"How could things come to this?" Mizuki sighed softly, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder. After all, she had only arrived in Konoha not long ago and had barely interacted with anyone besides Tsubaki. The only other people she ever spoke with were regular customers. As for those occasional visitors—like Shizune—who came pretending to care but were actually sent by Tsunade to check up on things, there was no way they could earn Karin's trust within such a short time.
Looking at Karin, who appeared anxious and uneasy, Mizuki thought for a moment before asking, "Do you have anything else you need to do today?"
"I have a few pre-ordered flower arrangements that I need to deliver to specific locations."
"Deliver flowers? A lot of them?"
Because of the lack of manpower, aside from special circumstances, flower delivery wasn't something the shop often did. Mizuki, who had spent some time struggling through the industry, understood clearly that this wasn't the main business model for small shops like theirs; most customers still preferred coming in person.
"Not many—just three or four families," Karin said. "I usually handle deliveries early in the morning when there aren't many customers coming in." Suddenly seeming to remember what time it was, she gasped, "Ah, already so late! I might be late!"
"Don't rush. Take your time," Mizuki smiled slightly as he spoke. "If you go out delivering, what should we do about the store? Close it?"
"Yeah," Karin nodded. "When Onee-san Tsubaki isn't around, I lock the door—but I deliver fast. I'll be back soon."
"That sounds pretty tough indeed. Today I'll stay here, no need to close the shop. Go ahead and take care of your deliveries."
It wasn't like Mizuki insisted on having Karin do something specifically. A young girl who'd been cast out and called useless by others wouldn't find much comfort in just kind words. Letting her do something would make her feel useful again—perhaps that could ease her anxiety just a bit, preventing her from constantly worrying whether she'd be cast out again for being worthless.
After Karin darted out the door, Mizuki walked over and sat right where she had been moments before. He casually flipped open the scroll that she'd been using as a pillow under her arm.
[Chakra Basics], [Introduction to Sealing Techniques], [Healing and Hemostasis Techniques]... She says she has no ninja abilities, but still pays attention to all this? Interesting.
The earlier scrolls must have been left behind by Tsubaki; the later ones were probably written by Shizune. However, if Tsunade truly intended to focus on cultivating Karin, more effort would definitely be required. Integrating into Konoha as an outsider Ninja had never been easy. A mature system naturally tended to resist outsiders—even leaving Tsunade powerless against this situation. To resolve this issue, more effort and just a little opportunity would be needed.
There was another complication too—that Karin herself remained wary of Konoha. If she wasn't even enthusiastic about joining Konoha herself, then Tsunade's one-sided intentions would become even harder to realize.
While flipping through these documents, evaluating roughly Karin's current level, Mizuki also kept thinking how best to plan the future direction for this young girl.
"She's far below Konoha's genin level—there's not much she's capable of doing yet."
It's undeniable that Karin has great potential. It's still possible for her to catch up now, but the gap remains a gap. Especially regarding fundamental aspects, they're extremely difficult to make up—there's no room for shortcuts. Having lived a wandering life since childhood, she never received systematic ninja training. In the **Sound Ninja Village**, outsiders like her were treated only as burdens. Talent has its limits. Without a solid foundation, everything's just pie in the sky—like flowers in the mirror or the moon reflected on water. That's why among renowned descendants of the Uzumaki clan, this little girl might be the weakest. Nagato at least had Jiraiya to build his foundation, while Karin was completely self-taught—no guidance, no system.
"I can't possibly let her remain a 'blood pack' forever. Otherwise, what would be the point of bringing her to Konoha?"
As he was troubled about how to tutor Karin, footsteps approached from afar and entered the Four Seasons Flower Shop.
"Is it Karin? Back so soon? No—it's Sakura?"
Sakura walked straight to Mizuki without hesitation, seemingly aware all along that Mizuki was here.
"You've come!" Mizuki asked, eyeing the serious look on her face. "Have you made your decision?"
Sakura gave a firm nod. "Please guide me, Teacher Mizuki."
With that, she bowed deeply, waiting for Mizuki's reply.
In truth, Mizuki felt a bit nervous too—not much calmer than the awaiting Sakura. After all, this was his first time taking on a disciple, something legendary, something he'd never expected to happen to himself.
Composing his thoughts, Mizuki asked a question that had long puzzled him: "What do you want to learn from me?"
"To gain strength that doesn't rely on others."
"Independent strength, huh?"
Mizuki couldn't help but be impressed by this sharp little girl.
Reflecting on Sakura Haruno's past, she'd been timid and often bullied before Ino Yamanaka stepped in to protect her. Upon graduating from the Ninja Academy, she relied on her Squad Leader Kakashi Hatake; during missions, she was shielded by the powerful Sasuke Uchiha and Naruto Uzumaki. Without Mizuki's influence, Sasuke Uchiha would definitely defect. Facing such a helpless situation, Sakura could only pin her hopes on Naruto Uzumaki, making Naruto's pursuit of bringing back Sasuke an unshakable promise.
Sakura's strength wasn't bad per se, yet amidst the grand narrative of the ninja world, she clearly fell short. Before apprenticing under Tsunade, her presence had truly been weak. Even though in this timeline, with Mizuki's intervention, her power had improved significantly, she was still quite inferior compared to Sasuke and Naruto. Based on what Kakashi Hatake reported, the last showdown between Sasuke and Naruto must've hit Sakura hard—left her feeling totally helpless.
"So, what jutsu of mine do you most want to learn?"
"I don't know," Sakura shook her head. "I just want to be able to scold them when Sasuke and Naruto start fighting again."
[So it's about taking control, huh? I guess I really underestimated this girl's resolve.]
In the original storyline, once Sakura mastered Tsunade's [Super Strength], her fiery side came out full force. But according to Mizuki, anyone who learned [Super Strength] would inevitably become violent.
Through contact, Mizuki discovered that Sakura didn't care much about tactics; it was her unyielding spirit that formed the foundation of her strength, helping her grow stronger even while living in the shadow of Naruto and Sasuke.
"Fine, I agree," Mizuki said. Since there wasn't any real issue, he didn't ask further. "You go bring in that red-hair girl outside."
Karin, who had the Mind's Eye of Kagura, sensed from afar that Mizuki was speaking with someone, causing her to hesitate at the doorway and dare not step inside.
[Perhaps… spending more time with someone her own age might make things a little better…]
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