Chapter 1: ...before dying, he still couldn't figure it out

When this kunai was less than a centimeter from Mizunuki Ryosuke's throat, he decided to stop pretending; he was going to show his hand.

In the close-quarters combat, Mizunuki Ryosuke could clearly see the murderous intent overflowing from his opponent's savage face; even in those beast-like eyes, there was nothing left but the desire to tear him to pieces.

Mizunuki Ryosuke wore a look of helplessness. He couldn't for the life of him understand why a Jonin from the Land of Earth would appear so close to the Hidden Mist Village.

It was supposed to be a routine reconnaissance mission, yet he had encountered a Jonin from a hostile village.

There is no smoke without fire; there must be a deeper reason behind this.

But since it had come to this, Mizunuki Ryosuke had no choice but to reveal some of his trump cards.

He hadn't wanted it to be this way; fighting and killing were so unpleasant.

Wouldn't it be better if everyone just went through the motions and put on a show?

Why bother?

Yet reality is cruel. In this world of ninjas, there is only endless slaughter.

If you don't want to kill, you will be killed!

Since that is the case—

A cold, icy glint flashed in Mizunuki Ryosuke's eyes.

"Puchi!!"

As the kunai completely sliced through Mizunuki Ryosuke's neck, a flash of satisfaction crossed the eyes of the Hidden Rock ninja.

But in the very next second, everything turned into terror.

The Mizunuki Ryosuke who should have been killed had turned into a puddle of scattered water.

"What?!! A Water Clone? When?!"

The Hidden Rock ninja was shocked. It turned out that the one he had been struggling with all this time was merely a Water Clone!

The next second.

A large head soared into the sky. Gazing at the blue sky, a final thought flashed through the Hidden Rock ninja's mind.

"So fast..."

Then, the round head rolled twice on the ground and landed at Mizunuki Ryosuke's feet.

Instant kill!

The last image the Hidden Rock ninja saw before his consciousness faded into silence was Mizunuki Ryosuke's cold, knife-edged profile and those eyes as deep as the ocean.

With this man's terrifying strength, he could have killed him instantly from the start. Why had he tangled with him for so long?

Until his death, this Hidden Rock ninja could not figure out what had happened.

"Suishi Tatsuo," a rising star of the Hidden Rock, had fallen just like that.

Using a "Water Clone" to lure the enemy into a trap, then using a secret technique to decapitate the enemy with lightning speed.

Even that was not enough.

The cold light in Mizunuki Ryosuke's eyes had not yet faded.

Because he knew very well: in the vast Ninja World, what kind of strange techniques don't exist?

Even if you die, someone can pull you out of a coffin using Reanimation.

So even if the head was severed, what if this guy had some way to avoid death?

If he wasn't dead for sure, and he had provoked such a deep hatred, what if he came back later with a group of "friends and family" to seek revenge?

Since he had decided to act, he would eliminate all future trouble.

Mizunuki Ryosuke performed a hand seal with one hand, then spat a slender ice needle from his mouth!

Ice Release: Senbon Technique.

"Puchi!"

The ice needle entered through the Hidden Rock ninja's eyeball; the next moment, the ninja's brain was completely frozen and then pulverized by the needle.

Now, even if this person had some heaven-defying secret technique, he likely wouldn't be able to use it.

"Sigh."

Mizunuki Ryosuke let out a deep sigh.

Looking at the decapitated corpse of the Hidden Rock ninja on the ground, a trace of helplessness flashed in his eyes.

Due to certain reasons, Mizunuki Ryosuke could not completely dispose of the body, so he could only resort to this method.

"Troublesome."

Mizunuki Ryosuke looked around; there was only him and the corpse of the Hidden Rock ninja. No matter how he explained it, he was the only one who could have killed this ninja.

So, he moved quickly around the area, rapidly forging a battlefield of "desperate struggle," and the surroundings were soon left in a mess.

"Hoo."

"Now, one last step."

A moment later, Mizunuki Ryosuke seemed to have made a decision.

The next second, his right arm suddenly began to bulge, and his originally slender arm instantly swelled with strong, terrifying muscles.

"Bang!"

An unexpected thing happened: Mizunuki Ryosuke actually punched his own chest.

Under the terrifying force, Mizunuki Ryosuke immediately spat out a large mouthful of blood, and his aura instantly became withered.

"Cough, cough."

"Damn it, I used too much force."

"The Second Kage's Water Arm Technique really lives up to its reputation."

"But this is fine too."

After whispering to himself, a look of satisfaction flashed in Mizunuki Ryosuke's eyes, and then he collapsed heavily to the ground, losing consciousness.

The Water Arm Technique is the secret ninjutsu of the Hozuki clan from the original work, capable of granting an individual extreme physical enhancement for a short time.

Of course, this "loss of consciousness" was just a disguise.

With Mizunuki Ryosuke's "cautious and steady" personality, he would certainly not let himself truly lose consciousness while lying in the wilderness.

After Ryosuke had been "unconscious" for a long time, a middle-aged male ninja of medium build and fair skin finally arrived late.

"Ryosuke!!!"

"This kid..."

The middle-aged man was shocked to see the chaotic scene, the unconscious Ryosuke on the ground, and the decapitated Hidden Rock ninja.

"Whoosh!"

The man used a Body Flicker Technique to flash directly to Mizunuki Ryosuke's side and checked his condition.

It was clear that the man was travel-worn, with bloodstains and dust on his white clothes.

He must have just experienced a bloody battle.

Kuroshima Morita, a veteran Jonin of the Hidden Mist Village, and a Jonin who was well-acquainted with Mizunuki Ryosuke.

Seeing this, Mizunuki Ryosuke nodded inwardly; it seemed at least one of the three Genin in the team had successfully escaped back to the village to bring reinforcements.

After confirming that Mizunuki Ryosuke was not in serious danger, Kuroshima Morita stood up to look at the Hidden Rock ninja's corpse.

"This is..."

"'Stone-Crusher' Tatsuo?"