Demon of Lust in the Land of Water 23 (Patreon)

Demon of Lust in the Land of Water
Chapter 23

-VB-

“What were you thinking?” Hiruzen demanded of me when the two of us got to his (fake) office.

I just smiled. “I was thinking about how nice Konohagakure compared to Kirigakure.”

My casual admittance cooled the man’s wrothful demand. He looked curious for a moment before it turned sour. “I don’t see how a comparison inside your head would allow you to act so casual with another reigning military leader.”

“Even if I say that I wish for an alliance?” I asked. “Because it didn’t seem like you had enough people to even man Konohagakure’s defenses.”

He didn’t even flinch but he also didn’t react, which was a response in and of itself.

I grinned sheepishly. “It’s hard not to notice those kinds of details when people are at our level, you know?”

Finally, he sighed without any anger or calculation in the act. Progress!

“You are insufferable,” he ground out. “Tell me what you had in mind quickly before I change my mind.”

“Of course!” I replied excitedly. “I can cover a lot of -”

“Get to the point, Mizukage.”

Ah, he was still pissed.

“Fine,” I huffed. I didn’t want to go too hard or explosive on the old man. Despite all of his martial prowess, he was still an old man even after I reverted his age by a decade. Closing my eyes and smiling, I spoke. “If it is acceptable, then the price of our alliance would be the return of some of the Uzushiogakure’s artifacts that my predecessors have looted.” When I opened them, Hiruzen was gripping his smoking pipe firmly.

“You would sell me the heirloom of our dead brothers and sisters for an alliance you want?”

“It would be mutually beneficial!” I countered. “Because now, Kumo would have to split their attention along two borders, not just yours. On top of that, they’ll have to further educate their troops on counter amphibious assault tactics, which they hadn’t needed to do. Merely having me as your ally will make them hesitant to act while they train their troops.” Then I narrowed my as I let my smile turn into a sly grin. “On top of that, most of their grain comes from oversea import.”

Hiruzen hummed as he contemplated that. “What would you get out of this?” he asked me.

“I don’t have to worry about my only other neighbor who’s capable of killing a huge portion of my working ninja population, of course. That’s less sex and babies.”

“... Are you serious about that religion of yours?” he asked incredulously as my last sentence registered.

“Why wouldn’t I be?” I asked him in turn. “It’s a big part of my life.” And why I was able to even come to this world in the first place, but I wasn’t going to say that to him. “Would you be interested…?”

“No!” he quickly objected. “It’s-”

“Our religion works, you know. Our goddess improves the quality of our relationships and increases fertility. Why, Kirigakure just had a baby boom!”

He looked at me skeptically.

“... I will pass.”

“Will you let me set up a temple, though?”

He pinched the bridge of his nose.

“You are incorrigible.”

“One tries!” I cackled.

He looked up at me with half-frown and half-glare. “How the hell did you become the mizukage?” he asked.

Obviously, he was asking about how someone of my attitude and personality got power in this world of deception.

“Oh. I didn’t want to be the mizukage, and that’s how I got it.”

He gave me the “holup” look. “What?”

I grinned. “I just went to pay the Water Daimyo the proper respects, and that was enough for the powerful Water Daimyo to fire Yagura. Apparently, he and his predecessors have been quite lax in … let’s just say acknowledging the proper vassal and liege relationship.”

“Politics, huh.”

“I did not even suggest it. He just appointed me as the Fifth Mizukage out of nowhere.”

“And you’ve used that to … what?”

I shrugged.

“Made sure that my flock doesn’t get persecuted.”

He blinked. “You didn’t make it the village’s official religion?”

“Why would I do that?” I asked him. “It’ll only make people upset and not want to have sex.”

He hummed. “Perhaps.” He paused. “I won’t say no to you setting up your church but I can’t have one in Konohagakure itself. You understand.”

“Information, huh.”

He nodded.

“I can live with that.”

-VB-

Unlike my experience in the capital of the Land of Fire, the clans and nobles living within Konohagakure kept themselves from my parties, and even the commoners made themselves scarce.

It didn’t stop the local merchants and the rest of the crowd who came with me in the significantly enlarged caravan.

Because I didn’t want to piss off the Konoha-nins too much on my first day here, I held my party a little off from the main street. It was still close to the heart of the village, but nowhere close to the actually important locations to ensure that the ninjas weren’t too tense.

Torch-lit street provided just the right amount of light as merchants sold their wares and the party-goers drank and ate.

I too drank, sipping on poisoned sake and digesting it no problem.

And then I paused as someone walked up to where I sat in one of the pavilions that overlooked this street from atop a building.

Dressed in fine kimono and hair lifted up, I found myself gawking as I looked upon someone I never thought to see here.

She smiled and curtsied.

“Mitarashi Anko at your service, Mizukage-sama.”