Yes, the Hokage!

She wasn't wearing the classic dark blue dress, but a light blue robe. Even in the icy and snowy Land of Iron, she still exposed her shoulders and thighs. Pakula also showed off her beautiful back, the most beautiful back in Sunagakure. It can only be said that the cyber energy hidden by ninjas is a bit exaggerated. Don't ask, the answer is chakra.

[She's willing to go against her conscience and call someone like me "handsome" just to come over and talk to me, which shows she genuinely wants to have a conversation with me. I just don't know where she's on the side.]

With Feng Lan's shrewdness, she certainly wouldn't be swayed by a simple "handsome guy" or a touch of the hand: [What about Yagura? The forces in Kirigakure dissatisfied with the Blood Mist Village? Or perhaps... Kisame Hoshigaki, who was seduced by me?]

While he was still pondering, Mei Terumi had already sat down, choosing a spot right next to Feng Lan. Pakura's expression immediately turned cold: "Women from Kirigakure are really too familiar with each other."

Mei Terumi had clearly recognized Pakura as well, and showed no sign of backing down. Her charming eyes, though smiling, were filled with coldness. She even moved closer to Feng Lan and said, "I've seen your portrait. Pakura of Sunagakure's Scorching Release. Considering the level of those poor, remote places, you're considered a beauty."

Pakula sneered, "I've seen quite a few dead people from Mist Village, but I haven't remembered their faces."

As mentioned earlier, she had been fighting against Kirigakure on the border of Sunagakure for many years, killing countless Kirigakure ninjas. Many of her comrades were also killed by Kirigakure. When these two met, it was like a thunderbolt striking the earth.

Feng Lan subtly distanced himself from Mei Terumi and moved closer to Pakula. It wasn't that such physical contact would disrupt his thoughts, but rather that he was afraid the two of them might start fighting at the slightest provocation and he wouldn't be able to react in time.

He doesn't have Minato's reaction speed. Even with Kamui right in front of him, he can dodge with Flying Thunder God. Besides, Mei Terumi has two bloodline limits, especially Boil Release, which can be activated with just breathing. What if he gets melted if he gets too close to her?

Both sides keenly noticed Feng Lan's subtle movements. Mei Terumi's eyes flickered slightly, while Pakura raised the corners of her mouth slightly and provocatively raised her chin.

Feng Lan silently covered his face with his wine glass, but did not drink. Instead, he used the glass as cover to observe the two women. He knew that these two women could not simply be there to drink with him: Pakura might be there out of gratitude, but she also wanted to probe for information and hopefully drag Konoha into the mess to help Sunagakure take a good bite out of Kumogakure.

Mei Terumi is a more complicated case. Even now, Fenglan is still unsure of her stance. However, considering that she ended the Blood Mist Village in the original work, this woman, regardless of her stance, will be very dissatisfied with the current state of Kirigakure. In other words, like Kisame, she is someone who can be won over.

He wasn't in a hurry to mediate, letting the two of them argue first, figuring they might accidentally blurt something out in the heat of the moment.

However, after a short while, the two women who were facing off clearly realized that they had not come to cause trouble, and that starting a war in the Iron Country would be extremely unwise. Therefore, they quickly backed down and turned their attention back to Feng Lan.

In front of outsiders, Pakula couldn't very well thank Feng Lan for saving his life, so Mei Terumi spoke first: "You must be Mr. Feng Lan, the Hokage's chief advisor?"

"It's me." Feng Lan put down her cup. "Who are you?"

Although he knew the other person's name, theoretically, this was the first time they had met, so he couldn't just blurt it out right away.

"I am Mei Terumi, the bodyguard of the Mizukage." Mei Terumi smiled slightly. "Having heard about Mr. Fenglan's recent glorious deeds, I couldn't help but feel admiration, so I came here to strike up a conversation. I wonder if this is too presumptuous?"

“Since you knew it was abrupt, you shouldn’t have sat down,” Pakula sneered.

Mei Terumi didn't seem to mind at all: "This humble woman toasts you."

She reached out to pour herself a drink, but Pakula snatched the bottle away first: "I bought this drink, there's no reason for the people of Kirigakure to drink it."

