Chapter 147: Still Waters Stir

Mizuki had been deep in thought ever since swapping memories with the Artificial Jinchuriki. Sakura Haruno and Sasuke Uchiha could clearly see that Mizuki was completely spaced out—since arriving at the training ground, he hadn't said a word and had just sat there lost in his own world for ages. Even when the two of them showed up super early to train before he'd even told them to, he didn't say anything. Because of that, Sakura and Sasuke didn't dare disturb him and kept their practice much quieter than normal.

It wasn't until Tsubaki brought lunch that Mizuki finally snapped back to reality.

"Why didn't you go back for lunch?" Tsubaki found it odd that Mizuki skipped noon meal and came straight to the training ground. Considering how fragile his health already was, she felt a little concerned he wasn't taking better care of himself—which was why she came to check on him.

"It's nothing serious. I just remembered something."

So caught up in his thoughts, he hadn't realized he'd ended up here without even noticing.

"Eat first. Can't you think about things after going home?" Tsubaki handed Mizuki his lunch. "You look so out-of-it, you're scaring other people."

"Is that so…" Mizuki glanced at Sakura and Sasuke while eating. "They don't seem to mind. Guess they've gotten used to it."

"Just talk about it later, okay? I know how important whatever happened this morning must've been." Tsubaki continued with concern. "If there's anything difficult, maybe I can help."

"Don't worry—I don't let anyone push me around," Mizuki said with a confident smile.

"In that case, good. By the way, someone came looking for you this morning—it was someone from the Hyuga clan."

"The Hyuga?" Mizuki felt puzzled. So soon? Hiashi Hyuga didn't seem like the kind of guy to get worked up so fast. That meant there must be something else going on.

"When did you become close enough with a noble clan like the Hyuga to warrant visits? Was it just because you worked on that mission together last time—which failed anyway…" Tsubaki didn't believe there was much interaction between Mizuki and the Hyuga clan. "Did you make some sort of deal with them?"

Recalling what had happened to her a few days ago, Tsubaki also grew slightly worried about Mizuki's situation.

"Don't worry. It's nothing bad. Trust me."

If the Hyuga clan's matter were urgent, they definitely would've tracked him down here by now. After all, Mizuki held three tempting treasures everyone desired. Hiashi wouldn't give up easily. Most likely then, this wasn't anything pressing.

"In that case, I'll leave first. I still have things to do this afternoon."

"Hmm."

Watching Tsubaki walk off, Mizuki was about to zone out again when Sasuke Uchiha seized the chance and hurried forward eagerly.

"Mizuki-sensei, take a look at this!"

Sasuke swiftly formed hand seals before extending his right hand outward. With the chirping sound of birds and electricity filling the air, Chidori appeared in his palm.

"What am I supposed to see?" Mizuki had seen this technique too many times. If only he had Lightning-Natured chakra, he could probably use something like Chidori Current by now. Unfortunately, his Fire-Natured chakra was far too ordinary. Without any impressive Fire Release techniques to draw inspiration from—except for Amaterasu, which was a Kekkei Genkai—he couldn't replicate anything equally striking.

Following Mizuki's question, Sasuke Uchiha's expression tightened. He seemed to be putting in tremendous effort as his right hand shaped chakra, and the Chidori changed accordingly. Strands of brilliant lightning began wrapping around his entire right arm.

"That's pretty cool," Mizuki remarked, watching as Sasuke had been holding back so long before finally pulling off something like this.

["Looks like this is the prototype of Chidori Current. As expected of a genius; I merely mentioned chakra control a few times, yet he already considered developing in this direction."]

"What do you think, Teacher Mizuki?" Sasuke hopefully awaited Mizuki's evaluation.

"Offense and defense combined—very creative concept. However…"

He couldn't hold the Chidori Current for long—it quickly fell apart and vanished.

Seeing this situation, Sasuke awkwardly said, "It's not completed yet."

"You came up with this yesterday? And today, you've already achieved this level?"

"I've been practicing for many days already. Ever since you first mentioned Chidori, Teacher Mizuki."

That was actually pretty normal—not like he'd been practicing for that long anyway. Naruto Uzumaki also took several days to master the Rasengan.

