This mission was not important, but it was more of a face-saving task. From the personnel allocation, it could be seen that Konoha had no intention of making a big fuss.

"It can be considered as taking care of the Sand Ninja's face."

Konoha has gone to great lengths to appease this little brother who is always disobedient. He endured such a big loss. But it is no wonder that Konoha and the Sand Ninja quickly made peace. The leaders of the two ninja villages were killed by the same person, and two of the five major ninja villages were fooled around. Not to mention the heavy losses, they all became the laughing stock of the ninja world. The Sand Ninja is fine, they have always been a hopeless case, and they can't lose anything. Anyway, the barefoot are not afraid of the ones wearing shoes, and not many people care that the Sand Ninja was beaten up by Konoha after the rebellion. The huge gap in size has suppressed the Sand Ninja's hope of winning to a very low level, not to mention that they were tricked by their malicious ally Orochimaru.

Mizuki looked at the group of people. Although he had expected to be bored along the way, he never thought it would be so boring. Hinata Hiashi was a serious person. When he went out, he had to consider the family's reputation. Moreover, there was a huge gap in status between him and Mizuki, so there was no communication. At most, he gave instructions to Hinata Ko, and treated everyone else in a businesslike manner.

Mizuki was not familiar with Kurenai Yuhi, and they had very little communication in the past. The occasional conversation was only when he was with Asuma, and the three of them could still say a few words, but with the other two, they really didn't know what to say. There was another important reason why Mizuki didn't want to deal with Kurenai Yuhi, because she was an illusion ninja. Although Mizuki himself was best at sealing techniques and proud of his chakra control, his illusion ability, with the addition of Mizuki's superb control, could be considered to be at the top level. It was precisely because of this understanding that he deeply understood the dangers of illusion-type ninjas, especially when an acquaintance who was not on guard used an illusion on him, it was simply impossible to defend against.

"This is another version of "competents are enemies."

As long as they are illusion ninjas, they will unconsciously make habitual movements, which will give off a very special aura. Ninjas who are not familiar with illusions may not pay much attention to it, but true illusion masters are not easy to hide in front of ninjas of the same level.

As for the other two Sand Ninja captives, they had no desire to talk. Although the two villages had made peace, it was less than a day after all. It was impossible for them to be at war yesterday and not care about it today. Moreover, they were still children who were more than a dozen years younger than Mizuki, so they really had nothing in common.

Also, seeing Gaara covered in sand, Mizuki no longer had much desire to interact with him.

"You carry so much sand with you all day and cover yourself with it from time to time. Don't you think it's dirty?"

Mizuki, who has a slight mysophobia, doesn't want to deal with a dirty kid who hasn't slept for so long and is covered in sand. He's obviously not a diligent bather. Although Mizuki didn't sense any smell on Gaara, he just didn't want to get close to him, even though he would be the Kazekage soon.

As for Temari, she is a little girl of about fifteen years old. Although she has a good appearance and figure, her aesthetic sense is a bit poor. In Mizuki's opinion, her hairstyle is too ugly and her clothes are too rustic. She is the child of the Kazekage and she doesn't even know how to dress up. It's such a waste of such a pretty face.

Mizuki had no idea what to do about the situation where there was almost no communication.

"What a waste of time. I should have brought some information to read, or even a few ninja novels to kill time. It's going to take several days like this, I really can't stand it."

The six of us walked through the day in a dull manner. In the evening, the team finally stopped to rest. After finding a place near the mountains and water and setting up three tents, we finally had some group activities - sitting in a circle in front of the fire and eating dinner.

It was not until this time that Shuimu felt a little relieved. Although Shuimu was not a big foodie, eating was always a happy thing, especially when there was food that he loved.

When you are out and about, there is no such thing as table manners. Mizuki took out the bento that Xiaochun had carefully prepared, ignoring the strange looks from others. He took out the still hot assorted sushi from the ridiculously large lunch box and started eating it in big mouthfuls.

"It's not appropriate for a ninja to carry such an inconvenient large lunch box when he goes out, isn't it?" Yuhi Kurenai, who had been bothered by Mizuki's exaggeratedly large lunch box during lunch, finally couldn't help but ask, "Especially with a mission to complete, it will affect the combat effectiveness, right?"

