Behind the Smiles

"The cat's missing... again..." Mizuki muttered while rolling her eyes, her voice quiet but filled with internal despair.

Minato gently patted Mizuki's shoulder. "Come on... it's just a cat. Maybe it didn't run off too far this time."

"Last time, it ran all the way up to the Hokage Tower," Dekai interjected, sounding like he was cursing life itself.

Jiraiya stood in the corner of the room, hands in his pockets and a calm expression, observing his students, who now seemed to be suffering spiritually. "Well, this is part of shinobi training too. A strong mentality starts with... patience." He smiled broadly, almost like someone who enjoyed others' misery.

Mizuki glared. "If I see that cat climbing the tower again, I'll throw a fuinjutsu at it."

Minato chuckled lightly. "We don't want to cause an international diplomatic incident over a cat, Mizuki."

"If it sneaks up the Hokage Tower again, that is a diplomatic incident—an invasion against Konoha's leader!" Mizuki shot back while adjusting her gloves.

Weeding Mission – Afternoon

Dekai collapsed onto the ground. "This... this isn't weeding. This is guerrilla warfare."

The overgrowth looked like a field of wild beasts had taken over the small noble family's backyard.

Minato was drenched in sweat, clutching his back. "These weeds... it's like their roots are buried straight into hell."

Mizuki, who was weeding with surgical precision, said, "If we treat this like a battlefield, we should establish formation."

Dekai looked up. "We need a battle formation to weed the garden?"

Mizuki shot him a cold look. "I'm just trying to give meaning to this void."

Orphanage Mission – Midday

"MINATO-NII!" the children shouted as they ran up to Minato, who had just entered the orphanage playroom.

Minato smiled brightly, letting the kids grab his hands, clothes, and even his hair. "Alright, alright! One at a time! Don't pull like that!"

Dekai sat in the corner with a small child climbing on his back while laughing. "Does this... count as weight training...?"

Mizuki stood stiffly, her eyes sharp as she glared at a group of children approaching with paint and brushes. 'Come an inch closer, and I will draw utter chaos into your chakra pathways.'

In the end, a few kids managed to stick some cute stickers on Mizuki's cheeks.

'...You will pay for this. With your future,' she muttered, surrendering to the chaos of the orphanage.

Three Months Later – Team 6 Training Grounds

Blue skies. Trees swaying gently in the afternoon wind. Three kids stood in a row in front of Jiraiya, who looked overly relaxed as he sipped iced tea from a bottle.

"We're requesting a C-rank mission," Mizuki said in her usual firm and flat tone.

"Yes, please!" Minato added, sincere as always.

Dekai folded his arms and mumbled, "If there's another mission cleaning pig pens, I swear I'll resign from the village."

Jiraiya suppressed a grin, scanning them one by one. Mizuki—always determined and composed, but a glimmer of frustration in her eyes. Minato—still warm and idealistic, but clearly growing weary. And Dekai—well, he looked ready to burn down the mission office.

"Alright, alright." Jiraiya set his bottle down and stood.

"After three months of nothing but D-rank missions, I think you deserve a change of pace." He clapped his hands. "Tomorrow morning, we'll take on a C-rank mission."

Mizuki nodded slightly. "Finally... something that doesn't make me consider torching the mission office."

Minato raised a fist high. "Yosh! I can't wait!"

Dekai simply said, "As long as there's no cats or weeds... I'm in."

Jiraiya chuckled softly. "You three... annoying as you are, you're pretty fun. Alright, go home and get ready. We leave early."

As they began packing up, Jiraiya looked up at the sky.

'These kids... they're not just strong. They're starting to build bonds. I hope they can endure.'

And from behind the branches, an ANBU owl silently observed. Unseen. Unheard. Watching.

Because deep within Konoha, Danzo was also beginning to move.

And Mizuki—though she laughed that day—knew very well... their time to laugh wouldn't last long.

Hokage's Office – Near Sundown

The golden light of sunset slipped through the round window of the Hokage's office, casting warm patterns across the wooden desk crowded with documents. Smoke lazily drifted from Hiruzen Sarutobi's pipe, forming blurred rings in the air, creating an atmosphere of calm laced with invisible pressure.

