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Chapter 207 - 207. Mei Terumī's Black Stockings
On the wide road.
Hanekawa stood on top of the supply transport team's carriage with his eyes closed.
Using his Mind's Eye, he could sense everything happening in the surrounding area.
After two days of travel, they had finally left the Land of Fire and entered the Land of Rivers.
In about half a day, they would reach the main camp of the Leaf Village and the Sand Village.
Hanekawa hadn't been idle during the journey, continuously using his Mind's Eye from the top of the carriage.
First, to scout for any potential enemy ambushes.
Second, to seize the opportunity to practice and improve his sensory ninjutsu proficiency.
Fortunately, the past two days had been smooth, with no encounters with enemies.
However, once they entered the Land of Rivers, things might change.
After all, the Hidden Mist ninjas were currently active within the Land of Rivers.
Half an hour later, Hanekawa's expression grew serious.
Within his sensory range, he detected three Hidden Mist ninja squads, totaling twelve ninjas, including three jonin.
Hanekawa's eyebrows raised slightly as he sensed a familiar chakra fluctuation—Mei Terumī.
"Hanekawa, there's a situation!"
Hyūga Hizashi, only a few seconds slower than Hanekawa, had also detected Mei Terumī and her team using his Byakugan.
The Hidden Mist ninjas probably never expected that the Leaf's supply transport team would include someone like Hyūga Hizashi and Hanekawa.
After all, both of them had joined the mission on a whim.
Under normal circumstances, even if the supplies were important, such powerful ninjas wouldn't be assigned to a supply transport team.
Chen and the others immediately became alert upon hearing this.
"It's the Hidden Mist ninjas."
Hanekawa opened his eyes and said calmly, "Continue moving forward. I'll handle them."
"Wait... should I go with you?"
Hyūga Hizashi hesitated for a moment before asking.
"No need."
Hanekawa shook his head.
"Alright, be careful."
Hyūga Hizashi didn't press further.
After all, Hanekawa wasn't an ordinary chūnin. He had captured the Four-Tails and killed the Third Mizukage.
In terms of strength, he was undoubtedly the strongest member of the Leaf's supply transport team.
Body Flicker Technique!
Hanekawa disappeared on the spot.
He followed the path the supply transport team was taking and soon came to a stop.
Mind's Eye!
Hanekawa closed his eyes and quickly made a discovery.
The twelve Hidden Mist ninjas were silently lurking nearby.
Hanekawa thought for a moment, then formed hand seals and exhaled a stream of air.
The air spread with the wind, quickly turning into a thick mist that spread in all directions.
"Who cast the Hidden Mist Technique?"
Mei Terumī, hiding behind a large tree, was momentarily stunned.
But she quickly realized something was wrong because the direction of the mist was off.
If they had cast the Hidden Mist Technique, the mist should have spread outward from their position. But now, it was the opposite.
This meant it wasn't their doing.
"Be careful! There might be an enemy!"
Mei Terumī immediately shouted.
The nearby Hidden Mist ninjas began scanning their surroundings, searching for any threats.
Mei Terumī did the same.
But she was deeply puzzled. Who else could use the Hidden Mist Technique?
Suddenly, Mei Terumī sensed something and, without hesitation, turned and threw a punch.
But the next moment, her face froze in shock.
With a thud, her slender wrist was caught by someone—Hanekawa.
"You... why are you here?"
Mei Terumī instinctively asked.
"Guess."
Hanekawa smiled as he looked at the girl with reddish-brown hair.
"You're in charge of the Leaf's supply transport team?"
Mei Terumī's tone changed.
She could imagine the consequences of ambushing Hanekawa.
The twelve Hidden Mist ninjas here would likely not survive, including herself.
"Seems like you're not completely clueless."
Hanekawa released her wrist and said.
"If you're here to convince me to surrender, forget it!"
Mei Terumī took half a step back, putting on a defiant expression.
"Is that so?"
Hanekawa glanced at her, his expression playful.
"What do you want?"
Mei Terumī trembled slightly, feeling nervous.
"You wouldn't want your eleven teammates to die here, would you?"
Hanekawa's smile widened as he couldn't help but tease her.
Teasing the future Mizukage was quite entertaining.
Mei Terumī's heart skipped a beat, and she stood frozen in place.
After a few seconds of hesitation, she made up her mind.
"Here!"
Mei Terumī threw her wallet at him.
Hanekawa instinctively caught it and couldn't help but laugh.
Mei Terumī was one of the few ninjas who could help him unlock traits.
His goal was actually quite simple: he just wanted to spar with her.