"Uh..." Mizuki was stunned for a moment as he didn't expect Kurenai Yuhi to ask questions. "Combat power? Isn't it enough for me to keep an eye on them two?" Mizuki said while pointing with chopsticks at Temari and Gaara who were chewing dry food on the side, and did not forget to swallow the food in his mouth.

Honestly speaking, given Mizuki's status, he would not be allowed to participate in such diplomatic activities without special reasons. For formal occasions, a Chunin is still not good enough, otherwise why would he alarm the head of the Hyuga family?

However, I have heard that Kurenai has the qualities of a heroine that are totally inconsistent with her appearance. She is meticulous and serious in her work, otherwise she would not have become a jonin, especially a female jonin who is good at illusion. Mizuki, who understands the difficulty of illusion, is also convinced by Kurenai's strength. At least now, in a head-on battle, Mizuki has little chance of winning. Of course, Kurenai, who has a generous personality, also drinks generously, otherwise she would not have mixed up with Mitarashi Anko.

"You can't say that. Although this mission is not likely to be dangerous, we still need to be vigilant." Yuhi Kurenai said dissatisfiedly, "What if the two Sand Ninjas run away? This is an important bargaining chip for the village."

"Are you going to run away?" After hearing what Kurenai Yuhi said, Mizuki turned around and asked Temari and Gaara.

Temari shook her head awkwardly in response to Mizuki's question, and Gaara acted as if he didn't hear it and ignored her.

"See, they all said they wouldn't run away..."

They will be allies again soon. Both ninja villages are eager to settle the matter and rest. Why would they create trouble at this important moment? I believe these two people have received instructions from the Sand Village and will not make any misleading moves at this time.

Moreover, just one day after Orochimaru's Konoha collapse plan, Konoha and the Sand Ninja made peace. How could other ninja villages and ninja organizations react so quickly to interfere? There might not be many who understood the situation clearly. As for the stray ninjas and bandits on the road, at least no one was blind so far.

Kurenai Yuhi was speechless about Mizuki's words. Although her ninja level was higher than Mizuki's, she was not the captain of the mission after all. Hinata Hiashi didn't say anything, so Kurenai Yuhi couldn't interfere and decide what the team members eat.

"Besides, this is made by Tsubaki herself. It's full of love. Don't you want to make a bento for Asuma?"

Hearing Mizuki's casual question, Yuhi Kurenai's face immediately turned red, and she stammered, "Why should I cook for Asuma? And this is a mission, it has nothing to do with him..."

"Huh? Are you still pretending that nothing happened? It's been so long, and you thought no one noticed? "

"Asuma bought flowers from my shop several times? Not for you? That's strange..." Mizuki pretended to be thinking.

"It's hard for even the most indifferent people to pretend to be in such a shy love relationship..."

However, since Kurenai Yuhi mentioned the Sand Ninja, Mizuki also had a question in his mind.

"How did your brother Kankuro escape?" Mizuki asked Temari, "He seemed to be seriously injured at the time, right?"

Given the chaotic situation at the time, it was impossible for the Sand Ninja, who were obviously at a disadvantage, to rescue the three Genin, not even the Kazekage's child. But Gaara was an exception, as the Jinchūriki had to be rescued.

"It was Instructor Maki. We happened to meet him during the retreat and took Kankuro away with us..."

"Maki..." Mizuki muttered to himself, and then stopped asking. The elite policy of the Sand Ninja made every combat force extremely valuable. Puppet masters like Kankuro, who are unique to the Sand Ninja, are the future reliance of the Sand Ninja. "I don't know what happened to Hayate."

Every day that passes actually reduces the chances of Moonlight Gale waking up. After such a long time, his injuries, both physically and mentally, should have almost recovered. If he cannot wake up, it only means that his vitality has been completely exhausted.

"If Lady Tsunade were here, she would be able to rescue Hayate." A lot of the village leaders knew about Gekko Hayate's affairs. Most of the senior ninjas who participated in the mission knew about it. It was not surprising that Kurenai Yuhi, who was familiar with Asuma Sarutobi, knew about it.

