It was the third day after the "Valley Encounter."
The Land of Water, Kirigakure.
Inside the Mizukage's office, located within a building whose layout closely resembled the Hokage Building—
Bang!
The heavy solid-wood desk shook violently.
The Third Mizukage, Suien, glared at the battle report that Anbu had just delivered. Its handwriting was somewhat hurried and untidy. Anger filled his face, and his knuckles had turned white from how tightly he clenched his fists.
Across from him,
the white-haired, white-bearded Elder Genji was startled by the sudden noise. He instinctively raised his head and looked toward the Mizukage, who seemed to be on the verge of erupting.
"Lord Mizukage, what has made you so angry?"
"…Read it yourself. Fuguki and those men are nothing but useless trash!"
Suien opened his mouth, then abruptly hurled the intelligence scroll onto the low table before Genji.
The elder picked it up and read several lines. Shock immediately appeared on his face.
"This…"
"The advance force encountered an ambush by an elite Konoha squad and suffered severe losses. Jūzō Biwa was captured, while Kaguya Ryūga and Hōzuki Mutsuki were killed… How could this have happened?"
In this battle report, Fuguki Suikazan had somewhat embellished his own mistakes in judgment and shifted the blame onto the already deceased Kaguya Ryūga and Hōzuki Mutsuki.
However, he had still described the general course of the battle truthfully, especially the parts involving Mikami Yuu.
"…Konoha truly is overflowing with talented people."
"I thought the 'White Fang of Konoha' was already impressive enough. Whose disciple is this 'White Reaper'? He's somehow even fiercer! Relying only on swordsmanship and an explosive secret technique, he defeated three Kirigakure jōnin by himself. Truly… tsk."
Genji sighed in admiration while reading the report.
Beside him,
Suien sneered.
"Impressive? Hmph. How impressive could some wet-behind-the-ears Konoha brat possibly be? In my opinion, those fools led by Fuguki commanded poorly and recklessly chased after glory, which caused such a miserable defeat!
"And now they're deliberately exaggerating the enemy's strength to conceal their own incompetence! Useless!"
"…"
Genji fell silent for a moment.
That possibility did exist.
However…
even if poor decision-making had played a role, there was no questioning the strength of Fuguki Suikazan and the other three.
They were all core members of Kirigakure's younger generation and had been entrusted with great expectations by their respective clans.
Their deaths could not simply be dismissed with the words "command error."
Considering that the "White Reaper's" fearsome reputation had also spread from the Sunagakure battlefield not long ago, this Mikami Yuu was probably genuinely extraordinary.
"Lord Mizukage,"
Genji slowly began, his voice carrying a trace of caution, "regardless of the cause, it is a fact that the advance force's main strength has been crippled, and that Jūzō Biwa and the others were either killed or captured.
"How should we respond now? Should we send additional reinforcements to eliminate this group of Konoha ninja?"
The answer was obviously yes.
After all, Kirigakure had invested tremendous effort and manpower into this operation. They had even held private meetings with the clan heads of the Hōzuki, Kaguya, Terumī, and other clans.
They could not simply send a few people to their deaths and declare the operation over.
Doing so would only make the Mizukage appear incompetent and humiliate the nation.
However, the exact method of proceeding required careful consideration.
"Genji, later, make two copies of this battle report and deliver them to the Kaguya and Hōzuki clans."
Suien slowly continued,
"Since their clansmen were killed by Mikami Yuu, they should naturally take the lead in seeking revenge.
"Especially those lunatics from the Kaguya clan, whose heads contain nothing but bones… Sending them onto the battlefield will also stop them from causing trouble inside the village."
"…"
Genji's heart sank slightly.
This was a classic strategy of driving tigers and wolves against each other—killing with a borrowed blade.
By exploiting the rage and desire for revenge of the kekkei genkai clans, Suien could use them to wear down Konoha's forces while further weakening the deeply entrenched clans within Kirigakure.
It was cold and ruthless, but it perfectly matched Suien's usual style since becoming Mizukage.
"Additionally…"
Suien's fingers gently tapped against the desk, producing soft knocking sounds.
"That Mikami Yuu may not be as powerful as Fuguki claims, but he should indeed possess some talent.
"Since he has been jumping around so enthusiastically and has killed Kirigakure's people… then let him become a whetstone for the Ninja Swords."
As he spoke, Suien raised his head and looked toward an Anbu standing in the shadows.
"Go. Summon Ringo Ameyuri and Kushimaru Kuriarare.
