Chapter 132

After Mizunuki Ryosuke’s defeat, the subsequent battle could be described as somewhat lackluster.

Boss Cat did not show that terrifying fifteen-meter-tall posture in his match against Hozuki Mangetsu.

Instead, he fought Hozuki Mangetsu in his normal posture, clearly having thoroughly determined that not everyone possessed the terrifying strength that Ryosuke had.

As a result, there was quite a bit of "going through the motions" in it.

Clearly, Mizunuki Ryosuke’s wave had sacrificed himself to fulfill Hozuki Mangetsu.

With Boss Cat clearly wanting to just get it over with, the battle with Hozuki Mangetsu was basically just coasting the whole way.

Coupled with Hozuki Mangetsu’s Hydrification Technique, which to a certain extent countered Boss Cat, who focused on Yang Release melee combat.

After some back and forth, the two easily dragged the battle past half an hour, and in the end, Hozuki Mangetsu achieved the assessment requirements with a draw.

After three battles, the final result was:

Ryosuke vs. Elder Lynx, Ryosuke won.

Mizunuki Ryosuke vs. Boss Cat, Mizunuki Ryosuke lost.

Hozuki Mangetsu vs. Boss Cat, both sides drew.

Due to Elder Lynx’s severe injuries, the final assessment would be led by Boss Cat, taking the two teams that passed to meet the Cat King.

At the time of parting, Mizunuki Hikohiko of Ryosuke’s team looked back from afar at Mizunuki Ryosuke behind him, his eyes calm and unruffled.

After this mission, Hikohiko had deeply understood.

The ninja world is vast, and Mizunuki Ryosuke was just a small character in it.

In a ninja world full of strong people, he didn't need to keep his eyes confined to Mizunuki Ryosuke.

As long as he kept following Ryosuke, he would definitely be able to reach a broader world.

The mountain that once pressed on Hikohiko’s heart had now completely collapsed.

"Let’s go, Hikohiko."

Just then, a calm voice sounded in Mizunuki Hikohiko’s ear.

"Yes, Master."

Mizunuki Hikohiko turned around and responded respectfully.

And from beginning to end, Mizunuki Ryosuke never even looked at Mizunuki Ryosuke again, because from start to finish, Ryosuke had never viewed him as an opponent.

With Mizunuki Ryosuke’s capacity, being able to get here was as far as he could go.

Along the way, Boss Cat led the two teams, a total of eight people, continuously moving toward the mountain peak.

Along the way, they could occasionally see some cat clan members responsible for security; these members, upon seeing Boss Cat’s arrival, expressed their respect to this ninja cat elder.

After continuously advancing toward the summit, everyone finally saw the magnificent palace at the top of the mountain.

In front of the palace, many burly and powerful ninja cats stood meticulously at the palace gate.

"Elder!"

The guard cats saluted immediately upon seeing Boss Cat, and after Boss Cat explained the Cat King’s orders to the guards, they immediately let them pass.

After entering the palace, everyone discovered that it was much larger than they had imagined.

Buildings were built along the mountain, spreading upward toward the distance of the peak, and at the very top, there was a palace emitting golden light.

After passing through three different checkpoints, Boss Cat finally led everyone to the magnificent palace at the summit.

"Taiji Palace."

Mizunuki Ryosuke silently read the four large characters on the palace plaque.

This palace built by the ninja cats gave him a faint sense of familiarity, as if he had arrived at the royal gardens of China in his previous life.

Thinking of this, Mizunuki Ryosuke shook his head gently, casting other miscellaneous thoughts to the back of his mind.

After reporting, the guards at the palace gate soon brought news, and he spoke meticulously to Boss Cat.

"Elder, the King’s imperial order."

"You can only bring two people in."

These words were heard clearly by everyone; needless to say, those following Boss Cat into the palace were naturally Mizunuki Ryosuke and Hozuki Mangetsu.

The two were about to accept the final assessment set by the ninja cat clan in this palace, competing for the chance to become Mizukage.

Subsequently, the two followed the burly Boss Cat and entered the Cat King’s palace side by side.

The remaining six members of the team waited at the palace gate.

Inside the palace, the scene Mizunuki Ryosuke had imagined did not appear.

There was no elegant king sitting on a throne, no civil and military officials filling the palace, and no strong guards of the cat clan lining the sides of the palace...

Instead, the magnificent, large palace appeared not that luxurious at this moment, but rather presented a monotonous black and white color.

If one stared intently at the walls inside the palace, they would find that the black and white colors on the walls seemed to be floating slightly.

Besides this, there was only a huge black and white throne in the large palace; on the black and white throne, an extremely fat body was sprawled, in an extremely indecent posture.

Other than that, there was no one else inside the palace.

"Your Majesty, I have brought the people."

The moment he saw this fat figure on the throne, Boss Cat knelt on one knee respectfully, without any hesitation, seemingly extremely respectful to the big fat cat in front of him.

"Hmm..."

"You brought them, the humans from the Mist Ninja Village..."

The big fat cat rubbed his sleepy eyes and said to Boss Cat in an extremely lazy manner; it seemed that before the three entered, this big fat cat was in the middle of a dream.

Clearly, this big fat cat was the ruler of this Cat Country—the Cat King.

Taking this opportunity, Ryosuke sized up this Cat King, whose image was unexpected.

This Cat King was similar to Neko-taro, whom Ryosuke met in the cavern, with an orange coat color all over his body.

This sentence could be said to accurately present the characteristic that "nine out of ten big orange cats are fat."

At first glance, the Cat King’s size was not much different from the burly Boss Cat’s size, but they went to two completely opposite extremes.

Unlike the lean and strong Boss Cat, the Cat King’s body seemed to be composed entirely of fat.

And these were not the most eye-catching things; the most distinct feature of the Cat King was that he actually had a full eight arms.

Eight short and thick arms grew from the sides of his shoulder blades, looking somewhat comical.

"Elder, you may withdraw first."

After his consciousness was completely clear, the Cat King said to Boss Cat, who was kneeling on the ground below.

Hearing this, Boss Cat seemed to hesitate, but after a moment, he chose to turn and leave.

After Boss Cat left, only Mizunuki Ryosuke and Hozuki Mangetsu remained in the entire palace.

"Human, I already know what you did in the cavern."

"I have to say, what you did solved a not-so-small hidden danger for my clan."

"You can bring up any request, and I, representing the cat clan, can try my best to satisfy you."

"Even if you want to make Boss Cat your summoning beast, I can agree."

Who knew that after Boss Cat left, the Cat King directly dropped a bombshell.

— Author's Notes —

... Seeking flowers ...