The quiet night was filled only with the croaking of frogs mixed with unknown insects, giving it an eerie stillness.
Mizuki, troubled by concerns about unknown dangers, couldn't fall asleep. He got up and walked out of the tent.
Staring at the pitch-black deep forest ahead felt like looking at a giant dark beast, its wide mouth open, waiting for prey to walk right in.
"Sigh, I hope I'm just being paranoid or that the enemies aren't too strong. At least I'm not by myself this time," Mizuki couldn't help but wish everything would turn out to be an unnecessary worry. It would be best if they could just get through this safely and without incident.
Suddenly, Mizuki's eyes narrowed.
"Who's there?"
"It's me. Don't tense up." Aoba Yamashiro stepped out from the darkness.
"You couldn't sleep either?"
"Not exactly. I saw you come out, so I followed to check on you."
"Is that so?" Mizuki looked unconvinced. In his opinion, this was probably part of the surveillance.
"Eh... heh..." Aoba Yamashiro smiled awkwardly. "You don't need to overthink it. I understand what you're going through. How should I put it... every ninja has their own principles. After all, nobody can guarantee what choice they'd make under the same circumstances."
"Heh, you don't need to explain. I understand," Mizuki replied indifferently. "After all, no one wants to be the one left behind."
"Ahh, you're a sensible person. Still, since you chose to become a ninja, you must've known what it entails," Aoba didn't feel the need to say more.
"Then why couldn't you sleep? As experienced as you are, surely it's not just simple insomnia. Getting proper rest and conserving strength is a fundamental duty for us ninjas."
"A little worried, that's all." Upon hearing Aoba change the topic, Mizuki also had no intention of talking more about himself. "Frankly, Kakashi and Ibiki seem overly optimistic. I think our frontline strength is actually insufficient."
"I see what you mean. Actually, I've noticed something too. Zabuza Momochi, being an S-rank rogue ninja from Kirigakure, definitely wouldn't go unnoticed. Since he appeared openly in the Land of Waves yet no hunter-nin teams have been dispatched to eliminate him, that's really strange. Although Zabuza is powerful, Kiri isn't an insignificant village either."
"These are just guesses after all. No one can say for sure what's really going on. Still, I plan to take some time setting up precautions and traps. Waiting around blindly without any intelligence is far too passive."
"That's unavoidable. With the Chunin Exams approaching, most ninja have been reassigned. If only we had someone from the Byakugan or Aburame clan, things would be easier."
"Well then, we'll have to figure it out ourselves."
"Mm, you prepare around here first. I'll go check ahead. If nothing happens, try to get some rest early. This mission likely won't finish in a day or two anyway."
With that, Aoba Yamashiro disappeared back into the dark forest.
For several consecutive days, the Konoha ninjas found nothing suspicious. Their previous worries gradually eased away. As time passed, Kakashi Hatake finally recovered, which greatly relieved Mizuki.
"As long as Kakashi regains his battle readiness, things can't possibly get too bad. Even if there's an extremely powerful enemy, we won't be powerless to fight back anymore."
In the center of the forest, Mizuki, Hayate Gekko, and Aoba Yamashiro remained hidden in the shadows of the trees, watching Sasuke Uchiha and Naruto Uzumaki training in the distance.
"Mizuki, you've interacted with that Nine-Tails kid before. What's he like?" whispered Aoba Yamashiro.
"Hmm... I guess you could say he's a pretty passionate guy."
"Passionate? You mean in terms of ninjutsu?"
Mizuki shook his head. "In different aspects. Although he's definitely a troublesome little pest, you just can't bring yourself to hate him."
"His abilities don't seem all that impressive."
"Well, he does have considerable talent," replied Mizuki. "If he catches an opponent below jonin level off guard, he could be quite troublesome. His strengths and weaknesses are extremely obvious though. His chakra reserves are enormous, his stamina is exceptional, and combined with his naturally strong constitution and enhanced recovery from the residual chakra of the Nine-Tails, his potential is truly immense. In the future, he won't be inferior to Sasuke Uchiha." For a moment, Mizuki couldn't help sounding like a prophet.
"Hmm?" This perspective intrigued Hayate Gekko. "He's really that strong? Although he doesn't have any record of activating the Sharingan like Sasuke Uchiha, once his Kekkei Genkai awakens, there should be a noticeable difference, right?"
"You're talking about normal circumstances. The Sharingan is indeed powerful, but it's not omnipotent. Sasuke has a much stronger foundation than Naruto, so for now, there's a clear gap between them. However, we cannot deny that Naruto is already quite an outstanding genin. As long as he finds opportunities to address his shortcomings, his strength will improve rapidly."
"Really?" Aoba Yamashiro and Hayate Gekko responded noncommittally.
"Sasuke Uchiha is heading back now. Should we continue following him?"
"No need. We'll stay here and keep observing Naruto Uzumaki. The captain is handling the other side."
"Alright then."
They continued surveillance until late into the night when Naruto Uzumaki finally collapsed on the ground exhausted.