Watching Sasuke still waiting expectantly for feedback, Mizuki thought briefly before responding, "All great jutsu may originate from a sudden inspiration by a genius. Your technique is genuinely impressive. Perfect it, and at the very least, it won't be inferior to an average Chunin's."

"Just Chunin level?" Sasuke was deeply disappointed by such an assessment.

Seeing Sasuke's crestfallen expression, Mizuki added comfortingly, "The same jutsu wielded by different ninja can produce entirely different results. A Jonin-level Basic Technique could easily overwhelm any Genin. This jutsu has good potential—it will grow stronger along with your increasing power."

"But reaching even this stage has already been extremely difficult for me. I have no way to continue training further. Also…" Sasuke tore off the bandages wrapped around his right arm and rolled up his sleeve, revealing the heavily scarred limb scorched by the previous electric arcs. "How exactly should I achieve the completed state of this jutsu that you described, Teacher Mizuki?"

"Sasuke-kun, you're injured!" Seeing Sasuke's wounds, Sakura hurried over to begin treating his arm. "This technique is just too dangerous."

Being a ninja isn't a game. A few injuries don't mean much—they just slow down training a bit. If he didn't understand that by now, he might as well give up on revenge and live a peaceful life. While studying Chidori, Sasuke had come to realize this.

"I didn't mean it like that, Sasuke-kun," Sakura hastily replied. Girls who've got a crush always get flustered if their guy seems even slightly unhappy with them.

"Alright, Sakura, these are just superficial wounds—nothing serious to worry about," Mizuki reassured her while turning to address Sasuke directly. "I cannot answer your question, however. After all, our styles differ quite significantly." Sasuke Uchiha was a fully-rounded ninja, skilled equally in Ninjutsu, Taijutsu, and Genjutsu. Mizuki seemed similar on the surface, but his entire fighting style was actually built around his special focus on chakra control techniques.

Strictly speaking, Mizuki was nothing like most other ninja.

He had a decent grasp of where the [Chidori] technique headed after its initial form. But exactly how it was mastered? That part was still unclear to him. He just knew that Sasuke suddenly got it after three years—no telling what methods Orochimaru and Kabuto Yakushi used to help Sasuke push past his physical limits.

"I get it. Thanks, sensei." The chat wasn't exactly satisfying, but at least it was useful—kind of a nice bonus. His idea for the Chidori technique had gotten the nod from a top-level ninja. Seemed like it really could be something.

"Don't mention it. I don't have any techniques to teach you, but we can talk about other stuff. Doesn't cost me anything anyway."

It was info they'd find out eventually anyway—he figured he may as well do them a solid.

...

Mizuki got home just as it was getting dark. Lately traumatized, Uchiha Sasuke had been training way too hard. If not for nightfall finally coming, who knows if Sasuke would've kept going all night.

Approaching the door, Mizuki was surprised to see an old friend waiting there—Ko Hyuga.

"What're you doing here?" Mizuki quickly stepped forward, unlocked the door, and invited him in. "You came by earlier today too? If you needed me for something, you could've just found me at the training area. Want some tea?"

"No need for formalities. I'm leaving right after this mission. Lord Hiashi entrusted me to deliver this sealing scroll to you." Ko Hyuga pulled out a sealed scroll. "Inside are things given to you by Lord Hiashi."

"You went through the trouble. Thanks for making the trip twice."

"Actually the third time! Don't worry about it. Then I'll be on my way now."

"Oh... Well then, let me at least walk you out."

...

Watching Ko Hyuga disappear into the night, Mizuki turned back inside, locked the door securely behind him, then pulled out the records gifted by Hiashi Hyuga.

"Perfect timing. Time to dig into some secrets nobody else knows about."

These were the stuff Mizuki specially asked Hiashi Hyuga to track down—mainly ancient myths, popular supernatural tales, and recently uncovered early Konoha records, especially regarding Second Hokage Tobirama Senju and Jiraiya. As for Tobirama Senju, a legendary jutsu inventor whom Mizuki deeply admired, he believed Tobirama's accomplishments were absolutely on par with contemporaries like Madara Uchiha and Hashirama Senju. Only Orochimaru could possibly rival Tobirama when it came to creating new jutsu.

