Chapter 93

After Ryosuke's consciousness returned to reality, the three team members had already rested to their best state.

When Terumi Mei opened her eyes and saw Mizunuki Ryosuke in front of her, the keen instinct of a woman made her feel a slight difference.

Terumi Mei seemed to discover that in just a few hours, the feeling Mizunuki Ryosuke brought to people seemed to have changed significantly.

Looking at Mizunuki Ryosuke in front of her, Terumi Mei clenched her fists and swore to herself in her heart.

This time, no matter what, it couldn't be like the previous mission.

Seeming to recall the scorching anxiety of waiting helplessly in a safe area after Mizunuki Ryosuke left during the previous mission to chase the rogue ninja.

Terumi Mei secretly made up her mind that this time, no matter what, she would help Mizunuki Ryosuke.

Without too much nonsense, the ninja team stepped into the canyon.

At the same time, Hozuki Mangetsu and Mizunuki Eiro on the other two sides also entered the canyon at almost the same time.

After entering the canyon, the team immediately entered a combat state.

Takeda Yoichi, who had the specialty of perception, was responsible for opening the path, while Mizunuki Hikohiko and Terumi Mei were responsible for looking after the flanks.

Finally, Mizunuki Ryosuke himself was responsible for the rear.

While moving forward in the canyon, Mizunuki Ryosuke was also constantly searching for traces in the canyon.

Under Mizunuki Ryosuke's fully prepared and all-out detection, he discovered some unexpected surprises.

For example, on the canopy of a large tree in the dense forest of the canyon, Mizunuki Ryosuke discovered an eye that was obtaining images for the Water Curtain Technique.

Or for example, when passing a certain place, Mizunuki Ryosuke heard abnormal movements coming from underground.

But regarding these abnormal situations, Mizunuki Ryosuke kept them all without acting.

Just silently led the team to continue deep into the canyon.

At the same time, the Jonin waiting in the Water Shadow building of the Mist Village saw that the main event had finally arrived, and they all focused their attention on watching the scenes in the water curtain.

In the canyon, it was extremely calm at this moment.

It seemed that this was just an ordinary canyon.

Unknowingly, Ryosuke's team had already walked half the distance in the canyon.

And during this period, they didn't encounter any danger.

Suddenly! A clear sound came from not far ahead.

"Who's there!"

Immediately, Takeda Yoichi, who was responsible for opening the path, didn't hesitate and threw the kunai in his hand toward the direction where the abnormal movement came from.

"Puchi!"

The next moment, blood splattered.

Sensing that he had hit the target, Takeda Yoichi hurriedly went up to investigate.

"What's going on?"

Behind, Mizunuki Ryosuke, who saw the abnormality, hurriedly asked.

Only to see Takeda Yoichi walking toward everyone with a sheepish smile, holding a rabbit pierced through the neck by a kunai.

"It's nothing, just a rabbit."

Takeda Yoichi was a bit embarrassed, just treating it as being too sensitive.

But Mizunuki Ryosuke on the side suddenly changed his eyes.

"Careful!!!"

"Throw that rabbit away quickly!"

Unfortunately, Mizunuki Ryosuke's shout was a bit late, and Takeda Yoichi didn't react in time.

"Boom!"

With a flash of mist, Takeda Yoichi and the rabbit he was holding disappeared on the spot.

"What?!"

Terumi Mei and Mizunuki Ryosuke were both startled, then quickly moved to stand beside Mizunuki Ryosuke.

"What's going on?"

While keeping a lookout, Terumi Mei whispered her question to Mizunuki Ryosuke.

"It's a Summoning Jutsu."

A profound look flashed in Mizunuki Ryosuke’s eyes as he spoke slowly.

As it turned out, the moment Tian Yang picked up that rabbit, Mizunuki Ryosuke had clearly sensed the residual fluctuations of a summoning formation on the rabbit's corpse.

There was no doubt that the truth of the matter was that when Tian Yang made contact with the rabbit, someone on the other end had activated a summoning formation pre-set on the creature.

Consequently, the entire rabbit, along with Tian Yang himself, had been reverse-summoned away.

Having studied the Summoning Jutsu in depth, Mizunuki Ryosuke was naturally all too familiar with the fluctuations he had just felt.

"What should we do, Captain?"

Terumi Mei immediately asked Ryosuke.

This rabbit could not possibly have appeared here by accident.

Since Tian Yang had already fallen into the trap, it meant the current situation was one where the enemy was hidden and they were exposed.

It was possible that an unknown enemy had initiated this probe.

In a situation where everything was unknown, acting rashly was a major taboo; in such cases, only the most experienced team leader could make the judgment.

"I sensed the fluctuations the moment the Summoning Jutsu was activated."

"Based on the scale of the technique, the distance of the reverse summoning cannot be very far."

"In other words, Tian Yang is still in this forest."

"We must never abandon a comrade lightly, so finding Tian Yang's trail is now our top priority!"

"From now on, do not touch anything here, not even a single leaf!"

Mizunuki Ryosuke commanded sternly, while simultaneously using heat-sensing detection to scout the surroundings.

"Yes!"

Terumi Mei and Suishi Tatsuo responded immediately.

Just as the three were preparing to move out.

A thick white mist suddenly began to drift through the forest, from out of nowhere.

The mist spread at an incredible speed, and within moments, it had shrouded the entire forest.

Visibility within the mist was now less than five meters.

"Hidden Mist Jutsu?"

Suishi Tatsuo exclaimed.

As a ninja of the Hidden Mist Village, he was naturally well-versed in his own village's signature technique.

"No, this isn't an ordinary Hidden Mist Jutsu."

0...

Mizunuki Ryosuke reached out to sense the thick fog and gave a negative answer.

"Try to disperse it."

Mizunuki Ryosuke said to Terumi Mei beside him.

Terumi Mei nodded and quickly formed hand seals.

Wind Style: Great Breakthrough!

She then unleashed the strongest Wind Style technique she could currently use.

In an instant, a gale swept through, yet the fog in the air remained completely indifferent; it didn't even shift in the slightest under the force of the wind.

The wind seemed to have been swallowed by the dense fog!

Terumi Mei was shocked. It seemed Mizunuki Ryosuke’s judgment was correct; while a standard Wind Style might struggle to fully disperse a Hidden Mist Jutsu, it would never be completely unable to affect it.

This was not so much fog as it was "haze."

Unlike Terumi Mei and Suishi Tatsuo, Ryosuke understood the nature of this thick fog better.

Because he could smell the scent of Yin-Yang Release in the mist shrouding the forest.

Such a large-scale Yin-Yang Release technique could not be broken rashly without finding the right method.

Unlike the five elemental release techniques, Yin-Yang Release was an entirely unfamiliar domain.

Even Mizunuki Ryosuke, lacking knowledge of Yin-Yang Release at this moment, found it difficult to break the surrounding fog.

"I can roughly sense the direction Tian was summoned to."

"From now on, do not leave a three-meter radius around me."

Hearing Mizunuki Ryosuke's order, the two nodded in succession.

Amidst this deep, heavy haze, the remaining three members of the squad officially began the process of tracking Tian Yang.

Within this deep mist, the remaining three members of the squad officially began the process of tracking the whereabouts of Tian Yang and his party.

— Author's Notes —

·· Seeking flowers ·· ··