"Tsunade-sama will handle everything gracefully," Mizuki reassured. "It's not like she's leaving permanently. She's still part of our flower shop, just with fewer responsibilities from now on."
"That's good to hear," Tsubaki sighed in relief. "Has Tsunade-sama given her another assignment then?"
"Mm," Mizuki nodded. "Elite instructor Ebisu will be taking over Karin's basic training. After all, you and I are quite busy. I've already discussed this with Tsunade-sama. If I'm unavailable, you'll need to coordinate with him. After all, officially speaking, I'm still responsible for Karin's supervision."
"Sounds good."
"Speaking of which, Tsubaki, you're really going out of your way for Karin. Almost more concerned than I am!"
"What's wrong with caring about children?" Both being war orphans themselves, Tsubaki and Mizuki had been comparatively fortunate to have been born in Konoha. Karin hadn't been so lucky—it was only natural they'd sympathize.
"If you like kids so much, why don't we have one ourselves? Better if it's a girl, less troublesome. Being a teacher for so long, dealing with all these brats in Konoha already gives me headaches."
"You aren't troubled now, but all that future headache will just get passed onto your daughter, won't it? She'll be the one stuck dealing with those brats eventually."
"Huh, Tsubaki, you make a really good point."
The usually inarticulate Tsubaki had recently become surprisingly eloquent. They say couples influence each other, but apparently what got transferred first was actually the sarcasm skills?
"Also, Mizuki, since we got married, you spend more time outside than at home. Since becoming a Jonin, you've become even busier than before."
"Well, I think you can go protest that directly with Tsunade-sama..."
...
By the time the sun had climbed high in the sky, Mizuki stood by the bridge watching his three students approach together. He closed the mission scroll in his hand and said to them:
"You're punctual. That's good."
He handed the mission scroll to Shino Aburame.
"There's something I need to apologize for upfront. For the next few days, I won't be available to lead missions personally, as I've been assigned elsewhere."
"What? Then what should we do?" Kiba Inuzuka asked anxiously.
"Don't panic. I've selected several appropriate missions for you to complete independently while I'm away. And I have great confidence in you, so don't let me down."
"Oh, that's fine then, as long as we've got missions."
Kiba accepted quickly, but Hinata Hyuga looked somewhat concerned.
Only Shino Aburame calmly remarked, "That's quite a simplistic challenge, but I have no objections."
"Excellent. Since everyone agrees, that settles it. I hereby appoint Shino as your team leader during my absence. Any objections?"
"I have a question, Teacher Mizuki." Kiba raised his hand. "Why not make me the leader instead?"
"Well, several factors were considered. However, I can promise you this—if you manage to see Shino's real face beneath his glasses, I'll let you lead once. How does that sound?"
"Wow, that sounds absolutely intriguing!"
Shino Aburame pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose and said, "Did you increase the difficulty?"
Mizuki waved his hand and smiled, "Don't worry about small things. Any other problems?"
"Teacher Mizuki, wait…" Shino called out to Mizuki, who was turning to leave. "This is something my father asked me to pass on to you."
"Huh?" Mizuki took the scroll handed over by Shino Aburame and rubbed it thoughtfully. He asked, "A summoning contract?"
Shino nodded in confirmation.
"Did your family agree to this? Well, no matter."
Mizuki unfurled the Aburame Clan's Summoning Contract scroll and glanced through it quickly. The content wasn't complicated; summoning contracts were more or less similar. However, there was a noticeable difference from what Mizuki had imagined.
After finishing, he closed the scroll and returned it to Shino Aburame.
"I'm quite surprised, Shino. Your Aburame Clan's contract… is actually an equal-summoning contract!"
"That's right." Of course, a ninja clan member understood exactly what Mizuki meant. "Will that affect your techniques?"
Mizuki thought for a moment before replying, "It does have some effect, but it's nothing I can't handle. Regarding your situation, I'll need to think it over…"
"In that case, thank you for your trouble, Teacher Mizuki."
"No need for courtesy," Mizuki replied, watching Shino bow respectfully. "I'm your squad leader. It's only natural."
...
Swiftly rushing through the dense forest of the Land of Fire, Mizuki headed toward the location of the Six-Tails Jinchuriki indicated in the intelligence report.
'Really surprising—never imagined the Aburame Clan's summoned insects would be this troublesome.'
Originally, in Mizuki's mind, the Aburame Clan should have complete control within the contract, just like he did with his jellyfish summons—commanding them completely at will.
But unexpectedly, the secret technique of Shino Aburame's clan wasn't like that. The summoned bug species dominated by Parasitic Bugs actually possessed intelligence. Whether it was a collective intelligence or a central-brain lifeform like an ant queen, the summoned beings were clearly intelligent—unlike jellyfish, which offered no resistance whatsoever. The insect-manipulation abilities of the Aburame Clan didn't operate like Mizuki's, where complete control rested in his hands, but rather influenced the insects' actions by regulating chakra, much like how an ant queen controls her entire colony through pheromones.
Therefore, if Shino Aburame wanted to learn Mizuki's fighting style, given the significant differences between the types of summoned creatures, Mizuki would have to adjust his sealing techniques appropriately before teaching them. Just like how Mizuki could command fearless charges from his jellyfish summons, Kakashi Hatake couldn't force his ninja hounds, including Pakkun, into suicidal situations, nor could Jiraiya demand Elder Shima and Elder Fukasaku to fight to the death and refuse to retreat against the Six Paths of Pain. Although Parasitic Bugs wouldn't be strictly treated this way, losing a small number in battle was still considered normal, but mass sacrifices would certainly interfere with the application and evolution of the Aburame Clan's Secret Technique.
...
Within a hidden underground base, Kabuto Yakushi finished reading the intelligence report and placed it aside. Looking into the culture dish before him, where a Sharingan eye drifted silently, he wore an expression filled with contemplation.
After a while, he mumbled bitterly to himself, "Not enough jutsu mastery yet. I still need more..."
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