"If things didn't work out, then what do you want from me now?"
Being assigned as a squad leader meant little to Mizuki. While he wasn't thrilled about babysitting kids, he wouldn't object if it really came down to it—after all, these three would likely advance to Chunin within a year or so, and then Mizuki wouldn't have to deal with them much anymore.
The main reason was that Mizuki already had an established relationship with Hinata representing the Hyuga clan, so there was no need to get further involved in her affairs—they were already connected indirectly. As for Aburame and Inuzuka… well, Mizuki couldn't teach Hinata Hyuga the Gentle Fist, wasn't qualified to train Kiba Inuzuka with his dog, and had absolutely no idea how to raise bugs like Shino Aburame. There really wasn't much mutual benefit here, so it just wasn't worth the trouble.
Asuma Sarutobi sighed helplessly and said, "Lady Tsunade only mentioned she has other plans but hasn't made a final decision yet. So Lady Tsunade wants to know if you have any suggestions?"
Mizuki rubbed his forehead slightly, exasperated. "I'm still on vacation right now! Asking me to take on extra work at this moment—you're really putting me on the spot…"
"I don't have a choice. After today, I won't be able to bother you for quite some time."
Tomorrow Mizuki was going on marriage leave, which left no room for such matters. By the time he returned, who knew where Lady Tsunade would send him?
"So you come rushing over just to give me more trouble right now?"
"Mm-hmm." The bearded man actually nodded unashamedly. "No choice—I know you're clever and might have some good ideas."
Hearing Asuma Sarutobi so casually suggest Mizuki go out of his way to create more trouble, Mizuki thought this guy must've been smitten by Kurenai Yuhi.
Putting down his chopsticks, Mizuki looked seriously at Asuma Sarutobi and asked,
"Asuma, I want to ask you something," Mizuki found himself needing to explain carefully to this fellow—this guy had once been reckless enough to run away from home when young. Now he was getting to marriageable age—still rough around the edges and not all that perceptive emotionally.
"When the Third assigned you, Kakashi, and Kurenai as Jonin squad leaders, did he ask for your opinions first?"
Asuma Sarutobi thought carefully before shaking his head. "No."
"There you go. None of us were ever really given a say in the matter. At most, we could follow Kakashi's example." Mizuki had to bring up Kakashi's illustrious example to illustrate the point to this naive guy. "If you're unwilling, you can simply fail those clueless kids and send them back to the Ninja Academy. That's about the only thing we can do—to refuse indirectly, but never to make private arrangements."
Mizuki clarified: the three Genin of Team 8 were Kurenai Yuhi's students, but ultimately, they were all Konoha ninjas under the Hokage's authority. Beyond organizational hierarchy, everyone ultimately answered to the Hokage.
Thinking it over seriously for a while, Asuma Sarutobi eventually chuckled bitterly and said, "So does that mean all my hard work was meaningless, going nowhere?"
"You won't accomplish anything by coming to me like this. Do you really think Hokage-sama would happily agree if I asked her to make me Team 8's Jonin squad leader—or do you think she'd punch me straight into the sky?"
Before Asuma could reply, Mizuki continued, "The one who's truly worried isn't you or Kurenai—it's our Fifth Hokage herself."
Konoha's new generation hasn't been properly arranged, and such an important task has gone neglected, which could greatly affect the village's future. Naturally, the person standing highest can see this most clearly. As for which candidate Tsunade will ultimately choose, that's none of Mizuki's concern.
After finishing his last drink, Asuma leaned back dejectedly, his disappointment evident. After a long silence, he seemed to recover slightly and lit another cigarette.
"I've honestly never given any of this much thought before..."
"You didn't need to think about it back then, Asuma, because your father was the Hokage. Actually, even now, you don't need to overthink. Just keep that passion in your heart—that's all that matters."
"But you just said it was useless!"
"At the end of the day, ninja are still human beings—you can't escape simple human emotions. Whether you're meddling in other people's affairs or trying to impress Kurenai, it's not necessarily bad. The original intention doesn't matter. What's most important is determining Team 8's squad leader as soon as possible. So it's definitely not pointless—at least you've made people pay attention to the issue."
"Wait, you're not just saying this to cheer me up, are you?"
"How could that be? When would I have time to comfort a grown man? Besides, you don't need comforting."
Smiling, Mizuki continued, "The first thing you need to understand is that confirming a candidate as soon as possible is the most important thing. Whether that person is me depends on the circumstances. That part really doesn't matter all that much..."
"How can you say it's not important? At least knowing someone makes us feel more secure..."
"I can't agree with that," Mizuki shook his head. "Who has the closest relationship with Kurenai? Isn't it Anko Mitarashi? Would you be okay with her becoming their squad leader?"
"That probably wouldn't be a good idea."
Precisely because they were so familiar with each other, they knew all about her strange habits, making them even less comfortable with the arrangement.
"That's exactly my point. The Anbu under Hokage-sama's command also have available personnel. Most likely, they'll just transfer an Anbu member here."
"An Anbu member?" Asuma hesitated after hearing Mizuki's assessment. "I wonder if that would be someone reasonable to work with."
...
Watching Asuma leave, Mizuki sighed too. This guy really overstepped his boundaries this time—putting it bluntly, he actually overstepped his authority. Of course, considering how long this matter had dragged on, it did need resolution.
"The person's long gone—aren't you planning to hide forever?" Mizuki suddenly called out.
As expected, a figure emerged from the shadows around the corner—it was Nara Shikamaru, looking surprisingly exhausted.
Seeing Shikamaru's face, Mizuki couldn't help asking, "What's going on? Have you been busy lately? You look terrible, even for someone who usually avoids trouble."
"I just got shot down by the Fifth. The Hokage specifically wanted me to check up on what Asuma-sensei would do next..."
"So you came straight to find me?" This guy was indeed sharp—he had immediately found the right direction.
"Now that I've heard what Teacher Mizuki said, I finally feel at ease." There aren't many people in this world who are both smart and actually care about their teachers.
"Also, there's something where Teacher Mizuki may have misjudged things. Lady Tsunade wanted me to let you know this: give it serious thought. If you really become Team 8's Squad Leader, what'll you do then?"
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