Chapter 145 Hints and Direct Warnings

Humans are mortal, and no one can escape the fear of death or the desire for immortality. Senju Tobirama, the Second Hokage, had it all—abilities, resources, power, authority. Had he not died young, who knows what horrifying techniques he might've created? Just look at how Orochimaru perfected the Impure World Reincarnation and then developed the Living Corpse Reincarnation, causing chaos across the ninja world. Imagine what someone could create if they stood on the shoulders of a giant like the Second Hokage.

Before noticing these things, one wouldn't naturally make such associations. But once you actually hold tailed beast chakra in your hands and deliberately research along this line, many previously unnoticed clues become visible.

"There are many things that definitely shouldn't be left written down. We should exchange memories."

After scanning the documents, Mizuki burned them without hesitation and erased every trace. Facing Tsubaki, he said, "Arrange a meeting as soon as possible. Be careful not to get discovered. There may already be someone watching us now."

The feeling of being watched hadn't gone away recently. Mizuki couldn't say for sure whether this was all Danzo Shimura's work or if someone else—like Zetsu, a master of reconnaissance—was watching them too.

"I understand. However, Mizuki, if we keep contacting them like this, we'll eventually get caught." Under close watch, these primitive methods wouldn't stay secret for long.

"It's fine, Tsubaki. Before long, we won't need to go through all this trouble anymore." Breakthroughs in tailed beast chakra research, together with natural energy analysis and Sage Mode studies, were about to reshape both him and his clones completely. Judging from current records, tangible results wouldn't take much longer.

...

As the weight of things grew, so did the complexity of the problems Mizuki had to face. As time passed, his strength and research progressed hand in hand, shifting his perspective on many things. Take Impure World Reincarnation, for instance. No one could've created that technique without massive experimentation. Beneath Konoha's bright surface lay darkness unseen but undeniably present. Danzo Shimura embodied everything dark about the Hidden Leaf.

Sometimes Mizuki felt that Danzo Shimura was somewhat tragic—a man with exceptional abilities wasting his talent on schemes and machinations until his youthful ambition wore off completely. Eventually, he sank into a bottomless pit of greed and pride.

Yet objectively recognizing those facts didn't change Mizuki's stance toward Danzo. He'd never side with someone like that—he knew he didn't have the power to barter with a tiger. Just like how he disapproved of Sasuke Uchiha's approach to people, he might still offer a helping hand when needed.

For example, right now, Mizuki wasn't very comfortable dealing with people significantly older than himself. The elder generation of the Ino–Shika–Cho alliance were, on average, about ten years older than him. Calling them contemporaries felt quite awkward.

Drinking with these guys, Mizuki also felt somewhat awkward. And being the only chunin among them didn't help—his opinion carried little weight. Fortunately, having peers like Kakashi Hatake and Might Guy around kept Mizuki from standing out too much. Other than that, he deeply admired how this group could party so hard even while injured.

Being from two completely different generations, there wasn't much they could actually talk about—most of it was pretty boring anyway. Still, getting to know them wasn't a bad idea. At least building some familiarity might come in handy one day.

"Asuma hasn't been back in ages. Is the Land of Earth really that much trouble? Lately, nothing but problems," Kakashi, who hadn't drunk much, complained to Mizuki. Actually, having Asuma here would've been perfect right now.

Considering their roles as core members of the Ino–Shika–Cho trio, it made sense that they knew about certain high-level happenings within Konoha. As for the others—including Kakashi, Mizuki, and Might Guy—they were all directly involved and already in the know. Talking privately about such secrets wasn't a big deal.

"Iwagakure seems to have made some pretty strict demands, and strangely specific ones at that. It looks like the village isn't ready to respond properly," explained Nara Shikaku. Given their connections, knowing a bit of inside info wasn't unusual.

"We still can't figure out their real intentions, which leaves the village kind of indecisive."

"Without a Hokage, disagreements are always tough to settle."

