Chapter 74: The Future Mizukage, Terumi Mei (Part 3)
In the dark of the night, a small figure suddenly appeared. She was wearing a gray uniform jacket and a cat mask, revealing only a pair of emerald green eyes. Her reddish-brown hair swayed in the wind. She was short, about 1.2 meters tall, a young girl.
"It's human blood. Looks like we're on the right track." She looked around and quickly found blood on a leaf, which she pinched with her fingers.
"Terumi Mei, what's the situation?" two figures landed behind her. They wore the same clothes and masks, but they were adults, much taller than her.
"Senior Cod, please refer to me by my codename during the mission," Terumi Mei said with a serious tone.
"Ah, what an unlovable junior," Cod shook his head, laughing.
"Let's go," Terumi Mei glanced at him. "Let's catch him early."
"Don't worry, he can't escape," Scallop, the other figure, said.
"That's right, he's just a mere chunin," Cod agreed, nodding. He then suggested, "We've been chasing him all day, let's rest for a night and continue tomorrow."
"This is the first mission Elder Genma gave me. I can't afford to fail," Terumi Mei said, leaping away and disappearing into the night.
"Let's go," Cod reluctantly followed her. Scallop followed closely behind.
Hanekawa lay beside Tsunade. In the darkness, he could hear the sound of insects and birds outside the tent, as well as her breathing.
"How does it feel to be on your first mission away from the village?" Tsunade turned her head to face him, asking.
"It's pretty good," Hanekawa paused. "Especially you, Sensei. This is the first time I've seen you this serious."
"What are you talking about? Was I not serious before?" Tsunade couldn't help but raise her hand and tap his head.
"What do you think?" Hanekawa asked back.
"I was serious too," Tsunade said, feeling a little guilty, but thankfully, it was too dark to see. Hanekawa was speechless. He thought his skin was thick enough, but he had met his match.
"Tomorrow we will enter the Land of Water, so you must be very careful," Tsunade changed the subject. "Do you know what the Village Hidden in the Mist is also called?"
"What?" Hanekawa asked, following her lead.
"It's the Village of the Bloody Mist," Tsunade said in a deep voice. "The Village Hidden in the Mist has always enforced a brutal, high-pressure policy, especially when it comes to the extermination of Kekkei Genkai users."
In his previous life, Hanekawa had thought the Bloody Mist Village was due to the Fourth Mizukage, Yagura Karatachi, being controlled by Obito Uchiha, but that wasn't the case. This policy had been in place since the Third Mizukage's time. Obito had just let it get worse.
"Just recently, something big happened in the Village Hidden in the Mist," Tsunade continued. "A student named Momochi Zabuza, during his graduation, killed all of his classmates." Hanekawa's heart stirred. Momochi Zabuza, in the original story, was one of the Second Generation Seven Ninja Swordsmen. After his failed assassination attempt on the Fourth Mizukage, Yagura Karatachi, he became a rogue ninja. He later worked for a wealthy merchant named Gato, where he met Team 7 led by Hatake Kakashi and died at their hands. He also had a young follower named Haku, who liked to cross-dress and was a master of Ice Style.
"In the Village Hidden in the Mist, such killings happen often," Tsunade said, reaching out and patting his head. "You must be extremely cautious."
"Yes, Sensei," Hanekawa nodded.
"Let's go to sleep. We have to wake up early tomorrow," Tsunade pulled her hand back and closed her eyes. Soon, a steady breathing sound came from her.
A new day.
The warm sunlight filtered through the leaves, falling on the tent. Hanekawa opened his eyes. The first thing he saw was the fluctuating outline of Tsunade's body, rising and falling with her breathing. He realized that they had unconsciously snuggled up together during the night.
"Sensei," Hanekawa opened his sleeping bag and sat up.
"Was there any trouble last night?" Tsunade quickly woke up. Although she was a lazy sleeper on a normal day, she was a qualified ninja during a mission.
"The traps I set weren't triggered," Hanekawa said, looking out of the tent.
"That's good," Tsunade yawned.
She packed her sleeping bag and walked out of the tent, stretching.
"Take out the map," Tsunade said casually while eating a rice ball.
Hanekawa opened the map with both hands and placed it in front of her.
"This is our meeting point," Tsunade said, pointing to a spot on the map. "You remember the route, don't forget it. You will be the one to meet him."
"And you?" Hanekawa asked, stunned.
"I'll be watching you from behind," Tsunade said calmly. "I'll only step in if you encounter an enemy you can't defeat."
"I understand!" Hanekawa's heart tightened, feeling the pressure. Although he had a cheat and his strength was good, this was his first real fight with an enemy.
"Here you go," Tsunade took out a Konoha forehead protector. "He will only trust you if you're wearing this."
"Okay," Hanekawa was about to take the forehead protector when he saw Tsunade walk behind him.
"Be careful," Tsunade's expression was complicated as she tied the forehead protector on his head. The last ninja she had tied a forehead protector on was Nawaki.
"I will," Hanekawa nodded slightly.
After breakfast, the two of them packed up the tent and took a boat to the Land of Water. After they got off the boat, Tsunade said a quick farewell and disappeared. Hanekawa took a deep breath and activated his 8x zoom. He hadn't learned perception jutsu, so the scope came in handy. Hanekawa found his bearings and walked toward the meeting point.
Soon, he reached his destination. A small grove. The meeting location was the northernmost tree. The Konoha intelligence agent, who had escaped from the Village Hidden in the Mist, would be hiding on that tree. Hanekawa didn't show himself right away; he stood at a distance, observing with his 8x zoom. He watched for a while and couldn't help but frown. There was no one on the tree. Could something have gone wrong? Hanekawa thought for a moment, deciding not to move, and continued to wait.
After some time, he suddenly turned his head. He heard heavy footsteps. In his 8x zoom view, a young man appeared. He was covered in injuries and looked extremely disheveled. Behind him, a small figure was following.
"A Village Hidden in the Mist Anbu?" Hanekawa instinctively gripped the samurai sword at his waist. The young man was a Konoha intelligence agent. If he died, the mission would be a failure. He had to save him.
However, this Village Hidden in the Mist Anbu seemed a bit strange. She's so young to be an Anbu? She was undoubtedly a genius. So, who is protecting her?
Hanekawa let go of his sword and made hand seals. Clone Jutsu! Another Hanekawa appeared next to him. Hanekawa stared at the Anbu. When she got close to the young man, he suddenly threw four kunai. After throwing them, he didn't look back at the result and immediately ran.
"Who's there?" Terumi Mei heard the whistling sound. She quickly retreated. The four kunai landed on the ground.
"Watch out!" Cod's voice rang out. Terumi Mei steadied herself and saw that among the four kunai, one of them had an explosive tag attached.
Boom!
The explosive tag detonated.
"Did it work?" Hanekawa took a look with his 8x zoom and then shook his head. A wall of water had appeared in front of Terumi Mei, blocking the explosive tag. But it wasn't completely ineffective. Cod had saved Terumi Mei.
Scallop followed the direction of the kunai and found the clone Hanekawa had left behind. The clone jutsu clone had no other effects, but Hanekawa had already figured out how many of them there were.
....
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