Last time, the interference of the Kaguya clan ninja and the fact that they hadn't settled the match meant he didn't gain any traits.
As for the other Hidden Mist ninjas, in his eyes, they were inconsequential.
Even if he killed them all, it wouldn't affect the larger situation.
So, it was better to give Mei Terumī a favor, which might pay off in the future.
"You really are a pervert!"
Mei Terumī, seeing his lack of reaction, gritted her teeth and took off her shoes.
Hanekawa was speechless.
What was this future Mizukage thinking?
Was his image in her mind really that dirty?
Hanekawa's gaze involuntarily drifted downward.
Her blue dress couldn't hide her well-proportioned figure.
Between the hem of her skirt, her thighs wrapped in black mesh stockings were visible.
Having taken off her shoes, the black mesh stockings extended downward, wrapping around the soles of her feet.
It was a design similar to footless stockings, with her toes exposed, round and translucent like pearls, and fair.
"Stop... stop looking!"
Mei Terumī noticed his gaze and said angrily.
"I think you've misunderstood. I don't want your shoes."
Hanekawa said seriously.
"You..."
Mei Terumī suddenly thought of something, bit her lip, and took off her black mesh stockings.
"???"
Hanekawa looked at the warm stockings shoved into his hand, his mind filled with question marks.
Her actions were too fast for him to react.
"Is this enough?"
Mei Terumī's face was red, but she asked through gritted teeth.
"That's not what I meant. I just wanted to spar with you."
Hanekawa fell silent for a moment, then put away the black stockings and said.
Mei Terumī's expression froze, and she instinctively looked at him.
"Alright, let's fight, and then you can leave."
Hanekawa glanced at Mei Terumī's long, straight legs and said.
"Then give me back my stockings!"
Mei Terumī couldn't help but retort.
"Once it's in my hands, it's mine."
Hanekawa said seriously. "If you want it back, you'll have to beat me."
"Go to hell!"
Mei Terumī formed hand seals, and from her red lips, she spat out orange-red acidic liquid.
The acid spread like water, completely enveloping Hanekawa.
In her anger, Mei Terumī immediately used her Lava Release: Dissolving Acid Technique.
Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet Technique!
Hanekawa stepped back while clapping his hands together.
A water dragon roared forth, plunging into the acid.
Water splashed everywhere, rapidly dissolving.
But to Mei Terumī's shock, the water dragon remained largely intact, pushing through the acid.
The massive impact dispersed the mist, revealing the two combatants.
"It's Hanekawa!"
The nearby Hidden Mist ninjas were stunned.
The other ninjas were equally panicked.
They weren't fools; facing an enemy who had killed the Third Mizukage, they knew they stood no chance.
"All of you, retreat!"
Mei Terumī snapped out of her daze and shouted. "I'll hold him off!"
"But..."
The Hidden Mist ninjas widened their eyes.
Although Mei Terumī was strong, Hanekawa was stronger. If she stayed behind, the only outcome would be her death.
"Go!"
Mei Terumī yelled.
"Yes."
The Hidden Mist ninjas quickly retreated.
Their faces were filled with both gratitude and reluctance.
"Not bad acting."
Hanekawa couldn't help but laugh.
"..."
Mei Terumī didn't laugh.
Because she knew that if Hanekawa hadn't held back, that scene wouldn't have been an act—it would have been reality.
As a proud genius, having her life in someone else's hands was deeply frustrating.
"Let's continue!"
Mei Terumī's expression turned serious as she quickly formed hand seals.
Water Release: Water Pillar!
A massive water ball descended like a meteor.
Mei Terumī stared intently at Hanekawa.
She had already noticed that his Water Release was abnormally powerful.
Although Hanekawa's Water Release had always been strong, it was now unreasonably powerful, surpassing her Lava Release.
Water Release: Water Trumpet Technique!
Hanekawa leaped into the air, aiming at the meteor-like water ball and spitting out a trumpet-shaped stream of water.
In an instant, the water ball shattered, and streams of water splashed in all directions, covering Mei Terumī.
Just as expected.
Mei Terumī's heart skipped a beat.
Hanekawa's Water Release had grown even stronger.
How much time had passed?
Mei Terumī felt a sense of helplessness.
If Hanekawa knew what she was thinking, he would simply say, "That's the power of cheats."
After defeating the Third Mizukage, he had gained the B-rank trait "I Am the Mizukage," which increased his Water Release power by 100%.
Since there were no restrictions, it was a permanent trait.
Hanekawa's Water Release power was now 200% under normal conditions and 300% when it rained.
Boil Release: Skilling Mist Technique!
Mei Terumī steeled herself and exhaled a high-temperature mist.
