The sky had already darkened when Mizuki returned home after completing his mission. Though he had used a significant amount of chakra, the task hadn't left him particularly exhausted—the gap in his strength was just too obvious.
"Tsubaki, I'll be pretty busy for a while. You don't need to go out of your way to cook dinner for me anymore. Also, spend more time at the flower shop."
"Okay. But lately I've been really swamped too—with a lot of barrier inspection missions to handle."
"If you're overwhelmed, why not hire someone? If needed, just post a mission in the village asking someone to watch over the shop."
"You have money to post a mission?"
"Don't even ask—it's depressing. Luckily, it's almost the end of the month, so my salary's coming soon."
...
After dinner, the two cleaned up the house together. Then Mizuki brought out the Summoning Scroll and summoned several wooden puppets from within it.
"Tsubaki, same as last time—I'll handle the chakra control, and you take care of the sealing."
As he said that, Mizuki tapped the puppet on the forehead. Instantly, the wooden puppet transformed into a small creature no taller than his waist. It had a half-human, half-beast appearance, its body covered in mystical markings. Tiger-like stripes ran across its young face, and both its hands and feet bore sharp claws. Its posture leaned slightly forward in a crouch.
"How do you feel?" Mizuki asked the strange creature.
"Moving around isn't an issue anymore," replied the creature in a high-pitched, childish voice. "But combat still drains a lot—especially if it's even slightly more intense than before."
"If we ignore the energy cost required to maintain the barrier, could you be useful in short bursts?"
"Not much to rely on. Defeating someone like Sakura Haruno would be pointless."
"So what's currently the biggest problem?"
"The self-generated chakra output is far beyond expectations. The fiercer the battle, the more chakra it produces. Intense activity rapidly accelerates depletion, making the originally limited lifespan even shorter."
"How long can you last roughly?"
"It's hard to say exactly—it depends on how often and how intensely you use me in battle."
"I see..." Mizuki felt somewhat troubled by the answer.
The strange creature before them was actually a clone created using Mizuki's own hair as the source material. To address both the control issues of these clones and his ethical concerns simultaneously, Mizuki spontaneously came up with the idea of creating something similar to a Jinchuriki.
In theory, the concept was quite simple. Using his expertise in Shadow Clone chakra control and sealing techniques, Mizuki sealed a Shadow Clone containing a massive amount of his own chakra directly into the clone itself.
Initially, he imagined that tailed beasts were simply masses of chakra formed from negative emotions, while Shadow Clones also contained fragments of his own will sealed within chakra. Although their power levels varied greatly, the basic mechanisms behind their formation appeared quite similar. When choosing a host for the chakra, could there possibly be a better pairing than combining a Shadow Clone and a genetic clone?
Driven purely by curiosity, the creature before him was born.
Unlike a true Jinchuriki, where the human will dominates and the beast's will is sealed away,
In contrast, Mizuki's technique worked in the opposite way—the physical body was nothing more than an empty shell. All Mizuki needed to do was leave a backdoor in the Seal, allowing his Shadow Clone—imbued with his own will—to leak out some chakra and naturally take over this body. The process went so smoothly that even Mizuki himself found it hard to believe. Any consciousness that might have developed during the body's growth would now never get the chance to form fully. In a way, this resolved one of his long-standing concerns.
Observing the other person responding clearly and fluently without any sign of abnormality, Mizuki felt satisfied that he had achieved initial success. However, the most critical issue—lifespan—remained unsolved, and it was quite tricky. It wasn't just the clone before him; even Mizuki himself faced the very same dilemma. In theory, all living beings have a limited number of cell divisions. As cells keep dividing, their genetic information wears down at the ends, gradually leading to cellular aging. Considering that the adult body Mizuki used originated from his own hair follicles, its cells were probably already near the end of their lifespan, even after being chemically reactivated into a fully functional organism.
Ninjas themselves are not known for longevity. Take the chakra extraction technique for example—it draws power from both body and spirit. Used moderately, it's fine enough, but since ninjas often fight battles, they inevitably overwork their bodies. Once excessive usage becomes routine, shortened lifespans are simply the norm. If Mizuki experienced another mission like the one in the Land of Waves, even once or twice more, dying young wouldn't be surprising at all.
To Mizuki, most ninja cultivation and combat methods were essentially devilish paths—draining the body constantly, with various experiments bordering on those of mad scientists—straight out of a biohazard nightmare. But given the harsh environment where survival itself is uncertain, borrowing future years to live another day made sense. No wonder most ninjas aged rapidly after passing their peak, nowhere close to the mythical cultivators said to grow stronger with age. Without Hashirama Senju's cells—an anomaly beyond ordinary standards—to extend lifespans for villains and others alike, the entire history of the ninja world would have been vastly different.
