"Are those two girls still messing around with me? I don't even know them that well. Anyway, it's not that easy to take advantage of me without offering something in return. I'm not interested in getting dragged into the overblown 'friendship adventure' drama between a pair of Genin."
To Mizuki, it didn't matter much. He was only responsible for guiding one person—Haruno Sakura—and maybe the other girl was just tagging along. As long as she didn't cause trouble, free labor wasn't a bad deal. Sakura's payment had already been settled through Kakashi. As for Yamanaka Ino, whatever she hoped to gain from tagging along was up to her.
It was already getting busy on the streets of Konoha. More and more unfamiliar faces were appearing—no doubt participants and guests arriving for the Chūnin Exams. Around this hour, most people were either opening shops or heading to their missions. There weren't many couples strolling about this early.
"Hm? Isn't that Sarutobi Asuma and Yūhi Kurenai up ahead? What are they doing walking around together so early? Shouldn't they be supervising their teams?"
Mizuki raised his voice and called out mockingly, "Hey, bearded guy in front—yeah, you. Why so twitchy? Doing something shameful?"
"We just bumped into each other," Asuma said, trying to sound casual, though his burly frame looked awkwardly stiff.
"I didn't say anything specific. Why are you getting defensive?"
"Y-Yeah, yeah," the two said in unison.
"Asuma-sensei, Kurenai-sensei," Mizuki added, voice dripping with amusement.
"What is it?" Asuma replied, a bit wary.
"I just came from the Hokage's office. The Third's been talking about the new Genin teams. Some of them are doing quite well…"
"But…?" Kurenai prompted, clearly catching on.
"Well," Mizuki said, keeping his tone casual, "Team 7, with the best scores—Kakashi's team—is already active. Sasuke Uchiha is being personally overseen by Kakashi. Even Naruto and Sakura have training schedules. Kakashi's clearly putting in the effort."
He then turned and looked at them pointedly.
"Other teams with far lower exam scores… well, their sensei are free enough to go for morning walks. Doesn't look great in comparison, does it?"
"Ahaha… must be a coincidence," Asuma scratched his head, backing off. "Anyway, I've got things to do. Catch you later."
"Same here!" Kurenai quickly added. "I've got Shino's next lesson to prepare."
As they both quickly took their leave, Mizuki chuckled to himself.
"Tch. I thought I could get a rise out of them. Didn't expect them to flee so fast."
"Putting on airs this early in the morning? Aren't you energetic," a familiar, teasing voice cut in.
Mizuki turned sharply. "You?"
It was Mitarashi Anko, already munching on a dango skewer.
"You sure like to poke the bear," she said, grinning. "Didn't peg you for the gutsy type. I thought you only picked on Genin."
"I don't think we know each other well enough for you to talk like that," Mizuki muttered, unnerved.
"Don't we?" Anko asked, slapping him on the back. "I'm just passing on a message from the Third Hokage to a certain underachieving instructor."
"Sounds like something Hatake Kakashi would say," Mizuki shot back. "He talks plenty of nonsense too. Maybe I should switch to painting—he did say I'd make a good starving artist."
Anko narrowed her eyes. "Funny, considering I just came from your flower shop. Word is Kakashi paid a decent sum to get Sakura some guidance. But instead, I find her teaching herself while you're off playing around."
Mizuki chuckled nervously. "I believe in self-directed growth. Rest is part of training."
"Oh please," Anko rolled her eyes. "You're just lazy. And here I was thinking you might've actually been competent."
Then, without warning, she leaned in and sniffed near his neck, her hand brushing against the inside of his right arm.
"H-Hey! What are you doing?" Mizuki jumped, flushing. "Don't do weird stuff in public! My fiancée will get the wrong idea!"
"I thought I smelled something familiar," Anko muttered. "You've got a strange scent on you. What, you eat garlic dumplings for breakfast?"
"Yeah! That's it!" Mizuki exclaimed. "Totally the dumplings. Had a whole plate this morning!"
Anko stepped back, licking her lips. "Not bad. I skipped breakfast. I'm gonna go grab some skewers."
Once she walked off, Mizuki finally let out a long breath.
"People like her are the worst—sharp instincts, too much energy, and no sense of boundaries."
He glanced down at his arm, where the curse mark still hid beneath his sleeve.
"Not good. The seal's been acting up since the last flare. I don't think it's leaking, but if Anko catches on… The last time her own seal reacted was when Orochimaru showed up. Better avoid her and Sasuke Uchiha for a while."
---
By midday, Mizuki arrived at the Four Seasons Flower Shop with a few bentos. Inside, Sakura was reviewing a textbook while Ino was counting the register.
"It's lunchtime. Take a break," he said, placing the food down.
"Thanks," Sakura sighed, setting her pen down.
But Ino raised a brow. "Hey, Mizuki-sensei, I've been wondering—my family flower shop is just a few blocks away. Same kind of products, similar customer base. Why is your shop doing so much better?"
"Business secret," Mizuki replied smugly. "No comment."
"That's not fair!" Ino protested. "I've been working with flowers since I was a kid. How does a guy who barely knows a chrysanthemum from a carnation run a more successful shop than a family business?"
"Well," Mizuki said with a wink, "maybe it's because I named this place 'Four Seasons Flower Shop.' Has a nice ring to it. What's your family's shop called again?"
Ino scowled. "Yamanaka Flowers."
"See? No flair."
Ino huffed. "This world really is unfair."
Sakura, who had been quietly observing, just laughed behind her hand but didn't say a word.