Chapter 54: Planning Ahead
Chapter 54: Planning Ahead
Early the next morning, Mizuki arrived at the flower shop. After organizing the store and instructing Sakura Haruno to help watch over it, he made his way to the Hokage's office.
It was still early, and aside from a few busy staff members, the building was mostly empty. Mizuki knocked on the door of the Third Hokage's office.
"Come in."
Mizuki entered, stepped forward, and bowed. "Lord Third, I'm here."
"Mizuki, you're early." The Third looked up from his work.
"You work even earlier and harder than I do. May I ask what you called me here for?"
"There's something I want to ask you." The Third Hokage lit his pipe and took a slow puff. "The potion you gave to Moonlight Hayate and Yamashiro Aoba during the Wave Country mission—do you still remember it?"
"Yes," Mizuki confirmed.
'Did something go wrong?'
"No need to worry," the Third reassured him. "I just want to ask about the progress of that research."
Mizuki relaxed, realizing there hadn't been any unexpected side effects. "There haven't been many new developments in creating a better formula, but we've made some surprising discoveries regarding its effects."
"Oh? Tell me more." The Third Hokage seemed genuinely interested.
Mizuki nodded. He wasn't about to reveal the potion's fundamental secrets—some things were too shocking to share, and he lacked the strength to handle any resulting trouble.
"While we haven't improved the potion itself, we've learned a lot about its applications. For shinobi on the battlefield, it's an excellent healing and energy-restoring medicine. As long as the user has enough stamina and chakra, the damage to the body isn't severe. Most injuries can be healed with medical ninjutsu. The main downside is that it overdraws cellular activity. Overuse will significantly shorten one's lifespan, and the side effects accumulate over time. Currently, we have no way to replenish lost vitality."
"Can you confirm that short-term use has no major drawbacks?"
"Yes, I can say that with certainty."
"However," the Third said thoughtfully, "the village conducted some experiments using the sample retrieved from Yamashiro Aoba, and the results were… concerning."
"Did you test it on humans?" Mizuki asked, already guessing the issue. "Or at least on ninja?"
The Third frowned slightly. "Are you saying you conducted tests on shinobi?"
Mizuki quickly clarified, "You misunderstand, Lord Hokage. The effects on wild animals differed significantly from actual usage. When ninja use it, the results have been surprisingly good. That's what I meant. I suspect it's related to chakra, and our observations so far confirm this theory."
"I see…" The Third pondered this. Given that Moonlight Hayate, Yamashiro Aoba, and Mizuki had all used the potion and survived—compared to the failed animal tests—the discrepancy was striking.
"What's the production capability of this potion?"
"It's extremely difficult to make and requires expensive materials. Right now, it's only viable as a last-resort option. While its effects are superior to conventional medicine, it's not worth mass production due to its side effects."
"How much of it has been distributed?"
"Other than what Hayate and Aoba have, only my fiancée, Chihiro Tsubaki, and I possess any."
"Chihiro Tsubaki? From the Sealing Team?"
"Yes."
"Understood. That will be all for now. Keep this conversation confidential."
"I understand, Lord Third." Mizuki bowed and left.
After Mizuki exited, the Third Hokage opened the bottom drawer of his desk, revealing a vial of green liquid—the same potion retrieved from Yamashiro Aoba.
'Having this as a contingency plan is reassuring. I just hope we won't have to use it.'
He stored the vial in his ninja pouch, just in case.
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Mizuki, leaving the Hokage's office, wasn't overly concerned. 'This probably won't affect me much. If they want more of the potion, I'll sell it at a high price. This stuff is exclusive—only I can make it, and no one else can figure out the formula. Even Orochimaru, without the core data, would take forever to crack it. By then, who knows what the world will look like?'
Leisurely making his way back to the flower shop, he bought a few skewers of dango and ate them as he walked.
However, upon arriving at the shop, he saw an unexpected guest.
"What are you doing here? Buying flowers?" Mizuki asked.
It was none other than Yamanaka Ino.
"Mizuki-sensei, I'm here to work," she declared respectfully.
"We don't need more help," Mizuki rejected her outright. 'One assistant is already troublesome enough—two girls in the same shop? They'll drive me crazy.' "Besides, your family owns a flower shop. Why work here?"
"I noticed this shop was closed for several days. Clearly, no one was managing it properly."
"That's because I overslept. Why do you care? And we already have someone here."
"You mean Sakura? She's not a worker—she's here to learn ninjutsu."
"You don't get it. Sometimes you need a balance between work and training. Besides, it builds perseverance. Do you know what perseverance is? It's determination! Trust your teacher—I'm not leading anyone astray."
"Mizuki-sensei, please don't be angry. Ino didn't mean any harm," Sakura quickly interjected, trying to mediate.
"I know, but I can't afford to hire anyone else. If you want a job, come back in a month—right now, I can't pay you."
"I don't want money. I just want to help out."
"You're hired," Mizuki said instantly.
Sakura and Ino both blinked. "What?"
"I said you're hired. What, is there something wrong with your ears? If you're not taking payment, I'd be a fool to say no."
"This quickly?" Ino had prepared a whole speech to convince him, but it turned out to be unnecessary.
"What are you standing around for? Get to work! Or do you not want the job?"
"I'm on it!" Ino immediately started tidying up the shop.
"You two keep busy. I'm going out for a walk and will check on things later." 'Might as well take a break while I can.'
After Mizuki left, Ino turned to Sakura and flashed a triumphant thumbs-up.
"Told you I'd pull it off."
Sakura shook her head. "Even if you're here, I don't think it makes a difference. I feel like Mizuki-sensei is handling things just fine."
"I'm not doing this to help you," Ino huffed. "I just don't want you losing too badly. If you look bad, it makes me look even worse."
"Let's not talk about this. Mizuki-sensei is going to quiz me on my studies later. You should focus on work for now."
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