To confirm whether what they were witnessing was reality or a dream, a Jōnin from Kirigakure unceremoniously stretched out his hand and slapped his companion's face.
Slap!
The crisp sound echoed through the hall, immediately snapping the Mist Shinobi Jōnin back to his senses. But at the same time, the Jōnin who was slapped furiously turned his head.
"What the hell are you doing?!"
The slapped Jōnin roared in anger, rubbing his cheek. But his companion, still in a daze, muttered blankly,
"Tell me… is this real?"
His words reflected the thoughts of everyone in the room. The entire hall was filled with disbelief, as if they were collectively experiencing an illusion.
One of the fundamental truths of the shinobi world was that high-quality Summoning beasts were exceptionally rare.
Throughout history, the concept of Summoning beasts had evolved into something akin to a precious commodity. Very few shinobi—especially Jōnin—had the privilege of forming contracts with powerful Summoning creatures.
Who wouldn't want to have a formidable Summoning beast at their side?
Since the three teams entered the Land of Cats, all the Jōnin had witnessed firsthand the strength of the ninja cats.
While the ninja cats did not seem to wield traditional elemental ninjutsu, their profound mastery of Yin and Yang Release made them extraordinary Summoning beasts.
Moreover, those ninja cats that specialized in Yang Release were naturally gifted in medical techniques, making them invaluable as battlefield medics.
Think about it—who wouldn't want to have a skilled healer with them at all times during missions?
In the shinobi world, medical-nin were incredibly scarce.
Even years later, Konoha would be the only village to establish a dedicated medical-nin system under the initiative of Senju Tsunade.
Other villages, including Kirigakure, failed to make significant progress in the field of medical ninjutsu.
After all, not every village had a Hokage who excelled in medical techniques.
But now—
Because of Ryosuke's relentless negotiations, Elvis, the ruler of the Land of Cats, had agreed to provide 100 ninja cats to Kirigakure every year as Summoning beasts?
Compared to such generous conditions, every single concession that Mizuki Ryosuke had promised earlier seemed trivial!
The few Jōnin who had been clamoring to punish Ryosuke moments ago now found themselves struggling to suppress their excitement. Their eyes gleamed with desire as they stared at the water curtain that displayed the scene from the Land of Cats.
Currently, Kirigakure had roughly a hundred active Jōnin.
If this deal with the Land of Cats went through, it meant that every single Jōnin present had a high probability of receiving a Summoning beast.
And in the future, with an annual supply of 100 ninja cats from the Land of Cats, Kirigakure would never need to worry about the scarcity of Summoning beasts again.
This agreement would provide a massive boost to the village's overall strength!
And more importantly—everyone would benefit from it.
At this moment, all of Ryosuke's so-called "reckless actions" had suddenly transformed into commendable achievements.
As for whether Mizuki Ryosuke actually had the authority to make such a deal on behalf of the village?
Who cared?!
Who in their right mind would question this arrangement when the reward was a guaranteed Summoning beast?
If anyone dared to stand up and claim that Mizuki Ryosuke was unqualified to make this decision—
Then at least fifty Jōnin would slap the table and collectively rise to shut them down.
But there was still one lingering mystery in everyone's mind—what had just happened?
How had Elvis suddenly agreed to such an outrageous request from Ryosuke?
All the Jōnin instinctively turned their gazes toward the ever-cunning Maeda Yuanshi—only to be shocked by what they saw.
The notoriously stern and rigid Jōnin captain—famed for his "zombie face" and unwavering discipline—was now sporting an awkward, stiff grin.
It was an ugly smile.
An unpleasant smile.
The kind of expression that could terrify disobedient children in the dead of night.
But to those who knew him, one thing was crystal clear—
Maeda Yuanshi was absolutely ecstatic.
This was a side of him that no one had ever seen before.
Though he remained silent, he simply pointed at the water curtain with his finger, indicating that the Jōnin would find their answers there.
The Jōnin did not hesitate. They immediately turned their attention back to the water curtain.
The Land of Cats—Elvis' Palace
At this moment, everything had been settled.
Elvis had even lifted the silence technique that had been placed on Hozuki Mangetsu.
"How… how did you do it?!"
"What the hell just happened?!"
Two consecutive exclamations burst out of Mangetsu's mouth.
Despite the outcome clearly proving his defeat, he wasn't particularly disappointed. Instead, his heart was brimming with confusion and shock.
He simply could not comprehend what had transpired.
Mizuki Ryosuke was unsurprised by Mangetsu's reaction.
After all, when he himself had first deduced the truth, he had been just as astonished.
Now that everything was settled, there was no harm in revealing the full story.
And so, in front of Elvis, Ryosuke began his explanation.
From the very moment he received the S-rank mission, he had felt that something was off.
An S-rank mission was the highest classification of danger. Was it really appropriate to use such a mission as part of the Mizukage selection process?
Given the nature of S-rank missions, there was a very real possibility that all three squads would be completely wiped out.
The three of them—Ryosuke, Mangetsu, and the third contender—were the most promising candidates for Mizukage. If they all perished, Kirigakure would be left without a clear successor.
If Uchiha Madara were still alive, Ryosuke might have suspected this was one of his schemes.
But since Ryosuke had already personally confirmed Madara's demise, he knew this was not the case.
Instead, he formed two theories:
1. The so-called "S-rank" label was a ruse—the real purpose of the mission was to serve as a Mizukage selection test.
2. The village had measures in place to control the mission's danger level and prevent anything from going too wrong.
With these assumptions, Ryosuke had begun thinking critically about the true purpose of the mission.
After all, how would the village actually determine who was the best choice for Mizukage?
Would they simply declare, "Whoever retrieves the Mizukage Secret Scroll first will become Mizukage"?
That was far too simplistic for Kirigakure's leadership.
Ryosuke had guessed that the higher-ups had additional methods of monitoring the mission's progress.
His suspicions had been confirmed upon encountering the ninja cats.
Many years ago, Byakuren—the First Mizukage—had briefly formed a contract with the ninja cat clan, using them as his Summoning beasts.
Given this historical connection, it was entirely possible that Kirigakure's leadership had maintained ties with the ninja cat clan.
And in the end, Nyutaro's confession had solidified this theory.
At that moment, Ryosuke had almost concluded that the entire S-rank mission had been nothing more than a fabricated test.
That the so-called Mizukage Secret Scroll did not even exist.
But after speaking with Elvis, Ryosuke realized that his assumptions were once again incorrect.
The scroll did exist.
And when he listened carefully to the conversation between Mangetsu and Elvis—
He finally understood.
He had been thinking about the mission in the wrong way the entire time.
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