After Mizuki left, peace returned to the Hokage's Office. Tsunade and Shizune, both being single women, had little experience dealing with young girls. As they looked at Karin, who appeared visibly nervous, neither of them knew where to begin when it came to offering comfort.
With Mizuki gone, the only somewhat familiar person present had now left, causing Karin to grow even more anxious.
As the atmosphere grew increasingly awkward, Tsunade quickly coughed twice, signaling Shizune to step forward and relieve the tension.
A direct order from her mentor and superior officer could not be ignored. Plus, considering Shizune's youthful appearance—slightly younger-looking than her actual age—she might actually appear friendlier toward a girl like this.
"There's no need to be nervous," Shizune said with a warm smile. "We mean no harm. It was simply a misunderstanding before…"
Looking at Shizune's slightly awkward expression, Karin didn't respond. Possessing the secret move—Mind's Eye of the Kagura—she had extreme sensitivity to chakra, allowing her to easily detect if someone was lying. She missed nothing. Whether others bore good or bad intentions, she could generally tell immediately.
Therefore, the sudden shift in attitude by Tsunade and Shizune following their conversation with Mizuki wasn't lost on her either. Although she still didn't fully understand what these three meant by "Uzumaki Clan" up until now, thanks to her uncanny luck in escaping danger previously, Karin could clearly tell that her current situation had improved greatly. Yet due to her unfamiliarity with Tsunade and Shizune, she simply didn't know how to respond. At this time, Karin remained a homeless young girl far different from the strong-willed and stubborn character she would become in three years.
Seeing Karin still silent, Tsunade finally spoke to Shizune, "First send her to Medical Department for a thorough checkup. Later, prepare an identification report for me."
First, they needed to carefully examine any hidden issues—seals, genjutsu, other potential problems—must be verified properly. A good deed shouldn't be turned into a weapon against us.
After watching Shizune and Karin leave, the office was left with only Tsunade inside. After pausing for a while, Tsunade then pulled out a ninja record from her drawer. Surprisingly, its cover photo featured none other than Mizuki, who had just departed.
Tsunade silently flipped through this file. Much of its contents were far richer than publicly available information. As a Jonin recently promoted upon her return based on everyone's recommendation, Mizuki surely underwent detailed investigation. Having been away from Konoha for so many years, the village had changed dramatically from when Tsunade originally left. Could a shinobi really become one of the village's Jonin without careful vetting?
Within this file were records detailing Mizuki's origins, evaluations during Ninja Academy days, his mediocrity as a genin, years spent unremarkably as a chunin, even several suspicious behaviors and serious mistakes he made during missions that resulted in severe punishment. Even though he eventually regained trust, even now, Tsunade held some undisclosed pieces of intelligence regarding Mizuki that he himself hadn't revealed.
Among the most concerning points was the true function and original purpose of the omnipotence elixirs. Due to the extremely limited number of samples that had leaked out, verification proved impossible. Even though Tsunade had her own suspicions, she ultimately abandoned further investigation.
Another instance involved the mission in which Hiashi Hyuga was dispatched to Sunagakure. From Kurenai Yuhi's brief and unclear description after regaining consciousness, it could be inferred that once again Mizuki had turned the tide by using a strange puppet-like human technique, enabling them to hold on until reinforcements arrived. Afterward, Konoha's Intelligence Division investigated the battle-ravaged battlefield thoroughly but found nothing useful beyond scattered puppet debris. With the Hokage seat vacant soon afterward, the matter eventually faded away, and by the time Tsunade returned, circumstances had changed dramatically, missing the best opportunity for inquiry.
For all intents and purposes, that's what being a ninja really means—uncovering enemy intel to boost your odds while keeping your secrets locked away.
Viewed this way, Mizuki hadn't really committed any wrongdoing. However, certain things he possessed were simply too shocking, enough even to attract the interest of ancient noble clans like the Hyuga.
Tsunade felt annoyed upon reviewing recent intelligence reports about Mizuki's frequent interactions with Hiashi Hyuga. Close connections between powerful noble families and shinobi loyal to the Hokage line, along with excessive influence resulting therefrom, never pleased those in authority. Plus, whatever possessions Mizuki had that could cause the Hyuga clan, renowned for their vast knowledge, to desire greedily naturally sparked Tsunade's curiosity.
'I must find time to test his limits soon. Powerhouses usually break down into two types—either rebellious or just plain weird. What exactly has that old man been doing all these years? This old man's let everyone under him run wild for years.'
...
Returning home, Mizuki also felt unusually troubled. He picked up the Adamantine Sealing Chains manual but soon gave up trying to concentrate on it. Just when he'd begun researching Uzumaki Clan secret techniques, an actual Uzumaki descendant had suddenly appeared before him, something Mizuki still found hard to believe. Mizuki couldn't figure out why Karin had broken their agreement and gone straight to him. At the first opportunity, he definitely needed to ask that confused little girl what exactly she thought she was doing.