The water streams that came into contact with the mist instantly evaporated.
Hanekawa naturally didn't dare to take it head-on.
His body wasn't at the level of Susanoo yet.
Water Release: Water Shockwave!
Hanekawa clasped his hands together, and the water in front of him rapidly spun, forming a whirlwind.
The mist enveloped the area, and the two techniques collided, producing a dull roar.
The whirlwind instantly expanded, and countless streams of water mixed with the mist like a waterfall.
"Blocked?"
Mei Terumī frowned as she stared at the water and mist in the distance.
The next moment, a water dragon shot out from the mist at incredible speed, heading straight for her.
Water Release: Water Wall!
Mei Terumī's pupils contracted, but she reacted quickly.
A wall of water rose in front of her.
But it only held for a moment before collapsing.
A torrent of water poured down, soaking her dress completely.
Mei Terumī was forced back, her face filled with disbelief.
How had she fallen into such a disadvantage so quickly?
Hanekawa raised an eyebrow.
With her dress soaked, it clung tightly to her body, accentuating her well-proportioned figure.
But Mei Terumī clearly didn't care about that at the moment.
Unwilling to give up, she formed hand seals again.
Orange-red liquid sprayed out, distorting the air wherever it passed.
Lava Release: Rasengan!
Hanekawa stood still, slamming a Rasengan into the liquid.
The scorching lava ball collided with the acid, producing a large amount of gas and a sizzling sound.
But what followed was a spinning motion.
The acid was flung away by the lava ball, some of it rebounding toward Mei Terumī.
Water Release: Water Wall!
Mei Terumī quickly formed hand seals.
A wall of water rose in front of her, blocking the acid.
The acid, heated by the lava, quickly melted most of the water wall.
A wave of scorching heat hit her.
Mei Terumī's face flushed unnaturally, whether from the heat or embarrassment.
She looked at Hanekawa, who hadn't moved, and suddenly said in defeat, "I surrender."
Neither her Lava Release nor her Boil Release could match his Water Release.
Mei Terumī felt utterly hopeless.
Hanekawa raised an eyebrow.
Two lines of text appeared before his eyes.
[C-rank Trait: Boiling and Melting.]
[Trigger Condition: Defeat Mei Terumī.]
[Effect: Lava Release and Boil Release talents are increased by 100%.]
Only a C-rank?
Hanekawa thought for a moment and understood the reason.
Mei Terumī was still young, and she only knew one technique for both Lava Release and Boil Release. She wasn't yet proficient, so a 100% increase was already good.
But talent was one thing; Hanekawa still had to learn Lava Release (Acid) and Boil Release himself.
Still, it was better than having no talent at all.
Boil Release was a combination of Water and Fire, while Lava Release was Earth and Water.
With this talent, Hanekawa could now attempt to synthesize these two kekkei genkai.
Adding Lava Release(Acid) and Wood Release, he now had four kekkei genkai, bringing him closer to the A-rank trait "Seven Kekkei Genkai."
Hanekawa suddenly thought of the Kaguya clan ninja from before.
After killing him, he hadn't gained the Shikotsumyaku trait.
Hanekawa guessed it was either because the ninja was a nameless character or because Shikotsumyaku didn't have a talent trait.
Like the Sharingan, Shikotsumyaku couldn't be learned—it was a kekkei genkai inherent to the Kaguya clan's bloodline.
Since Hanekawa wasn't a member of the Kaguya clan and lacked the corresponding bloodline, he couldn't trigger the trait.
Hanekawa looked at Mei Terumī.
She looked dejected, and with her dress soaked, she appeared both pitiful and aggrieved.
"Here."
Hanekawa took out a coat from his storage scroll and handed it to her, saying, "Thank you for today."
"...?"
Mei Terumī was momentarily stunned, instinctively clutching the coat, her face filled with confusion.
Why was he thanking her?
"Remember to take a bath and change your clothes when you get back."
Hanekawa reached out and patted her head, smiling. "It wouldn't be good if you got sick."
Mei Terumī looked at him, and after a few seconds, her face turned red, and she lowered her head.
She pursed her lips and said with a pout, "I don't need your concern! You pervert!"
"Remember to practice your Lava Release and Boil Release."
Hanekawa reminded her.
"Don't worry!"
Mei Terumī's face was red as she said fiercely, "Next time, I'll definitely melt you with one shot!"
"I look forward to it."
Hanekawa pinched her cheek and then disappeared on the spot.
Mei Terumī stood there, dazed for a long time, before putting on the coat he had given her.
As for Hanekawa, her feelings were now complicated, and she didn't know how to describe them.
_
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