Repaying a Favor

In an ordinary flower shop in Konoha Village, Mizuki sat upright behind a counter mostly obscured by blooms. He was engrossed in studying the documents at hand, occasionally using a pen to scribble notes. His busy demeanor deterred many customers who had originally intended to browse.

Mizuki had originally intended to play the role of a temporary clerk until Tsubaki had everything settled, but the recruitment process for a permanent employee had stalled. Over the past few days, he had inadvertently become the shop's well-known proprietor, a situation that left him feeling quite conflicted.

Did I get played? Mizuki realized later that Tsubaki had set a trap for him. So much has happened in the last few months; her sense of insecurity hasn't faded. Was this her way of finding something for us to do together, to increase the time we spend in each other's lives? Is she still worried that I might recklessly follow Orochimaru?

A young girl's heart is truly difficult to fathom, but this was fine, too. It gave him more time to observe, to learn, and perhaps even gain unexpected insights through contact with others.

Just as Mizuki was preparing to stretch his limbs after sitting for so long, he noticed someone scrutinizing his shop.

"Mizuki-sensei, why are you here? Is this your flower shop?" The person was none other than the beautiful, blonde-haired Ino Yamanaka.

"Oh, it's Ino. This shop belongs to my family. But if I recall correctly, your family runs a flower shop too, Ino. Are you here to scout out a competitor's trade secrets so soon?"

"That's not it! What kind of trade secrets could a flower shop have?" Ino hurriedly denied it. "I just heard a new shop opened here and came to take a look. I didn't expect it to be yours, Mizuki-sensei."

"Actually, this shop was opened by my fiancée; I'm just looking after it for her." Mizuki let the truth slip out. "I personally think a barbecue joint would have been better. After all, Konoha has plenty of big eaters like Choji; keeping a few shops afloat wouldn't be a problem. But I don't have any decent culinary skills or recipes, so it's hard to manage."

"So you settled for a flower shop?"

"Yeah, my fiancée is interested in this, and she's quite proficient at it. I, however, am hopeless. I don't understand it at all."

"You can tell you're an amateur just by looking at the arrangement, Mizuki-sensei," Ino teased. "While it looks passable at a glance, many of the pairings are wrong. If you run a shop like this, you're going to lose a fortune."

"Eh, really? They all look about the same to me. How could they be wrong?" Having absolutely no talent for this, Mizuki truly couldn't understand why two flowers that looked identical in color and shape weren't the same species.

Ino, who had dealt with flowers since she was a child, couldn't tolerate Mizuki's careless treatment of them. She spent quite some time rearranging the displays that offended her sensibilities.

"Ino, don't bother," Mizuki said, watching the busy girl. "Tsubaki will be here soon; let her handle the arrangements."

"Tsubaki is your fiancée? What kind of person is she? Are you getting married soon?"

"Is that so strange? I am a mature adult, after all. You should worry more about your Sasuke. I hear Sakura Haruno and Sasuke are together all day; their relationship is progressing rapidly. Since she has the home-field advantage, I don't think your chances are very high, Ino."

"Nonsense! I won't lose to that Big Forehead Sakura."

"Who knows? But Ino, don't Genin have missions to do? Why are you so free?"

"I just finished a mission and returned; I'm on break," Ino explained. "Aren't you also idling about, Mizuki-sensei?"

"I'm a special case, but I'll be quite busy before long."

With Genin and their team leaders all returning to the village, it seemed the Chunin Exams were only days away.

"Ino, thanks for today." Mizuki couldn't help but sigh; girls were definitely more attentive to these plants and flowers. "Take this bouquet as a thank-you gift."

"Mizuki-sensei," Ino said, not taking it. "These are only used for funerals..."

"Is that so?" Mizuki gave an awkward, sheepish laugh. "Then let's swap for this one."

"This is for marriage proposals, Mizuki-sensei! You're harassing me!"

In the end, Ino picked out a single stem and took it with her. Whether it was a rose, a Chinese rose, or something else, he managed to muddle through it.

The secret techniques of the Yamanaka Clan... I really want them. They might just solve my current troubles.

Mizuki knew that getting his hands on a clan's inherited secret techniques was nearly impossible. However, Aoba Yamashiro seemed to have received a little bit of instruction. How did he manage that? The relationships were truly messy.

As Mizuki thought this, before he could make another move, he suddenly dissolved into a puff of chakra smoke. Immediately after, another figure appeared—it was Mizuki again.

"Is time up already? It seems it's still not enough; I must find another way."

In truth, the one who had been watching the shop was merely a Shadow Clone. To Mizuki, the greatest value of this legendary ninjutsu created by the Second Hokage was the strange characteristic that the clone's memories and experiences were transmitted back to the original. To figure this out, Mizuki had combined sealing techniques with the Shadow Clone Jutsu, which greatly increased his flexibility, made chakra distribution more convenient, and improved his combat resilience. Yet, after experimenting for several days, he still hadn't broken the shackles of the time limit. The fact that the clone vanished as soon as its chakra was exhausted was truly inconvenient. If only he could develop a better clone technique.

