Chapter 144

After sending Hoshigaki Kisame away, Ryosuke lowered his head again to deal with the official business in front of him.

It must be said that after becoming Mizukage, Ryosuke only then knew how many trivial matters one had to deal with every day after becoming the leader of a large ninja village.

Fortunately, Ryosuke, who had experienced the 996 culture of his previous life, had always maintained his work efficiency at a high level.

After dealing with the official business on the table, Ryosuke raised his head to look at the watch, and then nodded secretly.

The hands of the clock pointed exactly to "6." The time was just right—not a minute more, not a minute less.

Overtime? That was impossible in this lifetime.

"Poof!"

Mizunuki Ryosuke, who had been sitting behind the desk wearing the Mizukage’s ceremonial robe, clasped his hands together and transformed into a puff of mist.

Clearly, the Ryosuke in the office was merely a Shadow Clone.

You’ve got to be kidding me, right?

With the Shadow Clone Technique available, who would actually come to work in person? (Manual doge face)

The very moment Ryosuke’s Shadow Clone vanished, a rapid knocking sounded at the door of the Mizukage’s office.

"Knock! Knock! Knock!!"

The knocking was urgent; clearly, the visitor knew of Ryosuke’s rule about "leaving work on time."

After knocking to no avail, the office door was pushed open.

A handsome, effeminate man with pale hair appeared in the office, shaking his head to himself as he looked at the empty room.

He looked up at the wall clock and saw the hand had just passed the "6," likely by less than a minute.

"This guy!"

Gengetsu Hozuki cursed under his breath, a flash of helplessness in his eyes.

But soon, a smile appeared on his face; he seemed accustomed to the Fourth Mizukage’s unreliable behavior.

As the Mist Anbu Commander, he naturally had matters to discuss with Ryosuke at this hour. Seeing Ryosuke wasn't in the office, Gengetsu Hozuki stopped bothering.

In truth, the matter wasn't significant, but to show respect for the Mizukage, Gengetsu Hozuki chose to report on both major and minor affairs.

To this, Ryosuke would often reply directly:

"Handle these trifles yourself; don't bother me."

Gengetsu Hozuki didn't take Ryosuke’s words to heart; instead, he understood it as a sign of trust.

In the two years since he succeeded as Mist Anbu Commander, Gengetsu Hozuki and Ryosuke had worked together perfectly, and Gengetsu Hozuki genuinely admired Ryosuke’s talent.

In two years, the Mist Village had undergone earth-shaking changes.

Not only had their overall strength returned to the level before Yagura Karatachi’s civil strife, but the entire village now presented a flourishing, prosperous appearance.

Under the internal reforms led by Ryosuke, they not only balanced the interests of the major ninja clans but also gave civilian ninjas opportunities to shine.

The living conditions for both ninjas and civilians had improved qualitatively.

Furthermore, with the constant support of the Ninja Cat clan, the Mist’s medical ninja system had been perfected; the village even possessed a "Ninja Cat Hospital" led by Yang-release specialized ninja cats.

Within the village, a large group of talented civilian ninjas had emerged, such as Kisame Hoshigaki, Zabuza Momochi, Mei Terumi, and Ameyuri Ringo.

Given time, these ninjas would inevitably become the backbone of the Mist.

As a member of the village, Gengetsu Hozuki was naturally happy about these changes.

Although on the surface Ryosuke was just a "nine-to-six" salary thief, Gengetsu Hozuki knew clearly how much heart and soul Ryosuke had contributed to the Mist’s development.

Since Ryosuke wasn't here, Gengetsu Hozuki didn't linger; he tossed a file onto Ryosuke’s desk, turned, and walked away.

Handle it himself? That was impossible.

Even if it were just trivial matters, he had to let Mizunuki Ryosuke suffer the headache himself.

Thinking of this, Gengetsu Hozuki left the Mizukage’s office in high spirits.

In a corner of the Mist Village, a young man wearing a conical hat to hide his face suddenly shivered, as if someone were bad-mouthing him behind his back.

The young man took off his hood and veil, revealing an extraordinarily handsome face.

With a Shadow Clone to "go to work" for him, Ryosuke’s days were quite carefree.

Trivial matters were decided by the Shadow Clone, and he only needed to provide ideas on the general direction.

Afterward, he would distribute the tasks, offer some spiritual encouragement, describe a beautiful future to inspire his subordinates' "996" work ethic, and then he could...

Slack off, stroll around, and sleep.

Being a "boss" meant having subordinates do the work while he did... well, nothing.

Returning to the point, after throwing a large amount of miscellaneous work to his Shadow Clone, Ryosuke didn't relax; he was constantly researching secret techniques and improving his strength.

After all, his own strength was the foundation. In the past two years, Ryosuke had developed several trump cards, which we shall leave unmentioned for now.

Today was a rest day Ryosuke had arranged for himself.

Generally speaking, during this time, Ryosuke would patrol the village to see if any ninjas were slacking off.

Oh no, it was to investigate the village’s livelihood and understand current problems in the form of a "private visit."

This was also to remind himself that a thousand-mile embankment could be destroyed by an ant nest; he had to pay attention to the most basic, bottom-level trifles...

Of course, it wasn't because he wanted to find some excitement and was wandering around just to watch the fun!

Ryosuke skillfully put on his conical hat and walked slowly through the bustling crowd of the Mist Village.

Strangely, Mizunuki Ryosuke, who should have been extremely eye-catching, didn't receive a single extra glance from anyone.

This wasn't a coincidence, nor had Ryosuke used the Magic Mirror Illusion to turn invisible.

Secret Technique: Idle One’s Retreat.

This was a Yin-release secret technique Ryosuke had developed by chance. Once cast, it could lower his "presence," causing people around him to subconsciously ignore his existence.

Ryosuke walked through the crowd, bored, casting glances at nearby people from time to time.

Suddenly, Ryosuke seemed to have discovered something, a sharp glint flashing in his eyes.

Beside a book stall not far ahead, he saw a familiar figure.

So, Ryosuke silently moved toward that figure.

At this moment, an extremely beautiful young girl was agonizing over which of the books in front of her to choose.

This girl with chestnut-colored hair looked to be only sixteen; one autumn-water-bright eye was visible on her fair cheek, while the other was hidden by long bangs.

At this moment, her fair face was full of hesitation, her eyes drifting across the book stall.

"Girl’s Must-Read Secret: Make Him Fall in Love with You in One Look!"

"Like Him but Don't Know How to Start? This Book Tells You What to Do!"

"Mizukage Secret History: The Untold Story of the Fourth and the Mist Anbu Commander!"

"Land of Water Poll: The Man Girls Most Want to Marry!"

By the way, the person on the cover of the last book was none other than Mizunuki Ryosuke.

After some hesitation, the girl finally made up her mind!

Children make choices; adults, of course, want them all!

Just then, a sharp glint flashed in the girl’s eyes, and she took out her wallet, ready to pay, when...

Suddenly, a hand rested on the girl’s shoulder.

The girl’s body tensed, her ninja instincts making her subconsciously want to initiate a counter-move.

But when she glanced sideways and saw the ring on the finger of the large hand on her shoulder, she stopped.

"No way..."

The girl muttered to herself in her heart, her heart pounding violently.

Surprise, shyness, panic, secret joy...

Countless chaotic emotions surged into the girl’s heart.

"Long time no see, Mei."

When Mei Terumi turned around, she saw the gentle face she had been longing for.