At heart, as long as Tsunade chose not to press the issue—and even hinted at quiet support—that was more than enough. There was no immediate danger in the open. Those who might act secretly were likely nothing but shadowy cowards—Mizuki had no reason to hold back. If even the Hokage, the leader of Konoha village, refused to investigate further, what exactly was Mizuki afraid of? In public, one needed support from influential figures; in secret, it all came down to strength. Except for Danzo Shimura's Kotoamatsukami—which was practically unbeatable—all other threats remained within Mizuki's capacity to handle.
"Is Tsunade still an idealist at heart? She's willing to use life-saving pills and enhance military power only to a limited extent, yet lacks Danzo Shimura's ambition to dominate the ninja world. Maybe that's better this way."
Even the so-called hegemon (the reigning dominant village), the symbol of established power, held no weight before Pain. Before the Rinnegan and ten thousand White Zetsu clones, along with an army created by Impure World Reincarnation, the current order of the ninja world would eventually collapse. Whether through war or peace, the balance between nations and villages remained deeply rooted in people's minds. Only a handful of ruthless visionaries and extremists still dared to dream of total dominion over the entire ninja world.
Tsunade chose to uphold the existing balance of power—a system hard-won through years of conflict. Having survived numerous wars, she understood better than most that although the world's rules weren't perfect, even flawed rules were better than none at all. War was the brutal act of tearing down those rules only to rebuild something just as fragile. People who had suffered greatly from chaos wouldn't want such turmoil to return.
After finishing her talk with Tsunade, Mizuki felt quite satisfied. At the very least, he now considered himself someone of minor importance—even the Hokage hadn't resorted to any forceful measures upon discovering his secrets. A jonin climbing the ranks deserved cautious handling—even by the village leader.
"Unconsciously, have I become a powerful ninja whose words actually carry some weight?"
Months of caution and successfully completing one mission after another, always fearing being abandoned or betrayed, finally brought him a slight sense of security.
After leaving Tsunade's office, Mizuki thought for a moment, then headed toward the first place he saw when he first opened his eyes in this world—the Ninja Academy.
The swing where Naruto Uzumaki used to sit alone swayed gently, untouched. With class in session, there were hardly any students outside. Gazing at the place forever etched in his memory, Mizuki entered the academy without disturbing anyone. Before him, a large playground hosted a class engaged in stamina training. Laps around the field had the students grumbling with boredom. Their teacher stood nearby, constantly encouraging those falling behind.
Mizuki strode directly into the school building, slowly walking down the corridor until reaching the teacher's office. He gave a light knock on the already open door.
"Mizuki? What brings you here?" Iruka looked up from his paperwork.
Smiling, Mizuki replied, "It's been a while since we last talked properly. Want to go grab a drink?"
"I'd love to!" Iruka rubbed his nose with his right index finger and gave a shy smile. "Just wait a moment—I'm about to finish work."
"Who's that on the website?"
It had been months since Mizuki last chose to have a drink. Though he didn't drink much, Mizuki still seemed to enjoy himself. And Iruka was especially pleased—he hadn't invited him out for a relaxed chat like this in ages.
"Ever since you got promoted to Jonin (Elite Ninja), you've been busier than before. Being a teacher at the Ninja Academy must've been more relaxing, right?"
"Yeah. There are definitely more troublesome things now than back then."
Iruka said with envy, "You're amazing, Mizuki. As for me, I can only be a teacher here at the Ninja Academy."
"Aren't you enjoying teaching? Or are you still holding onto your dream of becoming Hokage?"
Mizuki teased lightly.
"You still remember that! I probably won't ever become Hokage, but it'd be great if I could become a teacher to the Hokage instead!"
"Don't put yourself down, Iruka. You're doing some really important stuff."
Mizuki spoke sincerely. Iruka was the one and only friend Mizuki had who wasn't driven by any ulterior motive. He embodied what it meant to be a true Konoha ninja. The spirit of Konoha—the Will of Fire—was clearly reflected in him. It was likely that he would spend his whole life quietly devoting himself to Konoha.
Flustered by Mizuki's praise, Iruka gave a small smile, then lifted his cup and took a big gulp. "So why'd you invite me out for drinks today? Since you're always busy, if you've got free time, you should go home and spend more time with Tsubaki!"
"I'll head back soon. I just returned from a mission today, and among everyone I know, you're the only one I felt comfortable enough contacting."
Besides Tsubaki, his interactions with Iruka were perhaps the only relationships Mizuki maintained without hidden agendas. This kind of interaction was genuinely relaxing. And moreover, the very first person who offered Mizuki genuine practical help in this world was none other than Iruka. To this day, the Binding Seal Formation Iruka had freely given him remained one of Mizuki's go-to techniques.
As Mizuki and Iruka indulged themselves in nostalgia and warm conversation, suddenly a familiar loud voice boomed from behind them: "Finally found you, Iruka-sensei!"
A little buzzed, Iruka turned his head. "Hey, Naruto! Haven't seen you in forever. What's up?"
"I came to say goodbye to you, Iruka-sensei. I'm leaving on a long trip the day after tomorrow... and won't be coming back for quite a while."
"Did Lord Jiraiya take you as his disciple?" Iruka replied warmly. "Then you must work extra hard—you shouldn't miss such a great opportunity."
"That's obvious," Naruto said, flopping down next to Iruka. "Right now, I've already learned two super powerful Ninjutsu techniques."
Saying this, he seemed just then to notice Mizuki sitting across from them.
"Huh, Teacher Mizuki is here too?"
"What's strange about me being here? But Naruto, why are you so polite all of a sudden? Don't you usually call me 'the evil teacher' anymore?"
Naruto mumbled unhappily, "Well, I heard that Sakura became your disciple. I don't want to upset her and end up getting punched again—that really hurts."
Scared of getting hit by Sakura, Mizuki chuckled softly.
"And if you mess with Sakura while I'm away," Naruto continued, "just wait 'til I get back—I'll punch your lights out!"
"Naruto!" Iruka scolded disapprovingly, "How can you talk to Teacher Mizuki like that?"
"Relax, Iruka," Mizuki waved his hand and said. "Naruto, if you really can defeat me, maybe Sakura will see you in a new light? After all, you *do* happen to be even stronger than her teacher!"
"Seriously?" Naruto, as if discovering a new world, immediately lit up his eyes. He gradually sank into a fantasy where he was admired by Sakura Haruno and let out a silly giggle.
Iruka looked at Mizuki helplessly and said, "Still up to your old dirty tricks, Mizuki?"
"Dirty tricks?" Mizuki simply smirked in response.
[Any extra motivation to make Naruto stronger is worth it—right now!]
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