Watching the ashes slip through the gaps between his fingers, floating and scattering into the air, Mizuki felt a wave of excitement stirred by the light breeze that carried them away without a trace.
*"This world truly has no shortage of brilliant minds."*
Among the most prominent figures in the ninja world, those who stand out possess strength and intelligence undeniably formidable. Among the legends widely spoken of across the shinobi world, the First unquestionably stands at the top. The experiences he has witnessed are certainly much broader than anything Mizuki has encountered. Even without Mizuki's transcendent perspective or similarly advanced insight, the amount of knowledge he could uncover is considerable.
The man capable of manipulating tailed beasts with ease—Hashirama Senju, reincarnation of Asura—was able to sense anomalies in natural energy and even attain [Sage Mode]. It's highly likely Hashirama had gone through similar experiences as Mizuki.
*"In that case, there's no need to be overly cautious about certain matters. At least not too concerned about trivial details."*
After opening the door to [Sage Mode], the higher echelons of power had finally started to accept him as one of their own. A quiet understanding grew among those who shared his goal, which greatly eased Mizuki's worries.
Once he clarified what needed to be done next, Mizuki glanced ahead at his gradually distancing comrades. He set aside his thoughts for now and quickened his pace to catch up.
...
Although Mizuki was eager to return home and rest after getting back to the village, as a rare squad leader, reporting the mission first was his responsibility.
Arriving at the Hokage's Office, Mizuki knocked and walked in, only to find Tsunade waiting inside alone.
"Jonin Mizuki here to submit the mission report."
"Hmm." Tsunade lifted her head and looked at Mizuki. "Already so eager to call yourself jonin?"
"Well..." Mizuki smiled, stepping forward and placing the prepared report on the desk. "I think I did pretty well."
"You really did," Tsunade said, casually picking up the document but showing no intention of reading it. "Too bad Deidara got away, but it's not on you."
"Nothing's ever perfect. Still, this time feels quite rewarding."
Mizuki wasn't particularly disappointed. Facing three S-class rogue ninjas and coming out unscathed was already a rare success. Without a few unexpected incidents, maybe one or two of them wouldn't have made it.
"Yeah, you worked hard this time. Actually, my mistake," Tsunade admitted honestly. "I underestimated how persistent and determined our enemies were. We almost suffered an irreparable loss. Fortunately though, we've got you—an unexpected wildcard."
"I was surprised myself. Never expected it would end this way." Pushing himself to the limit, he'd been pushed into a desperate surge of adrenaline-fueled frenzy, risking all side effects just to save both his life and his comrades'.
"The stuff I gave you—you checked it out, right?" Tsunade suddenly changed the topic.
"I did. Quite surprising actually."
"Any comments?"
"Too many people who don't care about their lives, dying one after another without end."
Hearing Mizuki's words, Tsunade chuckled. "That's the first time I've heard it put that way. But calling them 'people who don't care about their lives' is spot-on accurate."
"Besides those words, I can't think of any others right now."
"Jiraiya isn't here now, but when he comes back, you should have a good conversation with him."
"I've always wanted to have a real conversation with Jiraiya." Before, he hadn't had the opportunity or the status to speak to Jiraiya as an equal. Of course, he still wasn't quite there yet, but at least he was better off than before when he'd been just a background character.
"Let's wrap it up for today then. I'll take your report first. I've read your intelligence; there's nothing else I want to ask for now."
"Then I'll take my leave." Mizuki bowed and prepared to leave.
"Wait, also, I don't have time to deal with your injuries right now. Come find me in a few days for a proper checkup."
"I understand. Thank you."
Although Mizuki himself was already a pretty good Medical Ninja, compared to Tsunade, he was still far behind. Having her examine him would be helpful.
...
In a small nursery on the back mountain of Konoha, Mizuki stood facing his Artificial Jinchuriki clone with an extremely grim expression.
"You're saying my mind has deteriorated this badly?"
"Yes. This subtle influence has already caused you to deviate slightly from your original path. Do you still remember why you originally trained in Sage Mode?"
"To solve the problem of insufficient cell vitality and preserve my own life."
"And what exactly are you tirelessly pursuing now?"
"Pursuing strength, because I need strength to preserve my life."
"See? Neither the cause nor the result has changed significantly, but now the ends and means have become inverted. Since obtaining Sage Mode, how long has it been since you last seriously worked toward solving the issue of lifespan?"
Mizuki couldn't reply to the Artificial Jinchuriki clone's words.
After returning to the village, Mizuki found his Artificial Jinchuriki clone as quickly as possible—not to exchange memories, but to thoroughly examine whether the problems he feared had started to emerge.
Their Will and thoughts were identical, so their conclusions upon pondering the same questions should be nearly the same. He went out of his way to use both spoken and written communication—not for memory sharing, but to show his former self, the one before Sage Mode, exactly how much he had changed during that time.
But the results were disappointing. The situation turned out exactly as Mizuki had worried: his original body's spirit had indeed developed some subtle deviations.
"Originally, we'd already planned out our future steps together. But you've unknowingly become lax. If this continues, an unexpected accident could kill you. And now you're even somewhat addicted to the hollow praise from defeating Red Sand of the Desert. Remember, not long from now, our enemies won't be someone like Red Sand of the Desert, but rather someone far stronger—Obito Uchiha, Madara Uchiha, and others. Our mission is heavy, and our road long."
"Well then, you really aren't holding back," Mizuki shot back bitterly. "Is there at least any good news?"
"The good news is that it's still not too late."
"The 'Artificial Jinchuriki' replied, 'You're pretending not to notice we saw this coming a while back. We've already figured out how to handle it—so why not start now? The village probably won't hold us back much anymore anyway.'
'Fine, you got a point. We're running out of time anyway—let's just do it.'
'I gave you everything I had. You sure you have no more questions? Once we do the memory swap, you won't get any more objective opinions or advice like this.'
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