"Heh, she's from that poor place called Sunagakure after all; it's normal for her to be a bit stingy." Mei Terumi shook her head, offering a faint, sarcastic remark. "Boss, bring me your best sake!"

One of them wanted the strongest sake, and the other wanted the best sake, but the same sake was served. Clearly, the Land of Iron only had this one kind of sake.

Mei Terumi elegantly poured herself a glass, but Pakula had already raised his glass beforehand: "Advisor Fenglan, I was just interrupted by that annoying guy, so I'd like to propose a toast to you!"

"No problem, no problem." Feng Lan readily accepted, clinked glasses with Pakula, and then drank the wine in one gulp.

[Wow, this is vodka! It's definitely strong... But considering it's a snow-covered region year-round, it's normal for it to be quite potent. The question is, where do they get the extra resources to brew such a strong liquor themselves?]

Feng Lan put down his glass, raised an eyebrow, and Terumi Mei on the other side also raised her glass: "Mr. Feng Lan, I'd like to toast you too~"

"Okay, okay." Feng Lan shrugged. Don't think he's a weakling like Minato who gets drunk after just a few drinks. It's impossible to get information out of him by getting him drunk.

"Cough, cough." Mei Terumi didn't seem to be as good at drinking as Pakula. After downing a glass of strong liquor, she couldn't help but cough twice, her cheeks flushing slightly.

However, this only enhanced her allure: "Mr. Fenglan, you have quite the capacity for alcohol."

"So-so, third in the ninja world." Feng Lan poured himself another glass of wine, raising an eyebrow provocatively. "I wonder if you're planning to keep drinking like this, or get straight to the point?"

He was undoubtedly demonstrating through his actions that if it were just about drinking, he could do it all day.

"I didn't have anything important to do." Mei Terumi smiled and moved her fingers along the table a few times, as if she wanted to stroke Feng Lan's fingers. "I just saw a handsome guy and came to chat him up."

"Boom!"

A kunai struck precisely between Mei Terumi's fingers and Fuu Ran's palm. Pakura, expressionless, reached over and pulled the kunai out: "You slipped."

"To be honest, this is the first time in my life I've ever been called handsome." Feng Lan quickly moved her hand away while putting the bottle back. "It sounds pretty embarrassing."

"Would you be shy?" Mei Terumi covered her mouth and laughed, taking the opportunity to withdraw her hand.

"No, I'm thick-skinned."

Pakula let out a very soft sound, somewhere between a cold snort and a sneer.

Mei Terumi didn't seem to mind Pakura's presence, or rather, she deliberately made Pakura part of the background. The woman started talking about some irrelevant topics: the snow in the Land of Iron is so heavy, the sake here is much stronger than that in Kirigakure, the fire in the hearth is burning so brightly that it makes people sleepy... Every word was like a stone thrown casually, not meant to hit anything, but just to see which direction the ripples on the water would spread.

It's just a pity that at her age, she still looks a bit immature in front of Feng Lan.

The latter responded casually, and also took the opportunity to probe for information: "Speaking of Wuyin, I wonder who are the people from your country?"

“Who else could it be?” Pakula sneered. “Besides the Fourth Mizukage, it’s this shameless woman and Zabuza Momochi.”

"Momochi... Zabuza?"

Feng Lan's gaze sharpened, and a slight smile appeared on her lips: [It seems Brother Suigiyama has most likely confessed. Kisame's efficiency is impressive.]

It's worth mentioning here that the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist actually suffered a worse fate than in the original story, because when Feng Lan rescued Dai, he brought Minato Namikaze with him.

Therefore, the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist were wiped out this time, with not even the three treasures left. They were all beaten to a pulp, leaving only Suigetsu Hozuki who jumped into the water and escaped.

Although this guy didn't have much screen time in the original work, he was still quite strong. After fusing with Samehada in the water, he was not only extremely fast, but his recovery ability was also amazing. It was thanks to his ability to endure and run that, coupled with Minato's worry about not having a child, that he was able to escape completely.

Even so, escaping from the hands of the Golden Flash is already a glorious achievement worth boasting about, comparable to Kakuzu's shuriken from 800 meters away.

Various thoughts flashed through his mind, and he reverted to his smiling tiger persona: "Then who are these experts from the other two great nations?"

