Over the next few days, Ruichi demonstrated to Akane what it truly meant to "slack off completely and thoroughly."
If he was sent out to scout alone, he would definitely get lost—wandering in circles within a one-kilometer radius of the starting point—before finally returning with a crestfallen look.
"Reporting to the captain, the area is safe."
When ordered to set traps, he dug a pit so shallow it couldn't even catch a wild boar, and the tripwire was tied like a decorative bow—one gust of wind and it would fall apart.
As for providing shuriken support? A textbook case of an "outline master"—
"I aimed really hard, but somehow… I just missed."
Kazan was on the verge of losing his mind.
Whether scolded or encouraged, Ruichi always listened with extreme seriousness, nodding vigorously, eyes sparkling with admiration.
"The captain is absolutely right! That makes perfect sense! I'll definitely change! I'll work even harder tomorrow!"
And then the next day… nothing changed at all.
This attitude of "humbly accepting everything while resolutely refusing to improve"—and doing so flawlessly—left Akane, someone with a strong desire for control, feeling utterly powerless.
It was like punching cotton. Not only did it fail to hurt the target, it nearly strained the puncher's back.
As for punishment? She tried once—assigning Ruichi additional work.
He didn't report completion until after dinner.
That evening, the entire garrison ate nothing but military rations and cold water. There was no hot water for bathing either.
—Ever since Ruichi joined patrol duty, logistics had only been responsible for those two comforts, which were also the last remaining pleasures at the base.
That very night, Kazan was stuffed into a sack and dragged out of camp by an unknown group, where he received a thorough beating.
He staggered back the next morning, greeted by the crowd's mock concern—and an order from Katsu to immediately begin the day's patrol.
"Ruichi! Fall to the back of the formation! As long as you don't lag behind, do whatever you want!"
After several conversations with Katsu, Kazan finally gave up.
"Heh. Trying to drag me into this? Back in my previous life, when I was grinding away in corporate hell, you were probably still playing in the mud."
---
Patrol Mission
Although there was no longer any need to pretend to work hard, patrol duty still had to be carried out.
That afternoon, the squad entered a wetland near a river.
A strange odor hung in the air.
Akane, walking at the front, frowned. As someone eager to make achievements, she was especially sensitive to abnormalities.
"Stay alert. Something's wrong here."
Ruichi trailed behind the group, lazily poking the bushes with a tree branch.
Suddenly, he stopped.
In the shadow of a rock lay an inconspicuous gray-white stain.
Powder residue—left behind after rock had been corroded by strong acid.
More importantly, the corrosion pattern wasn't natural. It looked splashed, as if liquid had been spilled.
Ruichi narrowed his eyes.
Is this… Lava Release?
In the ninja world, several people could use Lava Release—but on the eastern border facing Kirigakure, there was only one.
Mei Terumi.
Her father had married a woman from the Land of Earth who carried a hidden Lava Release bloodline—one that awakened in Mei.
On top of that, the Terumi clan's Boil Release made her the only known dual bloodline-limit user in the ninja world.
Seriously… sending someone like her to this godforsaken border?
The image of a smiling woman with long reddish-brown curls flashed through Ruichi's mind.
Judging by the timeline, she should be in her early twenties now—still struggling inside the Bloody Mist of Kirigakure.
"When I left, the Terumi clan didn't have much status. Boil Release isn't exactly practical in war… With the Bloody Mist policy restarted, they probably haven't had it easy."
Ruichi sighed and quietly kicked the powder into the soil, burying it.
He chose not to report it immediately.
If Kazan learned they'd found traces of Lava Release, that lunatic would definitely treat it as S-rank intelligence and charge straight into a suicide mission.
I'll tell Katsu after we return. Just say I found unidentified acid-corroded marks.
But fate clearly had other plans.
The already gloomy sky suddenly filled with dense white fog.
It came fast—extremely fast.
In mere seconds, visibility dropped from dozens of meters to absolute zero.
"Stop! Defensive formation!"
Kazan's furious roar echoed through the mist.
"That's the Hidden Mist Technique! An ambush! Back to back—prepare for combat!"
"Fight my ass!"
Ruichi pulled out a signal flare and turned to run.
"Everyone scatter! Break through! Bring the intelligence back to camp!"
"That's disobeying orders on the battlefield!"
"Idiot! Whoever released this fog is at least a Jonin! If you want to stand here and die, don't drag me with you!"
The other three finally realized the situation.
Against a Kirigakure Jonin-led squad, two Chunin and two Genin stood no chance.
"Damn it, I don't want to die here!"
"We're retreating to survive and deliver intel—not running away!"
The flare ignited like a starting gun.
The four chose directions and sprinted at full speed—
—And instantly drew the attention of the Hidden Mist, like a flame in darkness.
"Water Release: Water Pillar!**"
A massive column of water shot skyward.
Ruichi halted abruptly to avoid being launched into the air, but his speed dropped sharply.
Damn it—what comes next?
His body reacted before his thoughts caught up.
"Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet!"
"Earth Release: Earth Flow Wall!**"
The water pillar twisted into a roaring dragon.
An earthen wall rose to meet it.
Boom!
The dragon exploded into torrents of water; the wall shattered into mud and debris.
"Impressive. I didn't expect such an interesting kid among Konoha's brats."
A woman's voice echoed through the fog—soft, alluring, yet chilling.
"I'll handle this one. You all go after the others."
Ruichi sensed the surrounding auras fade. He couldn't stop them.
All his focus locked onto the single, overwhelming presence before him.
"Alright, little brother~ now it's just the two of us. Big sister will take good care of you."
Swallowing a soldier pill, Ruichi quickly formed seals.
"Wind Release: Gentle Breeze."
A rotating current of wind spread outward, dispersing the mist in a wide radius.
"Oh my~ so eager to see your big sister? I don't dislike impatient boys."
A graceful figure emerged from the thinning fog.
Long reddish-brown curls draped over her shoulders.
Emerald green eyes gleamed dangerously.
A blue strapless dress outlined her breathtaking curves.
The person Kirigakure knew best during those blood-soaked years.
The one Ruichi least wanted to meet at this post.
A Jonin of the Hidden Mist—
The future Fifth Mizukage.
Mei Terumi.
"Come on, little brother," she smiled.
"Let big sister give you a melting kiss."