"You were right, Mizuki. This kid really will grow stronger," said both Aoba Yamashiro and Hayate Gekko. "Such a hardworking ninja, with proper guidance, will surely have a bright future."
"Yeah, let's take turns resting next. Can I go first?"
"Okay, you rest first. We'll wake you up at the designated time."
When dawn was approaching, the second watchman Aoba Yamashiro woke Mizuki up to take over the surveillance shift.
"Right on time. Let's see if Haku comes to gather herbs just like I remember. I hope the butterfly effect isn't too strong."
Suddenly, Mizuki spotted a handsome youth with long hair appearing in the distance.
"It's him."
Mizuki quickly woke the other two men and urgently signaled silence before gesturing toward the figure.
The two looked confused for a moment but quickly realized someone was intruding and instantly became alert.
Just as he remembered, Haku spotted Naruto and prepared to kill him, but ultimately gave up. As Haku raised his hand to choke Naruto, Hayate Gekko almost rushed out instinctively—but Mizuki stopped him with an urgent gesture and a warning shake of his head.
Sure enough, the next scene unfolded with these two kind-hearted youths discussing life and aspirations. Ultimately, both departed satisfied with their conversation.
It was never confirmed how many people Haku had killed, but the number was likely very low. As for Naruto Uzumaki, excluding the anime-original arcs, he had seemingly only ever killed one person in the original storyline—White Zetsu. Being Ashura's reincarnation wasn't just words—he truly carried love and justice in his heart. He hardly even killed any enemies.
"How do you know that kid won't attack?" Hayate Gekko asked, puzzled.
"He has no killing intent," Mizuki replied briefly.
"I see," Hayate didn't press further. "Who is that person? Do you know him?"
"How could I?" Mizuki denied immediately. "Should we investigate? It might be an unexpected enemy."
"Don't act rashly yet," Aoba Yamashiro decided. "I'll go inform Ibiki Morino and Kakashi."
With that, he left to exchange intelligence.
Not long after, Sasuke and Naruto were also preparing to return. Coincidentally, the two who were left behind for surveillance followed them as well.
When they arrived at the meeting point, Kakashi's and Ibiki's teams were already there.
"Now that everyone's here, let me give a situation update," Ibiki began. "Regarding that boy with hostile intent we discovered earlier, we were just about to follow and investigate when he suddenly vanished without a trace. In other words, we lost him."
After a pause, Ibiki continued seriously, "From our investigation around the area, although we found no traces of other ninja, certain intelligence suggests that there could be one or more hidden squads lurking nearby. Their numbers and intentions are unknown."
"That's truly bad news," Kakashi said helplessly.
"At this point, requesting reinforcements isn't possible either. We're on our own. Based on our current battle readiness, unless we encounter a large-scale overwhelming force, we should still be able to handle it."
Seeing no objections, Ibiki continued, "Kakashi, then the task of dealing with Zabuza and his henchmen falls to you and your students. We'll try our best to block other disturbances, and if possible, we'll come to your aid."
"No problem," Kakashi nodded in agreement. "After all, this is our mission. Besides, my students are officially qualified ninjas now—they won't be easily defeated and will be quite helpful."
"Then it's settled." Ibiki turned to Aoba Yamashiro, Hayate Gekko, and Mizuki. "The three of you will serve as overt backup. Patrol within a five-kilometer radius of the bridge and eliminate any suspicious individuals. Izumo Kotetsu and I will remain hidden as mobile reserves."
"Yes, sir," Mizuki reluctantly agreed. Bait duty again—he just hoped nothing too strong would show up.
For the next few days, Mizuki remained tense, though thankfully, he had brought along some experimental aquatic creatures—some complete specimens and some half-developed ones. They weren't very effective in battle, but they could at least serve as temporary lookouts in this environment.
"To be honest, I didn't expect us to carry out this mission under such unfavorable conditions. None of us are good at water release techniques," Mizuki couldn't help but complain.
"What can we do? Except for The Second who specialized in water release, only The Third mastered various advanced techniques. Truthfully speaking, water release just isn't our specialty," Aoba Yamashiro agreed.
"Fire Release, Genjutsu, Kenjutsu – even Sealing Technique and Lightning Release and Wind Release are all quite impressive."
"It's a shame not enough Hyuga shinobi are taking part in Konoha missions."
Hayate Gekko then sighed, "I hope we make it back safely so I can marry Yugao."
Hearing that, Mizuki couldn't help but internally groan, "Isn't this the exact kind of death flag you're not supposed to raise? People who say things like this rarely survive..."
"You still have the Chunin Exams ahead of you," Mizuki said. "Don't try to slack off."
As he spoke, Mizuki suddenly tensed. "Someone's coming. Be careful."
A drifting jellyfish had died. Mizuki specifically attached Sealing Techniques and explosive tags to it and spread them out in a circle. As soon as any chakra disturbance occurred nearby, it would activate and incinerate the jellyfish.
<><><><><><><><>
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
<><><><><><><><>