Terumi Mei continued talking to herself.

Seeing that his opinions did not seem to be listened to, Qing had long been accustomed to Mei Terumi's occasional distraction during conversations. After a greeting, he left the office, leaving the Fifth Mizukage Mei Terumi alone to work at her desk.

…

In this rather exotic environment, Mizuki stood in front of the window, quietly looking at the Hidden Mist Village shrouded in a faint mist.

In terms of scale, it is much smaller than Konoha. The prosperity is incomparable. At this time, Konoha Village should be very lively, but here, looking around, there seem to be more ninjas wearing forehead protectors than ordinary people. Even though the residence of Konoha is not as prosperous as Kirigakure, this situation is really unexpected. However, the pedestrians with pale faces showed some happy smiles, which was the hope for the future.

In this high-end apartment, the Konoha ninjas may live in the best rooms. Mizuki lives in a suite on the top floor with a great view. Looking at the lush rain forest in the distance, the misty color mixed with a light fog, and breathing the air rich in moisture, it is indeed refreshing.

Just as Shuimu was quietly enjoying the scenery, there was suddenly a crisp knock on the door.

"Come in."

The door was pushed open, and Aburame Shino, who was wrapped tightly in a blanket, pushed the door open and walked in.

"Mr. Mizuki, do you have a minute?"

"Yeah." Shuimu nodded, "What's the matter?"

"I have some questions, I want to ask Mr. Mizuki."

"Come and sit down." Mizuki gestured, and then the two sat down opposite each other on the tea table in front of the huge French window. Then he poured two cups of tea and handed one to Aburame Shino. "What don't you understand?"

Aburame Shino took the tea, expressed her gratitude, and then asked: "After coming to the Land of Water, I have always had a question. The environment of this country surprised me."

After taking a sip of water, Aburame Shino continued, "From the perspective of the environment, this place is obviously a place with abundant water. The lush rainforest also indicates that the natural environment here should be a very suitable place for survival, but..."

Aburame Shino paused, as if she couldn't find the right words to describe it.

Shuimu smiled and took over the topic, saying, "Do you feel that the environment here is very unusual? For example, the types and number of insects are unexpectedly small, and the seemingly lush rainforest is not as lively and prosperous as imagined?"

"That's right." Aburame Shino nodded in agreement. "Compared to the environment in the Land of Fire, it is indeed quite strange. It shouldn't be like this. Besides, my parasites are not as active as in the Land of Fire."

"The reason for this problem is indeed something that most people rarely notice. You are an insect manipulator, and you may be very sensitive to the external environment. But this problem is not man-made, but caused by natural forces. So, you don't have to worry about it, you will get used to it after a while."

"Not man-made?"

"Yes. The Water Kingdom is very barren, everyone says so, but compared to the windy and sandy Wind Kingdom, why is it so barren when it is so full of life?"

“This is also a question that I am confused about.”

"This is actually due to the problem with your parasites. The external environment has changed significantly."

Shuimu patiently explained: "Don't think that just because there is a lot of rainfall, the vegetation is normal and the land in the Water Kingdom is fertile. On the contrary, because of too much rain, it is much poorer than the Fire Kingdom..."