Chapter 208: The Reason for Being Late
Just as Mizuki was deep in thought, he suddenly felt a ripple in the illusionary barrier he had set up.
'That must be Team Eight's genin…'
Realizing it was getting late, Mizuki waved his hand, dispelling the illusion, and appeared without warning.
Snapping out of his thoughts, he looked over and, as expected, saw Kiba Inuzuka, Shino Aburame, and Hinata Hyuga all staring in his direction.
"Looks like you noticed me," Mizuki said lightly as he addressed his new subordinates for the first time. "As the genin team with the strongest scouting skills, it's good that you didn't lose your edge. That much is promising. And the best part is—you weren't late. Congratulations. My first impression of you is... not bad."
"Sensei, I have to disagree with something you just said," Shino Aburame, typically quiet and reserved, suddenly spoke up. "Because not long ago, you led a mission where I and Neji Hyuga participated. So technically, this isn't your first impression."
"Ah… that's true. Sorry, I forgot."
Mizuki scratched his head, mildly embarrassed for messing up his opening line.
"You forgot?" Shino's tone darkened. "So I've become so forgettable that I can't even leave an impression anymore?"
A single offhand comment had somehow wounded Shino, who clearly had some insecurities about his presence—or lack thereof. Mizuki internally sighed. Clearly, he had underestimated how difficult this team would be to handle.
"Sorry about that, Shino. You were standing a bit further back just now, so I didn't recognize you right away."
Mizuki offered a half-hearted apology.
"In that case, I understand. You didn't forget—just couldn't see me. That's reasonable," Shino said, seemingly satisfied with the explanation.
Well… that was a relief. Mizuki was amazed at Shino's capacity for self-consolation—even going so far as to force himself to believe Mizuki's lie.
"All right. Team Eight is assembled. We still have some time before departure—feel free to rest."
Neither Kakashi nor anyone from Team Seven had arrived yet. There was nothing to do but wait.
"Sensei, aren't we supposed to introduce ourselves first?" Kiba asked, confused.
"Introduce? Didn't we already meet?"
"Not like that! I mean like telling everyone our likes, dislikes, hobbies, and ninja way…"
"Is that necessary?" Mizuki replied dryly. "Besides, I'm not interested in your hobbies or ideals."
"That's a bit rude…" Even Hinata seemed taken aback by Mizuki's unorthodox approach.
"All right, all right." Mizuki relented with a shrug. "If you insist, I guess I'll humor you."
"I'll go first!" Kiba said eagerly…
After all three genin introduced themselves, Mizuki clapped lightly.
"All done? Good. That's it then."
"Wait—what do you mean, 'that's it'? Sensei, you haven't introduced yourself yet!"
"Oh, that's your goal." Mizuki chuckled. "We've met several times at the Academy. I even signed your graduation papers."
"That was different! You're a full jōnin now," Kiba insisted.
"Fine, fine…" Mizuki cleared his throat and said, "I'm Mizuki, your jōnin sensei for the foreseeable future. I like assorted sushi, I dislike people who talk more than I do, and my goal is to retire in three years with enough money to live comfortably."
"Retire?!" The three genin stared, stunned. Mizuki was far too young to be talking like an old man.
"Sensei, you don't seem very motivated… is that okay?"
"Don't worry," Mizuki said. "I'm still dedicated enough to train you into solid chūnin."
Just then, a familiar, lazy voice floated over.
"Whether or not your students become chūnin remains to be seen… but Mizuki, retiring in three years? That seems a bit ambitious."
Kakashi Hatake had arrived, his presence as casual as ever. Not far behind, the members of Team Seven also trickled in.
"You're late—we've been waiting forever," Mizuki said pointedly.
"Sorry, sorry," Kakashi replied with a smile. "Everyone's here now. Let's get moving."
…
After clearing the official paperwork, the group began their journey toward the Land of Water.
As the six genin led the way, Mizuki, walking behind with Kakashi, asked, "So what really happened? Why were you late?"
Kakashi had a habit of being tardy, but that usually served as a test for his team—or was due to his habit of brooding at the memorial stone. But this was different. On a mission, being late was serious.
"There was a bit of trouble… though it might become a bigger problem."
Trouble?
Mizuki's gaze flicked forward to Sasuke. With the Akatsuki laying low, the only lingering threat he could think of was Orochimaru. And if there was something serious involving Sasuke, it likely pointed in that direction.
"A while ago," Kakashi explained, "Anbu discovered one of Orochimaru's bases. We launched a raid, but by the time we broke through their defenses, it had already been abandoned. There wasn't much left, but some of the intel recovered is... unsettling."
"What's Lady Tsunade's stance?"
"We're proceeding with the mission. Based on what we found, Orochimaru might be in a weakened state. As long as he doesn't show up himself, the two of us should be enough."
Mizuki nodded. He agreed. Even if Orochimaru did appear, the two of them could manage—especially with Sage Mode. Without Kimimaro, the only troublesome subordinate left was Kabuto Yakushi.
"By the way, about those four Sound ninja that infiltrated Konoha last month—what happened to them?"
"You know about that too?" Kakashi seemed unfazed by Mizuki's grasp of confidential intel.
"There were four. The big brute—I killed him with a Chidori straight through the heart. The girl with the sound-based genjutsu was badly injured. The one with all the arms used his disgusting spider summons and threads to help the rest escape."
Mizuki's eyes narrowed slightly.
"Looks like we'll need to be on our guard. Especially around Sasuke…"
Kakashi didn't answer. But the concern in his eyes said enough.
---
Read up to 20 chapter ahead of time on patreon.com/Legendryweeb
{please give this novel 5 Star review and power stone}
*Thank you*