"Tell them the time has come for the Seven Ninja Swordsmen to contribute."
…
Behind the Shakuka Town stronghold, on a temporarily cleared training field,
the air was repeatedly torn apart by dull impacts.
Rin let out a sharp cry. Her petite figure suddenly rushed toward Yuu.
As he stepped sideways to evade her, she threw a punch.
Her fair fist carried a piercing sound as it smashed heavily into the thick wooden post being used as a target, instantly creating a spiderweb of cracks across its surface!
Bang—!!
Wood fragments scattered like rain.
After failing to land her first attack, Rin panted softly. Fine beads of sweat appeared along her forehead, but an excited blush colored her face.
Recently, she had worked extremely hard on practicing Super Strength, and her mastery of the technique was steadily improving.
When she used it now, she was clearly much stronger than she had been some time ago.
At the edge of the field,
Kurenai sat on a flat rock with her chin resting in both hands, watching without blinking.
She was wearing the same sleeveless white training outfit. Her long legs appeared almost dazzlingly fair beneath the sunlight.
Whenever Yuu moved, her gaze remained firmly fixed on the boy, an unconscious smile lingering at the corners of her lips.
"…Alright. That's enough for today."
Seeing that Rin had nearly exhausted her chakra, Yuu brushed away dust that did not exist on his clothes and walked toward the edge of the field.
Almost simultaneously,
Kurenai sprang up from the rock like an agile rabbit. She darted over to Yuu in several steps, took out a clean handkerchief, and stood on tiptoe to wipe the sweat from his forehead.
"Yuu, you worked hard during training! Let me wipe your sweat for you."
"Uh…"
Yuu froze slightly.
Before he could respond, another gentle but somewhat hurried voice came from beside him.
"Yuu, you must be thirsty. Here, drink some water!"
Rin had already unscrewed the cap of her water bottle and held it beside Yuu's lips, looking as though she intended to feed him personally.
When Yuu glanced at her from the corner of his eye, he noticed that the girl's cheeks were slightly red.
She appeared somewhat embarrassed, but she continued holding the bottle there.
Alright.
Over the past few days, because they had frequently acted together, these secretly competitive scenes of "fighting over him" had become increasingly common.
Yuu looked at the two girls before him—one holding up a handkerchief and the other presenting a water bottle—and felt slightly amused.
"Thank you, Rin, Kurenai. I can do it myself. You don't need to be so polite."
As Yuu spoke, he accepted the handkerchief from Kurenai and took the bottle Rin offered him. He tilted his head back and drank several mouthfuls of cool water.
While he was drinking,
Kurenai and Rin exchanged glances. Faint sparks seemed to flash between their eyes.
Then Rin's lips curved upward slightly in an expression of victory.
After all, Yuu had indeed drunk her water, but he had not used Kurenai's handkerchief to wipe his sweat.
That counted as one victory.
One could only say it was fortunate that Obito and Asuma were both out patrolling. Otherwise, if they had witnessed this scene, they probably would have jumped around in fury together.
Gulp—gulp—
A moment later,
Yuu lowered the bottle, released a long breath, and gazed into the distance.
Several days had passed since the ambush in the valley.
During this time, Kirigakure appeared to have been frightened by its defeat. Its ninja no longer dared show themselves casually.
The border had become unusually peaceful. Even the small-scale reconnaissance and harassment operations had disappeared.
Yuu had sent Uchiha Fugaku and a squad of elite clansmen closer to the coastline near the Land of Waves, where they closely monitored movements coming from the Land of Water to guard against large-scale reinforcements.
The others took turns sending two squads outside to patrol each day.
Those who remained stayed inside the stronghold to train, rest, and preserve their strength.
Their days were peaceful and relaxed.
During this period, Yuu finally had enough free time to study his newly obtained ability, the Hydrification Technique.
According to his tests, the technique was indeed a useful supplementary ability.
It allowed his body to enter a fluid state and pass through certain barriers with small gaps, which felt extremely strange.
However, the Hydrification Technique's weakness was far too obvious. Lightning Release completely countered it, and functionally, it was closer to an inferior substitute for the Substitution Technique.
It could be used occasionally, but he could not depend on it too heavily.
Perhaps he could design several tactics that made use of the Hydrification Technique.
After resting for a while,
Kurenai raised her head and suggested softly,
"Um, Yuu, Rin, staying inside the stronghold is rather boring. I heard there's a lively little market near Shakuka Town.
"Do you want to go and have a look together? We could buy some fruit and snacks."
