In a small training area within the Hidden Leaf Village, Mizuki was sitting leisurely on a log under the shade of a tree, avoiding direct exposure to the scorching sun.
Not far away, in a nearby small river, Sakura, wearing red, was locked in battle with a short figure. Many parts of her clothes were already soaked with sweat, and her pink hair—resembling cherry blossoms—was stuck to her smooth forehead, no longer as flowing and graceful as before.
["Time must be nearly up."]
Mizuki glanced at the sky, thinking that the pseudo-jinchuriki's chakra should be nearly depleted by now.
Sure enough, after a short while, the two fighters stopped fighting and began walking toward Mizuki's direction.
"How are you feeling?" Mizuki asked Sakura Haruno, who had collapsed onto the ground exhausted.
After taking a sip of water, Sakura replied, "I'm pretty tired, but otherwise okay."
"What about you?" Mizuki turned his head toward the pseudo-jinchuriki. "How much energy have you used?"
"Manageable. My own chakra is barely sufficient for genin-level combat."
"In less than a week, being able to recover this much is quite good."
"Teacher Mizuki, who exactly is this person—or rather, what is he?" Sakura couldn't hold back her curiosity about the pseudo-jinchuriki's nature any longer.
"It might still be a bit too early for you, but since you're asking, I'll tell you something," Mizuki decided to reveal some details to Sakura.
"It's an application of the Shadow Clone Jutsu."
"The Shadow Clone Jutsu? Like the one Naruto uses?"
"Yes."
"But isn't the Shadow Clone Jutsu limited in duration? And if attacked, they disappear, right?" Sakura questioned in confusion.
She'd seen Naruto use his Shadow Clone many times—it shouldn't be possible for a clone to last this long. Plus, she'd landed a few hits on the pseudo-jinchuriki earlier, yet he hadn't vanished like a shadow clone normally would, continuing to fight energetically for a long time.
"Good observation. But the one facing you is made of real flesh and blood—not a chakra-based shadow clone."
"Flesh and blood? How can chakra make something like that?" Sakura said, surprised.
"Anything's possible. Normally beyond reach, but achievable with Sealing Techniques." Mizuki added a bit of hyperbole to bolster Sakura's confidence in sealing arts, though nothing he said was outright false.
"That's really impressive! Teacher Mizuki, could I ever learn to do that?" Sakura said enviously.
"Not now, maybe not even later. There's just so much to learn first."
Mizuki didn't expect to teach Sakura too many new techniques anytime soon. Before Tsunade returned, there was no way she could start from scratch and successfully brew Omnipotence—the prerequisite knowledge required at least a year or more to even begin understanding.
Still, Mizuki was quite satisfied with Sakura's progress. Things like walking on water came easily to her—after watching him demonstrate once or twice, she mastered them quickly. Her Scalpel was also coming along nicely; although she couldn't control it perfectly yet, its power was already quite formidable. The Mystical Palm was more difficult and required more practice. Unfortunately, Mizuki couldn't offer suitable materials for practice, so they'd just have to take things slowly.
Next, Mizuki planned to moderately enhance Sakura's genjutsu abilities and resistance. However, greed would get him nowhere—he could only do so much for now. Besides, practical combat experience was also necessary to improve her overall strength.
One month was indeed a bit tight. There was also the crucial sealing technique to cover. For now, he could only teach some simple yet practical tricks, especially since the Chunin Exams were just around the corner.
Truthfully, in just one week, Sakura had already reached an impressive level. Thankfully, Mizuki had enough prepared material; otherwise, most instructors wouldn't have much to actually teach.
Just as Mizuki was about to rest before starting his afternoon lesson, an Anbu suddenly appeared.
"Chunin Mizuki, this is an urgent summons from the Third Hokage. Please come with me~"
"Understood." Mizuki turned to the Pseudo-Jinchuriki. "The afternoon training is in your hands."
Then he looked at Sakura and said, "If I haven't returned when you finish today's lessons, go home by yourself and meet me at the flower shop tomorrow."
Without waiting for a reply, he followed the Anbu away.
Rushing swiftly through the streets, Mizuki hurriedly asked while keeping pace, "What's the mission about?"
"Not exactly sure, but Hayate Gekko was just brought back severely injured and barely clinging to life."
"Hayate Gekko?" A chill ran through Mizuki's heart.
『So he still couldn't escape his fate after all. But since he didn't die on the spot, does that mean there's still hope?』
Even though Mizuki was mentally prepared, what he saw upon arrival still shocked him greatly.
Hayate's entire outfit was soaked in blood, his body covered in red-black blood-crusted wounds—his condition wasn't much better than Mizuki's own injuries back in the Land of Waves. From the torn remains of his clothes, one could easily imagine how brutal the battle had been.
Bloodstains on his face had been wiped clean, revealing pale skin completely devoid of color, showing not even a flicker of life. His hair, surprisingly long, was mostly a lifeless gray-white except for the lower sections which retained their natural black hue.
At the sight of this, Mizuki instantly understood what had happened.
"You seem to know already," the Third said beside him. "Any observations?"
Mizuki shook his head. This was clearly the result of excessive use of life-saving pills.
"He's drained nearly all his chakra. Surviving at all is already a miracle," Mizuki said regretfully.
"I know," the Third replied with equal sorrow. "Looking at him like this reminds me of when you were carried back over a month ago. I underestimated the enemy's strength."
An Anbu nearby spoke, "No need to blame yourself, Third Hokage. This is simply the fate of ninja."
"Fate, huh?" The Third sighed.
Mizuki glanced sideways.
『Is that Yugao Uzuki? She's definitely become quite the well-known beauty—even behind the mask, she's far too recognizable. Here to see her lover one last time?』
"Considering Hayate Gekko's stealth and reconnaissance skills, being discovered at all is truly unbelievable..."
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