"Although I still don't fully understand it, I'll work hard." Sakura Haruno spoke firmly, not intimidated by the difficulty of learning.
"Perseverance is a good thing, but if there's anything you don't understand, come ask me. Burying your head in work isn't very efficient." Mizuki had suffered from that himself. Researching alone without guidance from those who came before him, with only Tsubaki to discuss things with now and then—it was no easy feat to have reached his current level.
"I understand. Thank you, Sensei."
"Mm. Practical lessons begin tomorrow. Since we still have some time today, let me see how sharp your perception is." Mizuki saw that there wasn't enough time left to teach much else today. "There's a barrier set up in this shop. Don't use your eyes—use your mind and chakra to sense it. Find the locations of all the runes and the points where they're set up, then draw them out. Let's see how long it takes you to find them all."
Night had gradually fallen. After finishing a full day of teaching, Mizuki was exhausted. It felt like he had said more today than he had in the past month, and the dry, parched feeling in his throat was truly unpleasant.
Walking through Konoha's streets as the lights first came on, Mizuki slowly took in the bustling scene, one that could rival the livelier small towns from his previous life. He sighed at the thought of the chaos and slaughter, death and ruins that would come a month later. The contrast was painfully stark.
"Mizuki, did you run into some trouble?" Tsubaki, walking beside him, asked.
"No. Why would you ask that?"
"I just feel like you're worried about something. You've been spacing out a lot lately, and I have no idea what you've