After Mizuki Ryosuke announced the mission details, even Mizuki Mitsuhiko, typically the most impulsive, fell silent, his expression growing serious.
The Mizukage Secret Scroll—just hearing the name evoked a sense of awe. A relic of the First Mizukage's era, rumored to contain a compendium of Kirigakure's most forbidden techniques, it was a prize that could shift the balance of power in the village. How such a treasure ended up lost was unclear, but one thing was certain: it would not be unguarded.
The very nature of the mission suggested layers of secrecy, misdirection, and mortal peril. Terumi Mei and the others instinctively envisioned a high-risk operation involving infiltration, intelligence gathering, and perhaps even assassination. The mission's scope demanded absolute focus. They all understood that failure could mean death.
Still, a shinobi's duty was to complete the mission, no matter the obstacles. If retrieving the scroll was their task, they would see it through.
The March
As they pressed forward, the team experienced the grueling conditions expected of a high-intensity shinobi march. In extreme situations, seasoned ninja could survive on as little as three hours of sleep per day, pushing their bodies beyond human limits. With chakra-enhanced speed, they covered vast distances in a fraction of the time it would take normal travelers.
After an exhaustive trek, Mizuki Ryosuke's squad arrived first at the designated location. The terrain had shifted dramatically; human settlements were long behind them, replaced by an untouched wilderness rarely documented on maps of the Land of Water.
A Forbidden Territory
In the shinobi world, humans were not the sole rulers of the land. Remote regions—deep within mountain ranges, shadowy swamps, and mist-laden valleys—harbored beings just as formidable. Some creatures rivaled the size of tailed beasts, with intellects to match.
Many of these monstrous entities formed bonds with select shinobi clans, leading to the creation of Summoning Contracts. These pacts, passed down through bloodlines, allowed their holders to summon powerful allies to the battlefield. Such creatures included the colossal snakes of Ryūchi Cave, the amphibious warriors of Mount Myōboku, and the legendary Katsuyu of Shikkotsu Forest.
The valley before them was one such unexplored frontier.
From a high vantage point, the team surveyed the land. The valley seemed as if it had been cleaved in half by a titanic blade, its depths shrouded in emerald mist. At the farthest end, an imposing mountain loomed, its snow-capped peak piercing the heavens.
This was their destination.
The mission scroll had marked the peak as the hiding place of the Mizukage Secret Scroll, but reaching it would require passing through the valley—an unknown territory brimming with potential dangers.
Preparations
Ryosuke called for a short rest at the canyon's edge. His team had marched relentlessly, and though they were disciplined, fatigue was inevitable. A brief respite would ensure they were prepared for whatever lay ahead.
At the same time, the other two squads—led by Hōzuki Mangetsu and Mizuki Hidero—approached the valley from different directions. They, too, halted at its boundary, taking the same precaution.
Yet even as his team rested, Mizuki Ryosuke remained vigilant. He split off a few Water Clones (Mizu Bunshin no Jutsu) and sent them scouting ahead.
Then, he turned inward.
The Sealed Beast
Within his subconscious, Ryosuke entered his mental space—the sealed chamber where he had imprisoned Isobu, the Three-Tails.
The moment he appeared, a deep, resonant voice boomed.
"Human, I was wrong! Let me go!"
Isobu, the once-mighty tailed beast, remained sprawled in the same undignified position—flattened on its shell, its massive limbs and tails pinned beneath colossal ice stakes. Nineteen enormous ice wedges, crafted from Mizuki Ryosuke's unique Water Release technique, still anchored the Three-Tails in place.
For a being of Isobu's stature—one of the Bijū, feared and revered across the shinobi world—this humiliation was unbearable. If the other tailed beasts ever learned of this, it would be a disgrace beyond words.
Desperate, Isobu abandoned its pride. It no longer cared for posturing.
"Please, release me!"
A slow smile spread across Mizuki Ryosuke's face. He had deliberately left Isobu in this state for days, knowing that prolonged confinement would erode its resistance.
He had been right.
With a casual wave of his hand, the massive ice stakes vanished, dissipating into mist.
Freed from its restraints, Isobu wasted no time in flipping over, its heavy shell thudding against the mental space's floor. The instant it was upright, it glared at Ryosuke with its deep crimson eyes, chakra flaring.
For days, it had stewed in humiliation, plotting its vengeance.
And now—
Now it would enact its revenge!
A plan had formed in its mind, one that no amount of strength could counter.
It would not fight.
Instead, it would retreat into its shell, refusing to acknowledge the human in front of it.
Before Ryosuke could react, Isobu pulled in its limbs, head, and tails in one swift motion—sealing itself away within its impenetrable carapace.
A tailed beast of unimaginable power, reduced to a sulking turtle.
Mizuki Ryosuke's smile deepened.
"You think that'll work?"
His eyes gleamed with amusement as he stepped forward, chakra coiling around him.
The battle of wills had only just begun.
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