Chapter 403

Mizunuki Ryosuke walked toward the inside of the village while holding the girl, and all the Mist Ninjas disguised as villagers who came and went bowed respectfully to Mizunuki Ryosuke.

Finally, Mizunuki Ryosuke arrived at the center of the village, in a room slightly larger than other residential houses.

Then, he held the girl and walked in slowly.

After entering the room, Mizunuki Ryosuke's arm, which was like an iron clamp, loosened slowly.

And this slight loosening was also keenly perceived by the girl.

At this moment, the girl immediately broke free from Mizunuki Ryosuke's arms, and then quickly made several backflips backward to quickly distance herself from Mizunuki Ryosuke.

In this residential house, which was not spacious, the girl pulled the distance between herself and Mizunuki Ryosuke to the limit.

At this moment, the girl was like a frightened little rabbit, still with a lingering look in her eyes, staring at Mizunuki Ryosuke 793.

To this, Mizunuki Ryosuke seemed extremely indifferent; he lit the candlelight in the room in a leisurely manner, and then boiled water and made tea as if no one else was there, his movements were extremely natural, as if the girl's previous actions and nervous posture did not exist.

Mizunuki Ryosuke skillfully used Water Release, manipulating the water molecules in the air to condense into a water flow, filling the kettle used for boiling water.

Then he pointed to the stove and used Fire Release to ignite the fire in the stove.

"Gurgle, gurgle."

The sound of water boiling appeared in the room.

Mizunuki Ryosuke indifferently took out the tea leaves and simply brewed a pot of hot tea with boiling water.

All these actions seemed to be out of place with this handsome man wearing a white imperial robe, but they actually happened before the girl's eyes.

In the girl's impression, this man is cruel, dangerous, and high above.

He is a demon god sent by the devil to the human world, and also a god of death sitting in the nine heavens to judge everything!

But no matter what, he is a cold and cruel evil god who does not eat human fireworks.

Not now, this mortal who looks a bit gentle and does ordinary things like boiling water and making tea.

In the current situation where the rain is continuous outside the window, whether it is the warm and soft candlelight in the room, or this handsome man who looks out of place with everything around him but is very harmonious.

All made the girl's heart relax a little.

The girl realized that she seemed to have seen another side of this man.

Mizunuki Ryosuke picked up the teapot, poured a full cup of hot tea for the girl, then placed it on the table, turned around and looked at the girl who was still extremely vigilant, and said gently.

*Ruoshui

xiaos.huo

While speaking, Mizunuki Ryosuke also stretched out his finger and pointed at this cup of hot tea.

The meaning is naturally obvious.

Seeing this situation, the girl's first reaction was that there must be a fraud!

But soon, the girl felt that she was too sensitive, because with this man's terror, if he wanted to be unfavorable to her, she would have been frozen into ice dregs long ago.

The young girl did not move for a long time, and Mizunuki Ryosuke did not urge her, merely watching her with a faint expression.

Would she accept the tea the man was offering her?

A fierce internal struggle raged within the girl once more.

To accept this cup of tea meant she had to draw near to Mizunuki Ryosuke.

Draw near to him? Draw near to this demon god?

At the mere thought, the girl shuddered.

Yet, looking at him now, Mizunuki Ryosuke on the opposite side seemed entirely harmless.

He appeared to pose no threat at all.

If she refused the tea and slighted him, what would happen if he flew into a rage out of shame?

For the moment, the girl was indecisive.

It seemed the gentle and ordinary surroundings softened her vigilance.

Finally, she dropped her guarded posture, took a deep breath, and as if having made an incredibly important decision, she moved toward Mizunuki Ryosuke.

The girl walked very slowly, her speed akin to a crawling tortoise; every step she took was like a Qing dynasty princess with bound feet.

Not only that, one could clearly see her straight, slender, ivory-toned legs trembling slightly.

It was evident that approaching Mizunuki Ryosuke was the result of the girl exhausting every ounce of courage she possessed.

Mizunuki Ryosuke was in no hurry, simply waiting calmly for the girl to approach at her "tortoise-crawl" pace.

Finally, trembling with fear, she arrived opposite Mizunuki Ryosuke and quickly took the teacup from the table.

Afterward, she lowered her head to look at the cup, not daring to meet Mizunuki Ryosuke’s eyes for even a second.

Seeing this, Ryosuke shook his head slightly, the expression on his face remaining gentle.

"You seem very afraid of me."

Mizunuki Ryosuke asked slowly; although it was a question, he used the tone of a statement.

Mizunuki Ryosuke was clearly extremely curious about this.

The girl seemed to harbor an extraordinary level of dread toward him.

Although he had recognized her identity at a glance, he did not understand the source of this fear, so he simply asked her directly.

Upon hearing this, the girl’s pupils contracted violently.

Countless gloomy memories flooded her mind.

Afraid?

More than just afraid.

This was an ultimate terror born from extreme hatred coupled with total helplessness.