Using things that you can figure out by exploring more to gain favor is a risk-free and highly profitable strategy, so Mei Terumi hurriedly spoke up, afraid that Pakura would steal the opportunity: "The two guards from Iwagakure are the Third Tsuchikage's son, Kotsuchi, and the Five-Tails Jinchuriki, Han; but the two guards from Kumogakure are two young men I've never seen before."

"Hmm? What do those two young men look like?" Feng Lan raised an eyebrow.

“Why don’t we ask that country girl from Sunagakure?” Mei Terumi covered her mouth and laughed. “After all, the day they arrived, they were stuck in the inn and couldn’t leave.”

"You!" Pakula clenched his fist tightly, and several fireballs appeared behind him.

"What, did I say something wrong?" Mei Terumi was not afraid at all, and a faint white mist began to appear around her.

“Easy, easy.” Feng Lan waved his hand. “This is the absolutely neutral Land of Iron. Fighting here will get you kicked out. You don’t want your superiors to lose a bodyguard before the Five Kage Summit even starts, do you?”

Neither of them really wanted to fight, and Feng Lan's persuasion gave them a way out, so they each sat down. However, Pakula still looked indignant: "Hmph, absolutely neutral..."

"What's wrong?" Feng Lan naturally wouldn't miss the opportunity to gather more information.

Pakula gulped down a large glass of strong liquor and slammed the glass heavily on the table: "We had just arrived at the inn in the Land of Iron when the Fourth Raikage arrived with his men, demanding that we hand over Killer Bee... Of course, the Kazekage didn't bring such an important hostage, so the Raikage was furious and wanted to kill, but the warriors of the Land of Iron couldn't be seen at all!"

"In the end, it was that old woman from Sunagakure who brought out all her best stuff. The two sides stood facing off for a long time before Mifune finally arrived." Mei Terumi chuckled, clearly not satisfied with this. "However, he didn't do anything to the Raikage, only saying that this was a one-time exception."

[So that's how it is. No wonder Pakura was so angry.] Feng Lan's eyes flickered slightly. The fact that their own country's Kage was blocked at the door and cursed by another country, yet they were helpless, was basically the same as the King of Zhao playing the zither for the King of Qin. It was a pity that Sunagakure didn't have a figure of Lin Xiangru's caliber, so they probably couldn't form a powerful counterattack like the King of Qin beating the drum for the King of Zhao.

[From this perspective, besides expressing gratitude, she was in a hurry to find me to gauge Konoha's attitude. If she could get Minato's support, she would be able to stand much more confidently later.]

Feng Lan was not angry at all; on the contrary, she became happy. Luo Sha's first reaction to the situation was to go to Konoha. Although he was thinking of taking advantage of the situation and diverting the trouble, wasn't he already desperate?

He immediately made up his mind to get revenge for Sunagakure. As the saying goes, if you bow your head in one place, you will bow your head everywhere. At present, Konoha and Sunagakure already have a vague superior-subordinate relationship. As the saying goes, even when beating a dog, you have to consider its owner. What right does the Raikage have to be so arrogant?

Furthermore, if this incident fosters a dependency mentality in Sunagakure, then when Rasa has to rely on Konoha for everything, the peaceful evolution of Sunagakure will not be far off.

"Boom!"

Feng Lan stood up abruptly, startling Pakura and Mei Terumi.

"Let's go." He looked at Pakula. "Come back with me to see the Fourth Hokage."

"Advisor Fenglan?" Pakula was a little taken aback.

"You invited me for a drink just to get Konoha's help, didn't you?" Feng Lan sneered. "I want to see if this Raikage really has such incredible abilities that he dares to lash out at the Yellow Flash!"

Upon hearing this, Pakula was initially delighted, but then felt a pang of sadness. He was delighted that Feng Lan was willing to step in and settle things, but he was also saddened because he had indeed considered asking for help, and he genuinely wanted to express his gratitude.

"Advisor Fenglan, I..."

"You don't need to say anything." However, the straightforward man, completely oblivious to the other's ulterior motives, waved his hand to stop him, "Konoha is determined to handle this matter!"

