Chapter 165

Two more days passed, during which there was still no news regarding the Mizukage assessment.

Instead, the squad members whom Ryosuke had arranged to hide outside the village had all returned.

Upon learning of the village's upheaval, the three were shocked.

They never expected that a mission to execute a rogue ninja would eventually evolve into a massive battle within the village.

At the same time, the three were astonished by Ryosuke's current status as a Mizukage candidate.

The moment the three returned to the village, they chose to pay a visit.

When the three, bearing gifts, timidly knocked on the door of Ryosuke's home, it was not Mizunuki Ryosuke who greeted them, but Liuhua.

"H-hello..."

"We are Captain Ryosuke's subordinates, here specifically to pay a visit to Captain Ryosuke."

Facing the dazzling and charming Liuhua, Takeda Yoichi, who was speaking, was clearly quite nervous.

When Liuhua saw the three, her expression was one of surprise, and she frowned especially upon seeing Mizunuki Hikohiko in the group.

As a member of the Mizunuki clan herself, Liuhua was naturally well aware of Mizunuki Hikohiko's identity.

The farce that had occurred a few days prior made Liuhua somewhat repulsed by Mizunuki Hikohiko.

But facing the fact that the three were Ryosuke's subordinates, Liuhua naturally had no right to turn them away on Ryosuke's behalf.

"Hello."

"I am Ryosuke's aunt, Mizunuki Liuhua."

"Please, come in."

Mizunuki Liuhua hurriedly ushered the three into the house.

After passing through a small, cozy courtyard, they arrived in the living room of Ryosuke's home.

The three looked around from time to time, especially Terumi Mei, who seemed very curious about where Ryosuke lived.

Ryosuke's home was a typical Japanese-style courtyard.

Upon entering the gate, besides a small courtyard, there was an exquisite two-story building.

Terumi Mei was also extremely curious as to why the beautiful Liuhua would be in Ryosuke's home.

Mizunuki Hikohiko, however, was clearly aware of the situation, so from the moment he entered the room, he remained solemn and silent, his inner struggle seemingly intense.

"Lian, go find Ryosuke and tell him his subordinates are here to visit."

Liuhua instructed Lian, who had come down from upstairs upon hearing of the guests.

Ever since establishing their relationship that night, Lian had been in a good mood these past few days.

But when she saw Mizunuki Hikohiko, a flash of vigilance crossed her eyes.

"Mizunuki Hikohiko!"

"What are you doing here?"

Lian did not have the refined manners of Liuhua and immediately questioned Mizunuki Hikohiko.

It was clearly not just Liuhua who knew of Mizunuki Hikohiko's identity as the Great Elder's son and the brother of Mizunuki Eiro.

"I..."

Mizunuki Hikohiko hesitated, his hands clenched into fists.

Terumi Mei's expression was strange; compared to Mizunuki Hikohiko's embarrassment, she seemed more concerned about why a beautiful young girl had suddenly appeared in Ryosuke's home.

On the other side, the good-natured Takeda Yoichi turned bright red, and in his embarrassment, he hurriedly stood up and bowed to apologize to Mizunuki Lian.

"I'm sorry!"

Of course, Takeda Yoichi did not know why he was apologizing; it seemed to be just a reflex.

"Lian!"

Liuhua's delicate brows furrowed slightly as she gave her daughter a low reprimand.

Seeing this, Mizunuki Lian suppressed her loss of composure and turned to walk toward the basement.

Clearly, Ryosuke was currently cultivating in the basement.

After Lian left, the atmosphere in the room became even more awkward.

Liuhua didn't know what to say for a moment and could only let the awkwardness linger.

Before long, Ryosuke, with sweat still fresh on his forehead, walked over slowly.

"Yo, you three seem to be in good spirits."

Mizunuki Ryosuke greeted the three with a smile.

"Captain!"

The three immediately stood up in unison to greet this highly decorated captain whose status was no longer what it once was.

Ryosuke simply nodded and gestured for the three to sit.

Seeing Ryosuke arrive, Liuhua said no more and instead turned to leave, letting the men handle the matters; this was the proper decorum of a good woman.

Ryosuke's gaze swept over the three, finding nothing unusual; it seemed they hadn't encountered anything out of the ordinary these past few days.

When his gaze swept over Mizunuki Hikohiko, Ryosuke had no additional thoughts.

After all, judging the matter rather than the person was Ryosuke's consistent attitude.

Before Ryosuke could exchange pleasantries,

suddenly, Mizunuki Hikohiko knelt down before Ryosuke.

Seeing this, everyone was startled, not understanding which nerve Mizunuki Hikohiko had misfired.

Only Mizunuki Ryosuke's expression remained calm, as if he had guessed something.

"Captain!"

"I apologize to you on behalf of my brother."

"His actions have nothing to do with me."

"I..."

"I want to take you as my master!"

Mizunuki Hikohiko kept his head low, blurting out his thoughts in one breath.

It seemed that Mizunuki Hikohiko, despite his distinguished background, did not have much experience in begging, and his request to Mizunuki Ryosuke appeared extremely stiff.