Ever since visiting Hayate Gekko that day, Mizuki had spent more than ten days wandering around whenever he had free time. First, it was to clear his head—whether studying or teaching and nurturing others, both were mentally taxing. Second, it was to familiarize himself with the terrain and conduct some preliminary surveillance and preparations.
During this period, Mizuki clearly sensed that security throughout the village had tightened. Outsiders might not have noticed the outwardly relaxed but inwardly tense situation, but anyone paying even slight attention could see that the atmosphere had changed drastically from before, as had the scrutiny directed at strangers. It was obvious that the village had adopted a firm stance in preparation for armed conflict. Beneath the pretext of protecting the daimyo and other important figures during the Chunin Exams lay confidence in its own strength. Even though they knew someone was plotting against the village, they had no intention of canceling the Chunin Exams.
As for Hayate Gekko, it was truly regrettable. Though he was no longer in immediate danger of dying, there was still no sign that he would wake up.
That was how ninja were sometimes. After every mission, there might be a separation between life and death. Ninja in peacetime were like this; the lives of ninja amid war were even cheaper. A clash between ninja teams could unleash destruction on such a wide scale that countless people might lose their lives.
At noon, Mizuki took Sakura Haruno and Ino Yamanaka to a dessert shop and had no choice but to let the two of them eat their fill.
As for why, it was simply because his placement of an illusion array on the flower shop sign had been exposed, and he had no choice but to give the two girls a little