War Fog

The Water Mirror Technique was an extremely useful ninjutsu.

It could be used in battle to copy an opponent's attacks and projections, then reflect them back.

When tracking, it could also be combined with other ninjutsu to display scenes from the past or from elsewhere on a mirrored surface.

It could even transmit text and images over long-distance communications!

In short, it was an awesome ninjutsu that combined defense, offense, tracking, and communication.

And at that moment, Jiang Rui was using this magnificent ninjutsu... as a mirror.

Looking at his reflection, Jiang Rui swallowed and finally could not resist murmuring.

You really are such a little cutie!

The reason he was thinking that was because some middle-aged uncle had heard he was heading out to sea and actually changed his schedule to wait for him at the docks!

Jiang Rui's expression at the time had looked like this.

?∑(Дノ)ノ???

How the hell had he known Jiang Rui was going to sea?!!

Was Kirigakure's intelligence security really that terrible?!!

Still, Jiang Rui had not refused. Not only had the man meant well, but Jiang Rui genuinely felt that traveling on his ship would be safer.

Well, another reason was that he suspected the uncle saw him as some kind of emotional support.

Thinking carefully about the man's age, as well as how he had gotten some information on Jiang Rui's movements, one of his friends or relatives had probably once held a high position in Kirigakure.

Sigh, it was all because his charm was too high.

Jiang Rui sat on the deck at the bow and turned back to look at the people who were still busy through the night organizing the cargo hold and checking the displacement.

Looking at his mission, Jiang Rui fell into gloom.

God, it was Year 32 of Konoha!

The main quest was to help Kirigakure achieve victory in the war.

Leaving aside the difficulty, let's put it this way: according to Naruto fans' estimates, the Second Shinobi World War ended in Year 39 of Konoha.

It might have been an estimate, but surely the real date could not have been off by more than a year or two, right?

Seven years!!

He had to stay in this world for seven years...

Who could stand that?!

That was no way to play a pioneering mission!

Jiang Rui suddenly felt that he!

Had an obligation!

To end this damned war ahead of time!

"What are you thinking about?"

It was the uncle's voice. Jiang Rui turned and looked up, sure enough seeing the familiar figure walking over with a bag of... oranges in hand.

Fine. Jiang Rui ground his back teeth, feeling a little toothache. Fortunately, the man was not facing away from him, or Jiang Rui would have suspected he was a transmigrator.

The uncle still had that weathered, resolute look, the white headband around his head fluttering slightly.

Having seen Jiang Rui after he killed someone, he did not seem especially afraid, only somewhat shaken.

"I heard from a friend that you're considered a genius ninja proficient in Water Release?" He lit a cigarette, took a comfortable drag, and asked curiously.

"Mm." Jiang Rui nodded. As expected, this uncle without a trace of Chakra in his body was no ordinary man.

"Ha, I knew you'd become an incredible ninja!" For some reason, there was a hint of pride in his voice.

He held out the oranges and placed them beside Jiang Rui, blowing out rings of smoke. "Want to hear my story?"

Hm?

Jiang Rui raised his eyes and glanced at the uncle. What was with this overwhelming sense of déjà vu? You really aren't a transmigrator, are you?!

So he shook his head. "No."

The uncle: ...

"Cough, cough." The uncle choked on the smoke a few times. Once he recovered, he extinguished the cigarette with a rueful smile. The atmosphere he had worked so hard to create was gone just like that.

He had just opened his mouth when he heard a shout.

"Uncle!"

Jiang Rui picked up an orange. Moisture burst from his palm, and in an instant, the orange was peeled completely clean as he cut him off.

He handed the peeled orange to the uncle and lightly tapped the mask atop his head.

"I'm a ninja."

"You also said you've seen plenty of ninjas take ships to West Port."

"Not many came back, right?"

He pulled down his mask, covering his delicate little face.

His muffled voice came from behind it.

"This time, it's different."

"What's different is, this time I'm going..."

"I never planned to come back."

