"Uh," Kakashi hesitated, slightly surprised by Mizuki's words. "I didn't expect you to have so much confidence in Sakura Haruno, but for now I can't find a better candidate."
"It seems everyone will be busy after the Chunin Exams. If I have time, I'll help out."
Everything will change in Konoha after today. Making promises now is too early. From this point until Tsunade officially becomes the Fifth Hokage, Konoha will enter its most troublesome phase. There won't be time for extra tasks. Once Tsunade returns, Sakura Haruno will have someone more powerful to rely on instead of depending on such an unstable support anymore.
Seeing that Mizuki hadn't made any firm commitment, Kakashi stopped pressing the issue. "In that case, thank you."
"No problem. But let's see how far your precious Sasuke Uchiha has come," Mizuki replied with a nod.
Kakashi said confidently, "If that Sand ninja is still at the level he showed during the preliminaries, we don't need to worry too much."
He glanced toward the stadium entrance where Sasuke Uchiha stood ready to jump down eagerly.
"Kakashi, you're being too optimistic," Mizuki had to remind him. "You arrived late, so maybe you don't know—Suna's Kankuro withdrew, and those three genin from Sunagakure are behaving unusually."
"Hmm? What do you mean?" Kakashi asked.
"That Gaara is dangerous—extremely dangerous. That feeling isn't just directed toward our genin. His two teammates also act suspiciously. They seem more afraid of Gaara than fearful of Leaf ninjas. You understand what I'm implying, right? Those three genin aren't merely decoys meant to distract us."
For Sand ninjas with hidden agendas, this situation clearly indicated big trouble—huge problems indeed.
"What kind of dangerous feeling?" Kakashi pressed.
"You weren't here for the first match—Naruto Uzumaki's Nine-Tails' Chakra leaked out."
"Oh, I just learned about that. No wonder he won... Wait, you don't mean to say it's that kind of danger?" Kakashi suddenly caught on, asking in shock.
Mizuki didn't answer directly. He looked downward at Gaara who was already impatiently waiting to enter the arena. "You understand my meaning. Why hold this match after delaying it for so long instead of declaring Sasuke forfeited... If our suspicions are correct, we're facing serious trouble."
"If what you're suggesting is true—that he's a Jinchuriki," Kakashi said with concern, "then the match is about to start, and there's no time to prepare a sealing team anymore."
"Let's hope this is just unnecessary worrying," Mizuki replied insincerely.
[Fortunately, Orochimaru killed the Fourth Kazekage ahead of time, eliminating one major enemy.]
"Luckily Jiraiya is still in the village," Kakashi added. "Even if the worst happens, we won't be completely helpless."
After speaking, Kakashi turned to Sasuke and instructed, "Sasuke, be careful..."
Uchiha Sasuke smiled confidently. "I know. I'll win!" With these words, he jumped down from the stadium seating area.
Mizuki shook his head. Sasuke, who had just mastered using Lightning Release chakra to stimulate his body, was now supremely confident in facing any Genin. Even Rock Lee, who once gave him trouble, wouldn't be a problem anymore. Not to mention he had also learned Chidori, an extremely powerful Ninjutsu. Proud and even arrogant, he didn't take the Chunin Exams seriously.
Kakashi hesitated before saying, "I was actually going to advise him to surrender immediately if things didn't feel right."
Facing Kakashi's helpless smile, Mizuki said, "Maybe things aren't that bad. Jinchuriki are tough opponents, yes, but only when they transform. Gaara clearly doesn't seem to have such control yet. A Jinchuriki in human form isn't that terrifying."
"I hope it turns out as optimistically as you say."
Beside the two men talking, Might Guy suddenly appeared.
"My eternal rival Kakashi! You've been here so long; shouldn't you at least greet me? Are you deliberately ignoring me to perform psychological warfare on me before our duel?"
Looking at the pair of lifelong rivals, Mizuki sighed inwardly. "You two chat. I'll go check things out in the back." With that, he walked toward the back rest area.
While still in the corridor, Mizuki noticed Hiashi Hyuga walking away.
"Looks like Neji Hyuga is in there. Might as well check it out."
Arriving at the room door, Mizuki knocked gently on the open door.
The sound caught Neji's attention, turning his head around. "Teacher Mizuki?"
"What are you thinking about so intently?" Mizuki smiled as he walked inside. During their time in the Forest of Death, they had spent considerable time together, so they were quite familiar with each other.
"Pardon my rudeness."
"How's your injury? Do you need help? My Medical Ninjutsu can fool amateurs pretty well."
"No need to worry, Teacher. A medical ninja already treated me earlier."
"Good then," Mizuki responded. "This year's Chunin Exams have brought too many unexpected incidents. It's a real pity you're out of the competition."
"I disappointed everyone," Neji said, slightly embarrassed.
"Not really disappointed. After all, Naruto Uzumaki isn't a weakling either—it's just quite unfortunate."
"Teacher Mizuki," Neji seemed to have something he wanted to ask, "do you think I'm a genius?"
Hearing Neji's question, Mizuki smiled.
[If you're not a genius, who else dares to use that word?]
"To put it this way: among current Konoha Genin, no one can defeat you before reaching Jonin level."
"But why did I lose to Naruto Uzumaki?"
"There's a special reason for that. Naruto is an exception—he doesn't fall entirely within normal strength categories. You'll understand later." The Nine-Tails' power is simply overwhelming. Besides, this is just the Chunin Exam matches—there are many restrictions during arena battles. If it were a life-or-death fight, Naruto wouldn't get a chance to pull off one of his miraculous comebacks.
In Mizuki's opinion, Neji's attitude had improved significantly. Perhaps knowing the truth from years ago had changed his perspective. Although he disagreed with how Konoha and the Hyuga handled things, he understood it was their way of surviving. Mizuki didn't want to dwell on it—he thought it was a waste for such a rare gem as Neji to get stuck on pointless topics like fate. He'd rather Neji spend that energy studying philosophy with him.
"At least this is better. Though he hasn't broken free from the 'Caged Bird' fate, he's no longer a pitiful soul resigned to complaining about destiny."
"Well then, I won't chat any longer. I've got things to do. Rest well."
As Neji watched Mizuki leave, he felt puzzled. Mizuki's battle-ready outfit looked extremely out of place—his ninja tool pouch bulged, and several Fuma Shuriken were clearly visible. He looked less like a regular patrol ninja and more like someone going off to fight.
For a moment, Neji felt an ominous premonition.
Meanwhile, just outside the room, Mizuki spotted Hinata holding medicine and hesitating at the door.
"Teacher Mizuki," Hinata greeted nervously.
"You go in. Neji's waiting for you." Mizuki wasn't lying. With Neji's Byakugan, detecting Hinata outside was effortless.
Walking around a corner, Mizuki suddenly asked, "Everything ready?"
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