"That's decided then," Mizuki declared. "First, we'll exchange information, then replenish chakra. Try to rely on physical strength and conserve chakra as much as possible. Right now, this clumsy method is the only one we've got without a steady source of chakra. Tsubaki, begin."
...
On the day of the Chunin Exams, within the Hokage's Office, a large group of Chunin and Jonin proctors gathered together. As usual, Mizuki stayed near the back pretending to nap. But perhaps time was pressing, because for once, the Third Hokage didn't give a lengthy speech either, saying only a few words before announcing the start of the exams. Within moments, all the ninjas scattered away.
The main examiner for the first test, Ibiki Morino, led a group of Chunin toward the written exam venue.
Actually, Mizuki had thought about running into some of the other examinees in recent days. However, if he happened to meet Orochimaru, things could become complicated. So he obediently stayed inside the Mission Hall doing paperwork instead—actually quite relaxing.
As for encountering Orochimaru and Kabuto Yakushi during the exam, Mizuki wasn't particularly worried. With so many eyes around, those prominent figures probably wouldn't notice someone like him. He just needed to avoid any private meetings—that was all.
Sitting at the examiner's seat near the door, Mizuki found himself shaking his head. It seemed like Mizuki wasn't supposed to exist as an examiner in the original storyline. Looking at Kankuro in front with full face paint, this was just too coincidental. Wasn't Kankuro supposed to use a puppet here to impersonate an examiner and sneak someone out for cheating? Now that he's the real examiner, how on earth is this guy going to pass? If the story got significantly altered because of him, that would be quite troublesome.
"Forget it, not worth thinking about. As long as Orochimaru's intentions remain unchanged, there shouldn't be any major problems." Thinking thus, Mizuki cast his gaze around. "Is that Orochimaru over there? His disguise is pretty good—practically unnoticeable at first glance. Kabuto Yakushi looks ordinary enough, but with glasses he really fits the part of a spy. And that girl over there must be Karin? Her striking red hair indicates powerful chakra reserves—a signature feature of the Uzumaki clan. But what's going on with Naruto Uzumaki? Minato Namikaze's genes must have been so dominant that they overwhelmed Kushina's traits, leaving Naruto with blonde hair. So even though Minato is known as a civilian ninja, his bloodline isn't simple after all."
Ibiki was still explaining written exam rules on stage, but Mizuki had already lost interest in these familiar proceedings. They didn't really concern him anyway—other examiners would handle the proctoring duties.
Once Ibiki finished his instructions, Mizuki absently grabbed his pen and started working through the coordinate and chakra detection formulas for Summoning and Reverse Summoning techniques on his clipboard.
"This is more important. Fully understanding this won't guarantee that I can invent high-level space ninjutsu techniques like the [Flying Thunder God Technique], but it should at least allow me to develop efficient ways to move secretly between my lab and the village."
Mizuki not caring didn't matter much, but his constant writing movements frightened many aspiring cheaters sitting in front of him. As time passed, increasing numbers of candidates were expelled for cheating, and Mizuki's continuous scribbling scared many examinees half to death.
Suddenly, Mizuki felt a chakra fluctuation beside him while he was working diligently.
"Hmm?" Mizuki lifted his head in slight annoyance. "Even though I've already given you plenty of leeway, don't get too cocky."
Without realizing that he'd already put tremendous pressure on the examinees, Mizuki did a quick scan. "Kankuro?" He glanced at the clock. "Already this time huh? No wonder he couldn't keep calm anymore, but trying to manipulate puppets now might already be too late?"
Now intrigued, Mizuki paused his calculations and watched Kankuro with interest, immediately causing Kankuro to stop all suspicious actions.
"I'm really curious how you'll cheat next without using your puppet tricks," Mizuki thought as he turned his head to look at Temari. "Other than Naruto, only those two still have completely blank answer sheets right now. I guess Gaara wouldn't even bother giving you any help either. Another blonde beauty—she's got looks and a great figure—but her hairstyle doesn't suit my taste. Well then, I won't cut you two any slack. Good luck on your own!"
Ten minutes later, the written test ended. Kankuro and Temari, who had been scared stiff by Mizuki's eerie smile, had to pin their hopes on the tenth question. Enduring Ibiki's relentless interrogation-style mental pressure, they eventually passed the exam thanks to Naruto Uzumaki's dramatic outburst. Of course, there were two more unanswered exams among the passing candidates.
"Finally over. I'm finally free," Mizuki said while walking out of the examination hall, preparing to go home.
"Mizuki, aren't you a reserve candidate for the second stage in the Forest of Death?" Aoba Yamashiro, who had been assigned to the second stage mission, asked.
"You said it yourself — I'm just a reserve," Mizuki retorted. "Unless something happens to the regular member, when would someone like me even get involved? So tell me, do you want me available or not?"
After silencing Aoba Yamashiro with that response, Mizuki leisurely headed home.
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