For several days, Mizuki spent almost all his time dealing with the Shadow Clone Jutsu and sealing techniques, while also researching the Summoning Jutsu, but the time was short and the results were meager. Meanwhile, Konoha Village gradually filled with strangers, and there were more and more ninjas from other villages wearing their respective headbands. One day, the mobilization order for Konoha was issued. Watching the birds chirping in the sky, Mizuki didn't really want to go. But he was, after all, a participant in the Chunin Exam mission, and having been idle for so long, his body was mostly recovered. It wouldn't hurt to go and see.

Having made up his mind, Mizuki arrived at the Hokage Office for the first time in a long while.

Along the way, he exchanged greetings with familiar ninjas. Once he arrived, he found a spot in the back to slack off. The events that followed failed to stir any interest in him; it was just the Third Hokage droning on endlessly, followed by the three Jonin team leaders recommending their rookies, then Iruka appearing to argue, and finally the drama of the two factions debating. It was so dull. Was the Third going to play peacemaker next and suggest a preliminary exam?

"I really want to go home." Mizuki couldn't help but let out a massive yawn.

Suddenly, Izumo, who was standing next to him, poked his arm.

"What?" Mizuki asked, snapping back to reality. He suddenly realized something was wrong. "Why is everyone looking this way?"

"Ahem," the Third Hokage asked. "Mizuki, is your health still not fully recovered?"

"Why is the script wrong?" Mizuki replied calmly. "I'm fine now."

"That's good. Do you have any opinions on the preliminary exams?"

"None. I defer entirely to the Third Hokage's instructions." Wait, what did you guys just say? Does this have anything to do with me?

"Since there are no objections, everyone may go and prepare."

The crowd filed out, and Mizuki desperately wanted to find someone to ask what was going on.

Just as Mizuki was feeling bewildered, Iruka caught up from behind and said, "Mizuki, thanks for agreeing to help me."

"What did I agree to?" Mizuki had a premonition that trouble was coming his way.

"Which one are you testing? Sasuke? Naruto? Or Sakura?"

Don't tell me Iruka felt he couldn't handle it alone and had to drag me into this? No wonder everyone was looking at me. He really knows how to cause me trouble.

"I'll take Sakura Haruno; that's suitable." Mizuki resigned himself to picking the easiest option. He wouldn't consider Naruto Uzumaki—either he'd knock Naruto out with a single genjutsu, or he'd get mobbed; either way, it wouldn't serve much purpose. As for Sasuke, he didn't get along with the gloomy brat, and dealing with the Sharingan was too much of a hassle. Sakura Haruno was still a soft target for now; if he didn't take the chance to squeeze her a bit, he wouldn't have many opportunities to bully her later.

"Sakura, that works. Mizuki, since you've just recovered from your illness, leave the others to me. Sorry to trouble you this time; consider it you repaying the favor you owe me."

"Iruka, my favors don't come cheap. Are you sure you want to use one up for something this trivial? You're getting the short end of the stick."

"How so? Isn't this fine?"

"Since you put it that way, I can't just slack off. I'll have to prepare properly."

"So, Mizuki, you're in charge of Sakura's test?" Kakashi appeared suddenly. "I'm suddenly feeling quite worried about my subordinate's future."

"Relax, Kakashi. You need to have some faith in them; why else would you recommend them?"

"That may be true, and I do believe in them. It's not them I'm worried about—it's you."

"Don't make me sound like a villain. Just sit back and watch. Right, Iruka?"

"Just don't go too far. After all, they're only newly promoted genin, Mizuki," Iruka advised.

"Don't worry, I know my limits."

Watching the look on Mizuki's face—the expression of someone who had just discovered a new toy—Kakashi couldn't help but feel deeply concerned for Sakura.

Being roped in by Iruka at the last minute to fill the numbers for this preliminary exam wasn't a big deal, but it was a perfect opportunity to test the results of his research over the past few days. An opponent like Sakura Haruno, who was currently nothing more than a novice, was the perfect subject.

"Still, a standard, by-the-book strength test is just too boring. Sakura Haruno's weaknesses are so glaring that it would be a shame not to exploit them."

"As long as I don't overdo it, Kakashi shouldn't blame me. Besides, he can deal with the headache later. That's the plan."

Having made up his mind, Mizuki bit his finger and wove through hand signs at lightning speed. As the summoning seal spread, a figure emerged.

"It looks stable enough. Let's see how it performs on its debut. Even if it's not quite complete and can only serve as a temporary measure, it's the most viable method I have for now."