From the very start of their conversation, Tsunade had already made up her mind to take Karin under her wing. It was obvious she wasn't about to let such a rare talent go to waste, and Mizuki naturally went along with it, letting slip just a bit of information. After all, it was all intel that would inevitably come to light sooner or later.
As for benefits, they'd already gotten the genetic samples they wanted, and the highly coveted secret technique—Adamantine Sealing Chains—had also been obtained earlier than expected. Therefore, even if Karin eventually ended up under Tsunade's guardianship, Mizuki wouldn't feel too disappointed. He could regard this as a sort of volunteer work—helping out when he had free time wasn't too much trouble.
"So, which teacher do you have in mind, Lady Tsunade?"
"Ebisu should work. An elite instructor like him shouldn't have any trouble teaching one more student."
Considering Karin's age, sending her back to the Ninja Academy for basic training was no longer feasible. Thanks to her natural talent, she'd already served as a Genin for some time. Ebisu was a safer bet—after all, even Naruto Uzumaki had learned something from him, so Karin shouldn't be any less capable.
"In that case, if Ebisu needs help, feel free to come to me," Mizuki said. "Also, Lady Tsunade, would it be possible to arrange an apartment for Karin? Living constantly in the rest chamber of a shop doesn't seem appropriate. It'd be better if she had a real place to live."
To strengthen Karin's sense of belonging, placing her in a cramped, insecure dwelling would never suffice.
"I'll handle the arrangements soon," Tsunade replied, then turned to ask, "Shizune, do we currently have any vacant houses available?"
"There are some," Shizune replied with hesitation. "We certainly have accommodations, but they're not in the best locations. Leaving a young girl alone there is concerning."
"That won't be a problem. Karin has gone through far worse; this kind of minor hardship won't bother her."
Mizuki wasn't overly concerned either. With Konoha calming down, there was still enough security to keep her safe.
"That settles it," Tsunade said decisively. "Arrange it as soon as possible!"
"Yes," Shizune agreed.
"Now onto the second matter," Tsunade continued after resolving Karin's issue. "The prisoners you captured two days ago provided some valuable intelligence—but setting that aside, among them, two were spies who infiltrated the village, while the other three had previously attacked Konoha. More importantly, the three former members of the Sound Four bore a Cursed Seal. How much do you know about it?"
"It's the same type Orochimaru placed on Anko Mitarashi and Sasuke Uchiha, only slightly different in its completion. In essence, though, they're all quite similar."
"We already know that. Do you have any other information?"
Mizuki shook his head. "Unless we get complete intel, based on what we have now, the only way to confirm anything is through experiments."
"That's absolutely out of the question," Tsunade immediately rejected. "The village strictly opposes any research on this topic—such studies are just too controversial to carry out openly. And anything related to Orochimaru will always provoke fear."
Mizuki knew it was a mere fantasy. During this time, Mizuki had conducted some research on the cursed seals, though not without difficulties. By referencing his own mutated cursed seal and comparing it with the results of Sasuke Uchiha's chakra after his cursed seal outbreak, he attempted to create several cursed seals of his own. The results, however, were far from promising. When his homemade cursed seals were applied onto soulless physical vessels, the outbreak occurred too quickly—nearly uncontrollable. Most of them exploded instantly, and the rare few that survived had transformed into grotesque, unclassifiable aberrations. This made Mizuki realize how difficult it was to replicate something Orochimaru had spent years researching in just a few short months.
Mizuki remained silent, causing Tsunade to misunderstand: "It isn't just about these reasons. Research on cursed seals has always been taboo. The Hyuga clan's Caged Bird Seal serves as a prior example. Secret uses of cursed seals occasionally occur, but these kinds of jutsu are notoriously despicable among the upper echelons of ninja society, simply because no one wants to be bound by cursed seals."
"I understand," Mizuki responded without seeking Tsunade's approval. If needed privately, he would continue researching on his own.
"You understand then. I'm asking because I want to know—in your opinion—how dangerous are these cursed seals? Would Sasuke Uchiha be able to suppress their power like Anko Mitarashi did?"
Upon hearing Tsunade ask him such a question, Mizuki smirked slightly before replying, "I don't know, but the possibility is slim."
"What if Orochimaru gives up now? Won't it help?"
"Orochimaru?" Mizuki realized something unexpected might have happened but still replied, "Not much difference. It all depends on Sasuke himself in the end."
There was some truth to what Itachi Uchiha might have said—anger and hatred do grant strength, especially to members of the Uchiha clan. Hatred not only motivates growth, but literally fuels it. Every emotional outburst becomes nourishment and propulsion for evolution of the Sharingan. On the other hand, emotional instability weakens the restraining power of the Evil Sealing Method over the cursed seal. Unless the cursed seal is completely eradicated, absolute control is all but impossible.
"So even with your level of sealing techniques, there's nothing you can do?" Tsunade asked helplessly.
"Sticking with the status quo is the best option." The only hope was that Sasuke could grow stronger and perhaps one day overcome it.
"I guess that's the only way... Out of the two noble clans that founded Konoha, the Senju have already faded into history. I never expected the Uchiha would also be on the brink soon. Within less than a century, this is how everything has turned out."
As Tsunade reminisced about the past and lamented the present, Mizuki—a commoner-born shinobi—felt little connection. To him, those in power were nothing more than heirs in a long line of master-disciple traditions—it didn't really matter who they were.
"There's one last thing—there's currently an S-ranked mission needing your completion!"
"S-rank? But I just got back!"
Getting two S-ranked missions back-to-back during peacetime was almost unheard of.
"Can't be helped. Not many ninja in Konoha are qualified for jinchuriki-related missions. Might Guy and Kakashi are both on assignments, and Asuma's unavailable too. You've got the abilities and recon skills that make you a good fit for this mission."
"Fine," Mizuki muttered, hoping it wouldn't take too long. "Which jinchuriki is it?"
"The Six-Tails from Kiri—Utakata." Tsunade replied, "Your task is to slip past Kiri's defenses and find out whether the Six-Tails can protect himself. A jinchuriki traveling alone is asking for trouble. Unless something comes up, don't interfere with Kiri's capture operation. Regardless of success or failure, just observe and do nothing."
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