"A market?"
Rin also appeared somewhat interested.
When they had been inside the village, she had never thought much about such things.
But now, beneath the shadow of war, the ordinary atmosphere of civilian life always seemed especially appealing.
Yuu considered it.
The patrol squads had only recently departed, and Honekawa Koo was stationed at the stronghold, so there should not be any immediate problems.
He could also use the opportunity to gather some information from the market.
Thus, he nodded.
"Alright."
"That's great!"
Kurenai happily clapped her hands. She immediately turned and ran toward her temporary residence.
"I'll go change my clothes! I'll be ready soon!"
"…"
Rin also wanted to leave, but after taking one step, she paused.
"Yuu, are we really going? Could visiting the market at a time like this be dangerous?"
"Don't worry. It's only a nearby town. We won't go far.
"Kirigakure just suffered a major defeat, so they probably won't cause trouble in the short term.
"And even if something unexpected does happen… I'll be there."
Yuu gave her a gentle smile.
Seeing his calm expression, the small trace of worry in Rin's heart disappeared. She nodded softly.
"Mm. Then I'll change my clothes too."
Before long,
Rin and Kurenai each returned wearing casual clothes suitable for movement and regrouped with Yuu.
The three did not alert many people. After informing Honekawa Koo, they left the stronghold and followed a forest path toward the lively town filled with the atmosphere of everyday life.
They laughed and chatted along the way.
Strictly speaking, this region was already part of the Land of Waves.
As a small nation caught between the Lands of Fire and Water—and located closer to the Land of Fire—it could essentially be regarded as a subordinate nation of the Land of Fire.
The country had no ninja village of its own. Whenever its people needed to commission missions, they usually traveled to Konoha.
Kirigakure also accepted commissions.
However, first, there was still a considerable distance between the Lands of Water and Waves, requiring travel across the sea.
Second, the Village of the Bloody Mist had a notorious reputation. More than half the ninja in the village seemed to suffer from some form of mental instability and might draw their swords over the smallest disagreement.
As a result, the people of the Land of Waves were rather afraid of them.
Therefore, the commissions received by Kirigakure mostly came from within the Land of Water. They rarely obtained missions from foreign nations.
Returning to the matter at hand,
Yuu and the two girls soon arrived at the nearby town.
Although its market was not as prosperous as Konoha's, its coastal location gave it a unique energy and a salty, fishy scent.
There were neither too many nor too few people on the streets, creating a lively scene filled with moving crowds.
"Yuu, look at that!"
Kurenai looked as though she had discovered an entirely new continent and pointed toward one of the stalls.
A short, chubby vendor was skillfully pouring syrup onto a scorching stone slab and creating images of different sea creatures—
octopuses, starfish, dolphins…
Each one looked vivid, lifelike, and translucent.
"They look delicious… Three, please!"
Afterward,
Rin discovered a stall selling seashells.
Colorful sand and shells had been placed inside rows of transparent glass bottles.
Once seawater was poured inside and the bottles were gently shaken, they displayed a dreamlike "miniature ocean," making them extremely eye-catching.
It had to be said that, at this time, the economic conditions in this particular town within the Land of Waves appeared fairly good.
All kinds of unique stalls could be seen everywhere.
Yuu rested both hands behind his head and followed the two girls.
He watched as they excitedly moved between the different stalls, tried several games such as throwing darts, then bought a pile of snacks like grilled squid tentacles and brought them over to share with him.
"Kurenai, if you buy that much, you'll have to carry it all yourself on the way back."
Yuu looked at the large pile of items in Kurenai's arms.
"No problem! These are all unique souvenirs. Once we leave, they might be difficult to buy anywhere else."
Even as Kurenai spoke, her bright eyes continued sweeping across the surroundings in search of her next target.
At that moment, a burst of shouting and pushing came from farther down the street.
The crowd hurriedly retreated toward both sides as though an invisible blade had split it apart.
A group of tall, muscular men wearing identical, neatly pressed black suits and sunglasses surrounded a short man as they approached.
The man appeared to be in his thirties. His hair was combed back and gleamed with oil, while his expression was filled with arrogance.
"Move! Get out of the way! Don't block the road!"
The men in black behaved roughly, shoving aside anyone in their path with their arms while shouting at them without restraint.
Yuu casually pulled Kurenai toward him to prevent those men from pushing her.
However, his gaze had already settled upon them, and he frowned slightly.
For some reason, he felt that these people looked rather familiar.