After all, ninjas are fighters—there's no need to go into every little detail with theory. Practice is the most important way to improve.
Being able to clear up students' doubts is the prerequisite for being a good teacher. Fortunately, though Mizuki's talents and qualities in ninjutsu were uneven, he could still be considered knowledgeable. Even in areas he wasn't an expert in, he still had enough knowledge to guide Genin effectively.
Sakura Haruno did have a strong grasp of theoretical knowledge—it was just that she'd never received proper guidance. When her accumulated knowledge finally matured, it wouldn't be impossible for her to forge her own path. Right now, besides teaching her knowledge, what Mizuki spent the most effort on was teaching Sakura the right way of thinking and appropriately cultivating her logical reasoning skills. True independence in thinking is the key to advancing far on the ninja path.
Today's lesson wasn't hard at all, but Sakura looked distracted.
"Is there anything you want to ask? It doesn't have to be about ninjutsu. A ninja isn't good enough just because they're skilled at techniques!"
"I'm sorry to trouble you, Master," Sakura hesitated, clearly uneasy as she asked, "I heard that Naruto Uzumaki is going to travel with Lord Jiraiya—is that really true?"
Mizuki nodded in confirmation, "Yes, Naruto Uzumaki will be away studying for about three years. You won't see each other for quite some time."
"What about our Team 7? Will we be disbanded?"
"Hard to say."
Mizuki shook his head.
"The members of Team 7 haven't been lost; it's just that, for specific reasons, they can't assemble for missions. In such situations, they might bring in a temporary replacement."
Having Kakashi Hatake as their squad leader had worked out surprisingly well too. What impressed Mizuki most was how successfully he'd fostered camaraderie among the three Genin of Team 7. Bonds like that weren't something you could just manufacture—there were plenty of teams full of internal conflicts. Especially for Team 7, whose original three members had incompatible personalities to begin with and hadn't even gotten along back at the Ninja Academy, managing to become such a tightly united group was actually extremely difficult.
"But wouldn't adding a new member cause problems with coordination? After all, we don't know them..."
"That's just one possibility. Lady Tsunade is still weighing the details, but I expect a decision soon enough."
The Chunin Exams were only months away, and any newly formed team would need time to adjust to each other. Postponing the decision indefinitely wasn't an option.
"It's not only Team 7 that faces this issue—Team 10 has similar concerns. Sakura, remember, ninja are ultimately combat professionals who must follow orders. Even if Naruto Uzumaki hadn't left, you couldn't stay together forever—there will always be changes and unexpected situations. Therefore, you must learn to adapt to completing missions with different ninja partners."
"I understand."
Although slightly unhappy, Sakura knew that what Mizuki said was true. Appropriate compromise was inevitable. Improving her overall capabilities was the best weapon against dealing with unpredictable situations.
...
Mizuki returning home unusually early surprised Tsubaki, who rarely got days off.
"Why are you back so early? Didn't you say you were going to teach your disciple today?"
It's extremely rare for a jonin to take on an apprentice before turning thirty. Many wait until their prime has passed and they're beginning to decline before even considering it. When Mizuki told Tsubaki he had taken a disciple, she was genuinely shocked.
"The lessons are already finished today, so of course I came back early!"
"How did it go?" Tsubaki asked.
Taking on apprentices at a young age always raises eyebrows. Ninja who haven't reached their peak yet and whose combat experience remains incomplete rarely attract apprentices willing to follow them—unless they're someone like Minato Namikaze, powerful and famous. As for Mizuki, his strength could barely be described as adequate, but his reputation? Better left unmentioned.
"Smoothly? Extremely smoothly, in fact," Mizuki replied with a smile. "Too smoothly, if you ask me."
After accepting the tea offered by Tsubaki, Mizuki took a sip. "Teaching a genius might sound easy, but you'll always be worrying when they throw out some question you can't answer—and that'd be super awkward."
"You're actually this nervous being a teacher?"
Tsubaki teased with a smile.
"It can't be helped. I finally understand why Lord Jiraiya prefers dimmer disciples. Naruto Uzumaki may be kind of clueless, but he's actually more lovable instead. What if one day my knowledge gets completely drained, leaving nothing more to teach? That'd be terribly embarrassing."
"You weren't saying that yesterday. Who was the one going on about how teaching helps the teacher grow, and how pressure and motivation are essential? How come after just one day, you've already given up?"
"Don't be silly! The faster my student picks things up, the better it makes me look as a teacher." Mizuki retorted proudly, seemingly unable to detect Tsubaki's teasing.
"Alright then, new generation jonin Teacher Mizuki. There's something I need to inform you about."
Tsubaki stopped joking and said seriously.
"What is it?" Mizuki casually picked up a biscuit from the tray and started munching.
"The flower nursery production has clearly dropped significantly with the cooling weather. Except for cold-resistant varieties suitable for autumn and winter seasons, other flowers basically won't grow anymore."
Though the ninja world boasts high vegetation coverage, especially Konoha with its unique environmental advantages, this doesn't mean there are no four distinct seasons. Autumn brings falling leaves, while winter brings snowfall.
"So our household income will sharply decrease?"
"Yes," Tsubaki nodded.
"Why not just raise the prices then?"
"It's difficult. Business naturally slows down in the off-season."
Going broke? That'd be absolutely hell—so many ninjutsu still under research, and lack of materials could cause major setbacks. Plus, for Sakura practicing medical ninjutsu, most experimental subjects must be self-provided. Occasionally, even offering some benefits to Konoha Hospital under Tsunade's leadership became necessary just to allow Sakura opportunities for practical training.
Considering all these factors, Mizuki has had to bear a huge burden just to keep all these operations running. After all, he wasn't an influential ninja with official village support nor did he have a clan backing him. Reaching this point already proved exceptional, with even some savings remaining. However, relying solely on those savings until spring arrives seems excessively burdensome.
"I guess there's no helping it. Should part of the experiments be paused temporarily?"
Mizuki paused before answering, "I'll go have a look in person soon and make a decision then."
After all, there were no real hothouse structures in this world. Even if Mizuki had the ability to build one, there simply wasn't enough time. Delicate flowers were nothing like hardy crops—they wouldn't easily adapt to a greenhouse's artificial environment without generations of cultivation. Besides, neither he nor Tsubaki had much time to handle such tedious tasks.
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