The Land of Water wasn't the only name for the country. It was also known as the Land of Mist, which was where the name Mist Ninja came from.
The country was shrouded in mist for almost the entire year. Kirigakure, for example, lay deep in a valley, blanketed by thick fog. If enemies invaded, the Mist Ninja would activate the barrier. Within the dense mist, nothing could be seen. Anyone who wasn't from Kirigakure and wandered inside probably wouldn't even know how they had died.
Of course, not every place was as thick with fog as Kirigakure. The mist there was deliberately made so dense. It concealed the Mist Ninja and also served as Kirigakure's unique barrier.
But every morning, the Land of Water was blanketed in thick fog. Even the places with the best visibility were no exception.
That made it the perfect time for Ogata and Qi, master and student, to travel.
The Land of Water wasn't exactly small. No—it was a bona fide archipelago, with one large island after another. It wasn't like the other Four Great Nations, where the land was land and the water was water. The terrain here was extremely complex.
Since the Five Great Nations were founded, there had been three Shinobi World Wars, and not once had any country invaded the Land of Water. This place was simply too strange: hard to enter, even harder to leave!
The Mist Ninja had suffered a devastating blow during the Second Shinobi World War. With the internal unrest on top of that, they had been wounded upon wounded. Even so, their power in the Land of Water remained absolute.
Ogata and Qi had been on the run for a full year!
"Battle is the best teacher"—Qi had come to understand the truth of that saying.
When they fled, he'd been a rookie who knew only a few basic techniques. Now, he could use the most rudimentary Ice Release skills, had learned quite a few Water Release techniques, and had made considerable progress in several other basic ninjutsu and Taijutsu skills!
Ice Release was the Yuki Clan's main fighting style, but the Yuki Clan also had a natural aptitude for Water and Wind Release.
Most importantly, he had mastered the chakra-sensing method used by Mist Ninja sensory shinobi: using the moisture in the air to sense the chakra others left behind after it leaked from their bodies!
But as time passed and they drew closer to the border, the Mist Ninja's search net tightened. Lately, Qi could hardly go anywhere without running into a Mist Ninja search party.
Fortunately, his stealth skills were no longer so poor that he could only serve as "bait." He could now evade Genin patrols, which saved them a lot of trouble.
Now that he'd truly entered the world of shinobi, Qi realized how laughable the ideas he'd formed from watching anime had been.
He had already learned to stay calm back when he was with the Yuki Clan. But once he began experiencing battles between shinobi firsthand, he couldn't help being shaken by the strict hierarchy and the vast differences in strength that came with each rank.
In anime, "Genin" was practically synonymous with dead weight. But in the real shinobi world, Genin made up the main fighting force of every shinobi organization.
A shinobi who made it to Chunin was a true elite. As for jonin, they were legends. Every jonin's story was exciting enough to fill a book.
The difference between each rank was like heaven and earth—there was no comparison.
But even so, the idea that Genin were useless and could only be killed was complete nonsense. Genin were the main fighting force of the shinobi villages, after all.
If Ogata, a powerful shinobi, hadn't protected and looked after Qi from the start, forget his strength soaring—Mist Ninja Genin patrols would have caught him long ago and fed him to the fish. Maybe the Mist Ninja Genin really were the best among the Five Great Nations. When they fought, they never hesitated for a second. Even when facing someone as powerful as Ogata, they didn't waver.
Qi had seen Genin panic all the time in anime, but he'd never seen anything like that here. The Mist Ninja Genin were, if anything, terrifyingly savage!
After a year on the run, Ogata and Qi had finally reached the edge of the Land of Water. If they pushed just a little farther and passed through a few satellite countries, they could enter the Land of Fire. Once they did, the Mist Ninja would naturally stop pursuing them.
The Mist Ninja probably hadn't paid much attention to the two of them in the first place. To be honest, Kirigakure had too many important matters to deal with right now. Constantly sending out Genin search parties was already giving the pair plenty of attention.
After all, the two of them had killed Mist Ninja when they first fled. It wouldn't make sense not to pursue them.
Still, letting them leave the Land of Water unharmed didn't suit the Mist Ninja. So, for their final roadblock, Kirigakure had decided to get serious.
When Ogata and Qi reached their destination—a fishing port on the border of the Land of Water—they found a line of Mist Ninja standing opposite them...
It was obvious these people weren't Genin. The half-human, half-ghost air they gave off was nothing like the Mist Ninja Genin Qi had seen before. Those Genin had been filled with bloodlust, but these people didn't seem human at all...
