The Mizukage Is Strong But Overly Cautious

Watching his prey step into the meticulously laid trap, the grin on Kagura's face grew increasingly sinister.

Bakuton—Explosion Release, a rare Kekkei Genkai unique to Iwagakure.

By infusing chakra into his strikes, Kagura could trigger devastating explosions, either through direct contact or by channeling energy into his blade for ranged detonation.

His mastery over Bakuton also allowed him to craft high-grade explosive tags—each more volatile than the standard shinobi tools.

What Mizuki Ryosuke was walking into wasn't just a trap. It was a minefield laced with Bakuton-enhanced detonating tags, buried in layers beneath his feet.

Finally, the white-clad young man reached the core of the trap.

"Die, foolish Mist shinobi!"

From below, Kagura roared as he activated every detonating tag at once.

A translucent glow erupted from the soil, illuminating the forest floor like a lattice of burning seals. The ground beneath Ryosuke's feet trembled.

Then—

BOOM!

Flames erupted skyward in a blinding cascade, engulfing everything in a deafening explosion.

The inferno roared through the forest, consuming trees and reducing everything within the blast zone to ash.

As the explosion settled, the ground cracked apart, and the Rock shinobi emerged from their subterranean cover.

Scanning the devastation, they smirked triumphantly.

"Hahaha! Brother Kagura, that was insane!"

"With an explosion like that, even the Mizukage wouldn't survive!"

"The brat's been blown to dust!"

A Jōnin sneered, kicking aside a smoldering chunk of earth.

"Yeah, yeah, Kagura's Bakuton is as terrifying as ever."

Another chimed in.

Kagura, however, remained silent, his expression unreadable.

The moment of vengeance had arrived, yet a hollow feeling gnawed at his chest.

"…Enough talk," he ordered, his tone cold. "Find the other three and finish them off."

Though slightly puzzled by Kagura's lack of enthusiasm, the Rock shinobi obeyed.

One Jōnin stepped forward, volunteering for the hunt.

Accompanied by six Chūnin, he moved into the forest, eager to eliminate the remaining threats.

Five hundred meters away…

Perched atop a towering tree, Mizuki Ryosuke observed the scene with cold, calculating eyes.

The Ryosuke who had walked into the explosion?

A Mizu Bunshin—a Water Clone.

With his level of caution, it was unthinkable for him to recklessly enter an open clearing.

Even without testing the area, the sheer scale of the explosion confirmed his fears.

Had he gone in person, survival would have been nearly impossible.

His clone had been obliterated in an instant—reduced to vapor before it could even react.

Which raised the question—

Why was a full-fledged Rock shinobi strike force deployed here?

Could they really be after Koji Nakajima, a mere defector?

Would Iwagakure dedicate such elite forces for a single rogue ninja?

Suppressing his doubts, Ryosuke activated a hidden sensory technique, focusing on the distant enemy.

His eyes gleamed with an eerie, icy blue light.

Hyōton Secret Art: Thermal Detection.

Through this ability, he tracked the seven Rock shinobi approaching his location.

Without hesitation, Ryosuke formed a hand seal—his body shifted, morphing into a new figure.

Ninjutsu: Henge no Jutsu!

Moments later, Mizuki Ryosuke no longer stood atop the tree.

In his place was Terumi Mei.

The real preparations had already been made.

Now, the game was no longer a simple ambush.

The hunter had become the hunted.

"Third Principle of the Doctrine of the Mean:"

"Weeds must be eradicated. No matter the circumstances, the enemy must be eliminated to prevent future threats."

With eyes glinting with cold resolve, Mizuki Ryosuke—disguised as Terumi Mei—vanished into the forest.

Meanwhile, the Rock shinobi's search party moved deeper into the dense foliage.

Ryuhiko, a seasoned Jōnin, led the group, dividing his men into pairs.

As his subordinates dispersed, a cruel smile crept onto his face.

He recalled something about this Mist squad—

Among them was a young girl, rumored to be rather pleasing to the eyes.

His bloodlust now mingled with something far more vile.

Moving alone through the forest, Ryuhiko soon spotted an anomaly.

The signs of an amateurish concealment technique.

A poorly executed hiding spot.

A footprint in the soft earth—small, unmistakably belonging to someone young.

His grin widened.

A fresh Genin, straight out of Kirigakure's Academy, perhaps?

Feigning ignorance, he wandered near a thick tree trunk.

Then, in a sudden burst of movement, he drove his fist into the bark.

CRACK!

The tree shattered under his strength, revealing the hollow inside.

Crouched within, a frightened young girl with wide, tearful eyes gazed up at him.

The savage gleam in Ryuhiko's eyes intensified.

Perfect.

"Well, well… little girl—"

Before he could finish his sentence—

The girl dissolved into mist.

"Wha—?!"

A flicker of cold steel.

Something pierced his throat.

Pain exploded in his body.

Ryuhiko's eyes widened in shock.

In the blink of an eye, he saw his own headless body.

Then, everything went dark.

His severed head hit the ground with a dull thud.

It was too fast.

Too clean.

There was no time to react.

As his body crumpled, the 'helpless girl' emerged from the mist.

The same girl Ryuhiko had fixated on—

But now, her icy blue eyes radiated nothing but death.

Mizuki Ryosuke.

Hyōton: Silent Killing Technique.

With a flick of his wrist, a hand seal formed.

Katon: Gōkakyū no Jutsu!

A roaring fireball engulfed Ryuhiko's remains, reducing him to cinders.

The Rock shinobi had been completely erased—his corpse left as nothing but smoldering ash.

Silently, Mizuki Ryosuke dissolved into the forest once more.

In the end, power was not the deciding factor in battle.

Whether Jōnin or Kage—

A careless shinobi was nothing more than a corpse waiting to fall.

True combat was simple.

Efficiency. Precision.

Ninjutsu?

That was a privilege for the qualified.