In the afternoon, as dinner time neared, another day was drawing to a close.
Mizuki reviewed Sakura Haruno's progress, just as he had expected. No matter how much she could grasp at this stage, at least he had given her a vague idea. Starting tomorrow, she should be able to begin basic training.
"If you have time," Mizuki said, "do more chakra control exercises at home, like this one, for instance."
As he spoke, Mizuki extended his right hand, and a ball of chakra appeared in his palm. He manipulated it into various forms—animal-like silhouettes such as galloping horses and roaring tigers.
"There's also this one."
Next, he spread his fingers wide, and each fingertip extended into a sharp chakra blade that shimmered with motion.
"And lastly, something like this."
Mizuki then clapped his hands together and pulled them apart, revealing a thin, elongated chakra thread dancing between his palms.
Sakura gazed in astonishment at his extraordinary control. "Can chakra really reach this level?" The girl, who once prided herself on her chakra control, suddenly felt as if her confidence had been nothing at all.
"This isn't really that difficult. With enough practice, anyone can do it. Later on, when conditions permit, I'll teach you other things too. For now, these are just exercises you can do at home during your free time. This is only the basics. Eventually, you'll understand just how far ninja techniques can go."
It would be unimaginable for someone who hadn't seen the power surge three years later to grasp how those myth-level jutsu were created or fathom their world-shattering strength. Even within a month, these fresh genin would see firsthand just how powerful a jinchūriki—the ninja world's ultimate weapon—truly is.
"All of this is just the basics? Then what are advanced techniques like?"
"Many can use ninjutsu, but few truly master it. You don't have Naruto's physical strength or his enormous chakra reserves. You don't have Sasuke's natural talent or the Sharingan either. Therefore, chakra control will be crucial for you moving forward. Nothing can succeed without it."
"I understand. Thank you, Teacher Mizuki."
"No need to thank me. You should head out now; your friend is getting impatient." As he spoke, Mizuki gestured toward the golden-haired girl, Ino Yamanaka, who stood in a corner outside the shop peeking over this way, pretending to look indifferent as though coincidentally passing by.
"That's Ino. What's she doing here?" Sakura immediately spotted her waiting friend. "I'll go first then. See you tomorrow."
"Goodbye."
Watching Sakura leave, Mizuki called out to an empty corner, "Everyone has left already. Why haven't you come out yet? What exactly are you thinking?"
"I didn't want to interrupt your lesson." A ripple passed through the air in that corner, revealing a familiar figure—Chiharu Tsubaki, his fiancée.
"Why not just come in directly? Sneaking around like this might make people misunderstand your intentions."
Tsubaki said nothing. Instead, she stepped forward, taking Mizuki's arm, and they headed home together.
"You really seem to love teaching. It's been a while since I've seen you this cheerful."
Mizuki blinked at her words. "Is that so? I'm just repaying a favor Kakashi once did for me."
"But you were never this dedicated when teaching me ninjutsu?"
"Eh? Not really," Mizuki muttered, briefly wondering if she sounded a bit jealous. "You're already a chunin now. I couldn't possibly go into as much detail as I would with a genin. It's called tailoring lessons to the student, you know? Anyway, I got something for you~"
As he spoke, Mizuki pulled out a pink flower from his robe and handed it over. Tsubaki took it with a smile. Seeing his fiancée smiling, Mizuki let out a sigh of relief.
"This isn't a rose—it's a China rose."
"Eh? No way. They're both red flowers, look almost the same, and they both have thorns... They look exactly the same to me—how come they're different species?" Mizuki said, completely baffled.
"But I like this one too," Tsubaki smiled.
"Great, great! As long as you like it," Mizuki replied, unconsciously wiping some cold sweat from his brow.
Meanwhile, Sakura Haruno and Ino Yamanaka walked silently side by side, both lost in gloomy thoughts.
"Why are you so quiet? Did you come looking for me because you needed something?" Sakura finally broke the silence.
"I—" Ino hesitated. "I heard you were working at a local flower shop, so I wondered if it might be the one run by Teacher Mizuki—and decided to come check it out."
"Thanks for coming to see me," Sakura replied with a smile.
"Didn't you make it into the final round of the Chunin Exams? I heard all the genin who made it this far receive specialized training from their sensei to improve their abilities. Why are you working in a flower shop instead? Doesn't your team leader care?" Ino sounded clearly upset. "Even if Sasuke's strong and Naruto's no slouch either, why are they leaving you completely on your own?"
"You misunderstood, Ino," Sakura explained. "Since Kakashi-sensei didn't have time, he asked Teacher Mizuki to coach me—and actually, I requested to help out at the shop on my own accord."
"That's good to hear. But everyone else gets coached by jonin instructors. As for Teacher Mizuki..." Her disapproval was obvious. "I just don't want to see the person who beat me lose embarrassingly in front of everyone."
"You're worrying too much, Ino. Teacher Mizuki is also a knowledgeable ninja. These past two days, I've finally understood the gap between genin and chunin. The difference in knowledge alone is incredible. Now I understand why the Chunin Exam is so difficult." Poor Sakura had no idea how unreasonable it was to judge other ninja based on Mizuki's level of knowledge.
"If that's the case, then I feel better," Ino said. "But don't think just because you beat me once means you're stronger than me. Next time, I'll definitely win."
Sakura laughed as she replied, "Last time was just your bad luck—you were seriously injured then. I didn't exactly feel proud about winning. But Kakashi-sensei said luck is also part of one's strength."
"You won't always be lucky. Next time, I will defeat you."
"Next time, I'll just have to be stronger than you—and I'll beat you again," Sakura declared firmly.
"Just keep talking tough, then."
Then another round of silence followed.
"Er, was Teacher Mizuki treating you well?" Ino asked cautiously.
"Don't worry. Although Teacher Mizuki speaks bluntly, he's actually a good guy."
"Yeah, I know too. Teacher Mizuki's kind of a scatterbrain. He can't even tell the difference between roses, Chinese roses, and China roses, yet he's surprisingly easygoing."
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