More obvious still, they'd been waiting for a long time...
"Ogata, old friend. It's been a long time. You haven't changed a bit."
At the front stood two people: a middle-aged man and a girl who looked about the same age as Qi.
The middle-aged man didn't look at Qi. His eyes stayed fixed on Ogata.
"By my count, it's been ten years since we parted. I never thought we'd go from comrades to enemies."
"Unma, you've gotten so talkative. I heard you became the head of Anbu. Turns out it was true. Is that your student?"
Ogata chuckled.
"The Mizukage sure thinks highly of the two of us. But I just don't get it. He keeps killing people within the village. If an outside enemy invades someday, will the Mist Ninja even have the strength to defend themselves?"
"Ogata, please be careful what you say. No matter what, he is the Mizukage. As his subordinate, I can't let people speak ill of him behind his back."
The middle-aged man said this without changing his expression, then waved to the line behind him.
"Don't get involved."
The people behind him seemed to have expected the order. They immediately stepped back in unison and put away their ninja tools. It looked as though they really weren't going to join the fight. In an instant, they seemed to have grown much more...
"You brought Anbu, but you won't let them fight. Unma, don't tell me you're going to go easy on us. Aren't you afraid the Mizukage will kill you?"
Ogata looked confused.
"You think I can't handle this? Don't forget, if I hadn't saved you back then, the White Fang of the Leaf would've cut you down."
"Ogata, the Kaguya Clan was once part of the Mist Ninja, after all. No matter how cold and heartless we seem to outsiders, we can't really feel nothing about attacking our former comrades."
Unma sighed.
"You haven't killed many Mist Ninja Genin from the search parties this past year, either. The Mist Ninja will consider that a favor. How about we make a wager?"
"What kind of wager? Let's hear it."
"You and I have known each other for over twenty years. We know each other inside and out. If we fought, it couldn't end without one of us dying. We both have students, so let them fight instead."
Unma pointed to Qi, who stood silently to one side.
"He has the Yuki Clan's kekkei genkai, and Mei has a kekkei genkai of her own. That makes it fair. If Mei loses, you can leave. If your student loses, both of you come back to Kirigakure with me. I'll promise to explain things to the Mizukage and protect you."
"Why didn't you protect the Kaguya Clan, then?"
Ogata sneered.
"You're the head of Anbu. Even the Mizukage might have to respect your word."
"You know that's impossible. Otherwise, I'd have done it already."
Unma shook his head.
"I can't protect the Kaguya Clan. But there's no problem protecting you and your student. I can tell just by looking at your student that he's not the sort of person who cares much about his clan. And for your student's sake, you might be willing to let go of the past."
"What am I, a mind reader?"
Ogata was annoyed. He knew he had no choice but to accept the terms. The other side was Anbu, a real elite force. Besides, Unma was about as strong as he was.
As for Qi, there was even less to say. It would be no harder for the Mist Ninja Anbu to kill him than to kill a chicken.
"Kid, you heard him. Take care of that girl, then we'll leave!"
Perhaps tired of talking, Ogata turned to Qi with a nasty grin.
"If you lose, pray the Mizukage doesn't feel like killing you! I'm not going back. A real man should die with some dignity."
"Master, do you think I want to go back either...?"
Qi was just as annoyed by his master's words.
"You really think I have no backbone? That hurts!"
"Heh, not bad! You're a Kaguya, all right—man enough! A little underhanded, though... Get out there and fight. If you lose, I'll beat you to death!"
Ogata roared with laughter, then slapped Qi on the back and sent him flying into the arena.
Damn it! You old bastard, couldn't you go easy? Are you trying to kill me before I even get to fight?
The slap was so hard that Qi nearly passed out...
Unma saw what happened and grinned.
"Ogata, you're as generous as ever! No wonder your student's so courageous. He takes after you."
Generous, my ass! Let me give you one of those and see how you like it!
Qi nearly died of anger, listening from the arena...
Perhaps noticing Qi's sour expression, Unma nodded with "understanding."
"Ogata's student is just as eager to fight... All right, Mei, you go too. Just do your best. With us here, you'll be safe."
"Yes, Master!"
The girl was polite and beautiful, like a doll. She bowed to Unma, then walked over to face Qi and cupped her hands.
"Terumi Mei, at your service! Please teach me."
She even has a lovely voice... But Qi wasn't about to let his guard down just because Mei was cute. The Mist Ninja were all freaks.
