"Pfft!"
Her graceful figure was now in a wretched state. She fell from midair into the water below, sending up a huge splash.
Nara Dan stood amid the rubble, his sturdy muscles rising and falling evenly. He wasn't even breathing hard, let alone flushed, and showed no sign of having just engaged in strenuous activity with a beautiful kunoichi. He simply watched as her curvaceous figure disappeared beneath the water again, making no further move.
It wasn't just that Nara Dan didn't want to get wet. There was also the fact that—
"This is... mist?"
"I can't see!"
"Damn it, that woman's escaping!"
The Konoha ninja who had been watching the fight for a long while noticed that something was wrong with their surroundings.
The mist, which should have been limited to the area around the Hot Spring Inn, spread at a visible pace until it covered several hundred meters in every direction. The surroundings became so thick with fog that they could barely see their own hands.
"Water Release: Hidden Mist Technique."
While the Konoha ninja outside shouted and scrambled to pursue Mei Terumi, Nara Dan stood quietly amid the mist, showing no sign of panic.
"She forced herself to form Hand Seals despite the pain of a compound fracture in her hand."
"She's pretty decisive."
With Nara Dan watching her, Mei Terumi had no chance to form Hand Seals in advance, nor did she have an accomplice nearby.
She could only use the water's cover to conceal herself as she formed the Hand Seals, following the force of Nara Dan's attack.
Of course, Nara Dan had also held back. At such close range, Mei Terumi wouldn't have had a chance to form Hand Seals otherwise.
He simply didn't want to draw too much attention.
Especially where the Mist Ninja were concerned, it was best not to tip them off. It would have been one thing if they were just the Hidden Mist or the Land of Water's forces—
"I'm just worried that old bastard might stick his nose into this."
As far as the Ninja World's current beyond-the-norm powers went, aside from the Nine-Tails, the only other troublemaker was Madara Uchiha.
Only then did Nara Dan remember something. With interest, he opened his Cheat System panel and took a look.
Mei Terumi
Talent Entries:
(Purple) Dual Kekkei Genkai:
A rare result of perfectly inheriting the Kekkei Genkai of two clans. The two bloodlines complement each other, producing power beyond expectations.
(Blue) Ninja Talent:
She carries a trace of Otsutsuki Clan blood, giving her greater ninja talent than ordinary people. She has considerable aptitude for refining Chakra, physical conditioning, and learning ninjutsu.
This was another function of the Cheat System: it let him check other people's Talent Entries.
But Nara Dan didn't use it often. He usually only checked when he came across a rare character from the story.
"The data is about what I expected."
Mei Terumi's first entry was undoubtedly referring to her unique Dual Kekkei Genkai.
Based on Nara Dan's observations, the second entry was one that most members of ninja clans had to some degree. It came as a package deal with a Kekkei Genkai.
Nara Dan nodded in understanding. In his experience, anyone who could become a Kage-level powerhouse had at least one purple entry.
And if an ordinary person had a blue entry, they could at least become a Special Jonin.
That was how he gauged strength. Of course, entries didn't completely determine a person's strength. Some entries were innate, but most had to be developed later.
Mei Terumi had a purple entry, for example, but her strength was nowhere near Kage Level. Otherwise, she wouldn't have fled in a panic from Nara Dan.
"Lord Nara!"
An Anbu appeared with the Body Flicker Technique, interrupting Nara Dan's thoughts.
"That woman got away!"
Nara Dan nodded, unconcerned. He'd expected as much.
"Her Kekkei Genkai is unusual. She's no ordinary ninja."
"Yes. It seems to be the Terumi Clan's Kekkei Genkai, Lava Release."
The Anbu was an experienced ninja with broad knowledge, and he recognized one of the Kekkei Genkai Mei Terumi had used.
The Anbu naturally had no reason to suspect that Nara Dan had deliberately let her escape. For one thing, the female spy was genuinely strong, even by Jonin standards.
For another, letting a spy go would bring no benefit to Nara, a Konoha native through and through.
"All right. You can handle the cleanup from here. If you don't need anything else, I'll head home."
Nara Dan shrugged, looking like someone who'd had the misfortune of getting caught up in trouble.
"Of course. We're still grateful for your help, Lord Nara."
The Anbu spoke respectfully. This matter had nothing to do with Nara Dan to begin with. His help was a kindness.
Otherwise, if the intelligence had leaked, they would all have been punished.
Far across the sea from Konoha, a handsome man listened to his subordinate's report without expression.
"Mizukage-sama, the mission failed."
"What happened?"
"Wasn't Mei Terumi supposed to be the one receiving them? Even against a tactical squad, her Kekkei Genkai should have made it easy for her to get away unscathed."
The man had long, dark hair that gave him a melancholy air and delicate features. In terms of bearing, he seemed more like an artist than the leader of a village.
"It was Nara Dan. He happened to pass by, and our men were all taken out."
"Jonin Mei Terumi was also seriously injured. One of her arms was crippled."
"Is that so... Nara Dan?"
The Third Mizukage leafed through the mission report. A flash of murderous intent crossed his gentle face.
He had naturally heard the name before, but the Mist Ninja had rarely been active, and they'd had little contact with Konoha.
So he hadn't paid much attention to this rising young ninja, assuming he was just another promising up-and-comer.
Nara Dan (Nara Clan)
Completed Missions: 1 S-Rank, 13 A-Rank, 36 B-Rank. (Detailed mission records attached)
Estimated Abilities: Taijutsu powerful enough to suppress ordinary Jonin; physical durability comparable to the Raikage's Lightning Release Armor; Chakra reserves greater than those of most Jonin. Once confronted an Iwagakure Ninja military outpost and fought for an entire day and night as reinforcements continued to arrive. He withdrew only after the Iwagakure Ninja deployed their Jinchuriki. (According to reports, he sustained no injuries throughout the mission.)
Threat Level: S-Rank
"Before we knew it, Konoha's crop of geniuses has started sprouting again."
The Third Mizukage studied the mission report for a while, paying particular attention to the assessment of Nara Dan's abilities. He couldn't help rubbing his brow as he sighed.
"First the White Fang... now Nara Dan."
"Despite not having an advantage in Kekkei Genkai clans, they always manage to produce unexpected geniuses."
Unlike the Mist Ninja, Konoha didn't have a majority of ninja clans with Kekkei Genkai.
Yet whether it was the overall quality of its ninja or the number of Kage-level powerhouses it produced, Konoha was far ahead of the other villages.
The Mist Ninja, meanwhile, had more Kekkei Genkai clans than any other village.
But the conflict between those clans and ordinary ninja was also the most severe, which was the root cause of the constant infighting in the Mist.
"Raise Nara Dan's threat assessment by one level. If a mission requires contact with him, send at least three members of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen."
"Also, have Mei Terumi rest properly and prepare for the war ahead."
"...Yes!"
His subordinate was secretly shocked, but quickly nodded in agreement.
An S-Rank threat assessment was already the danger level for an Elite Jonin. Any higher...
Before you continue