The two sides had already obtained the confirmation information they needed. Some things did not need to be spoken aloud—Mizuki Ryosuke and Hōzuki Mangetsu understood each other well enough.
"By the way, your team members are a little weaker." Mangetsu's voice was calm, but his words carried an edge of sincerity.
"If losing a member drops your strength to this level, I'd advise against wasting time searching."
"Prioritize your mission instead," he continued, his tone devoid of mockery—just a blunt assessment. "I don't want you to get delayed here and then lose to me later."
Hōzuki Mangetsu spoke with genuine eyes, his sharp yet youthful features reflecting his natural confidence. Mizuki Ryosuke could hear the honest advice in his words.
However, Ryosuke had his own thoughts on the matter.
"No problem." He merely shook his head slightly.
Mangetsu let out a short laugh. "Hahaha! Alright, Mizuki Ryosuke. Looking forward to seeing you on the mountain."
With that, Mangetsu and Jinin Akebino did not linger. The two continued moving toward the mountain's base without hesitation.
Mangetsu had not mentioned the circumstances behind his team's separation. However, it was clear that he had no concern about regrouping with them.
The reason was simple: Mangetsu had absolute faith in his remaining teammates.
As the heir to the Hōzuki Clan and the prodigy capable of wielding all seven swords, he knew the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist were not so easily eliminated. Regardless of what caused their separation, he was confident they could handle themselves.
On the other hand, Mizuki Ryosuke was faced with a more urgent concern—if they didn't locate Takeda Yoichi, a mere Chūnin, soon, the danger he faced would only grow.
His team risked suffering an irreplaceable loss.
As Mangetsu departed, Terumi Mei clenched her fists in frustration.
Once again, she felt as though she was a burden to Ryosuke.
Mangetsu had seven elite swordsmen supporting him, while she and Mizuki Mitsuhiko were still far from that level. At this moment, the thirst for strength took root in Terumi Mei's heart.
Not dwelling on her thoughts, Ryosuke's team pressed forward, continuing their search for Takeda Yoichi in the dense, misty forest.
Finally, Mizuki Mitsuhiko, who had remained silent until now, could no longer hold back. He had gradually realized that this mission was about far more than just a standard operation—it was a test to determine whether Ryosuke was worthy of becoming Mizukage.
After weighing his words, Mitsuhiko spoke up.
"Master, maybe Hōzuki Mangetsu was right," he said hesitantly. "We shouldn't waste our time here."
"It's been so long… Takeda might…" He trailed off, reluctant to voice the worst possibility.
"If we keep searching for Takeda, other teams may complete the mission before us," Mitsuhiko continued. "And this is about you, Master—"
Before he could finish, Ryosuke abruptly raised a hand to silence him.
"Mitsuhiko, you've apprenticed under me," Ryosuke said, his voice firm. "But I don't believe I've truly taught you anything yet."
"Today, I'll teach you the first rule."
Although his words were directed at Mitsuhiko, his gaze also landed on Terumi Mei.
"Mitsuhiko," Ryosuke asked in a serious tone, "tell me—what does the first rule of the Ninja Code say?"
Mitsuhiko clenched his jaw. "Ninjas who can't complete their missions are trash."
Ryosuke nodded. "That's correct."
"But the rule I teach you today is this—"
"A ninja who cannot protect their comrades is worse than trash."
"Understand?" His voice was sharp, and for the first time, there was a note of reprimand in his tone.
Mitsuhiko's expression flickered with struggle, but after a moment, he lowered his head and answered, "…Yes, Master."
To Mitsuhiko, Mizuki Ryosuke's words might have seemed rigid and uncompromising.
But to Terumi Mei, they carried a completely different weight.
In an era where ninjas were treated as mere tools of war, how many truly saw their comrades as human beings?
Tragedies like the downfall of Konoha's White Fang had been born from this brutal ideology—where success in missions was placed above the lives of one's own team.
The ninja code justified abandoning comrades in the name of efficiency. For someone like Terumi Mei, a civilian-born shinobi with no prestigious lineage, this was an undeniable reality.
Had she been in another squad, would she have been discarded without hesitation?
Hearing Ryosuke's words, her breathing suddenly became uneven.
At that moment, as she looked at Mizuki Ryosuke—his sharp eyes, his composed expression—her heartbeat quickened for reasons she couldn't explain.
She quickly suppressed the strange feeling and sighed inwardly.
Having a captain like Mizuki Ryosuke was a privilege.
Meanwhile, in Kirigakure's Jōnin council chamber, where the mission was being observed live, Ryosuke's words reverberated through the room.
From the moment the two squads met, to Mangetsu's words of advice, and now to Ryosuke's declaration—everything had been seen and heard by the assembled Jōnin.
Many of them exchanged glances, their expressions subtly shifting.
"A ninja who cannot protect their comrades is worse than trash."
How many of them could confidently say such words in today's Mist?
Maeda Yuanshi, one of the elder Jōnin, studied Ryosuke's image in the water mirror. His lips curled into a faint smile.
For the first time in years, something like hope flickered in his eyes.
Ryosuke's team pressed forward, tracking Takeda Yoichi's trail.
At last, they found a Mist forehead protector lying abandoned on the forest ground.
Upon closer inspection, the back of the protector was engraved with the name Takeda Yoichi.
That meant Takeda had been here.
But the fact that his forehead protector had been discarded suggested he had lost the ability to continue fighting.
A glint of determination flashed in Mizuki Ryosuke's eyes.
They were on the right track.
Terumi Mei, searching nearby, made another discovery.
On a patch of soft earth, she found faint, scattered footprints leading away from the site.
Judging from the tracks, Takeda Yoichi had been taken in that direction.
Without wasting another moment, the three followed the trail.
This time, they encountered no further traps.
Moving swiftly, they emerged from the forest into the middle of a deep canyon.
As they stepped out, the mist cleared slightly, granting them improved visibility.
Not long after, their pursuit led them to a sheer rock wall at the canyon's edge.
And there—at the base of the cliff—was a bottomless, gaping cave.
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