Life and Ideals

In the Konoha Hokage office, the Third Hokage was listening to the reports from Ibiki Morino and Anko Mitarashi.

"Let it be so. Execute the plan as outlined. Next, we must coordinate with the feudal lords of each nation and the major ninja villages. Furthermore, the intelligence division must verify the files of the genin participating in the exam from each village, along with information on their team leaders and attendants. We absolutely cannot allow dangerous individuals of unknown identity to slip in among them," the Third Hokage instructed solemnly.

"Regarding Mizuki's request for support, we will immediately draft Chunin Iruka Umino to assist in clearing the Forest of Death. Meanwhile, as Jonin Might Guy is currently away on a mission, the genin squad under his tutelage is currently idle. I am now issuing a C-rank mission: Anko Mitarashi will serve as the temporary captain, leading Neji Hyuga, Tenten, and Rock Lee to participate in the clearing of the Forest of Death."

"But Lord Third, the genin from Might Guy's squad are highly likely to participate in this Chunin Exam. Won't entering the exam grounds early be unfair to the other genin? It might easily invite criticism," Anko raised her concern.

The Third Hokage pondered for a moment and said, "The genin who just graduated this year are not yet of any use, and among last year's, only the genin from Might Guy's squad are reliable. There is no extra manpower available now, so let it be."

"Understood."

It was still that colorful bubble world, and still that unresponsive, blank-faced original Mizuki. However, this time was different from the last; the entire space was permeated with a faint red-black mist, making everything appear particularly eerie. That expressionless face, in particular, exuded a trace of evil charm, and the entire figure seemed as if it were about to be swallowed by the strange red light. Mizuki raised his hands to look at himself, discovering he wore the same appearance, his arms completely unable to resist the erosion of the red mist.

The situation is becoming increasingly troublesome. Is this the evil consequence of the Cursed Seal's activation? It doesn't give me any time to react at all. If I don't find a way soon, more and more unpredictable things will arise. If these troubles become intertwined, they will only get harder to handle.

Both his spirit and body were under a fatal threat. Before he could sever the dual erosion of the Cursed Seal on his body and mind, he couldn't even act rashly; he even lacked the capacity to withstand a single unexpected mishap. It was just that time was too short.

Early the next morning, Mizuki arrived outside the Forest of Death as instructed and found Iruka already waiting, along with three genin: Neji Hyuga, Tenten, and Rock Lee.

"Iruka, I didn't expect you to actually come."

"Good morning, Mizuki-sensei~" Tenten and Lee greeted him politely, and Neji also nodded in acknowledgment.

"Ah, what good children. They are completely incomparable to a certain impolite Chunin teacher."

"Sorry for being impolite, but if it weren't for a certain arrogant guy who couldn't handle his mission and had to beg Lord Third Hokage for help, we wouldn't be in this godforsaken place so early in the morning."

"Ah, that's true. Pushing one's own work onto others—such an irresponsible guy is truly hateful~"

"Who do you think I'm talking about, you jerk!" Iruka said indignantly.

"Looks like everyone is here! Seeing you get along so well puts my mind at ease. I hope everyone completes the mission properly," Anko Mitarashi said, appearing suddenly and spouting nonsense without restraint. "Since everyone is so spirited, let's get to work."

Thanks to the extra help, efficiency improved significantly. With a few genin assisting in luring and pinning down targets, combined with the efforts of Iruka, Mizuki, and Anko, the clearing speed increased noticeably. Even when they encountered particularly troublesome monsters, they were resolved smoothly.

Near noon, the group found a clean, open area, tidied it up a bit, and began to rest and eat lunch on the spot.

"Iruka, when did you learn that sealing technique? It doesn't seem very practiced; you almost let it break free several times," Mizuki asked Iruka while eating.

"You mean this Binding Formation? I learned it a long time ago, but it never comes in handy. I've never had much of a chance to use it, so I'm not very good at it."

"As expected, you're still the same, Iruka. Everything you do is half-baked~"

"Well, I'm sorry about that, but someone was waiting desperately for this 'half-baked' guy to come and help."

"I'm telling you, Iruka, you should just stick to your promising career as a ninja academy teacher. Why mess around learning sealing techniques? Besides, the brats at the academy wouldn't have any use for such high-end stuff anyway," Mizuki said, pretending to be concerned for Iruka, and even sighed with pity for the world.

"Mind your own business! Don't look at me like that; I have dreams too, you know! Maybe one day the position of Hokage will be my turn!"

"I simply cannot imagine what Konoha would become if Iruka were to become Hokage," Mizuki sighed and said.

"Just look forward to that day, you jerk!" Iruka said through gritted teeth.

