Chapter 87

On the way back, Ryosuke was still constantly pondering.

Cooperating with Uchiha Madara was no different from seeking skin from a tiger.

The reason why Ryosuke went deep underground to meet Madara again immediately after settling the internal chaos in the Mist was because he was afraid of revealing flaws.

It was also because he feared revealing flaws.

Joining Uchiha Madara's camp on the surface, while reversing the crisis of the Mist Village to a certain extent, also allowed him to infiltrate the enemy's interior and enter the "safest" place.

But at the same time, Mizunuki Ryosuke also knew deeply that dealing with an old fox like Uchiha Madara meant that one wrong step could lead to eternal damnation.

This was a means of walking on the edge of a sword.

Once done well, with the help of this relationship, Mizunuki Ryosuke could complete countless arrangements and backups, and it might even be possible to nip the future crisis of the ninja world in the bud.

But at the same time, once it wasn't done well, Mizunuki Ryosuke could be plotted against by Uchiha Madara at any time and fall into an open confrontation with Uchiha Madara.

Fortunately, with the help of his previous schemes, Mizunuki Ryosuke had managed to gain a firm foothold inside the enemy's camp this time.

Mizunuki Ryosuke himself was well aware of this.

The best-case scenario he had envisioned—taking the place of Uchiha Obito—had not happened.

Clearly, this was because for some reason, his various performances had not reached the standard of a "successor" in Uchiha Madara's mind.

Whether it was the "gift" given by Uchiha Madara or Madara's description of the "Eye of the Moon" plan.

It still remained at a fairly superficial level.

The Eye of the Moon plan that Uchiha Madara described to Mizunuki Ryosuke only stayed at the level that "Infinite Tsukuyomi" would create eternal peace.

As for the God Tree plan and the resurrection plan, Madara hadn't mentioned a single word to Ryosuke.

At best, in Uchiha Madara's mind, Mizunuki Ryosuke's role should only be at the level of Nagato Uzumaki.

However, Mizunuki Ryosuke was already satisfied with this.

Madara would die sooner or later; as long as he could outlast Madara's death, the ninja world would be his to command.

At the current stage, it was still better to focus on "stability."

Two more days passed, and during this period, there was no news about the Water Shadow assessment.

Instead, the team members who had been arranged by Ryosuke to hide outside the village had all returned.

Upon learning of the changes in the village, the three of them were shocked.

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

At the same time, the three were amazed by Ryosuke's current status as a candidate for Water Shadow.

The first thing the three did upon returning to the village was to choose to pay a visit.

When the three brought gifts and nervously knocked on the door of Ryosuke's house, it wasn't Mizunuki Ryosuke who received them, but Rikka.

"H-hello."

"We are Captain Ryosuke's subordinates, and we have come here specifically to visit Captain Ryosuke."

Facing the dazzling and charming Rikka, Takeda Yoichi, who was speaking, was clearly a bit nervous.

When Rikka saw the three of them, her eyes showed some surprise, especially when she saw Mizunuki Hikohiko in the team, she frowned.

As a member of the Mizunuki clan herself, Rikka naturally knew Mizunuki Hikohiko's identity perfectly well.

The farce that happened a few days ago made Rikka somewhat disgusted with Mizunuki Hikohiko's identity.

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

"Hello to you all."

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

"Please, come in."

Mizunuki Rikka hurriedly invited the three to enter the house.

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

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

Ryosuke's house 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 about why the beautiful Rikka would appear in Ryosuke's house.

Regarding this, Mizunuki Hikohiko was clearly well aware, so from the moment he entered the room, he had been solemn and silent, his heart seemingly in extreme turmoil.

"Ren, go find Ryosuke and tell him his subordinates have come to visit."

Rikka instructed Ren, who had come down from upstairs after hearing about the guests.

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

But when she saw Mizunuki Hikohiko, a trace of vigilance flashed in her eyes.

"Mizunuki Hikohiko!"

"What are you doing here?"

Ren did not have Rikka's good manners, so she immediately questioned Mizunuki Hikohiko.

The fact that Mizunuki Hikohiko was the son of the Great Elder and the brother of Mizunuki Eiro was clearly not known only to Rikka.

"I..."

Mizunuki Hikohiko was at a loss for words, his hands clenched into fists.

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

On the other side, the good-natured Takeda Yoichi's face turned red, and he hurriedly stood up in embarrassment to bow and apologize to Mizunuki Ren.

"I'm sorry!"

Of course, Takeda Yoichi didn't know why he was apologizing; it seemed to be just an instinctive reaction.

"Ren!"

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

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

Clearly, Ryosuke was currently cultivating in the basement.

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

Rikka didn't know what to say for a moment and could only let the atmosphere remain awkward.

Before long, Ryosuke, with sweat still not yet dry on his forehead, walked over slowly.

"Yo, you three are in good spirits."

Mizunuki Ryosuke greeted the three with a smile.

"Captain!"

The three immediately stood up in unison to greet this captain who had made great contributions and whose status was no longer what it used to be.

Regarding this, Ryosuke just nodded and signaled for the three to sit down.

Seeing Ryosuke arrive, Rikka didn't say anything more and instead turned and retreated, leaving matters to the men to handle; this was the proper upbringing a good woman should have.

Ryosuke's gaze swept over the three, and he didn't notice anything unusual; it seemed they hadn't encountered anything abnormal these past few days.

When his gaze swept over Mizunuki Hikohiko, Ryosuke didn't have any extra thoughts either.

After all, he dealt with issues, not people; this was Ryosuke's consistent attitude in doing things.

Before Ryosuke could exchange pleasantries.

Suddenly, Mizunuki Hikohiko rushed forward and knelt on the ground before Ryosuke.

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

Only Mizunuki Ryosuke's eyes 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 lowered his head and blurted out all his thoughts in one breath.

It seemed that Mizunuki Hikohiko, who came from an extraordinary background, didn't have much experience in begging others, and his request to Mizunuki Ryosuke appeared extremely stiff.