Personality Boundaries

"What exactly is this potion? Could it be extremely dangerous?" Tsubaki truly felt that this thing was far too hazardous.

"There is certainly danger involved. To an ordinary person, it would be a lethal poison, but for a ninja, as long as it isn't used in excess, the risk isn't actually that high. If you don't abuse it, it's relatively safe."

After Mizuki's repeated persuasion, Tsubaki finally decided to help.

"That's great, Tsubaki, thank you." Mizuki was also pleased; with a reliable assistant, everything would be much easier to manage.

"Um, Mizuki, will the village be unhappy if you conduct these experiments?"

"They would certainly be unhappy. After all, a laboratory isn't exactly a place of harmony and friendship; it's bound to involve some blood and unpleasantness. That is why I set this up in an underground base where no one goes. As long as the village doesn't see it, it's fine." Mizuki explained, "It's not like I'm doing anything heinous; I developed all of this myself, so it's no problem. Still, it's best to keep it private." The ninja profession involved far more darkness than one might imagine. Mizuki wasn't harming the innocent, nor was he conducting cruel human experimentation; he was likely far more civilized than Danzo, who operated within the village.

Next, Mizuki carefully explained the precautions and the tasks he needed Tsubaki to assist with. After rearranging the underground base and setting up some traps and illusion barriers to conceal the entrance, the two of them departed.

Returning to the small wooden cabin in the back hills, the two rested for a while, packed their things, and prepared to head back to the village.

Along the way, Tsubaki opened her mouth to speak several times but hesitated, prompting Mizuki to ask, "Is there something you want to say? We'll be home soon."

"Where did those strange creatures come from? What exactly are they?"

"Heh, you couldn't help but ask after all," Mizuki laughed. "Only one was cultivated from my own hair; the others were created from blood shed by other ninjas during missions, which I collected." Mizuki told Tsubaki everything, with no intention of hiding anything.

"But, are they alive? Is it really okay for us to be doing this?"

"They were originally just pools of blood; how could they be alive? Their original owners are living perfectly fine lives. I'm just putting to use what others discarded."

"I see. As long as it's nothing bad, that's fine."

Although I comforted Tsubaki like that, I am the only one who knows the truth. Mizuki couldn't help but feel a sense of helplessness.

That's right, those things couldn't be called "alive" in any meaningful sense; they were merely piles of active flesh. They lacked thoughts, spirits, souls, and self-awareness. They didn't even qualify as complete life forms and would perish immediately if removed from the potion and nutrient solution. However, these things could not remain this way forever. Especially the clone cultivated from his own hair cells—it would soon approach a complete form, with nearly all necessary organs and tissues. Before long, it would grow a fully developed brain, capable of thinking, learning, and growing. They could not stay in the Nutrient Solution forever, and when that time came, could he still treat them as disposable tools? Toying with sentient life was absolutely something he could not accept.

These were no longer mere ninja-level problems. A person needs a bottom line; once that line is crossed, there is no longer any bottom line at all. In this world, which is far from peaceful, those who can uphold their principles amidst war and slaughter are people of immense mental fortitude. Only in this way can one maintain their self and avoid falling into the abyss of depravity.

The importance of holding onto oneself and never forgetting one's original intentions is self-evident. The real world influences everyone at every moment. Environment, interpersonal relationships, morality, laws, life philosophies, and worldviews all form the boundaries of an individual's personality—they are both constraints and protections. When a person breaks through these constraints, they lose their direction. A will without any constraints can no longer escape the temptation of infinite freedom, and can only lose its original personality step by step, heading toward destruction. Take Itachi Uchiha, for example; his love for his younger brother always maintained his final bottom line. Orochimaru, however, shattered everything in his infinite thirst for knowledge without a shred of mercy.

In Mizuki's view, not taking the lives of the innocent was a crucial bottom line. First, one must confirm whether it is a human life, and then judge whether it is innocent according to one's own moral compass.

As of now, those lumps of flesh, by his own understanding, were undoubtedly not complete organisms, and thus could not be considered human. But when the day came that they met his definition of a human, could he still bring himself to use and squander their lives without hesitation? Even if he were their creator, he viewed that as an unforgivable sin.

Therefore, even if he could confidently comfort Tsubaki now, he needed to give serious thought to how these experimental subjects would be used and eventually disposed of.

"Tsubaki, you can also try this green potion in your garden. It can be used for breeding, layering, grafting, and so on. It should improve the efficiency and yield of the nursery. You can also try using this silver potion in combination to see the effects. Just follow the classification and comparison method I taught you and record the data and results. Show them to me after a while."

