"Exclusive to Uzumaki and Senju?" Hiruzen seemed to realize something. He felt stunned.
Could it really be true?
Mizuki smiled bitterly, "At first I didn't believe it, so I ate one right away. No reaction at all. Later I brought them back to the village and kept them in an inconspicuous corner. Today, seeing Naruto fail the exam, it suddenly occurred to me — Naruto's surname is Uzumaki. He has the Uzumaki clan bloodline. Perhaps the medicine would work on him, so I decided to try it. After he took the pill, his chakra control ability really improved. I gave him two pills and couldn't help but eat one myself. Those pills only worked on him — they had no effect on me whatsoever."
At this point, he appeared increasingly dejected. His expression was perfectly on point.
Hiruzen, however, was thinking much deeper.
Back in the day, the Senju and Uzumaki clans had been allies for generations. The First Hokage could release jutsu without hand seals — could it be he'd obtained chakra control pills from the Uzumaki clan?
But why is there no record of such a thing in the village?
"Lord Third, there's one last chakra control pill remaining in the wooden box. After thinking it over, I believe it's best to hand it over to the Hokage. Although it's useless to ninja of bloodlines other than Senju and Uzumaki, perhaps with research and improvement, this limitation could be eliminated."
What was in the box was, of course, a fake chakra control pill provided by the system — one that could improve the chakra control of Uzumaki and Senju clan ninja by 0.1%. The system had already paved the escape route. Mizuki didn't need to think too much about it.
Hiruzen opened the box. He looked at the pill lying quietly inside, still holding some hope in his heart.
"Mizuki, you're very thoughtful! Regarding Naruto, you've done well. Naruto's identity is rather special, and the villagers are unwilling to associate with him. Yet you're willing to help him — truly rare. It really makes me see you in a new light."
Mizuki sneered inwardly.
Hypocritical old fox!
Clearly setting a trap to deal with me, yet talking about seeing me in a new light — saying one thing and meaning another.
Also, Naruto being hated by the villagers — isn't that because of you? If you'd revealed his identity as the son of a hero, would the villagers' attitude toward him still be like this?
"Lord Third, you flatter me. As a member of Konoha, this is what I should be doing. My talent is poor. I'm just an ordinary Chūnin, unable to bring revenue to the village by executing high-level missions. All I can do is focus on cultivating Konoha's next generation at the academy. Although my teaching ability is insufficient and I'm merely an assistant instructor, I will do my utmost.
I only hope those children will become stronger — able to protect themselves, protect their comrades, and protect the village. Heaven forbid they end up like me, with insufficient strength, watching comrades get killed yet powerless to do anything."
Mizuki spoke these words with utmost sincerity.
Hiruzen, as an old politician and old fox who had experienced every kind of situation, naturally didn't believe them. Although there was no concrete evidence of this man smothering his comrade to death, that didn't prevent him from determining that Mizuki was no good.
'He's clearly noticed that the village is preparing to move against him. He handed over the last pill, putting on an act like he's devoted to the village. Someone like this is dangerous if left in the village. But there's no evidence to arrest him! Arresting someone without evidence — the villagers and ninja would object.'
Hiruzen hesitated." In the end, he decided to let things be for now.
At least he's just a Chūnin — he can't cause much trouble. Keeping him around might even lure out Orochimaru.
"Mizuki, I never imagined you'd understood the Will of Fire so thoroughly. Having you serve as an assistant instructor at the academy seems a waste of talent. How about this — when the new students enroll, you can become a team leader as well. Your treatment will be improved. I hope you'll pass down the Will of Fire. Only in this way can Konoha flourish endlessly."
Hiruzen's verbal commitment allowed Mizuki to breathe a sigh of relief.
At least the crisis had been temporarily resolved. From now on, he must act carefully and not let this old man catch him in anything.
"Lord Third, I will!"
"Mm!" Hiruzen nodded, "Your contribution of the chakra control pill is a great achievement. I've decided to give you a small reward."
Hiruzen opened a drawer and took out a stack of money.
"This is 100,000 ryō. Take it. This is my personal reward to you, so don't mention this to anyone — it wouldn't look good if others knew."
Mizuki inwardly mocked his stinginess — only 100,000 ryō as hush money. Not even as much as a B-Rank mission reward.
Though dissatisfied, he still had to keep up appearances. He pretended to be overjoyed and reached out to accept the money.
"Thank you, Lord Hokage!"