"This afternoon, Lord Jiraiya left straight away with Naruto." Since Kakashi handled both Naruto's protection and mentorship, he was always the first to know where Naruto went. "I hope this doesn't drag on too long."

As the reigning dominant village of the ninja world, Konoha couldn't see an extended Hokage vacancy as a good thing.

"Lord Tsunade... it's been a while." With several seriously injured shinobi needing treatment at the hospital, everyone present—including Mizuki—had lingering injuries that probably needed Tsunade's return to heal properly.

"Oh, right, Mizuki," Kakashi suddenly called out to him, pulling him into the conversation. "How are you holding up physically? After dealing with that swirling masked guy for so long, are you okay?"

"I'm managing," Mizuki replied helplessly. He'd just wanted to stay low when Kakashi singled him out. "Although I shouldn't push myself too hard for now, I'm definitely not some badly wounded casualty who can't fight back."

"Teacher Mizuki's strength turned out to be surprisingly solid. The three of us barely managed to drive him off even after going all out, yet you held your ground alone while handling two kids," said Nara Shikaku—the sharpest among them—who talked the most instead of eating heartily like Choza Akimichi or staying quiet from drink like Inoichi Yamanaka.

"They weren't a burden at all—they actually helped out a lot. Honestly, these recent genin are surprisingly strong. It really pressures guys like me who aren't that strong yet..."

Mizuki managed the small talk with ease, trading casual boasts back and forth.

"Don't be modest. Based on your abilities and performance, you're almost qualified for promotion already."

"Having another jonin around would definitely help take some of the pressure off," added Kakashi, who had been swamped with missions lately.

"If I really get promoted, Aoba should treat us all to a meal. Don't hold back!"

"You got hit pretty hard yesterday, huh? That [Shadow Clone] didn't even last," Kakashi clearly remembered what had happened. "Must've been a pain in the ass to make that clone."

"Yeah, it was a real pain," Mizuki said. "It wasn't about the cost—it just ate up way too much time."

"If making clones were easy, you'd be the one in trouble," Inoichi Yamanaka said with a laugh as he took a big sip of alcohol.

"Fair point," Mizuki responded, raising his cup for a sip too. Though he usually disliked drinking, he'd managed to consume quite a bit today.

Kakashi glanced outside at the window. "It's already this late. We should probably call it quits soon."

"Then let's leave it at this. When Lady Tsunade returns and officially becomes the Fifth Hokage, we'll find another chance to celebrate," Nara Shikaku and Inoichi Yamanaka also felt it was time to go home.

Choza Akimichi agreed as well: "Since someone's footing the bill anyway, everyone should come."

Well then, Mizuki couldn't help thinking—Aoba's wallet probably wouldn't survive this.

...

"Kakashi, you didn't call me here today just for casual chat, right?"

"Hmm," Kakashi thought for a moment before saying, "Now that Lady Tsunade is coming back to officially become the Fifth Hokage, she's been away so long that there's a lot about the village she doesn't know. She'll need to tackle problems, sure, but more than anything else—she needs strong people around her. Take Shikamaru Nara for example—his outstanding performance during the Chunin Exams could see him recommended for promotion to Chunin. I'm sure you've already guessed something like this."

Hearing this from Kakashi, Mizuki basically understood what was going on. In simpler terms—this was all about positioning himself and choosing a side. Supporters loyal to the Hokage line had their eyes on his abilities and potential, aiming to establish order in Konoha after Lady Tsunade officially became the Fifth Hokage.

Perhaps that was indeed part of the reason, but perhaps an even bigger role had been played by Kakashi Hatake himself.

"Thanks, Kakashi."

"Don't mention it. The village is in a turbulent period right now—this is exactly the time when capable hands are needed. Like I just said, having one more trustworthy person onboard is definitely a good thing. However..." Kakashi paused slightly. "Although several Jonin have jointly recommended you, becoming a Jonin isn't like other promotions. Whether they're all-around capable Jonin or Tokubetsu Jonin with special expertise, they're always the village's strongest support. Ultimately, the final decision still rests with the Fifth Hokage, so the final exam is absolutely unavoidable."