"I'm Huiyue Qi!"
Huiyue meant Kaguya and Yuki. Qi carried the blood of both clans, so he'd taken that surname.
"Please teach me... Damn it!"
A Kunai had already sliced past his nose before he'd even finished speaking...
"You little brat! You attacked me by surprise?!"
After a year of fighting, Qi's battle instincts had been honed. The attack had come suddenly, but he still dodged it.
Even so, he was furious... That girl had attacked the instant he'd finished bowing! And he'd even been polite enough to return her greeting!
"Master, Ogata-sama is a famous Taijutsu expert in the Land of Water. He even saved my master's life from the White Fang of the Leaf. I never thought his student would be so... genuine!"
Her attack had missed, but the girl called Terumi Mei didn't seem bothered. Instead, she grinned and let her true colors show. Her delicate, doll-like face was full of mockery.
What kind of cute girl is this? She's a little devil! Look at that wicked grin!
"I attacked after you bowed. You were just too slow, idiot!"
"You're the idiot!"
Qi laughed in disbelief, but his voice came from behind Terumi Mei.
"You didn't notice I was behind you? That was a clone—"
"What?!"
Mei hurriedly turned around. All she saw was a fist growing larger and larger!
But then a sly smile appeared on her face.
"Idiot. You fell for it!"
Qi's fist struck Terumi Mei squarely in the body. The result, however, was completely unexpected: it went straight through her!
"Why did I punch right through her? Is she that fragile? And this feeling...!"
Qi quickly realized something was wrong. The Terumi Mei in front of him had been pierced, but not a drop of blood appeared. Instead, her entire body turned into a mass of sticky liquid.
"Lava Release: Lava Body Prison!"
Mei's voice came from underground. She could use Earth Release?!
Then again, that wasn't so strange. She had a kekkei genkai, after all. A kekkei genkai was made up of chakra natures from several of the five elements, and its user was often skilled in several of those elemental techniques as well. Qi just hadn't learned Wind Release yet.
But now wasn't the time to be surprised. The sticky liquid formed from Mei's clone had already quickly wrapped around Qi's body, then hardened even faster!
The hardened substance was incredibly tough. Qi couldn't break free at all!
"That was way too easy!"
Mei emerged from the ground and looked smugly at Qi, who wore a sour expression.
"Just give up, you idiot."
"Yeah, giving up might be easier."
Qi suddenly smiled, looking pleased.
"I knew you were an idiot. I was just waiting for you to come out."
"Oh, really? You're still not giving up? Now that I'm out, what can you do? Your clone's still standing there like a fool. You're so slow—should've dispelled it ages ago. It'd be embarrassing if I knocked it down!"
Mei wasn't falling for Qi's bluff. She was very confident in her Lava Release.
"Fair enough... But I said it was a clone, and you just believed me?"
This time, the voice didn't come from Qi, trapped in the hardened liquid. It came from the Qi who had dodged Mei's Kunai at the start. He was still standing where he'd been.
That wasn't strange. The fight had moved quickly. From the moment Qi dodged the Kunai to the moment Mei dispelled her Earth Release and emerged, only the blink of an eye had passed.
Qi hadn't wasted any time. As he spoke, he'd already formed the hand signs and called out softly:
"Water Clone Technique—detonate!"
Detonating a Water Clone wasn't easy. It required at least Chunin-level control. But the Yuki Clan had exceptional talent and understanding when it came to Water Release, so although Qi wasn't a Chunin, he could still do it.
Anything related to Water Release became twice as effective in the hands of the Yuki Clan, whether it was the training speed, power, or control. The Uchiha Clan had the same advantage when using Fire Style.
"Boom!"
This time, the hardened liquid couldn't withstand the force of the Water Clone's explosion. It was blown to pieces, and Terumi Mei was caught in the blast as well, hurled far away by a wave of moisture-laden air.
She shrieked with rage. She'd never taken a hit like that from someone her own age. What she couldn't understand was how Qi had figured out that the Mei left standing on the ground at the start was only a clone.
The girl really was devious. She'd gone underground from the very start. In other words, the Mei Qi and Ogata saw at first had been a clone.
But Qi was a rare shinobi with sensory abilities. The air in the Land of Water was already rich with moisture. He'd only needed to sense it a little to realize that the girl's chakra output was far below normal. Clearly, she was a clone, not the real thing.
After that, all he'd done was play along and keep up the act. Just as Ogata had said, he wasn't exactly a good person either...