Chapter 55: Resonance

Chapter 55: Resonance

'These two girls think they can outsmart me? I'm just letting them be. If they think they can take advantage of me for free, they're sorely mistaken. Let them play their little friendship rivalry game—I have no interest in getting involved.'

Mizuki didn't mind much. As long as he was only teaching one person, having an extra tag-along wouldn't make a difference. He'd simply ignore her. Besides, having a free worker meant less effort for him. He was already getting paid to teach Sakura, but as for Ino—if she could pick up something useful, that was entirely up to her.

By now, the streets were bustling with people, but there were clearly more unfamiliar faces among the crowd. Most were rushing off to work, but Mizuki spotted an exception ahead—a couple strolling leisurely so early in the morning.

'Huh? Isn't that Sarutobi Asuma and Kurenai Yuhi? Shouldn't they be training their Genin instead of showing off their relationship in public?'

He smirked and called out, "The bearded guy smoking up ahead—yeah, you, stop looking around—why so nervous? Doing something you shouldn't?"

"Of course not! We just happened to run into each other," Asuma replied, a bit too quickly.

"I never said you were doing anything wrong. Why are you confessing?" Mizuki raised an eyebrow knowingly. "You just happened to meet, so now you're getting breakfast together?"

"Y-Yeah," they both answered in unison.

"Asuma-sensei, Kurenai-sensei," Mizuki continued, his tone teasing.

"Yes? What is it?"

"I just came from seeing the Third Hokage. We talked about how the new Genin are performing. He mentioned that most of them are doing pretty well, but…"

"But what?" At the mention of the Third, the two became more attentive.

"But it seems that some people have been slacking off now that the third round of the Chunin Exams is approaching." Mizuki casually threw out the comment, watching their reactions. "The best-performing instructor, Hatake Kakashi, is busy looking after Sasuke Uchiha. But even with that, he still made arrangements for Naruto Uzumaki and Sakura Haruno. A true model teacher, dedicated and hardworking. But then there are others whose team results are far behind, yet they're still slacking off. I'm not saying they're bad—considering the Genin's abilities, they've done well. But compared to Kakashi's efforts, their performance just looks… disappointing."

"Aha-ha… that's not true at all!" Asuma laughed awkwardly. "Oh, I just remembered—I have something to do. I should get going."

"Me too! I need to oversee Shino's training." Kurenai quickly followed.

Mizuki sighed as they hurried away. "How boring. I was hoping to chat a bit longer. I didn't expect them to be so easy to tease."

"Yeah! They're so obvious about it, yet they insist on pretending nothing's happening. And we all have to act like we don't notice—it's exhausting!"

A familiar voice suddenly chimed in.

"Huh?" Mizuki turned in surprise. "Oh, it's you, Anko. You're up early."

Mitarashi Anko grinned as she clapped a hand on Mizuki's shoulder. "You've got guts, Mizuki. I never knew you had a sense of humor. I thought you only liked messing with Genin, but I guess you're bolder than I thought."

Mizuki endured the rough pats on his shoulder. 'We're not even that close. Why is she acting so familiar?'

"I was just reminding certain instructors of their responsibilities. Chunin Exams are a turning point in a ninja's life—it's important to prepare properly."

"Oh? And you're preparing by leaving Sakura alone in a flower shop?" Anko leaned in with a smirk. "I just stopped by your store. From what I heard, Kakashi paid you quite handsomely to train her. Doesn't seem like you're doing much teaching."

"Nonsense! This is all part of the learning process. Ha ha ha…" Mizuki laughed nervously.

"First thing in the morning and you're already slacking off. That's rare." Anko didn't let up. Then she suddenly tilted her head, sniffing the air. "Hmm? There's a familiar scent on you… weird." She reached out, touching Mizuki's arm where his curse seal was hidden, and sniffed again.

"Uh… is there a problem?" Mizuki tensed. 'This is way too close for comfort. If someone sees and rumors spread to Tsubaki, I'm done for.' "Maybe it's the dango I ate this morning? You smell that?"

"Ohhh, that's it! No wonder it seemed familiar. You have good taste!" Anko grinned. "I haven't had breakfast yet—time to get some dango! Catch you later!"

As she rushed off, Mizuki let out a sigh of relief.

'Why are hot-blooded ninja like her so hard to deal with? Especially ones with sharp senses and strong instincts…'

He touched his right arm where the curse mark was sealed.

'It's not time to reveal this yet. But after the last outburst, my curse mark seems more active… It should be fine as long as the seal holds. Still, Anko's own seal must be reacting to Orochimaru's presence. I'd better avoid her and Sasuke for now.'

---

Near midday, Mizuki returned to the flower shop with several boxed lunches. He found Sakura still studying while Ino was busy counting money.

"Lunch break! You should take a rest."

"Sounds good," Ino said, stretching. "This morning was surprisingly busy."

But then she frowned, as if something had been bothering her. "Mizuki-sensei, I've been thinking—my family's flower shop is in a similar location to yours. We sell almost the same flowers. So why is your shop doing so much better? It doesn't make sense."

"That's a trade secret. No comment." Mizuki smirked. He wasn't about to admit that he used genjutsu to subtly attract customers.

"Ugh, that's so unfair!" Ino pouted. "I can't accept that some clueless amateur is running a flower shop more successfully than my family, which has been doing this for generations! The Flower Deity is totally biased!"

"You're right. If there is a Flower Deity, they must be on my side. I mean, just look at my shop's name—Four Seasons Flower Shop. It's perfect. What does your family have?"

Ino gritted her teeth. She had been around flowers her entire life, yet here was this guy, a total outsider, outshining her family's business. It was infuriating! But facts were facts. She had no way to argue against it.

Meanwhile, Sakura simply watched the conversation unfold with an amused smile. She knew Mizuki was just bluffing, but she chose to keep quiet and enjoy the show.

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