After saying goodbye to Jiraiya, Tsubaki walked beside Mizuki, who was clearly burdened with worry, as the two made their way home through the quiet streets under the darkening sky.
"Mizuki, do you think what Lord Jiraiya said earlier was off?" she asked hesitantly.
"No," Mizuki shook his head. "It was just speculative talk… even if there's some truth to it, it probably won't affect us directly."
At a glance, it seemed unrelated to him. Even if Jiraiya's guess was accurate and something big was coming, it was the higher-ups who would shoulder that burden.
Still, looking at the world from a broader perspective, the signs had been there for a while. The shinobi world was filled with intelligent, chakra-wielding beings—summons, tailed beasts, rogue experiments, and ancient powers—many of whom got involved in human affairs with suspicious eagerness.
There was an old saying: "The hearts of those not of our kind are always different." And that was just for differences between human clans and villages. Many of the beings in this world weren't even human. While some may have been allies to people, most threw themselves headfirst into shinobi conflicts. Peaceful coexistence seemed more like the exception than the rule.
"…Still, I didn't expect Lord Jiraiya to personally take an interest in Naruto," Tsubaki said softly. "Not long ago, he was just a lonely orphan shunned by the villagers."
"He's a good kid," Mizuki replied. "Who knows? He might end up being the village's strongest support someday."
He then sighed and added, "Anyway, we'll see what tomorrow brings. Things might change in the village overnight. You should go home and get some rest."
Now that the upper brass had confirmed that Sunagakure was conspiring with Orochimaru, and with more time to prepare than in the original timeline, how things would unfold from here was hard to predict. Ideally, Konoha wouldn't initiate war—how they would respond would depend on how things played out.
During the lunch break the next day, Mizuki sat down with Sakura to check her progress.
"Sakura, how's your sealing technique coming along?"
"I've been following the timeline you gave me, and everything's going smoothly so far," Sakura replied confidently.
Mizuki nodded. "That's good. I had originally planned to give you a progress test, but things have been hectic lately. I've been neglecting your instruction, and I'm sorry about that."
"No, Mizuki-sensei," Sakura said sincerely. "I think you've been great." Everyone had noticed how worn-out Mizuki looked lately—it wouldn't be fair to complain.
"That's more a reflection of your own intelligence, talent, and hard work than anything I've done," Mizuki replied.
Sakura hesitated, then admitted, "Actually, I did mess up a little. I shared one of the sealing techniques you gave me with Ino…"
"Oh?" Mizuki raised an eyebrow but didn't look upset. He glanced toward Ino, who looked a little guilty. "Well, it's not some highly classified jutsu. If it helps her understand, it's fine."
"You're too generous," Ino replied quickly. "I didn't get it at first and wanted to prove myself, so I showed it to my family. But even my dad didn't recognize it. He actually told me to pass along his regards to you this morning."
"Your father's very polite," Mizuki said. "If you and Sakura want to compare notes, go ahead—as long as it doesn't slow her down."
Then, glancing at the sky, he added, "Could you help me prepare a bouquet? I'm visiting someone at the hospital this afternoon."
When Mizuki arrived at Moonlight Gale's hospital ward, he found not only Yūgao Uzuki present, but an unexpected visitor as well.
"Kakashi? I thought you were training Sasuke. You're back already?" Mizuki asked, surprised.
Hatake Kakashi turned from the window. "Yeah. But I got a sudden summons. There's a jōnin meeting this afternoon—second one this week."
Mizuki placed the flowers in a vase and turned to Yūgao. "Is his condition still stable?"
"Just checked. No change."
"No deterioration is a good sign," Mizuki said. "Ninjas aren't that easy to kill. As long as they're breathing, there's hope."
"He'll pull through," Kakashi agreed.
The three spoke briefly before Kakashi gave Mizuki a subtle glance and stepped outside. Mizuki followed.
"Something up?" Mizuki asked.
"I just got back, so I don't know the full situation yet," Kakashi said, lowering his voice. "But I heard you were involved. Got anything to share?"
"Not really. I'm just a chunin," Mizuki replied. "But you might want to be ready."
"For what? A war?" Kakashi asked, narrowing his eye.
Mizuki didn't confirm it outright. "Let's just say… a lot of out-of-village shinobi are being recalled. You probably heard Jiraiya is back too?"
"I did. Didn't think you'd know."
"I saw him last night. Had a chat—Naruto was with him."
"Well, it's definitely a good sign that Jiraiya's mentoring Naruto." Kakashi smiled. "Speaking of students… how's Sakura doing?"
"You only remember Sakura now?" Mizuki smirked. "Don't worry, she'll surprise you. If Sasuke doesn't step it up, he might get left behind."
"That so?" Kakashi chuckled. "Then I can relax a little. See you at the third round of the Chunin Exams."
After they parted, Mizuki walked back under the midday heat, not in the mood to wander. When he arrived back at the Four Seasons Flower Shop, Ino was waiting for him.
"Mizuki-sensei, Iruka-sensei stopped by earlier. Said he had something urgent to tell you. You weren't here, so he left this letter."
Mizuki took the note and unfolded it.
"An emergency evacuation plan?" he muttered. "They're really bracing for the worst. Prioritize getting the Academy students and instructors to safety…"
He sighed. "In the manga, things got so bad we had to rely on jinchūriki. Let's hope this time we've got better intel—and don't underestimate the enemy's strength."