[If Kaguya otsutsuki] marked the source of chaos in the ninja world, and [the Sage of Six Paths] restored order, then reshaping the very structure of the ninja world was Tobirama Senju—who built the ninja academy system, reformed hidden villages, and created jutsu that left a lasting impact. When it came to people Mizuki found truly enigmatic, however, no one compared to Jiraiya—not even Orochimaru, whose origins were already murky.

Jiraiya's origins were still a complete mystery—even more so than Orochimaru's. Unknown parentage, untraceable name, no family records at all. Before becoming the Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi's student, not a single story about him existed. Then, handpicked by Mount Myoboku, he became the famed Great Toad Sage. He trained several major players who completely changed the course of the ninja world and shifted the balance of power.

Master Jiraiya trained Minato Namikaze, the Fourth Hokage, and together they helped raise Naruto Uzumaki, the Seventh Hokage. Both father and son were deeply influenced by Jiraiya himself. He also trained Nagato — a villain who was destined to rise. In the end, Jiraiya even died at Nagato's hands. One could say Jiraiya's life itself was legendary.

However, one strange point remains — during the Fourth Great Ninja World War, nearly every named ninja was brought back via Impure World Reincarnation except for two: Shisui Uchiha and Jiraiya. While it might be understandable for Shisui Uchiha since his body might have been too hard to find, the fact that Jiraiya never appeared through this technique is extremely peculiar. No one quite understands the specific reasons, but Mount Myoboku's influence seems very obvious here. As the Great Toad Sage, he offered one prophecy after another that shaped the fate of the ninja world. He truly worked diligently on mankind's behalf.

The more Mizuki learned about the ninja world, combined with memories from his past life, the more questions accumulated needing answers. Especially recently, he wanted to find some indirect historical evidence from records to verify his theories. So it made way more sense to ask for help from Hiashi Hyuga, whose power was no joke, instead of figuring things out on his own.

...

It had already grown late when Mizuki, who just finished extensive reading, was preparing to rest. Suddenly, he sensed fluctuations indicating someone triggered his traps.

"Who would come sneaking in at this hour?"

After careful perception, Mizuki immediately relaxed.

"Four people? Must be the Gang of Four. Sorry folks, but Konoha these days isn't a place you can just wander into and out of freely."

In the canon timeline, those four Otogakure ninja easily took Sasuke away. But that happened much later after Tsunade returned and Shikamaru had become a Chunin. After so much time passed, Konoha's vigilance wasn't as tight as before.

This situation, however, was completely different now. Konoha had suffered repeated attacks, and even lacked a Hokage currently. Anyone attempting secret infiltration must think Anbu black ops were all pushovers? Furthermore, no one opposed Orochimaru obtaining Sasuke's body more strongly than Danzo Shimura. The Root organization under Danzo's command was certainly keeping the closest watch on Orochimaru.

Even someone well-known like Mizuki would sometimes be stopped by patrolling Anbu if caught out late at night. Considering current circumstances, these four Sound ninja dreaming of smoothly capturing Uchiha Sasuke again was simply impossible. To be honest, even if all four activated their Level Two Cursed Seals, none of them could hold their own against a Jonin one-on-one. They relied on strange techniques that were tricky to defend against. With such abilities, attempting to sneak into Konoha hoping to take advantage of chaos would be laughable — even though the village's strength had weakened, it was still no place ordinary Otogakure ninja could simply sneak into.

Given this situation, Mizuki decided not to bother going out in the middle of the night — those four troublemakers would soon get chased away anyway.

No wonder Orochimaru couldn't hold on either. Seriously injured, he must have sent this group both to look for Tsunade and simultaneously attempt taking Sasuke. Alternatively, maybe he'd already undergone body transfer, now just wanting securely claim Uchiha Sasuke as insurance.

As expected, when Mizuki woke up the next morning, no one had disturbed him. Apparently, the trouble caused by the Gang of Four was dealt with before it could make much noise. Whether they'd been driven off, captured, or killed wasn't Mizuki's concern. Anyway, their potential had already been all but destroyed by the Cursed Seal.

Mizuki stopped paying attention to what happened to others and began making his final preparations for Sage Mode.

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