The Mizukage Is Strong But Overly Cautious

When the kunai was less than a centimeter away from Mizuki Ryosuke's throat, he decided to stop pretending and confront his opponent head-on. 

In the heat of close combat, Mizuki could clearly see the murderous intent etched on his opponent's grotesque face. Even in those beast-like eyes, there was only one desire: to reduce him to a lifeless corpse. 

Mizuki's expression turned grim. He couldn't comprehend why a Jonin from the Rock Shinobi had appeared so close to Kirigakure's territory. This was supposed to be a routine reconnaissance mission, yet he had unexpectedly crossed paths with a high-ranking ninja from an enemy village. There had to be a deeper reason behind this encounter.

Reluctantly, Mizuki realized he had no choice but to reveal some of his hidden abilities. He had never wanted things to escalate to this point. Fighting and killing were distasteful to him. Wouldn't it be better if everyone just pretended to go through the motions and avoided bloodshed? Why did it have to come to this?

But the ninja world was unforgiving. In this brutal reality, it was kill or be killed. If you hesitated, you would die. And so, Mizuki's eyes glinted with a cold, steely resolve.

"Pfft!"

The kunai slashed through Mizuki's neck, and for a moment, the Rock Shinobi's eyes gleamed with satisfaction. But in the next instant, that satisfaction turned to panic. Mizuki, who should have been dead, dissolved into a puddle of clear water.

"What?! A water clone? When?!" 

The Rock Shinobi was stunned. He had been fighting a mere water clone all along! 

A second later, his head was sent flying into the air. As it soared, his final thought flashed through his mind: "So fast…"

The head tumbled to the ground, rolling twice before coming to rest at Mizuki Ryosuke's feet. 

*Thud.*

The last image the Rock Shinobi saw before his consciousness faded was Mizuki's icy, knife-sharp profile and his deep, ocean-like eyes. With such terrifying strength, Mizuki could have ended the fight instantly. Why had he drawn it out for so long?

The Rock Shinobi died without ever understanding the truth. He, a rising star of the Rock Shinobi, had met his end here and now.

---

Mizuki had first used the Water Clone Technique to deceive his enemy, then followed up with a secret technique to decapitate his opponent with lightning speed. But even that wasn't enough. The cold glint in Mizuki's eyes remained. He knew all too well the strange and unpredictable techniques that existed in the ninja world. Even death wasn't always the end—techniques like the Impure World Reincarnation could pull someone back from the grave. 

What if this Rock Shinobi had some way to cheat death? What if he returned with a vengeance, bringing allies to seek retribution? If Mizuki was going to act, he had to eliminate all future threats.

With a single hand seal, Mizuki formed an ice needle in his mouth and fired it directly at the Rock Shinobi's remains.

*Ice Release: Thousand Needles of Death.*

"Pfft!"

The needle pierced through the Rock Shinobi's eyeball, freezing his brain in an instant before shattering it completely. Now, even if this ninja possessed some heaven-defying secret technique, it would be impossible to use.

"Ugh…"

Mizuki let out a deep sigh. As he stared at the decapitated corpse, a flicker of helplessness crossed his eyes. For some reason, he couldn't bring himself to completely obliterate the body. This was the best he could do.

"What a hassle…"

Mizuki Ryosuke glanced around and saw only himself and the corpse of the Rock Shinobi. No matter how he explained it, he was the one who had killed the Rock Shinobi. 

Quickly, he moved around the area, meticulously crafting the appearance of a fierce struggle. The surroundings were soon transformed into a chaotic battlefield.

"Huff…"

"It's almost done."

After a moment, Mizuki Ryosuke seemed to make a decision. In the next second, his right arm began to swell, the once slender limb bulging with powerful, terrifying muscles.

*Boom!*

Something unexpected happened—Mizuki Ryosuke punched himself squarely in the chest. The force of the blow sent him staggering, and he immediately coughed up a mouthful of blood. His breathing became labored.

"Cough, cough…"

"Damn it… I've overexerted myself."

"The Second Generation's Luxurious Arm Technique truly lives up to its reputation."

"But… this should be enough."

After muttering these words, a look of satisfaction flickered in Mizuki Ryosuke's eyes. Then, he collapsed heavily to the ground, feigning unconsciousness.

The *Hao Shui Wrist Technique* was a secret ninjutsu of the Ghost Lamp clan, capable of granting immense physical enhancement for a short period. Of course, Mizuki's "loss of consciousness" was merely an act. Given his cautious and meticulous nature, he would never allow himself to truly lose consciousness in the middle of nowhere.

After lying "unconscious" for some time, a middle-aged male ninja with a medium build and fair skin arrived on the scene.

"Ryosuke!!"

The man's face paled as he took in the chaotic battlefield, the unconscious Mizuki Ryosuke, and the decapitated Rock Shinobi.

*Whoosh!*

In an instant, the man used the Body Flicker Technique to appear beside Mizuki Ryosuke, quickly checking his condition. The man's clothes were dusty, and his white attire was stained with blood and dirt, evidence of a recent battle.

Kuroshima Morita, a senior Jonin of the Mist Shinobi Village, was also someone familiar with Mizuki Ryosuke. Seeing this, Mizuki silently nodded to himself. It seemed that at least one of the three Genin from his team had managed to escape and bring back reinforcements.

After confirming that Mizuki was unharmed, Kuroshima Morita turned his attention to the Rock Shinobi's body.

"This is…"

"'Gravel' Duff?"

"This kid Ryosuke… he's full of surprises!"

A look of astonishment and pride flashed in Kuroshima Morita's eyes. He then hoisted the "unconscious" Mizuki Ryosuke over one shoulder and picked up the Rock Shinobi's head with his other hand, heading off into the distance.

In the ninja world, a complete ninja's head held significant value. Moreover, "Gravel" Duff was a Jonin, and his head might contain precious information about Iwagakure. Nearly all major ninja villages had methods to extract intelligence from the heads of the deceased.

What Kuroshima Morita didn't know was that the value of this head had already been completely destroyed by Mizuki Ryosuke.