[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-this-water-shadow-is-strong-but-excessively-caut":3,"chapter-this-water-shadow-is-strong-but-excessively-caut-this-mizukage-is-strong-but-excessively-cautious-chapter-94":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","This Mizukage Is Strong, but Far Too Cautious",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":20,"prevChapterSlug":21,"totalChapters":22,"novelImage":23},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":16,"volume":17,"translator":18,"content_hash":19},2192910,3774,"Chapter 94: , An Expected Encounter","this-mizukage-is-strong-but-excessively-cautious-chapter-94",94,"\u003Cp>Meanwhile, four or five kilometers away from Mizunuki Ryosuke.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tian Yang lay on the ground, unconscious and motionless, while beside him, a hunched figure hidden beneath a black robe stood waiting.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Hiss, hiss, hiss.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A strange sound emanated from the black robe, as if it were chuckling secretly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then, a furry claw reached out from the robe, and five sharp, cold-glinting talons suddenly popped out from the pads.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"They should be here soon, too.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Need to prepare quickly, meow!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The black-robed figure then snatched the forehead protector off Tian Yang's head, threw it on the ground, and hoisted Tian Yang up, running off in one direction.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Back in the thick fog, the squad, following the direction of Ryosuke's perception, began to encounter constant trouble.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As the squad explored and advanced, hidden weapon attacks would frequently appear from the surrounding haze.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And when Mizunuki Ryosuke tracked them down, he discovered these were merely pre-arranged traps and mechanisms.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Mizunuki Ryosuke swung the ice kunai in his hand, blocking all the sharp hidden weapons flying toward them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He then casually threw the ice kunai toward the source of the projectiles.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Clang!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With a crisp sound, a device used to release the sharp weapons fell from a tree branch; clearly, this attack was also a pre-set trap.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Such arrangements, combined with the deep haze, caused the squad a great deal of trouble.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Although it didn't cause any casualties, it significantly slowed the squad's tracking speed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was obvious that the opponent had arranged this intentionally to drag out their progress.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This made Suishi Tatsuo lose all hope of rescuing Tian Yang.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Consequently, Suishi Tatsuo began to harbor thoughts of persuading Ryosuke to give up.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But before Suishi Tatsuo could speak.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Suddenly, Mizunuki Ryosuke abruptly raised a hand to signal them to stop, then made a gesture to the left and right respectively.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ryosuke's signal was instantly understood by the two.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The next second, they both dove into hiding at high speed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At the same time, Mizunuki Ryosuke himself used Earth Style to submerge into the ground.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before long, two figures arrived side-by-side in the clearing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because they were in the thick fog, Mizunuki Ryosuke, hidden in the shadows and underground, could not see their forms clearly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>However, in a scenario like this, there was naturally no talk of peaceful coexistence.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Mizunuki Ryosuke, hidden beneath the ground, quietly appeared behind the two.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Earth Style: Swamp of the Underworld!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As Mizunuki Ryosuke formed a seal with one hand and slammed it into the ground, the earth beneath the two figures suddenly turned into a deep swamp.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The powerful suction made it impossible for them to break free.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At the same time, Suishi Tatsuo and Terumi Mei, who had been hiding on both sides, attacked together.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fire Style: Great Fireball!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ice Style: Thousand Needles of Death!\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cp>Flames and ice attacked the two trapped in the Swamp of the Underworld from two directions simultaneously.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With their movement restricted and under a pincer attack, these two ninjas seemed to have fallen into a desperate situation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But soon, the two ninjas under attack displayed their formidable strength.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One of the ninjas in the fog quickly formed seals, and a massive amount of water surged up, forming a wall of high-pressure water around them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Water Style: Water Wall!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The massive water wall perfectly defended against the attacks from Terumi Mei and Suishi Tatsuo.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"BOOM!!!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Immediately following, a violent explosion accompanied by firelight came from within the water curtain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then, mud filled the sky as it was blasted upward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Clearly, the Earth Style: Swamp of the Underworld used by Mizunuki Ryosuke had been destroyed by the opponent, and they had completely broken free.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With the ambush failed, Ryosuke's squad instantly changed tactics.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Terumi Mei and Suishi Tatsuo quickly moved behind Mizunuki Ryosuke to form a defense.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>From this Water Style: Water Wall, Mizunuki Ryosuke could already see that this ninja's strength was not to be underestimated.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To be able to unleash a Water Style of such scale in a rush meant the opponent's strength was far above Terumi Mei and Suishi Tatsuo.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet for some reason, after being ambushed by Ryosuke's squad.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The opponent did not counterattack, but instead walked slowly through the fog toward the three of them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing this, Ryosuke was in no rush to attack, instead walking toward them as well.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He also wanted to see what kind of medicine they were selling in their gourd.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Once both sides were close enough, Ryosuke finally saw the opponent's face clearly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Mizunuki Ryosuke, you really are here.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A delicate, handsome face with short, pale hair reaching the ears.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The opponent was none other than Hozuki Mangetsu!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ryosuke understood why they hadn't retaliated; they must have seen the Ice Style released by Suishi Tatsuo and realized they might be \"on the same side.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That was why they stopped and chose to approach for negotiation instead.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Upon seeing Hozuki Mangetsu, Mizunuki Ryosuke did not show any surprise; it seemed seeing him here was within his expectations.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ryosuke looked beside Hozuki Mangetsu, and the other person was his teammate, one of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist, Ameyuri Ringo.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The explosion just now was the effect of the unique ninja sword, the Blastsword Shibuki, used by the opponent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Besides them, the other two Seven Ninja Swordsmen were not in their group.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Mizunuki Ryosuke guessed that they must have encountered something similar to his squad, causing their members to be separated.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At the same time, Hozuki Mangetsu's appearance verified another conjecture in Mizunuki Ryosuke's mind.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That was:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The missions for the three squads were exactly the same!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As for the \"Mizukage Assessment\" being the premise, the deep meaning behind it went without saying.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It meant that only the one who completed the mission first would be qualified to inherit the position of Mizukage!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Therefore, the two were currently competitors.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing that Mizunuki Ryosuke's squad was also missing a person, Hozuki Mangetsu narrowed his eyes and revealed an excited smile.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"How about it?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Want to exchange the intelligence we have?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Clearly, Hozuki Mangetsu had no intention of starting a war, but rather wanted to exchange intelligence with Mizunuki Ryosuke.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And this was the tacit understanding between Hozuki Mangetsu and Mizunuki Ryosuke.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The mission had just begun; if the two sides fought now, it would clearly only benefit Mizunuki Eiro.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Sure.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To this, Mizunuki Ryosuke agreed with a smile.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"What is the content of your mission?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hozuki Mangetsu asked directly, without any unnecessary probing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Both sides were smart people; the moment he saw Ryosuke's squad, Hozuki Mangetsu knew what was going on, and this question was just to add an extra layer of insurance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Mizukage Secret Scroll.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Mizunuki Ryosuke didn't hide anything and revealed the mission content directly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Same here.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hozuki Mangetsu responded with a light laugh, not hiding his own mission either.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In that instant, both seemed to understand something.\u003C\u002Fp>",1148,"2026-06-17T04:30:30.011Z","2026-06-17T05:05:37.377Z",1,"Gemini 3.1 Flash Lite","cf12d108bd594fedbdd63a732c009ebb5be2edf80725f257ed82c2a6288c5ba6","this-mizukage-is-strong-but-excessively-cautious-chapter-95","this-mizukage-is-strong-but-excessively-cautious-chapter-93",533,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthis-mizukage-is-strong-but-excessively-cautious-cover.jpg"]