NOVEL NEXT Chapter 22: CHAPTER 22
The Chase Begins: Reading Between the Lines
The mission scroll contained all the essential intelligence on the pursuit of the defector Nakajima Koji.
It detailed not only his abilities but also his movements on the day of his defection and the escape route detected by Anbu during their initial investigation.
Most crucially, there was testimony from a local villager—an eyewitness account describing how Nakajima Koji had sought shelter at his home shortly after abandoning the village.
When dealing with a rogue shinobi, time was of the essence.
The moment a defection was discovered, the village launched an immediate response. In this case, it had been less than twenty-four hours since Koji Nakajima had gone missing.
For any competent ninja, tracking down a target under these circumstances should have been straightforward.
Given the intelligence in the mission scroll alone, it was already possible to deduce the general direction of Koji's escape.
Furthermore, Nakajima Koji was only a Chūnin. A shinobi of his rank simply lacked the stamina or resources to cover significant ground in such a short window—unless, of course, he had external support waiting for him.
But this was Kirigakure.
The very heart of the Land of Water.
Even if Koji had outside allies, attempting an extraction here was suicide.
Any enemy force infiltrating this far into Mist territory would be walking into a warzone.
Moreover, the mission details had come directly from Mizukage-sama himself. That alone made the information reliable beyond question.
All things considered, this mission should have been a routine execution.
A simple hunt.
A simple kill.
The Importance of Caution
But who was Mizuki Ryosuke?
Among the ranks of Kirigakure's shinobi, if there was a title for the most cautious, the most methodical, he would undoubtedly claim it.
In his world, every scenario had to be analyzed with the worst possible outcome in mind.
Even if the mission was as trivial as escorting an elderly woman across the street, Ryosuke would assume the worst.
Because in the ninja world… even helping an old lady carried risk.
Perhaps she would suddenly collapse and claim to need urgent medical attention.
Or perhaps—just perhaps—she was no old lady at all, but a seasoned assassin in disguise, waiting for the perfect moment to strike.
The probability was slim.
But what if?
Only when all variables were accounted for—when the probability of success reached at least 98%—would Mizuki Ryosuke act.
That was the key to survival.
After all, he had made a promise to Lotus:
He would never return from a mission in a coma again.
With that in mind, Mizuki Ryosuke approached this supposedly simple mission with unwavering scrutiny.
Even the smallest inconsistencies had to be examined.
So he placed himself in the mindset of the defector.
If he were Nakajima Koji… what would he do?
All the information in the mission scroll flooded into his mind at once.
A defection could be spontaneous, but in most cases, it was premeditated.
The first priority of any deserter was to delay the moment of discovery for as long as possible, buying precious time to escape.
Cross-referencing the records, Ryosuke immediately identified a glaring inconsistency in Nakajima Koji's actions.
On the day of his defection, Koji hadn't attempted any subterfuge or misdirection.
Instead, he had openly purchased a handful of kunai, some basic ration pills, and then left the village in haste.
That wasn't the behavior of a desperate runaway.
It was the behavior of a shinobi embarking on a mission.
And then there was the matter of his escape route.
A Defection That Didn't Make Sense
Everyone knew the geography of the Land of Water.
As an island nation, there was only one viable way to leave its borders: by sea.
A fugitive needed to secure a boat or stow away on a departing vessel.
Given the situation, Koji's best option should have been a western escape route.
Heading west, he could have reached the Land of Hot Water in a matter of days—providing an easy pathway toward either Konoha or Kumogakure.
Yet… he had fled eastward.
Deeper into the Land of Water's mainland.
That wasn't an escape route.
That was a dead end.
Had Koji merely been attempting to confuse his pursuers, that might have made sense. But the mission scroll clearly stated that he had stayed in a villager's house in that region, confirming that he had genuinely traveled in that direction.
This wasn't misdirection.
He had gone east deliberately.
Mizuki Ryosuke narrowed his eyes.
What about the pursuit teams? If he were a defector and found himself being chased, what would he do?
Hiding would slow the escape. And if discovered, the odds of survival would plummet.
Attempting to outrun them was equally futile—Kirigakure's pursuit squads were relentless, and the longer the chase dragged on, the slimmer the chances of getting away.
Even if he managed to fend them off, Mist Shinobi would only deploy reinforcements.
That would make things even worse.
No…
The best option was clear.
If it were him, he would eliminate the pursuit squad entirely.
With their deaths, the village would lose its immediate trail on his whereabouts.
That could buy him enough time to truly escape.
The problem was… Nakajima Koji was only a Chūnin.
How could he possibly wipe out an entire pursuit team?
Is He Hiding His Strength?
Rank meant nothing.
A Chūnin's title was just a rank—it did not dictate actual ability.
Konoha had Genin who had slain the Chakra ancestor herself.
Power didn't always align with classification.
What if Nakajima Koji had been hiding his true strength all this time?
Mizuki Ryosuke quickly calculated the possibilities.
Could Koji be Kage-level?
Highly unlikely. If such a shinobi had been lurking in Kirigakure undetected, someone—whether the Mizukage, the Seven Ninja Swordsmen, or the elders—would have noticed long ago.
No, if Koji had been concealing his abilities, his limit was likely at Elite Jōnin level.
An Elite Jōnin with the right set of secret techniques could momentarily match a Kage.
It wasn't impossible.
After all, even a supposed nobody like Kinkaku and Ginkaku had managed to kill Senju Tobirama.
Nothing in the shinobi world was truly impossible.
Even the greatest warriors could be felled by those considered lesser.
(Well… except Hidan. He had other methods of avoiding death.)
Taking all of this into account, Mizuki Ryosuke ran one final assessment.
If Koji was hiding his power, how should he proceed?
A reckless engagement was out of the question.
He had to ensure absolute success.
He quietly muttered to himself, running his calculations.
"Ninety-nine percent success rate."
Then he frowned.
That one percent still bothered him.
He nodded in dissatisfaction.
There was still work to do.