Mizunuki Ryosuke—this name was glory to the ninja world, the Mizukage revered by thousands, and the absolute leader to whom countless Mist ninja pledged their lives.

But to the Rock ninja, the meaning of this name was entirely different.

He was the embodiment of evil, a cruel and detestable demon god, and the culprit who had single-handedly knocked the Rock ninja from their peak into the abyss!

In the hearts of every Rock ninja of the later generations, the Fourth Mizukage, Mizunuki Ryosuke, was the true and only source of all evil!

Every parent in the Land of Earth, when educating their children, would first demonize Mizunuki Ryosuke, spreading thoughts of hatred and fear to plant the concept that "he is a devil" in the next generation.

This was the reason why the girl appeared so terrified upon seeing Mizunuki Ryosuke.

Influenced by what she had heard since childhood, combined with the immense damage Mizunuki Ryosuke had caused to the Rock ninja, she was born standing in opposition to him.

And at this moment, she did not know how to answer his question.

After all,

as far as the present was concerned, many things had not yet happened.

"I, I..."

"I am a Rock ninja, and you are the Mizukage."

"Isn't it natural to fear you?"

Her voice still trembled from fear, but the tone remained as pleasant as silver bells.

The girl thought hard and could only answer this way. Her eyes shifted restlessly, not daring to meet Mizunuki Ryosuke’s gaze; anyone could see her lack of conviction.

Not to mention that she was facing someone as cunning and manipulative as Mizunuki Ryosuke.

The girl knew her answer was weak and easily seen through, but facing the demon god before her, doing even this much was already her limit.

Yet Mizunuki Ryosuke seemed not to care; he had other plans.

The girl did not know that Mizunuki Ryosuke already knew her identity and the secrets she carried.

At this moment, the girl was like a moth caught in a spider's web, utterly unable to escape his clutches.

Hearing her answer, Mizunuki Ryosuke did not speak. He looked at her delicate and lovely face, an unfathomable luster flickering in his eyes.

Regarding this girl, the moment he saw her, a distant and vague plan had already formed in the depths of his heart.

The "enigmatic" girl held a monumental secret.

Although Mizunuki Ryosuke could expose her right now and use it to coerce her into revealing everything,

violent coercion was undoubtedly the worst strategy.

Because once he did that, he would have to destroy the flower and "dispose" of her.

Otherwise, there would be endless trouble.

But if he did so, the immense value contained in her identity would be lost, which was no different from killing the goose that laid the golden eggs.

For the girl before him, the best strategy was naturally to let her voluntarily confess her secrets and willingly accept his control.

In this way, all the value she brought would remain entirely in his hands.

But she wasn't stupid, and she was born in an opposing camp; for him to make her willingly submit was surely a pipe dream?

Of course not. For others, this might be difficult, but Mizunuki Ryosuke was someone who could tame even men of such rigid and manic strength.

The girl looked strong on the outside, but with his keen eye, he could clearly see the weak heart hidden beneath her tough exterior.

Dealing with such a person, taming her was not actually difficult.

In his previous life, there was a famous psychological effect called the "Stockholm Syndrome."

It just so happened that it could be applied to her.

Thinking of this, the unfathomable luster in Mizunuki Ryosuke’s eyes returned to normal.

At the same time, an invisible plan targeting the girl had already begun.

"That is true."

"Miss 'Haruko', what about your surname?"

"I think you need to give me a reasonable explanation."

As he spoke, the smile on his lips remained unchanged, but he leaned forward slightly, crossing his hands, and watched her with an intensely oppressive posture.

"I, I..."

The girl became a little stutterer; she felt as if something were stuck in her throat, unable to speak.

It had come! The most difficult and embarrassing thing for her to explain had happened!

Previously, in front of Hanzo of the Salamander, Mizunuki Ryosuke had not exposed her identity as his "lover."

But this did not mean she could rest easy.

Now, Mizunuki Ryosuke had finally asked her this fatal and incredibly awkward question.

At this moment, the girl had no idea how to explain.

She couldn't very well tell Mizunuki Ryosuke the truth—that she knew Hanzo of the Salamander feared nothing except him.

That she had "borrowed" his identity as her "lover" to make Hanzo hesitate?

Not only that, there was a bigger problem behind this: how did she know Hanzo would be wary of Mizunuki Ryosuke? In other words, how did she know about the connection between the Mist and the Rain ninja?

This intelligence was top secret! One wrong answer, and she might lose her life on the spot.

The girl’s heart hammered wildly as she tried to think of a way to answer, but no matter how she thought, she found nothing.

Because the answer to this question was—unsolvable!

Unless she told the truth, she could not explain where she had obtained such top-secret intelligence.

And telling the truth meant certain death!

Seeing Mizunuki Ryosuke’s expression grow increasingly profound, she knew that if she didn't provide an explanation, the outcome would be very "miserable."

— Author's Notes —

·· ····Seeking flowers··· ····