Mizuki stopped paying attention to the merchant, who had cowered like a mouse before power, and turned his gaze toward the leader wearing an arrogant expression.
"Sorry, but our mission has been completed, and we're on our way back to the village. We have urgent matters to attend to, so we won't stay any longer."
Saying that, Mizuki gave orders to the three Genin.
"Let's go!"
Mizuki pushed through the crowd blocking their path and walked out, followed by the three nervous young Genin.
The leading samurai looked furious, wanting to stop Mizuki but opening and closing his mouth without giving the command to intercept, ultimately allowing Mizuki to leave.
After the four of them passed through the town gates, Kiba Inuzuka exhaled in relief. "That was so tense just now—I thought there'd be a fight for sure."
Mizuki smiled and said, "Just follow my lead—you'll be fine."
As a Jonin from Konoha who directly answered to the Hokage, how could someone as insignificant as this local official presume to command him simply by leaning on the Daimyo's authority? To local officials, ninja were considered lowly servants of the state, supposed to be restricted by the Daimyo's power. Yet in reality, the division of authority between the village leaders and the Daimyo had never been that clear-cut. If the Daimyo himself had been present, Mizuki might have given some face—but for others attempting to order him around, it was basically impossible.
"But, Teacher Mizuki," Hinata asked with concern, "wouldn't leaving like this cause trouble later? Being part of a noble clan like the Hyuga, I understand better how power works—offending such an influential local officer might bring unexpected complications."
"You're overthinking it," Mizuki shook his head. "Though the Land of Fire's Daimyo is nominally our supreme ruler with the Hokage at the head of Konoha, that doesn't mean we obey every subordinate under the Daimyo."
"Is there really that much difference?" Kiba asked, confused.
"Of course it's different—there's a big distinction between the Daimyo himself and his subordinates. You'll probably all become Chunin within one or two years, so it's time you paid attention to things beyond battle. From now on, unless absolutely necessary, avoid interacting with government officials while traveling."
Before the puzzled Genin could ask questions, Mizuki continued, "The relationship between Ninja villages and secular powers exists only between the Hokage and the Daimyo (the feudal lord of the Land of Fire). In other words, we answer only to the Hokage. Even if the Daimyo wants to issue us commands, he must do so through the Hokage first. Do you understand?"
Although still somewhat confused, the three members of Team 8 nodded in unison.
"Therefore, now you see—the proper way to request our assistance is by visiting the village to submit a mission. The Hokage will then assign suitable ninja accordingly, who will receive appropriate payment after completing the task."
Ultimately, missions remained the primary source of income for shinobi, most of whom did not produce goods themselves. While kind-hearted shinobi willing to help without pay indeed existed, trying to forcefully use official authority to dominate and exploit shinobi was nothing more than wishful thinking.
Why would an organization like the Daimyo's Guardian Shinobi even exist? The relationship between the Daimyo and the ninja was far more complex and less hierarchical than outsiders imagined.
Three days later, Team 8 was officially disbanded after completing their mission and returning to the village, while Mizuki waited in the Hokage Tower for Tsunade's response.
Tsunade frowned as she looked through Mizuki's mission report, saying unhappily, "Is some clueless bureaucrat in that remote little town trying to test Konoha's bottom line? With the village suffering misfortunes one after another, aren't all sorts of rogue spirits and malevolent entities coming out to stir up troubles?"
"That's just a minor issue, Lady Tsunade. More urgently, we should properly investigate those small towns and villages with deteriorating conditions—those border areas beyond any ninja factions' control. Dangerous seeds always start growing there. It's essential to take proactive measures."
"Based on your intelligence, clearing these forces would require at least Chunin-level team strength. But where do we have the manpower to send squads so far away to eliminate scattered threats? Unless the Daimyo issues an official request for assistance, otherwise, we're helpless. For now, we can only advise ninja taking on such missions to be extra cautious."
"That's all we can do for now."
Tsunade slowly flipped through the report as she read carefully, "The mission went smoothly, but your evaluations of the three Genin don't seem very positive. Maybe you were a bit too harsh?"
"I might indeed have been somewhat impatient, but I believe they will definitely overcome these difficulties. I actually have considerable confidence in these three students."
"Hmm." Tsunade casually replied, "Do you think Hinata Hyuga is still in the phase of building a solid foundation before breaking out? That's understandable—the Gentle Fist has always emphasized both talent and diligence in Taijutsu. Kiba Inuzuka seems fine overall; he just needs more time and experience to temper his mentality. Why does Shino Aburame have such a low evaluation? Indeed, his potential is considerable. If I remember correctly, isn't Shino the only Genin from Team 8 who made it into the final round of the Chunin Exams?"
"Shino Aburame's problem is actually rather serious. His physical condition isn't bad, but he relies too much on his bug-manipulation art, neglecting fundamental ninja training—an area where no shortcuts can be taken. Judging his overall strength, Shino ranks among the brilliant minds of the Genin class. However, against Rock Lee, he probably wouldn't last even three seconds."
"Weakness in Taijutsu and severe lack of close combat capability?" Tsunade nodded thoughtfully, since the report had written this clearly, "Do you think this can be improved upon in the short term? This time, Shino might be the only possible promotion candidate from Team 8."
"For now, let's leave this to the three Genin. Kurenai Yuhi, the Jonin instructor, did an excellent job cultivating a tightly united squad, making my job easier. Unlike Kakashi, I didn't have to deal with teamwork issues."
If absolutely necessary, Mizuki could personally spend more time giving practical combat guidance.
"Alright then," Tsunade put down the report, "This will be our first Chunin Exams appearance since the village underwent major changes. We must show other villages the potential hidden within Konoha."
As she spoke, Tsunade opened the drawer on her right and pulled out a document, handing it to Mizuki.
"This is part of the inspection report regarding the life-saving pills you submitted. Based on the recorded results here, it seems these aren't simply healing agents, are they?"
Upon hearing Tsunade's words, Mizuki knew the true function of the life-saving pills might soon be exposed.
"No wonder Hayate Gekko's condition turned out that way. So these are the life-saving pills that directly consume cellular chakra… No wonder they're called life-saving — they really live up to their name. Man, you've really made something amazing!"
"Did you figure it out?"
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