After all, the ninja world remains a closed system dominated by bloodline ties, supported by master-disciple inheritance, and controlled by ninja clans and organizations. For ordinary civilians, the chance of becoming a ninja is already next to impossible. Those who manage to rise to the rank of Jonin without receiving favor from superiors are exceptionally rare. As for reaching the legendary level of a Kage—those who dominate the scene—perhaps only half of Sanshouo Hanzo could barely be considered an example. Mizuki couldn't recall a single other case where an underdog had managed to rise that high.
As a species, humans have always been rather insular and exclusionary, yet this small subgroup—the ninjas—controls most of the resources and power within the ninja world. Especially with the emergence of ninja villages, ninjas have effectively broken free from the control of the daimyo class, which represents the general human population; regular people simply cannot govern or regulate them. People did notice this absurd situation. Asuma Sarutobi once served as part of the Guardian Shinobi for the daimyos, and the conflict over "the Jewel" was precisely a microcosm of this contradiction. Ninjas originated from among ordinary people but have already become detached—in both strength and influence—from the group known as "civilians."
But ninjas aren't truly deities who have transcended the mundane—they still must live life. Reality prevents them from completely severing their ties to humanity. Therefore, they must downplay the sense of difference between themselves and commoners as much as possible. Why do ninjas so often stress the concept of acceptance? Lower-ranking ninjas might naively believe it relates to morality or contribution, but there's a subtler meaning behind it—to bridge the rift between ninja and non-ninja.
The ninja world isn't devoid of intelligent individuals either. Smart ninjas like Asuma Sarutobi and Shikamaru Nara, capable of contemplating the significance of the "Jewel," are indeed forward-thinking. However, they still have limitations. No matter how big the pancake, you can't make it bigger than the pan it's cooked in. Without considering the specific impact of being a ninja on the entire human level, even brilliant people reach biased conclusions.
Mizuki didn't know exactly who had established the current behavioral codes of ninja society, but whoever it was possessed an extraordinary vision that made Mizuki feel inferior. Just how much wisdom does the Ninja Handbook—required reading for every ninja graduate—contain, and how subtly has it influenced this world? Every time he thought about it, Mizuki felt admiration toward this unseen philosopher.
Humans need gods—but not those who walk among mortals—even if those gods were once fellow humans. If one practically becomes a god, then either rise above all earthly concerns entirely, becoming nothing more than clay statues (idols for worship), or else pretend to be ordinary—pretending, at least, that ninjas are of the same kind as regular people.
Some strange phenomena in the ninja world actually have logical explanations. After leaving Konoha multiple times, Mizuki vaguely sensed this. Only after everything clicked into place did he realize that even such a relatively small world contains sages whose wisdom can inspire awe. This wasn't just cleverness like what Shikamaru Nara displayed—it was true 'sagely wisdom,' a view encompassing all of humanity from above.
[△NWWww.AiQuxs.]
Every time Mizuki thought about the shadowed depths of the ninja world, where beings like that might still lurk, he couldn't help but shudder. Therefore, Mizuki consciously or unconsciously chose to ignore these issues, deciding to deal with countermeasures only when he actually encountered them. Unexpectedly, this mission in the Land of Water was about to touch on exactly these problems.
When it came to societal issues—especially those involving nonhuman intelligent races such as summoned beasts and tailed beasts—the layers of behind-the-scenes secrets involved were enough to give Mizuki a severe headache.
Luckily, this time might require nothing more than a casual observation and writing a superficial report with vague conclusions. The true secrets would have to be uncovered gradually, in his own way. Unlike ninjutsu or biological experiments, no one could be confided in about this matter; even Tsubaki might not fully understand. He could only observe carefully over time. Even Jiraiya and Tsunade, who were on the same side, might not necessarily comprehend what he was going through. Besides, Mizuki didn't entirely trust them. Even if they themselves had no ill intentions, there was no guarantee someone hadn't manipulated them somehow.
...
The next morning, while a group of Konoha ninja gathered together for breakfast, Kakashi looked at Mizuki curiously and asked, "Didn't you sleep well last night?"
"Hmm, I was thinking too much."
"Oh, so the issue I mentioned yesterday shouldn't be that difficult for you?"
"I was thinking about something else entirely."
"So then, the culprit keeping you up wasn't me…" Kakashi said with a smile.
"Of course. I'm a man of family now—I wouldn't lie awake all night obsessing over another guy."
Mizuki's quip immediately left Kakashi speechless. The clueless genin still didn't catch the double meaning in Mizuki's words and just looked on in confusion as their two teachers chatted casually.
After finishing their meals quickly, everyone went back to their usual routines: some trained, some talked with their pets, others remained silent, and some read novels—different people doing different things. As for Mizuki, he didn't really have anything particularly urgent to do. The more important things were working on chakra control and sensing skills—things that only improved with steady, long-term practice.
"Kakashi, we've still got half a day or so to go. It's going to be tough getting through the time. What should we do to kill some time?"
Two days at sea had worn almost everyone's patience down to the breaking point. The ocean views had become boring, and training aboard a floating ship brought many inconveniences. With so few ways for ninjas to kill time at sea, it's no wonder many of them picked up gambling habits.
"Hmm…" After hearing Mizuki's remark, Kakashi put down his novel and thought for a moment before saying, "The atmosphere is indeed quite dull. There isn't much we can do…"
Just as he spoke, the entire ship suddenly shook violently, shocking everyone.
"What's going on?" Mizuki immediately released his sensing ability to investigate.
Everyone hurriedly left the cabin and rushed onto the deck. The intense shaking had not stopped yet, but looking around revealed no sign of any enemy presence.
"It's underwater," Hatake Kakashi, experienced in battle, immediately realized the problem might come from beneath the sea surface.
"I'll handle this. Stay alert..."
With that, Kakashi Hatake moved as if to dive into the water for investigation.
"Wait." The Mist ninja leader, clad in indigo robes, arrived at the scene. "Leave matters like this to us. We shouldn't burden our honored guests."
Ao, who had stopped Kakashi from acting, turned and dove into the deep sea with three of his subordinates.
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