The previous battle hadn't taken too much effort — only seven or eight exchanges in total.After cleaning up the battlefield and retrieving the Flying Thunder God kunai, Mitsuki resumed his sweeping campaign.
He wasn't one to lose focus.
By evening, Mitsuki returned to the main camp feeling refreshed. When a Uchiha clansman saw him return safely, he immediately went off to report to Fugaku.
Mitsuki hadn't been idle for even half a day — he had cleared out a huge stretch along the Land of Fire's coastline.He'd slaughtered at least ten Mist squads and even managed to rescue a few Leaf strike teams along the way.Unfortunately, there was still no trace of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist.
However, he did pick up some interesting rumors.At present, there were already two Leaf shinobi on the Mist battlefield who had made names for themselves through sheer strength. One, unsurprisingly, was Shisui. The other — also someone Mitsuki knew very well — was now being called "Chidori Ruri".
That's right — Ruri. Mitsuki hadn't expected that in just a few months, her strength had grown to such a degree. Back in the Land of Rivers battlefield, she could barely hold her own against jōnin. Was the Chidori really that perfectly suited for the Uchiha?
Lost in thought, Mitsuki went to the mission hall, then headed back to his assigned quarters.
The next morning, Mitsuki rose early, ready to continue clearing the coastline of the Land of Fire. He already had a plan — as the saying goes, clean your own house before inviting guests. Once he'd wiped out the remnants along the coast, if there was still no sign of the Seven Swordsmen, he'd head straight for the Land of Water itself.
He'd made up his mind — no matter what, Mitsuki was going to hunt down the Seven Swordsmen. Not even the Sage of Six Paths could stop him.
Another day of sweeping operations passed.Still no information on the Swordsmen, but plenty of Mist squads had been cut down.
By now, the rumor of a mad "Konoha Gale" tearing through the Mist frontlines had spread all across the underworld. If not for the fact that Konoha had its own spies embedded in those black markets, Mitsuki might've already dealt with those loudmouths too.
Returning to the main camp, he walked straight toward a ramen shop. Although this encampment had grown to nearly the size of a small village, the variety of food wasn't exactly impressive.
Lifting the curtain, Mitsuki waved toward the kitchen.
"Kenta-ossan, two bowls of tonkotsu ramen and one seafood ramen. Shukaku, what do you want?"
"I'll take codfish gyoza!"
From the kitchen, Kenta looked up and grinned.
"Yo! Mitsuki and Shukaku! Take a seat anywhere, your food will be ready soon."
Choosing a table near the back, Mitsuki sat down.It was still a bit early, so there weren't many customers. He'd arranged to meet someone today — by his estimate, they should be arriving soon.
....
"Phew…"
Heiji stretched after completing his mission for the day. After bidding farewell to his teammates, he made his way toward the ramen shop inside the camp.
Yesterday, he'd received a note from Mitsuki at the mission hall:
"Tomorrow at 5 PM, Kenta's Ramen Shop. My treat. Don't be late."
Since transferring to the Mist frontlines, Heiji hadn't seen Mitsuki in months.
Standing at the entrance, he shook off his bad mood and pulled his usual calm expression before lifting the curtain.
"Long time no see, Mitsuki."
"Oh, Heiji! You finally made it. I already ordered seafood ramen for you — come sit down."
Mitsuki had seen him at the door a while ago but had no idea why he was hesitating.If he'd taken a few seconds longer, Mitsuki might've gone out and dragged him in himself.
"Shukaku, this is my good friend Heiji Hyuga" Mitsuki introduced.
Shukaku hopped from Mitsuki's shoulder onto the table, giving Heiji a proud glance.
"Since you're Mitsuki's friend, I'll allow you to address me as Lord Tanuki."
Bonk!
Mitsuki flicked two fingers against the tanuki's head.
"Speak properly."
"Ow!"
Clutching his head with both paws, Shukaku muttered, "Fine, fine… I'm Shukaku."
"I'm Heiji Hyuga , nice to meet you" Heiji said politely.It was his first time seeing this kind of ninja beast — cute, sure, but not exactly the brightest.
After the introductions, Mitsuki seized the moment — Ruri hadn't arrived yet, so it was the perfect time to vent.
"You know, I heard from Ruri that you got transferred to the Mist front. You have no idea what it was like living with her after that, she—"
"What about me?"
A cool, crisp voice cut in from the doorway. Ruri stepped inside and sat down right beside Mitsuki.
"Damn it" Mitsuki cursed inwardly.He'd been so caught up complaining that he hadn't even sensed her approach.
Just as he was scrambling for an excuse, Kenta arrived with their food.
"Here you go, your ramen."
Since the ramen had arrived, Ruri didn't press the issue. She simply put her hands together and said,
"Let's eat."
Mitsuki exhaled in relief, bowed his head, and echoed, "Let's eat" before digging in.
"By the way" Heiji said between bites, "I heard you two have already been promoted to jōnin. I didn't get a chance to prepare a gift — sorry about that."
Mitsuki waved dismissively.
"No need, no need! Once we take down the Kiri, you can treat us when we get back."
Ruri glanced briefly at the sword on Mitsuki's waist, then looked away, satisfied.
"Just like he said. Don't worry about trivial things like that."