Beside them, Lee chimed in with an envious look: "Mizuki-sensei and Iruka-sensei have such a great relationship. I'm so envious~"

Hearing Lee's words, Tenten quickly interrupted: "Don't talk nonsense, Lee. Which eye do you see them getting along well with? I think you need to go get your eyes checked."

"Tenten, you don't understand the friendship between men. It's exactly like these two teachers, encouraging each other," Lee retorted with a determined look.

"Lee, I believe in you," Mizuki said, giving Lee a thumbs-up and a toothy grin.

Seeing the topic shift to the three genin, Anko also said, "Aha, come to think of it, this mission really troubled you all. Originally, you wouldn't have needed to come and complete such a troublesome task, but time was just too tight. So I had to call in the idle genin to help. I'll give you all a good review for this mission."

"That's right. Come to think of it, seeing the new generation of genin so excellent makes me feel like I'm getting old," Iruka laughed. "If all the genin in Konoha were as excellent as you, I think I might as well retire early. Haha~"

"As a teacher at the ninja academy, is it really okay to be so unmotivated in front of your former students, Iruka?" Anko began to tease Iruka as well.

Mizuki chimed in, "Konoha still really needs a loudmouth like you to take care of the brats at the ninja academy. Besides you, I don't think anyone else has the patience to play ninja games with that bunch of snot-nosed kids. But then again, I haven't seen genin with such distinct characteristics in many years."

"Is that true, Mizuki-sensei? Are we very excellent?"

"Hmm, Lee, your taijutsu is truly impressive. I've heard of it. Your talent and hard work are already quite famous. If you continue to work hard, you might just receive the true teachings of Jonin Might Guy."

"That's great! I knew it! Guy-sensei wouldn't lie to me. Youth is all about shedding sweat!" Lee said excitedly.

"Neji is also quite excellent. Although I'm not very familiar with the Hyuga clan or the Gentle Fist, to be honest, at Neji's current level, it would be difficult for an average Chunin to defeat him. A ninja who lacks neither talent nor hard work will always have a bright future—much better than a Chunin like me who doesn't excel at anything."

"As for Tenten," Mizuki paused.

"How am I, Mizuki-sensei? Am I also very excellent?" Tenten asked with anticipation.

"Although I'm not very familiar with your fighting style and I can't be sure about your future, but~" Mizuki took a sip of water and continued, "Setting other things aside, I think you would be a great candidate for a wife."

"What?" The remark left everyone stunned.

Ignoring the surprise of the group, Mizuki continued, "Looking at your usual fighting style, you throw all kinds of ninja tools around as if they were free; it looks like your family is quite wealthy. If one were to marry you, they could save twenty years of struggle and live a comfortable life. Plus, you're so cute. A wealthy and beautiful female ninja is a scarce resource. If you're willing, you'd be quite popular even if you were looking for a husband to marry into your family."

"What kind of nonsense are you spouting? How can you say such things in front of students and juniors!" Iruka finally couldn't help but shout.

"Marrying into the family... no way~" Tenten said shyly, while glancing at Neji.

"Sigh." Anko also spoke up, "Mizuki, you're blatantly harassing a female ninja from the same village. Aren't you afraid your fiancée will be unhappy?"

"How could this be harassment? I'm just speaking the truth, discussing life and ideals with a cute junior, and offering some advice along the way," Mizuki hurriedly denied. "Besides, Tsubaki isn't that narrow-minded. Our relationship is great, so there's no need for Lord Anko to worry about it."

"Eh, the teacher already has a fiancée?" Lee asked.

"Yes, my fiancée and I grew up together as childhood sweethearts," Mizuki replied. "To be honest, I was once very worried about my future. Is someone like me, with no special traits or unique talents, really suited to be a ninja? Endless missions, meager pay, and absurdly high expenses—life is truly desperate. Who knows when I might run out of money to support a family? Maybe I should change careers?"

Mizuki then said with a look of longing, "Should I try acting in movies and becoming a star? By the way, isn't that movie quite popular lately? The lead actress is also very beautiful, and I heard she made a lot of money. She's the center of attention wherever she goes, and even the Daimyo has personally received her. If one day I become a big star, I'll never have to worry about these troublesome things again. If I returned to Konoha to post a mission, would I also be warmly received by the Hokage? I'd really love to see everyone's expressions then. Of course, I wouldn't forget you all; I'd definitely consider hiring you as my bodyguards. I wouldn't skimp on your pay, haha~"

"The world of adults is truly complicated~" Lee said, looking bewildered.

"Alright, alright, Mizuki, put your big star dream on hold for now and let's finish the mission first. Everyone has rested enough, so let's get to work," Anko Mitarashi ordered.