Across from him, Danzo Shimura sat with a straight, composed posture. His right eye was bandaged, still radiating a sense of hidden power. His left hand flipped through the pages of a report.

The report was written in Mizuki's delicate handwriting. Each paragraph was neat, structured, and sharp like a well-honed kunai.

Subject: Psychological Evaluation and Chakra Stability Monitoring of Uzumaki Kushina.

"Mizuki… she's extremely thorough," Hiruzen murmured, squinting as he read the section that mentioned Kyuubi chakra leaks under extreme emotional stress.

"Not just thorough," Danzo added quietly. "She's strategically aware. She knows what information needs to be recorded… and what needs to remain implied."

They read in silence. The report detailed how, even while carrying out three months of Team 6's D-rank missions, Mizuki continued a secret assignment known only to the two men in that room: Danzo and Hiruzen.

At least once a week, Mizuki subtly brought her team to visit Kushina. Sometimes under the pretense of checking on Fuinjutsu work. Sometimes under the guise of casual training or friendly visits. Neither Minato nor Dekai ever suspected a thing. Even Jiraiya simply thought Mizuki was being a caring friend.

And only Mizuki knew the truth: when Kushina laughed, when she got angry, and when her heart wavered—there was a seal on her body that sometimes reacted, unleashing terrifying chakra ripples that could be felt even without a Byakugan.

Danzo set down the last page and folded his arms. "The seal's still intact, but the reactions… too sensitive. Mito-sama surely knows the girl isn't ready."

Hiruzen nodded, pressing his pipe into the ashtray. "During a few sparring sessions, Kyuubi's chakra leaked out just from Dekai saying something rude. It's... frightening."

Danzo nodded. "Imagine her chasing a lost cat. Then it jumps onto the Hokage Tower and the Kyuubi bursts out because Kushina gets upset."

"...Konoha would go down in history as the village destroyed by a noble's pet," Hiruzen replied dryly.

They both chuckled softly. But the laughter didn't last. After the chuckles, reality returned.

"Do you remember Ginkaku and Kinkaku?" Danzo asked, his tone heavy.

Hiruzen slowly shook his head. "That nightmare never fades... even the Yamanaka couldn't erase it."

The two shinobi were silent for a long while. Then Danzo leaned back, his fingers tapping the desk.

"Do you remember Mito-sama's last message?" he asked quietly.

"'A jinchuriki must have love... to face the monster inside,'" Hiruzen repeated the words slowly, like reciting a sacred mantra.

Then he sighed, looking out at the twilight sky through the window.

"But Danzo... what can we do? No chakra training or morality class can fill the void in a child's heart."

Danzo didn't answer immediately. He was thoughtful, then said, "Kushina… she likes Minato, doesn't she?"

Hiruzen looked at his old friend. "That's... not confirmed."

"Then how about we give it a little push?" Danzo's voice was soft, but sharp.

Hiruzen raised an eyebrow. "You mean arrange a match?"

"Not officially. Just let them grow closer… naturally." Danzo narrowed his eye. "That boy—Minato—I've observed him for a while. He's loyal to the village. Not like the Uchiha, or the children of other big clans. He's... stable."

Hiruzen tapped his finger on the desk. "Interesting idea. But this also concerns Mizuki's personal life. I think we should talk to her first."

Danzo clicked his tongue softly, looking aside. "You think I don't know that?"

Hiruzen smiled faintly, leaning forward. "You're afraid your student will hate you, aren't you?"

"...Don't make assumptions, Sarutobi."

"I'm merely stating a possibility."

"And I'm merely stating that you're irritating."

Hiruzen laughed, his signature chuckle echoing through the room. "Very well, let's summon Mizuki tomorrow morning. We'll hear her thoughts."

Danzo gave a slight nod. But deep in his heart, he was already calculating the scenarios. Mizuki wasn't just an informant. She was the foundation. And if there was one thing Danzo believed in, it was that a strong foundation wasn't built through force... but through trust.

Outside, the sky darkened. Birds returned to their nests. The lights of Konoha began to flicker on, one by one.

And amid the coming darkness, the two pillars of the village knew—The decision they made today... would affect not just one child,but perhaps the entire future of the shinobi world.