Watching Mizuki's departing back, Hiruzen said, "This Mizuki is very scheming, completely different from the ANBU's analysis. I don't want to waste energy on an inconspicuous Chūnin. Hopefully, he'll behave himself."
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After leaving the Hokage building, Mizuki headed straight home.
Although he wanted to test the effects of the Three Basic Techniques (Transformation, Clone, and Substitution) after leveling up and mutating, tonight wasn't a good time.
He could clearly feel that Hiruzen's gaze toward him was unfriendly. If the old man spied on him while practicing ninjutsu, there would be no way to explain it.
How could he explain the Transformation Technique being able to transform other people or objects?
The crisis had not been resolved — he needed to act carefully at every step.
"Anyway, Hiruzen doesn't have much longer to live. Once he dies and Tsunade takes over, I won't have to be on edge like this anymore."
Once Tsunade became the Fifth Hokage, if he acted more enthusiastic, there would still be a chance to clear his name.
Returning home, he first put on a show of refining chakra, then took off his clothes, lay down on the bed, and prepared to sleep. Just then, there was a knock at the door — urgent, with a hint of anger.
"Who is it?" Mizuki got up to open the door.
Outside stood a beautiful woman wearing a wine-red slip dress, with a pure and lovely appearance.
"Tsubaki, you... why are you here so late?"
The woman was none other than Mizuki's childhood friend and fiancée, Tsubaki.
This was awkward. This was the original Mizuki's fiancée — he himself had no feelings for her. Though she was beautiful, to him she was just a stranger.
But the trouble was, they were already engaged. If it were just a boyfriend-girlfriend relationship, he could easily find an excuse to break up. But they were engaged — it was like having already registered their marriage without holding the wedding ceremony. Breaking up would be difficult.
If he broke off the engagement, the reputation of being a heartless abandoner would immediately fall on his head. Under everyone's condemnation, life would be impossible — either death or defection.
Just think of Sakumo Hatake, Kakashi's father — wasn't he driven to suicide by criticism?
Public opinion is fiercer than tigers!
But if he didn't break off the engagement, they'd be married in a month. Living together day and night, wouldn't his identity as a transmigrator be easily exposed?
This was his biggest secret. Even if he defected, he could never reveal it.
'What do I do?' Life felt impossibly difficult.
Tsubaki glared at Mizuki, "We agreed to eat yakiniku together tonight. I waited for you at the restaurant forever, and you were home sleeping?"
Mizuki, "Ah! Well, you know, today was the Academy Graduation Exam. I was so busy that I just forgot."
What should he do? How could he cancel this engagement without defecting?
"I don't care! You stood me up and left me hungry, so you owe me." Tsubaki walked straight into the house, "Your punishment is making me dinner — my favorite chashu rice."
Mizuki, "I... I don't know how!"
What do I do? She came inside. Late at night, she actually came inside.
Good heavens!
Tsubaki, "It's fine if you don't know how. I'll guide you. Either way, you're making it with your own hands."
❊❊❊❊❊
In the Hokage's office, Hiruzen withdrew his gaze and released the Telescope Technique. He tapped his fingers on the desk a few times. An ANBU member appeared.
"Starting today, raise the vigilance level for Chūnin Mizuki from D-Rank to C-Rank. Increase surveillance. Report immediately if there's any situation. Also, find an opportunity to deliver the Multiple Shadow Clone Technique to Naruto's residence."
After giving his instructions, he took the wooden box and returned to the Sarutobi clan residence, entering a secret chamber to conduct research personally.
That night, Konoha was quiet.
At Iruka's home, Iruka lay in bed waiting for the signal. He waited and waited until finally an ANBU arrived.
"Lord Hokage asked me to relay this: tonight's plan has been canceled. After tonight, act as if nothing happened. Don't show any abnormality in front of Mizuki."
Hearing this, Iruka let out a long breath of relief.
In his heart, he'd never wanted to see Mizuki standing against Konoha. Nothing happening tonight was the best outcome. After all, personally sending a good friend to prison would have been torture for him too.
"In that case, can I find a way to erase the darkness in his heart and make him give up defecting? An adult's thinking has already solidified and is very hard to change, but who knows — maybe it could actually work!"
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T/N: Comment, give me Power Stones, like and favorite, it all supports me and makes me go foward with this. Appreciate my other stories as well, I guarantee the good work!
If you want to enjoy a large catalog of good novels with excellent translations: MrBlackWing
That's it and happy reading! (-‿◦)