Saying goodbye to Jiraiya, Tsubaki walked shoulder to shoulder with a pensive Mizuki, slowly making their way home through the pitch-black night.
"Mizuki, was there anything wrong with what Lord Jiraiya just said?" Tsubaki couldn't help but ask.
"No," Mizuki replied, shaking his head. "It's merely some immature speculation. It shouldn't cause any significant impact."
At present, it definitely had nothing to do with Mizuki. Even if those speculations were true, let the tall ones bear the burden when the sky falls—it certainly wouldn't fall on Mizuki's shoulders to worry about.
But from another perspective, examining this world closely, one could have noticed signs long ago. The variety of sentient beings within the ninja world was surprisingly diverse—demons and yokai spirits constantly emerging. Anyone with a bit of power would come out stirring up wind and rain.
In her previous life, there was a saying: "Those not of our race surely harbor different intentions." That was just referring to differences between ethnicities, yet conflicts still ran rampant. In the ninja world, the differences weren't even racial—they were entirely different species. Perhaps there truly existed certain clans that were friendly toward humans and lived peacefully apart, but for so many non-humans to actively involve themselves in human conflicts, their enthusiasm seemed excessive.
"Still, I never expected Naruto Uzumaki to gain Lord Jiraiya's favor. Not long ago, he was an orphan ostracized by the villagers," Tsubaki mused aloud.
"He's a good kid," Mizuki replied. "He might even become Konoha's pillar someday. Anyway, let's drop this topic for now. There might be changes happening in the village tomorrow. We should go back and rest early."
With Konoha's leadership having obtained intelligence regarding Suna's collusion with Orochimaru, they now had more time to make preparations. What changes would deviate from the original storyline remained unknown. However, considering Hiruzen Sarutobi's caution, Konoha wouldn't take the initiative in starting a war. How things would proceed would depend on the circumstances.
...
"Sakura, how are you progressing with the Sealing Technique lately?" Mizuki asked during lunch break.
"I'm proceeding smoothly according to the timeline you assigned. There haven't been any problems so far," Sakura answered.
Hearing this, Mizuki nodded slightly and said, "That's good. Originally I was going to give you a test, but these past few days have been too busy—I've neglected your training. Sorry about that."
"Not really, Teacher Mizuki," Sakura replied. "I think it's going pretty well." Everyone had seen how exhausted Mizuki looked recently; no one could really blame him.
"That's your smarts, talent, and effort—not due to my negligence at all."
Somewhat awkwardly, Sakura added, "Actually, I made a mistake too. Privately, I showed the ninjutsu you taught me to Ino."
"Oh," Mizuki suddenly understood why Inoichi Yamanaka had treated him so kindly recently. He glanced at the slightly embarrassed Ino beside them. "No problem. If she can learn, then let her study freely. They aren't such precious secret techniques anyway."
"Teacher Mizuki, you're being too modest," Ino spoke up. "I simply couldn't understand them and refused to accept defeat, so I even showed the sealing technique materials to my family—but nobody could make heads or tails of them."
"My father specifically asked me to greet you this morning."
"You're too polite, senpai," Kakashi replied. "Just discuss with Sakura what you'd like to learn. As long as she doesn't fall behind in her studies." It seems having the right connections does make a difference after all.
Glancing at the sky outside, Mizuki gave instructions, "Please prepare a bouquet for a patient visit—I need it right away. I'm going out this afternoon and will be back soon~"
...
When Mizuki arrived at Hayate Gekko's hospital room, he found Yugao Uzuki there along with an unexpected figure.
"Kakashi? How come you're here? Weren't you supposed to be training Sasuke? You're back so soon?" A few days ago, Kakashi Hatake had left with the barely recovered Sasuke Uchiha to find a quiet place for training. Originally, they weren't supposed to see each other again until the third round of the Chunin Exams.
"Yeah, but I just received an urgent notice. I have to attend the Jonin meeting later today," Kakashi turned around to answer. "This is already the second time this week. Rather unsettling isn't it?"
Mizuki put the flowers he brought into the vase before asking Yugao, "The condition is still stable I presume?"
"I just checked earlier. There's been no change."
"If it hasn't gotten worse, that's good news. Ninja aren't fragile creatures. As long as we survive, there's always hope," Mizuki comforted.
"Exactly, things will get better," Kakashi agreed.
After some casual conversation, Mizuki and Kakashi were about to leave.
"In that case, we won't stay any longer," Mizuki noticed Kakashi giving him a meaningful look and pushed the door open to exit. Kakashi followed closely behind.
"What's up?" Mizuki asked.
Kakashi explained, "I just got back and haven't figured out what happened yet. But I heard you were involved. Do you know anything about the intelligence?"
"I don't have details either since I'm only a Chunin. Still, you better prepare yourself!"
"Prepare? For war? Is it really that serious?"
Mizuki didn't directly confirm Kakashi's guess, "From what I know, many ninjas who were dispatched outside have already returned to the village. I assume you've heard that Master Jiraiya is back in the village too?"
"Hmm, didn't expect you to know that already."
"I saw him last night and we chatted briefly. Naruto was there too."
"It's fortunate that Master Jiraiya himself is personally mentoring Naruto. By the way, how is Sakura doing now?" Kakashi finally remembered his other student.
"After all this talk, you finally think about Sakura," Mizuki chuckled. "Don't worry, you'll be amazed. If Sasuke hasn't made much progress, don't be surprised if Sakura overtakes him."
"Is that so? Then I can rest easy. I should head to the meeting first. Let's catch up again during the third round of the Chunin Exams."
After parting ways with Kakashi Hatake, Mizuki lost interest in walking under the scorching noon sun and headed back quickly.
As soon as he returned to the Four Seasons Flower Shop, Ino Yamanaka approached and said, "Teacher Mizuki, Iruka came by earlier looking for you. He said he had something important to tell you, and since you weren't here, he left you a letter."
Mizuki took the letter from Ino, opened it, and after a quick glance, figured it all out instantly.
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