"Okay." Tsubaki happily accepted the potions. "With things like this, I can grow more flowers to sell. Maybe I'll even be able to cultivate some popular new varieties." Tsubaki still had quite a bit of passion for the things she loved.

"Just be careful. Don't lose them. These things are not only precious but also dangerous. It would be troublesome if they fell into the hands of someone with ill intentions."

"I understand, I will keep them safe," Tsubaki said solemnly.

"Huh? Isn't that Mizuki?" A lazy voice suddenly came from behind the two as they were talking. "Looks like your body is fine now. You're quite lucky; you didn't die even in that state."

"Kakashi?" Mizuki was surprised. What a coincidence.

"Mizuki-sensei, you look a bit pale. Did you do something bad again and get beaten up?" The loud voice belonged to none other than Naruto Uzumaki.

Sakura Haruno, standing to the side, greeted him politely, while the arrogant Sasuke merely nodded in acknowledgment.

"Sakura, what a polite child. Sasuke seems to have made great progress as well." Mizuki smiled and returned the greeting. "I heard you completed an incredibly difficult mission. That's truly impressive, Kakashi."

"Don't ignore me! I'm amazing too; I defeated a super strong enemy!"

"Oh, Naruto-kun, you're here too," Mizuki said with an apologetic look. "I'm so sorry, you're just too short, I didn't see you earlier."

"You bastard, you definitely did that on purpose! See if I don't show you what I'm made of!" Naruto said, moving to attack.

"Stop, Naruto." Kakashi hurriedly intervened. "Mizuki-sensei was seriously injured in a mission just now; he can't fight."

"Is that so?" Naruto Uzumaki looked skeptical. "Him? A bad guy like him would actually be kind enough to get hurt on a mission?"

"The education of Genin these days is truly a failure. There is no respect at all for a senior who has rendered meritorious service to Konoha. It seems the Third Hokage will have a headache; he should really consider the moral cultivation of newly graduated ninjas. I suppose this is all very necessary—they should probably be sent back to the Ninja Academy for re-education."

"Back to the Ninja Academy?" Naruto was shocked. "Surely not? The Third wouldn't be that heartless, would he?"

Ignoring Naruto, Mizuki walked alongside Kakashi and asked, "Why are you back so late? If there hadn't been any interference, you should have been able to finish long ago."

"We wasted some time dealing with other matters in the Land of Waves. Besides, it was a good opportunity; the training experience left for the Genin after a major battle is quite valuable."

"So that's why being a team leader is such a headache, especially with a group of problem children."

"It's alright," Kakashi said indifferently. "You seem to have recovered well. Hayate and Aoba are doing fine, too, right?"

"Yes, they've been fine for a while. They're both very busy and don't have time to wander around like me."

"Busy? I suppose so, at this hour."

"I should say you've returned at just the right time. There isn't much time left to prepare." Mizuki gestured behind him. "Are you going to participate?"

The three Genin were confused, but Kakashi understood.

"Yes, it might be worth a try. Who knows, there might be some surprises."

As they talked, the group had unconsciously walked into the village.

"I'll be going now. See you." Kakashi and the others were busy heading off to report their mission.

"Yes, see you." His body, just recovered from a major illness, was exhausted after a busy day. It was better to go back and rest early.

"Mizuki, who was that Jonin?" Tsubaki hadn't recognized Hatake Kakashi.

"Konoha jonin Hatake Kakashi is an incredibly formidable and famous ninja." Mizuki didn't elaborate further. "Given his strength, he might even become the Hokage in the future."

"He's that strong?" Tsubaki couldn't help but click her tongue. "I never expected such a gloomy-looking guy to be a ninja of that caliber."

Gloomy-looking? Mizuki sighed inwardly. The ruined temperament couldn't be blamed on the mask; Kakashi was just wasting a handsome face.

"Let's not talk about that anymore. Let's head back early. You won't need to take time off tomorrow; I don't need to be looked after every single moment anymore."

Tsubaki agreed, "Alright, then take care."

Back at Mizuki's home, with time to spare for once, the two of them put their hearts into preparing a grand meal as a reward for the busy day.

After eating his fill, Mizuki actually accompanied Tsubaki to clear the dishes.

"Tsubaki, although I said I'd leave it all to you, I'll ask just in case," Mizuki suddenly remembered something and couldn't help but ask his fiancée beside him, "Have you decided who to hire to help out at the flower shop?"

"Eh?" Tsubaki seemed to have completely forgotten about that, wearing an innocent expression.

Sigh, it seems I overestimated you. Was the capable career woman just a flash in the pan? Behind the timid girl actually hid the attributes of a scatterbrain.