"Yes..." Upon hearing this, Pakura immediately suppressed her emotions. As a ninja, she naturally put the village first in everything. "Thank you for your help!"

Seeing that the two were about to leave, Mei Terumi panicked: "Mr. Fenglan... this!"

She originally intended to probe Feng Lan's background before deciding whether to bring out this item, but she didn't expect that she wouldn't even have time to get to the point. In her haste, she didn't care about anything else.

"call out!"

A kunai was tossed from her hand, not very fast, and not aimed directly at Feng Lan, but Pakula still immediately stood in front of Feng Lan to protect her. After catching the kunai and checking it, she handed it over with both hands.

"Ok?"

Feng Lan narrowed his eyes slightly. This was the token he had given to Kisame, but it was only half a piece. The Flying Thunder God Technique had been cut in half, so he couldn't sense it.

“Interesting…” He smiled slightly. “I’ll talk to you more after I’ve dealt with this matter.”

Feng Lan raised her hand and tossed a new Flying Thunder God Kunai over: "Don't break it this time, I need this to find you."

"Oh, by the way," he said, turning back to smile as he reached the door, "although you are very attractive, your personality isn't suited for using your looks... so next time you need something, just tell me directly, no need for this."

Chapter 113 Standard Diplomatic Response Strategies

Rewinding the clock by half an hour, it was just after Fenglan left the inn.

"Boom! Boom! Boom!"

When the irritating knocking sounded, Minato was looking at the snow from the window. He had originally planned to use this free time to sort out his thoughts for tomorrow's talks, mainly to digest the standard diplomatic response strategies that Fenglan had taught him at the last minute.

"In the first stage, we declared that nothing was happening; in the second stage, we said that something might happen, but we shouldn't take any action; in the third stage, we said that we should probably take action, but there was nothing we could do; in the fourth stage, we said that maybe we could have done something then, but it was too late now."

His thoughts were interrupted by a knock on the door. Somewhat helplessly, he went to open it and asked, "Who is it... um?"

Two people stood in the doorway. The burly, dark-skinned man almost filled the entire doorway, with lightning flashing on his shoulders. Although he was trying to suppress it, he was still restless like a caged beast. The man next to him was much shorter, hunched over, and despite his age, his eyes were brighter than those of a young man. He was smiling as he looked around the room's furnishings.

The Fourth Raikage, A; the Third Tsuchikage, Onoki.

Minato took half a second to confirm that he wasn't seeing things, then put on his signature gentle smile: "Raikage-sama, Tsuchikage-sama, I'm so sorry for not greeting you sooner, please come in."

He spoke politely, but his mind was racing: [They arrived right after Feng Lan left; this is no coincidence. Someone saw Feng Lan leave and immediately notified them… which means the elders were right—the Iron Kingdom is not neutral.]

The only people capable of monitoring the inn for such a long time are the guards of the Land of Iron. Otherwise, the Raikage and Tsuchikage shouldn't even know that the people from Konoha have arrived yet, considering that Feng Lan practically left his luggage as soon as he entered the room.

These two guys... they're trying to bully me while Fenglan's not around... humph.

Realizing this, Minato not only didn't show any fear, but actually felt a little eager to try, because back when Fenglan was running for the Fourth Hokage, he had been constantly instilling all sorts of deep dark fantasy ideas in him. However, at that time, Minato didn't quite understand them and, to be honest, didn't like these ideas.

But as time went by and through his own experiences, especially the three months he was tortured in Konoha after Fenglan left, Minato was now able to understand some things. He couldn't wait to put the dark will instilled by Fenglan into practice, but his debut battle against two Kage was a bit too difficult. Although the Fourth Raikage might not be much stronger than Minato, Onoki was an absolute old fox, no less than the Third Hokage.

"You're too kind, Hokage." The Raikage strode in, his boots making a dull thud on the wooden floor. Without waiting for Minato's greeting, he sat down at the low table, his arms on his knees, leaning forward like a bull ready to pounce. "I'm here to talk business. You should know why I'm here, so don't waste time with nonsense."

Onoki followed behind him, slowly sitting down cross-legged, positioned precisely between the Raikage and Minato, like a wedge driven between them. He tucked his hands into his sleeves, smiling as he looked at the Raikage, then at Minato.