"That's only natural, Kakashi. I understand. You've done more than enough already." Recognition from others meant something, but what really mattered was whether your strength matched your rank—if not, it'd bring trouble instead of luck.

"It's good that you understand," Kakashi nodded. "Prepare thoroughly over these next few days and quickly recover your physical condition. The position of Fifth Hokage won't stay vacant long, so you won't have much time to prepare either."

"Don't worry. I know exactly what I need to do."

Even though ninja ranks weren't everything, Mizuki had grown tired of being stuck at chunin—always holding him back. He'd long planned to make an impression when Tsunade returned—to the very least, earn some recognition. Kakashi Hatake ended up doing him a huge favor this time.

Being a jonin doesn't actually make you stronger or come with many obvious perks. It's more about this subtle confidence boost that's hard to explain.

No matter which village or group they're part of, becoming a jonin isn't easy. It proves your skills and reliability have reached a certain level. That kind of invisible advantage dwarfs anything a chunin could hope for. Like during Tobi's attack on Naruto Uzumaki—if he'd been a jonin, he might've even taken emergency command. They wouldn't have gotten into such trouble then.

"But today's conversation sure did reveal a lot…"

If his earlier ignorance made him miss things, now that he got the full picture, those words couldn't just be dismissed as idle chatter anymore.

"Land of Earth, Iwagakure, Deidara—the Akatsuki sure don't give up easy. But this time, I'm the one calling the shots from the shadows. Wonder who'll come after me next? It'd be nice if Hidan showed up. I've always wanted to see what kind of 'immortality' Jashin's curse really grants. And [Earth Grudge Fear], too—what a bizarre technique. I'd love to see it with my own eyes."

Mizuki wasn't fool enough to think he could fight real Akatsuki members yet. Now that he'd picked up hints about the mission type, and seeing the weird situation in the Land of Earth, another showdown looked likely. If unavoidable, and considering how strong Akatsuki already appeared, even if this turned out to be part of the jonin promotion exam, they certainly wouldn't assign him a suicide mission. Though details remained unclear, Mizuki—who already possessed insider knowledge about Akatsuki—would definitely hold the advantage, striking prepared against an unguarded enemy.

...

At dawn, Mizuki and Kakashi Hatake sat perched on the massive branches of a tree inside the training grounds, watching as Sasuke Uchiha repeatedly practiced Chidori down below. Meanwhile, Sakura Haruno kept healing his arms nearby.

"Aren't you gonna go down there and stop him?" Seeing how intensely Sasuke trained, Mizuki felt it was going too far. "Look at Sakura—she can barely keep up. This isn't funny anymore."

"Naruto's away training with Lord Jiraiya, and these rare opportunities don't come often. Think about how much stronger he might become. Don't think this isn't pushing Sasuke harder? I want to stop him too… if he's willing to listen, that is." Kakashi sighed again. "Sometimes, I wonder if I'm even good enough to beat Itachi Uchiha myself. Then how can I possibly teach Sasuke to reach the strength he needs? Honestly, I get doubts about my own abilities sometimes."

"This world... how many people can confidently claim to be stronger than Itachi Uchiha?" Mizuki shook his head slightly at Kakashi's perspective. "You know that old saying—'the pupil surpasses the master,' right?"

Orochimaru, who couldn't beat Itachi Uchiha, ended up training Sasuke—someone destined to defeat Itachi—and was even killed by him.

"You're right. I was just messing around earlier. The mission is urgent, so I'll head out first. Look after things for me the next couple of days."

"Leave it to me. Be careful in the Land of Water—going into that blood mist country which has been closed off for years, gathering intel won't be easy."

"I understand..."

『Yagura, the Jinchuriki of the Three-Tails, is about to die. It's time for Mei Terumi to step into the spotlight.』

This formidable female ninja, as resolute as Tsunade, would single-handedly bring an end to Mist Village's bloody history and support the war-torn village all the way until the Kage Summit. Her strength and resolve were nothing short of extraordinary.

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