Early in the morning, many people have the habit of taking a shower due to low blood pressure. Mizuki is one of them—he usually takes a quick shower on slow mornings to refresh himself.
But today isn't the time for that. There's a guest at home, and although she's young, she's still a girl. If something like an unfortunate pervert incident happened, he'd never be able to explain himself clearly.
Mizuki quickly finished washing up and tidied himself before preparing to begin his month-long mentorship career.
He poured a cup of tea for both Sakura and himself, then sat across from her and started chatting casually.
Mizuki spoke first: "Since Kakashi personally asked me and I've already accepted the benefits, I'll do my best to teach you. First, tell me your goal—do you just want to defeat your Oto ninja opponent, or do you genuinely want to improve your strength? We only have a month; you can't learn much in such a short time. Think carefully and give this some thought before answering."
"What's the difference?" Sakura asked, confused.
"Beating one specific person and beating many are completely different things. Your opponent is indeed strong, but having powerful specialized skills also means that if someone specifically targets you, you'll be at a serious disadvantage. Real improvement in strength is totally different—you should think hard about which path to choose." Mizuki patiently explained.
After hearing Mizuki's words, Sakura seemed to understand slightly, lowering her head into deep thought.
Seeing that Sakura understood, Mizuki nodded approvingly.
'No wonder she's such a clever kid—she really makes teaching easy.'
Mizuki quietly waited for Sakura's answer while sipping tea and nibbling on the pastries she brought.
Soon, Sakura lifted her head and said: "Please teach me how to become stronger, Teacher Mizuki~"
"Cough! Cough!" That "Teacher" nearly made Mizuki spit out his mouthful of tea. "Don't call me Master! You'll find a more suitable mentor in the future, hey now."
"No matter what, one should never forget the kindness of their teacher," Sakura replied. "I'll keep calling you Lǎoshī like before."
"That works." Mizuki agreed with a nod. "So then, what would you like to learn?"
"I'm not really sure what I should learn," Sakura awkwardly admitted. "But the stuff you taught me last time was easier for me to get the hang of—would it be okay if I learned more of that?"
Hearing Sakura's uncertainty, Mizuki sighed heavily before finally saying, "In that case, I'll choose the path for you."
Such a talented and intelligent child, yet due to lack of proper guidance, she couldn't even identify her own strengths and weaknesses. Konoha really had a tough time finding promising young talents these days. If the Sannin were still around, and if Konoha's core forces hadn't perished or abandoned the village, would there even be a need for Mizuki to step in and give Sakura these basic lessons? Naruto wouldn't have gone so long without knowing about his Jinchuriki status either—he shouldn't have had to wait until Jiraiya's return just to receive proper guidance.
As Mizuki was about to start explaining some basics to Sakura, suddenly the door opened.
"Oh? There's a visitor at home?" Tsubaki, stepping through the doorway, noticed Sakura Haruno.
"Hello, who might you be?"
Sakura Haruno quickly stood up and bowed.
"This is Tsubaki, the one I told you about," Mizuki stood to introduce. "My fiancée," he added with a smile.
"Ah, Mizuki-sensei, you have a fiancée? I didn't mean to intrude unknowingly."
"No worries. Mizuki, is this your student?"
"No, she's Kakashi Hatake's student. I'm just substituting temporarily. We'll be seeing each other frequently for the next month," Mizuki explained.
"Wait, this is the one you mentioned~" Tsubaki asked.
"That's right. The temp worker," Mizuki confirmed with certainty.
"Mizuki-sensei, this flower shop belongs to you?" Sakura examined the newly opened store.
"Exactly. What do you think?"
"It's pretty good. Similar to Ino's family shop," Sakura remarked. "I didn't expect that the new flower shop Ino mentioned was actually yours!"
"This is something Tsubaki and I started together. It's been less than a month."
"Really, but—" Sakura looked at the sign hanging above the entrance. "Four Seasons Flower Shop? Somehow that sounds strange."
"How come? I spent quite some time thinking of that name," Mizuki said. When it came to flowers, Mizuki couldn't help thinking of the Master of Flowers Across the Four Seasons, which was why he had chosen such an unusual name, unlike Teuchi's Ichiraku Ramen or the Yamanaka family's flower shop.
"It might be unusual, but don't you think it still sounds nice?" Mizuki added.
"Ahh," Sakura looked at the sign with a puzzled expression. "This signboard has some peculiar patterns on it. Though beautiful looking, there seems to be something off—and I sense faint chakra fluctuations too~"
"Don't say anything. I'll tell you later. Just don't mention it to Tsubaki," Mizuki made a face like he'd seen a ghost.
Indeed, Mizuki had secretly enchanted this signboard behind everyone's back. Despite having many powerful ninja visiting his shop over these days without anyone noticing, now this Genin had figured it out.
The signboard was actually one of Mizuki's most satisfying achievements in recent months. Not long after its creation, the base material used was a specially cultivated type of bamboo. Carefully handcrafted, the greenish-blue coating on its surface was actually a mixture derived from fungi and algae extracted from lichen. As organisms capable of removing most kinds of vitality while retaining basic survival abilities, they were further enhanced with barely perceptible seal formations and genjutsu barrier patterns along the borders and materials. By utilizing the collective willpower of the lichen covering the entire signboard, it generated a self-sustaining genjutsu effect—though not particularly powerful, it served as subtle psychological suggestion, naturally drawing people's attention toward wanting to enter and explore the shop.
The most challenging part was using the collective willpower of simple organisms to cultivate chakra. After much searching for a suitable host organism, Mizuki finally settled upon lichen. As a symbiotic organism composed of fungi, bacteria, and algae, it naturally possessed composite properties. At present, Mizuki hadn't yet found any better-suited lifeform than lichen for this purpose.
Although the power currently provided is insignificant, it has opened a broader space for Mizuki. Through the Sealing Technique, the integration of minds is possible. Put differently, this world acknowledges the existence of this kind of creature. With that in mind, many things that were once theoretical can become reality—if one's abilities are strong enough.
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