Even if he completed the mission successfully, he would return directly to the real world rather than the Land of Water.

The uncle stood there stunned. Naturally, he did not understand what the girl before him meant. He lit another cigarette, but this time, he said nothing more.

Over the next few days, Jiang Rui barely spoke and never took off his mask again.

He had asked one of the sailors about their captain. He did not learn much, only that the uncle had once lived in Kirigakure.

He had a ninja wife and a genius daughter...

All in the past.

Jiang Rui did not feel much upon setting foot on land again. After all, he had encountered similar situations many times before.

Come to think of it, he wondered how the Chinese-American young man's little sister from the Marvel world was doing now.

Tch, the uncle's daughter must have been adorable.

After all, that sailor had said she looked a lot like him!

Turning away and brushing aside the tenderness and sympathy in his heart, Jiang Rui looked toward the port before him and the nearby border of the Land of Fire.

The cold stillness in his eyes gradually replaced them.

He was heading onto the battlefield, so he had to look the part of someone on a battlefield!

Great Sage, generate a world map.

Confirmed.

It was still the same map, except this time, Great Sage thoughtfully obscured most regions beneath hazy black fog. Around Jiang Rui's tiny Slime icon, an area lit up.

War Fog?!

Great Sage, you really knew how to have fun!

Unexplored regions display terrain only. Lit regions are within magical perception range.

Jiang Rui estimated it to be around one kilometer.

Activate All Things. Search for Ito Rei's location.

Searching for this information requires a large amount of Mana Essence or magic power.

Confirmed.

Rescuing Ito Rei was the top priority.

All Things claimed that as long as one had enough Mana Essence, it was omniscient and omnipotent.

That was also why Jiang Rui could be certain Ito Rei was not dead.

As his magic power plummeted, Jiang Rui pulled out Magic Jerky and swallowed it in one bite. He had even kept Fountain equipped the whole time.

Even so, it was only when his magic power was nearly bottomed out and weakness washed over him that he saw a red circle appear on the map.

It was not in the Land of Fire, but in a coastal country bordering the central region of the Land of Fire.

"The Land of Iron?" Jiang Rui raised a brow. Why would she be there?

Without thinking further, he activated Swift Feather and raced away.

Inside a cave somewhere, Ito Rei frowned tightly, biting one end of a bandage between her teeth as she wrapped it around her arm.

Beside her, Kubikiribōchō was faintly drinking blood, growing ever sharper.

In the dim, silent cave, occasional coughs and stifled groans of pain could be heard.

Ito Rei glanced outside. Thunder roared, and rain poured down in sheets.

Thankfully, this rain... had washed away quite a few traces...

After dressing her own wounds, she picked up the little remaining bandage and walked to the middle-aged man still gritting his teeth nearby, preparing to tend to him.

"I'll do it."

"Thanks." The middle-aged man, who had been treating his wound, nodded and released his leg.

On the other side, the young man standing watch at the cave entrance suddenly spoke. "Seven days. We haven't activated the Water Mirror Technique in seven days."

His injuries were the lightest, and he had the most Chakra left. That was all thanks to the ninja blade at his feet, the great sword Samehada.

"It can't be helped. We don't have the spare Chakra to activate the Water Mirror Technique over such a distance."

The middle-aged man closed his eyes and spoke in a low voice.

Ito Rei remained silent. In truth, after leaving the Land of Water, activating the Water Mirror Technique had already become extremely difficult for them.

During the Fourth Shinobi World War, even when the Allied Shinobi Forces used the improved ninjutsu—the bubble—for communication, more than a dozen people had to activate it together just to barely maintain it.

With no other choice, they could only use ninja pigeons and other methods to notify the Ninja Village, but so far, they had received no response.

Three people had already died.

Ito Rei unconsciously clenched her fist.

She looked up at the man at the cave entrance, her amber eyes filled with resolve.

"If we die, you must get the intelligence back!"

"Tell the teacher!"

"Konoha and Kumogakure... have formed an alliance!"