In a small, quiet room, Mizuki withdrew his right hand, which had just completed a sealing technique. Facing the clone across from him—one modeled after a Jinchūriki—he said,
"Chakra has been replenished. But your physical reserves are still low, so don't push yourself too hard yet."
"Understood." The clone nodded. "Your mission went more smoothly than mine. It's chaotic on this end."
Mizuki quietly processed the surge of shared memories. Even he was surprised by the scale of the changes—unexpected consequences of subtle interference.
"So many things shifted… just by nudging a few key events. Human hearts really do shape history. And this is just the beginning. Who knows what the world will look like in three years..."
The clone muttered, "Three years is a long way off. But things won't stay quiet until then, that's for sure."
Mizuki gave a small nod. "Do you know what to do next?"
"Yeah. The prep work's done. Now we just need to turn our gains—intel, loot, research—into power."
"Exactly. The next three years are everything. Only strength matters. I'll handle the logistics. If there's progress, I'll contact you immediately."
The long-prepared plan was finally moving forward.
Later, after confirming details with Ebisu, Mizuki exchanged a few polite words. They weren't close, but as fellow instructors at the Academy, basic courtesy was expected.
After parting ways, Mizuki looked up at the sky. He still had time to go home, clean up, and change clothes. It had been a long day—clashes, infiltration, sealing techniques—and he was covered in dust and sweat. No way he was going to show up looking like that.
He estimated the time and headed toward the Hokage's office. Konoha was currently being managed by the two advisors, Homura Mitokado and Koharu Utatane, following the death of the Third Hokage. Mizuki wasn't on great terms with them—especially not Koharu. During the incident with Naruto stealing the Scroll of Seals, her opinion of Mizuki had plummeted.
"Hopefully she doesn't use that to make things difficult for me again," Mizuki thought grimly.
He racked his brain for anything that might've gotten him into trouble recently. The only things that stood out were the Omnipotent Potion, the Soul-Gathering Formation, and the Clone Jinchūriki Project. Still, none of those were forbidden or illegal.
The Soul-Gathering Formation had already been submitted to the village as research material. The Omnipotent Potion had long been in circulation—Moonlight Gale and Yamashiro Aoba had already used it. The clone project was strange, sure, but the ninja world had no shortage of bizarre jutsu. Kage Bunshin, Moku Bunshin, Suiton clones… even Kabuto's Impure World Reincarnation was far more unnatural. And the Transmigration Technique and other forbidden abilities that came later, not to mention Sharingan-level genjutsu simulations—they made everything else look tame.
Feeling somewhat reassured, Mizuki muttered to himself,
"It's probably just a debrief. Nothing serious..."
For Mizuki, who had only recently re-entered Konoha's inner circle, any disruption now would be a setback. Outside Konoha, raw power was rising everywhere. Without the backing of an established faction, survival was a gamble. Not everyone had Sasuke Uchiha's protagonist aura—able to form rogue squads like Taka or Hebi and face down Akatsuki members. Most who wandered alone ended up dead. If someone like Kakuzu ever took an interest in his bounty, it'd be game over.
Arriving at the Hokage's office building, Mizuki spotted Hatake Kakashi waiting at the entrance.
His heart sank.
"Now what?"
Kakashi glanced at him. "Something's come up. While you were gone… some changes happened. Don't speak out of turn, and definitely don't share your opinions carelessly."
Mizuki blinked. "Huh? Already? The day's not even over."
Kakashi's tone was calm but firm. "The village is still leaderless. Relying on two elders won't last. There's movement behind the scenes. Keep your head down."
"But... I'm not exactly in a position to weigh in on leadership matters," Mizuki replied.
"Exactly," Kakashi said, his eye serious. "Even I'm not. But politics aren't always logical. Sometimes a whisper from a nobody reaches the wrong ears."
Mizuki nodded. It was true. When power vacuums formed, even small players could accidentally shift major tides. But at least for now, Mizuki wasn't close enough to any power blocs to worry about that.
When he entered the Hokage's office with Kakashi, the room was already occupied. Homura, Koharu, and—unexpectedly—Shimura Danzō were present, along with several elite Jōnin and Anbu operatives standing silently in the back.
No sign of Hiruzen Sarutobi. The good old Sandaime… was gone.
Mizuki stepped forward and saluted.
"Chūnin Mizuki, reporting as ordered."
"Come closer," Homura said calmly. "We have a few questions."
Mizuki stepped forward without hesitation. Koharu narrowed her eyes at him.
"During the battle with Orochimaru, the Third Hokage used a powerful forbidden drug. Did that come from you?"
Mizuki stiffened.
"So they're trying to pin it on me? Blame me for Sarutobi-sensei's death?"
He clenched his jaw. He knew full well that even if the potion hadn't been available, Hiruzen would still have used the Dead Demon Consuming Seal to stop Orochimaru. The old man had already made up his mind to die for the village. But people didn't know that. To them, the presence of the potion might've been what pushed Hiruzen to sacrifice himself—cutting off any chance of survival.
He couldn't explain that without sounding like he was just making excuses.
Calmly, he replied,
"No. I never personally provided the Third Hokage with any of my potions. The only ones who received the Omnipotent Potion were Moonlight Gale and Yamashiro Aoba. The portion the Third used must have come from what Aoba had left."
He spoke clearly, but tension hung in the air.
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