'But for now...'
Eventually, Mizuki tossed aside the scroll—he wasn't productive enough at the moment to continue. Perhaps switching focus might help improve efficiency. Besides, there was something important recently mentioned by the Artificial Jinchuriki that required serious consideration. This came somewhat unexpectedly, yet made sense upon reflection. The issue in question? None other than the long-known but previously neglected Shadow Clone Technique.
[Shadow Clone Technique]
The Shadow Clone Technique originated with Tobirama Senju, the Second Hokage. Up till now, people had believed this clone-based ninjutsu was specifically developed for reconnaissance purposes. Physical duplicates combined with extended consciousness and memory retrieval made perfect sense for ninja intelligence-gathering operations. The logic seemed sound and widely accepted without question by most people.
But was that really the full story?
Several months ago, Mizuki had developed the concept of an Artificial Jinchuriki based on the similar characteristics shared by Shadow Clones and tailed beasts—both being forms of chakra aggregation. For a long time, Mizuki believed this was just a coincidence in the ninja world—an accidental resemblance between Shadow Clones and tailed beasts that enabled a weakened imitation of a Jinchuriki.
But recent intelligence from the Artificial Jinchuriki proved otherwise.
"Of course, there's no such thing as pure coincidence in this world..."
According to the information obtained, Shadow Clones were never originally created for simple reconnaissance purposes. Shadow Clones were originally meant to imitate tailed beasts. In essence, the Clone Jutsu was nothing more than an imperfect attempt to replicate a tailed beast without mastery over Yin–Yang Release.
This method of imitation wasn't even pioneered by Mizuki. The true originator lay with Tobirama Senju.
By equating human spirit to the Ten-Tails and splitting chakra to create physical duplicates resembling the Nine Tailed Beasts, the technique could only last briefly due to the inferior quality of regular chakra, which lacked support from spirit or physical strength.
In Mizuki's view, it was perfectly understandable for ninjas to use—or even imitate—tailed beasts. Unfortunately, the Shadow Clone was still just a half-baked idea. Tobirama was neither a Jinchuriki nor did he possess Sage Mode, lacking high-quality chakra energy for his experiments. He hit this wall and never got the chance to finish what he started—killed before he could perfect his creation. Yet even this incomplete legacy—the Shadow Clone technique—ended up reshaping the entire ninja world. Only now did Mizuki truly begin to understand the nature behind the art that made Naruto Uzumaki so extraordinary.
"If that's the case, then unknowingly, I've already taken the most crucial step forward. This path of creating a Jinchuriki clone actually works."
Something that began as mere haphazard guesswork and trial-and-error had somehow coincided with the original vision of the Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju. If Tobirama had possessed life-saving pills like those available to Mizuki, or if biotech back then had reached the level currently achieved by Orochimaru's research, perhaps Artificial Jinchuriki would have existed long before Mizuki discovered their value.
While these theoretical insights hadn't immediately enhanced Mizuki's power, they clearly pointed him toward the direction of future development for his strength system.
"Mimicking the existence of tailed beasts through Sage Art Chakra as a foundation… Good, I haven't strayed off track..."
It turned out he wasn't the only one who'd drawn inspiration from the tailed beasts. Targeting Shukaku had turned out to be one of his most successful ventures yet.
...
As noon approached, it wasn't Tsubaki who showed up—but Karin instead. With no choice but to lead her inside, Mizuki watched the young girl sit nervously, making complaints feel inappropriate.
Sighing, Mizuki asked, "Where did Lady Tsunade arrange for you to stay?"
"I don't know. It seems like she didn't assign anywhere."
"No way..."
Mizuki let out a bitter smile. "Then where are you gonna stay?"
"The Hokage-sama said to leave it to Teacher Mizuki's arrangement..."
"My arrangement?" Mizuki said, half-amused, half-puzzled. "I don't really have anywhere to offer..." He suddenly paused. "Oh wait—I *do* have a place!"
Mizuki suddenly remembered that he actually had space available, though ultimately he should probably discuss this with Tsubaki first.
Looking at Karin who was waiting for his arrangement, Mizuki asked, "What can you do? Any special skills we could use?"
"Other than being able to treat injuries, I'm not sure what else I can do," Karin nervously replied. "I like collecting perfumes, and I've got a really sharp sense of smell."
"Scents? Sense of smell?" Mizuki nodded thoughtfully. "Then it's settled. That might actually come in handy..."
<><><><><><><><>
Thank you for reading! Your support will keep me updating!
~ Every 50 Powerstones = **4 Bonus Chapters** this weekend!
<><><><><><><><>
~ 100+ Advanced Chapters Available on Patreon!
~ More *Free* Chapters and Books Available on Patreon!
patreon.com/Tansnovel
<><><><><><><><>