The Mizukage Is Strong But Overly Cautious

Three Days Later…

Mizuki Ryosuke lay in the Mist Shinobi's hospital, pretending to be half-dead.

For the past two days, ever since the invasion of the Rock Shinobi—led by a ninja named "Stone Duff"—Mizuki Ryosuke had been undergoing cultivation. During this time, many ninjas from the Mist Village who knew him came to visit.

Ryosuke had been carefully maintaining the facade of being gravely injured after a hard-fought battle, showing no flaws in his act. This behavior was in line with his usual image in the Mist Shinobi Village. To outsiders, the situation seemed clear.

A few days ago, Kirigakure had received intelligence about unusual activity deep in the Yamanaka mountains, dozens of kilometers from the village. However, the cause of this disturbance was unknown. In response, the Mist Shinobi authorities dispatched a team led by Mizuki Ryosuke to conduct a reconnaissance mission near the village.

Unexpectedly, an elite team of Rock Shinobi had been lying in wait deep in the mountains.

The concept of the ninja team structure was pioneered by the Second Hokage, Senju Tobirama. Typically, a senior ninja leads a team of three ordinary ninjas. Due to its effectiveness, this system was widely adopted by major ninja villages.

Ninja squads are generally divided into two types: ordinary squads and elite squads.

• Ordinary squads, like Mizuki Ryosuke's team, usually consist of one Chūnin and three Genin.

• Elite squads, such as the Rock Shinobi team they encountered, consist of one Jōnin and three Chūnin.

In a direct confrontation between an ordinary squad and an elite squad—especially when facing a Jōnin—the outcome is usually inevitable.

However, against all odds, Mizuki Ryosuke managed to kill the enemy Jōnin.

Mizuki Ryosuke was well-liked in the village, and many people came to visit him while he was in the hospital. Only after seeing the last visitor off did he finally breathe a sigh of relief.

Knock, knock!

Suddenly, there was a loud knock on the door. The sound was impatient, as if the person outside was in a hurry.

Before Mizuki Ryosuke could respond, the door swung open.

When he saw who had entered, he remained unsurprised, as if he had anticipated their arrival.

"Mizuki Ryosuke, by order of the Mizukage, we are here to investigate your squad's encounter with the Rock Shinobi in the mountains."

"Please cooperate."

The speaker's tone was cold and emotionless.

Three individuals had entered the room, all wearing masks that concealed their faces. They were members of the Kirigakure Anbu.

"Understood," Mizuki Ryosuke replied calmly, his expression unreadable.

"You don't need to be nervous," said another Anbu, this one wearing a dog-faced mask. His tone was much gentler than his companion's.

Mizuki Ryosuke simply smiled and nodded at the dog-masked Anbu, as if he already knew the man's identity.

"Mizuki Ryosuke, please describe the mission."

"Leave nothing out."

This time, the speaker was the Anbu wearing a purple mask.

Mizuki Ryosuke nodded slowly, then began his account.

"Three days ago, as per the mission's orders, I led my team to the designated location.

Upon arrival, we began searching for suspicious activity, as instructed. Soon, thanks to the tracking skills of my teammate, Genin Takeda Yoichi, we discovered signs of an enemy presence."

At this point, Mizuki Ryosuke's expression darkened, as if recalling a painful memory.

Takeda Yoichi was the sensory ninja of their team.

"Following the trail, we encountered a lone Rock Shinobi.

At the time, we assumed he was merely a scout.

We engaged in battle, but before long, his reinforcements arrived—one Jōnin and two Chūnin.

At that moment, I made the call to break through their encirclement.

I led the enemy Jōnin away while ordering my teammates to return to the village and report the situation immediately.

By some stroke of luck, I managed to kill the enemy Jōnin with everything I had.

That's all I know. I can't speak to what happened to the others."

With that, Mizuki Ryosuke finished his report.

The three Anbu exchanged glances.

"Mizuki Ryosuke, how did you manage to kill Rock Shinobi's Jōnin?"

"According to our intelligence, no matter how we calculate it, your chances of winning should have been less than 20%."

"We need an explanation."

The leading Anbu's tone remained sharp.

A Jōnin is an elite warrior in any village, and this particular Rock Shinobi Jōnin had a well-known reputation.

Reputation isn't built without merit—such a skilled ninja wouldn't be defeated easily by a Chūnin.

All Jōnin have survived countless battles and bloodshed to reach their rank. Their mastery of high-level ninjutsu is far beyond that of an ordinary Chūnin.

Not to mention, Rock Shinobi are known for their Earth Style jutsu, which naturally counter the Water Style techniques that Mizuki Ryosuke specialized in.

"This…"

Mizuki Ryosuke hesitated, then slowly raised his hand.

A few transparent ice crystals formed at his fingertips.

"Ice Release."

The dog-headed Anbu spoke loudly, a hint of joy in his tone.

"Good, good!"

He repeated the word three times in succession.

"Cough, cough…"

"Control your emotions, Dog Head," the leading Anbu reminded him sternly.

"I see. But since you've awakened the Ice Release bloodline limit, why didn't you report it to the village?" the lead Anbu asked.

After all, not everyone born into a bloodline clan could awaken their inherited abilities. Every ninja who possessed a Kekkei Genkai was considered a rare talent in a shinobi village.

"I only just awakened Ice Release," Mizuki Ryosuke replied. "I planned to report it to the clan once I became more familiar with it."

"I didn't expect…"

His words trailed off, leaving enough room for the others to fill in the blanks themselves.

It was not unheard of for a ninja with a special bloodline to defeat a stronger opponent.

The Anbu members remained silent in response to Mizuki Ryosuke's vague explanation. After all, this was an internal matter of the Mizuki clan—one they had no right to interfere in.

"Mizuki Ryosuke, are you aware that two of your subordinates have been killed?"

The Purple Mask Anbu spoke slowly, watching Mizuki Ryosuke's expression carefully.

Ryosuke remained silent, his face full of pain.

"This…"

"It's the fate of a ninja," he finally said after a long pause.

His words cast a somber atmosphere over the room. Seeing this, the Purple Mask Anbu refrained from asking any further questions.

"Alright, that will be all for now. Sorry for disturbing you—we'll take our leave," the lead Anbu stated.

With that, the three Anbu stood and left.

The moment they were gone, the pained look on Mizuki Ryosuke's face vanished, replaced by his usual indifferent expression.

In truth, Mizuki Ryosuke had anticipated that the Anbu would be involved in investigating such a high-profile mission. And the background of this assignment might not be as simple as it seemed.

The abilities he had revealed were a necessary sacrifice—mere surface-level trump cards among the many he possessed. Exposing his Ice Release was within an acceptable range.

At most, it only elevated him from "mid-tier" to "upper mid-tier" in strength. There were at least a thousand, if not more, ninjas with similar abilities in the village. It was nothing remarkable.

Moreover, displaying his Ice Release talent would ensure that even if the village wanted to investigate further, his clan would do everything in their power to protect him.

It was obvious that the dog-headed Anbu from earlier was from the Mizuki clan.

Ryosuke had no concerns about Anbu scrutiny or the risks of exposing his talent. Instead, his real worries lay elsewhere.

Why had a Rock Shinobi team been lurking so close to Kirigakure? What was their true objective?

What Mizuki Ryosuke needed now was to distance himself from this situation as quickly as possible.

Deep in thought, he fell silent, contemplating his next move.