Mizukage × Danger Level

"Pfft!"

Her graceful figure was in such a sorry state, falling from mid-air into the water and splashing up a massive spray.

Nara Dan stood amidst the ruins, his muscular frame rising and falling with steady, even breaths. He showed no signs of fatigue, looking nothing like someone who had just engaged in a strenuous bout with a beautiful kunoichi. Instead, he watched silently as her curvaceous figure vanished back into the depths of the water, making no move to pursue.

It wasn't just because Nara Dan didn't want to get soaked; it was because—

"This is... mist?"

"I can't see anything!"

"Oh no, that woman is trying to escape!"

The Konoha Ninja who had been watching from the sidelines finally noticed the anomaly in their surroundings.

The mist, which should have been confined to the area around the Hot Spring Inn, was spreading at a visible rate, directly engulfing a radius of several hundred meters and rendering the environment almost impossible to see through.

"Water Release: Hidden Mist Technique."

Just as the Konoha Ninja outside were shouting and preparing to give chase to Mei Terumi, Nara Dan stood calmly in the center of it all, showing not a hint of panic.

"Forcing hand seals despite the pain of a comminuted fracture in her hand..."

"She's quite decisive."

Under Nara Dan's watchful eye, Mei Terumi naturally wouldn't have had the chance to weave seals in advance, nor did she have any accomplices nearby.

She had only managed to complete the hand seals for the jutsu while hidden beneath the water, following the momentum of Nara Dan's own force.

Naturally, there was an element of Nara Dan going easy on her; otherwise, at such close range, Mei Terumi would never have had the opportunity to weave those seals.

It was just that Nara Dan didn't want to attract too much unwanted attention.

Especially regarding the Mist Ninja, it was best not to alert the enemy. If it were just the Mizukage or the forces of the Land of Water, it would be fine, but—

I'm just worried that old immortal might decide to get involved.

Truth be told, aside from the Nine-Tails, the only other force in the Ninja World that exceeded standard specifications was that troublemaker, Madara Uchiha.

It was then that Nara Dan remembered something, and with a flicker of interest, he opened his Cheat System panel to take a look.

Mei Terumi

Talent Traits:

(Purple) Dual Kekkei Genkai:

A rare product of perfectly inheriting the Kekkei Genkai of two families; the two bloodlines complement each other, unleashing power that is truly unexpected.

(Blue) Ninja Talent:

Possesses a trace of blood from the Otsutsuki clan, granting her stronger ninja aptitude than the average person. She has a high talent for Chakra refinement, physical constitution, and the learning of ninjutsu.

This was another function of his Cheat System: the ability to view the talent traits of others.

However, Nara Dan didn't use it often; he usually only checked when he encountered significant plot-relevant characters.

"The data is about what I expected."

Mei Terumi's first trait undoubtedly referred to her unique Dual Kekkei Genkai.

As for the second trait, based on Nara Dan's observations, it was something that members of most ninja clans possessed to some degree, effectively serving as a companion to their Kekkei Genkai.

Nara Dan nodded in realization. In his experience, anyone capable of becoming a Kage Level powerhouse usually possessed at least one purple trait.

As for ordinary people, if they had a single blue trait, they could at least become a Special Jonin.

This was his personal benchmark for gauging strength. Of course, traits didn't entirely dictate one's power; some were innate, but many required development through hard work.

Just like Mei Terumi—she possessed a purple trait, but in terms of pure strength, she was undoubtedly far from Kage Level, or she wouldn't have been fleeing in such a panic before Nara Dan.

"Nara-sama!"

At this moment, an Anbu flashed over, interrupting Nara Dan's thoughts.

"That woman has escaped!"

Nara Dan nodded, unbothered and having anticipated this outcome.

"That woman's bloodline is quite unusual; she is no ordinary ninja."

"Yes, it seems to be the Lava Release Kekkei Genkai of the Mist Ninja's Terumi Clan."

The Anbu was a veteran ninja with a wealth of experience, and he had managed to recognize the Kekkei Genkai Mei Terumi had used.

The Anbu naturally wouldn't suspect that Nara Dan had intentionally gone easy on her. For one, the female spy was indeed quite skilled, ranking as a powerhouse even among Jonin.

Secondly, for a native Konoha Ninja like Jonin Nara, there was absolutely no benefit in letting a spy go.

"Alright, you lot can handle the cleanup. If there's nothing else, I'm heading home."

Nara Dan shrugged, wearing the expression of someone who had unfortunately stumbled into a mess.

"Naturally, we must thank Nara-sama for your assistance."

The Anbu said respectfully. The matter had nothing to do with Nara Dan in the first place, so his intervention was a favor.

Otherwise, if the intelligence had truly been leaked, they would all have been in serious trouble.

Across the ocean from Konoha, a man with delicate features listened to his subordinate's report with an expressionless face.

"Lord Mizukage, the mission has failed."

"What happened?"

"Wasn't Mei Terumi supposed to be the one providing support? Even against a tactical squad, with her Kekkei Genkai, retreating unscathed shouldn't have been difficult."

The man wore his dark hair in a melancholic style, and with his refined appearance, he looked more like an artist than the Kage of a village.

"It was Nara Dan. He happened to be passing by, and all of our men were eliminated."

"Jonin Mei Terumi was also severely wounded, and one of her arms was crippled."

"Is that so. Nara Dan, then."

The Third Mizukage flipped through the mission report, a flash of sharp killing intent crossing his gentle face.

He had naturally heard of this name, but since the Mist Ninja had rarely been active and had no prior contact with Konoha, he hadn't paid much attention to the rising generation of ninjas, assuming he was just another ordinary up-and-comer.

Nara Dan (Nara Clan)

Completed missions: 1 S-rank, 13 A-rank, 36 B-rank. (Mission details attached)

Estimated abilities: Possesses Taijutsu strength capable of suppressing ordinary Jonin, a body with defensive capabilities similar to the Raikage's Lightning Release Armor, and a Chakra volume superior to the vast majority of Jonin. Once faced a military outpost of Iwagakure Ninja head-on; despite constant reinforcements from the Iwagakure Ninja, he fought for a full day and night, only retreating after the Iwagakure Ninja deployed their Jinchuriki. (Rumor has it that he remained uninjured throughout the entire mission.)

Danger level: S-rank

"Before I knew it, another genius of Konoha has taken root and sprouted."

After reading the mission report for a while and focusing on the capability assessment of Nara Dan, the Third Mizukage couldn't help but rub his temples and sigh.

"White Fang was like this. Nara Dan is the same."

"Even though their bloodline families don't hold the advantage, they always seem to produce unexpected geniuses."

Unlike the Mist Ninja, bloodline families do not make up the majority of ninja clans in Konoha.

Yet, whether in terms of the overall quality of their ninjas or the production of Kage Level powerhouses, they are far ahead of the other ninja villages.

While the Mist Ninja have the highest number of bloodline families among all the ninja villages, the conflict between these bloodline families and ordinary ninjas is also the most intense, which is the root cause of the constant infighting among the Mist Ninja.

"Raise the risk assessment for Nara Dan by another level. If a mission requires contact with him, dispatch at least three members of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen."

"Also, tell Mei Terumi to rest well and prepare for the coming war."

"Yes!"

Although the subordinate was secretly shocked, he quickly nodded in agreement on the surface.

One had to realize that an S-rank risk was already the danger level for an Elite Jonin, and anything higher than that...