"Asuma seemed to have a serious arm injury yesterday. Is he okay?" After dealing with the matter of Mitarashi Anko yesterday, I was originally planning to check Asuma's injury, but when I came out, I found that he was gone.

"It's no big deal. They're all external injuries. They'll be healed in a few days after treatment." This time, Xihi Kurenai didn't hide anything and answered Shuimu's question straightforwardly.

"That's good..." Mizuki ate the last piece of sushi in the lunch box.

"I finally managed to attract his attention by talking about this and that, and finally I finished my meal..."

After eating and drinking his fill, Shuimu quickly packed up his things, then leaned leisurely against the tree trunk behind him, waiting quietly for everyone to finish eating.

"They are all dry food. Hyuga Hiashi is just eating biscuits. No wonder Yuhi Kurenai dislikes me. It's too conspicuous. But, it's not a big deal anyway..."

There are many ninjas with quirks in the ninja world, so it's not strange to have good food. Sasori and Deidara also play art? What's the big deal about Mizuki eating more?

After a while, the other five people finished eating.

“Ahem.”

Suddenly, a series of signal coughs were heard.

"Eh, is it Hyuga Hiashi?"

The Hyuga clan leader, who was used to being full of authority, actually had something to say.

"I have not communicated with the two teachers before. Hinata has been taken care of by the two of you. I am deeply grateful..."

"Concerned about Hinata? It's fine to thank Kurenai Yuhi, after all, she's the team leader. Is it polite to bring me along? If we're talking about the ninja school, then Iruka should be thanked, and..."

Hinata Hiashi's flowery words made Mizuki feel uncomfortable. If he was considered a humble person, then what were the others?

However, the courtesy of important people also needs to be dealt with. Xihihong and Shuimu also exchanged a few words.

"Are Teacher Mizuki and Neji very familiar with each other?" asked Hinata Hiashi.

"We're not that familiar with each other. We've only been together for a while during missions recently, and we've occasionally bumped into each other and chatted a few times." Shuimu replied.

"Oh? How does that feel Neji?"

"He is a true genius..." Mizuki answered without hesitation.

After hearing what Mizuki said, Hyuga Hiashi nodded and said, "I saw Mizuki-sensei chatting with Neji for a while after the Chunin Exam, and I thought you two knew each other well."

"You know Neji fairly well, after all, he is a rare genius in the village and a pillar of the future."

Mizuki, who was responding casually, felt helpless. He had only come into contact with the geniuses of these big families a few times, but he was already noticed, even though that was a critical period for Neji's psychological changes.

"With the Byakugan's ability to detect my movements and approach to Hyuga Neji, it's not surprising. However, these big families are too wary. Fortunately, I didn't place my hopes on these family members in the first place..."

Next, it was the topic between Hyuga Hiashi and Yuhi Kurenai about Hyuga Hinata. Although Mizuki thought he knew Hinata's talent better than Yuhi Kurenai, he couldn't get a word in, so he could only listen obediently.

"As expected, your concern for the eldest daughter of the clan leader has never ceased, but you just don't show it normally. People from a big family are like that..."

Mizuki can actually understand the painstaking efforts and difficulties of Hyuga Hiashi. Family and personal expectations are often inconsistent. Hyuga Hiashi is not only a clan leader, but also a father.

After nightfall, everyone was tired after walking a long way and went to rest early. Hyuga Hiashi had a tent, Hyuga Ko, Mizuki and Gaara shared a tent, and the last tent was given to Yuhi Kurenai and Temari.

The cautious Shuimu took the time to set up a lot of cordons and traps around the base. Even with Baiyan on the side, Shuimu still decided to take some more insurance measures.

…

In the dead of night, the only sounds could be heard: the howling of wolves, the croaking of frogs, and various unknown insects.

Suddenly, Mizuki was awakened by a wave, and then he sat up quickly. The sudden movement attracted the attention of Gaara, who was not asleep not far away, and then he looked at Mizuki strangely.

"What happened?" Hinata Ke woke up and asked.

"Someone is coming." Shuimu replied with an unpleasant expression, "Two people..."