Chapter 124: It

"Oh oh oh!!!"

The ninja cats in the audience let out earth-shattering cheers, looking at the Cat Elder on the arena with worshipful eyes.

Under the arena, Ryosuke looked at the Cat Elder’s terrifying body and sighed secretly.

With such strength and tough-guy style, it’s no wonder the Cat Elder has such prestige in the cat clan.

At the same time, Terumi Mei’s victory marked that Ryosuke’s squad had won three out of four battles in this assessment, successfully defeating the opponent and advancing to the next round.

The moment she walked slowly off the arena, Terumi Mei suddenly felt a wave of relief.

"This time, I finally didn't become a burden to the captain!"

Terumi Mei said to herself in her heart, her emotions becoming somewhat agitated for a time.

She walked quickly toward the area under the arena, fantasizing about seeing Mizunuki Ryosuke; what kind of attitude would he use to face her?

Would it be pointing out seriously that she did well just now, but still needed to guard against arrogance and rashness and continue to work hard?

Or would he praise her to the skies, expressing great appreciation for her victory?

Or perhaps, Ryosuke would be more excited and directly pick her up and spin her in the air?

Thinking of this, Terumi Mei’s pretty face couldn't help but become somewhat flushed.

No matter which one it was, she would accept it gladly.

"The serious and earnest captain is also very cute, I’d say."

While saying this to herself in her heart, Terumi Mei ran quickly toward Ryosuke.

But who would have thought...

As she walked slowly off the arena, preparing to receive Ryosuke’s praise, what awaited her were two head-knocks.

Terumi Mei covered her forehead aggrievedly, looking at Mizunuki Ryosuke with weak eyes filled with tears, her eyes full of confusion; the grievance in her exposed right eye was almost overflowing at this moment.

Seeing this expression of Terumi Mei’s, Mizunuki Ryosuke seemed to have already associated it.

The other pupil hidden under the girl’s bangs—that beautiful heterochromatic eye—was probably already full of tears at this moment.

"Captain Ryosuke..."

Terumi Mei’s voice carried a slight nasal tone, murmuring in a low voice at a loss, while her heart couldn't stop wandering.

"Do you know you were wrong?"

Ryosuke put on a serious face, looking directly at the aggrieved Terumi Mei without yielding in the slightest.

"I, I..."

Terumi Mei directly turned into a little stutterer for a time, not knowing at all why Ryosuke had to hold her accountable like this.

"I don't know..."

But in the end, Terumi Mei could only lower her head dejectedly, answering Ryosuke in a weak voice.

Just as the aggrieved Terumi Mei was preparing to accept criticism...

Suddenly, a warm, large hand gently touched the top of her head.

"Silly girl, didn't I tell you not to push yourself so hard?"

"This is just a trial."

"Have you ever thought about what the consequences would be if the ninja cat’s claws had really cut down just now?"

The gentle voice entered the girl’s ears, making her originally uneasy heart calm down directly, and a warm current seeped out from Terumi Mei’s heart.

By the time she raised her head again, the Ryosuke before her no longer had any seriousness, only concern and care.

"Captain Ryosuke..."

A thousand words came to her lips, but in the end, they only condensed into four words.

Ryosuke naturally knew nothing of Terumi Mei’s complex thoughts.

"That ninja cat’s claws were very sharp; if they had really cut down, your ninja career would probably have been buried here."

"It’s not worth it for these things."

"Because you still have a broad future."

"This is the last time; never do this again next time, do you hear me?"

The gentleness was only for an instant; next, Mizunuki Ryosuke said seriously again.

"Mm!"

To this, Terumi Mei just nodded vigorously, standing on the spot and quietly enjoying Ryosuke’s gentle touch.

At this moment, Terumi Mei suddenly remembered the ice pendant Ryosuke had placed around her neck before the battle.

Looking at it again now, it had indeed disappeared without a trace.

Since it was a cheating method, Ryosuke naturally wouldn't let it leave any evidence.

It was clearly Ryosuke under the arena who had secretly blocked the ninja cat’s fatal blow for Terumi Mei.

"Thank you..."

"Captain Ryosuke..."

Terumi Mei suddenly said in a low voice, her voice so weak that only Ryosuke, who was close at hand, could hear it.

"You’re welcome."

Ryosuke smiled slightly, also answering in an extremely weak voice.

The two suddenly smiled at each other.

The higher the ninja’s level, the richer the ninjutsu and secret techniques they master, and the more cumbersome the battle time and process become.

Coupled with the one-sided battle situation that could be described as a "one-shot" when Ryosuke fought Nekonosuke, by the time Ryosuke’s squad successfully advanced...

The remaining two teams were only halfway through their schedule.

Since the battle had ended, Ryosuke’s squad didn't linger in the arena area, but went to the audience seating area to watch the battle.

At the same time, after inquiring, Ryosuke also learned the battle situation of the other two squads.

On Hozuki Mangetsu’s side, the first battle was led by Hozuki Mangetsu himself, and after a bout of fighting, he defeated his opponent with solid strength.

In the second battle, the Hozuki squad was represented by the user of the Blast Sword: Shibuki, Ameyuri Ringo; relying on the characteristics of the ninja sword, although it took some effort, Ameyuri Ringo also defeated the opponent.

At the moment, the Hozuki squad’s third battle was fought by the dwarf-like user of the Twin Swords: Hiramekarei; as long as this battle could be won, the Hozuki squad’s advancement would be a certainty.

Such an arrangement for the Hozuki squad was understandable, because Kushimaru Kuriarare, who had yet to appear, was injured, so he was placed last.

As long as the Hozuki squad won all the first three battles, naturally there would be no need for Kushimaru Kuriarare, who was injured and affected in combat power, to take the stage.

And the battle situation on Mizunuki Eiro’s side seemed somewhat strange to Ryosuke.

On Mizunuki Eiro’s side, it had also reached the third battle.

Unlike Ryosuke and Hozuki Mangetsu, the strongest person in Eiro’s squad was not Mizunuki Eiro himself, but another elite jonin of the Mizunuki.

So the first three battles were fought by the three jonin in the team respectively.

At the moment, the Eiro squad had also reached the third battle.

But judging from the situation on the arena, this Mizunuki jonin was already completely suppressed at this moment, and defeat was only a matter of time.

Sure enough, before long...

The Mizunuki jonin was no match for the opponent’s ninja cat and was eventually defeated by the opponent.

Finally, it was Mizunuki Eiro’s turn to take the stage personally to fight the last cat of the opponent’s squad.

But soon, Ryosuke discovered something wrong.

The ninja cats that Mizunuki Eiro was fighting seemed a bit too uniform?

Whether it was Ryosuke’s squad or the Hozuki squad on the other side, the ninja cats they fought were composed of two ninja cats proficient in Yin Release and two ninja cats proficient in Yang Release.

And at this moment, Mizunuki Eiro’s opponents were all four Yin Release ninja cats.

Was this a coincidence? Or was it because of something else?

Could it be that there is also a phenomenon of "Yin flourishing and Yang declining" within the ninja cats?

Mizunuki Ryosuke turned his gaze to the edge of the arena, to the thin figure beside the Cat Elder’s hulking form, which was the cat clan elder named Lynx.

"Could there be any connection between all of this?"

Thinking of this, Mizunuki Ryosuke narrowed his eyes.