The weather was gradually getting hotter, and Konoha was as lively as ever—or rather, noticeably more crowded with visitors. With the Chunin Exams approaching, more and more strangers were coming and going.
It took most of the morning for Mizuki to accompany Chiharu Tsubaki as they visited several shops that were up for sale. In Mizuki's opinion, they were all pretty much the same; as long as the location wasn't too remote, any shop would sell quickly thanks to Konoha's prosperity.
Due to his limited experience, Mizuki couldn't tell which spots were truly better than others, so he simply offered suggestions based on what looked appealing.
After ruling out a few locations that were too close to dangerous areas—ones likely to be damaged during Orochimaru and Sunagakure's attack following the Chunin Exams—the pair settled on a shop near the main road close to Konoha Hospital. They didn't even consider the possibility of Pain's assault three years later. If she couldn't stop Konoha's destruction in three years anyway, she might as well retire to some quiet place, far removed from the future of the ninja world.
"Tsubaki, let's rent it for two months first. If things work out, we can buy it then. Buying outright is risky—if the business fails, what then?" Actually, Mizuki didn't really care whether things went well or not—he just thought prices might drop after the village was attacked, giving him a better bargain.
However, for once, his usually obedient fiancée didn't agree with him. This time, her attitude was surprisingly firm.
"I think it's great! The seller is eager to get rid of it, and the price isn't high either. Let's buy it early and start setting up our own shop however we like?"
"Hmm?" He had grown used to her always agreeing with him. He had forgotten that Tsubaki herself was now an accomplished ninja. Her constant obedience probably stemmed from the fact that the one giving orders was her fiancé. Too busy scheming and competing, he had overlooked the beauty right before his eyes.
"Then you decide. I'll leave it all to you," Mizuki said. He wasn't the type to hold macho views anyway. After all, these were trivial matters. Most of the time, he racked his brain over countless concerns just to live a slightly more comfortable life and give himself and those around him a bit more choice.
Seeing his fiancée take charge with such determination, haggling with the seller, was quite impressive. He himself lacked both the skill and patience to handle such mundane affairs. In his past life, he had only been an ordinary white-collar worker scraping by at the bottom of society. The original Mizuki had been a pitiful soul defeated by jealousy and greed. Neither of them had been true elites; their talents were merely average. Without superior knowledge beyond the norm, no one could make waves in this world. Compared to him, the people striving hard around him seemed far more decisive—his own fiancée had more confidence in making decisions than he did. He was just a petty speculator chasing small gains, obsessing over tiny profits, clearly limited in vision.
"I need to find some reliable people to help me," he realized. Cultivating foresight and perspective required experience and status to polish him. Obsessing over minor matters wouldn't lead anywhere. Thinking everything through alone was simply too inefficient.
"Mizuki, are you still mad?" Tsubaki asked hesitantly, still uneasy about disregarding his advice and acting on her own.
"How could you possibly be upset?" Mizuki replied with a smile. "I'm not even mad."
"Oh good. You looked so serious just now—I thought you might be upset."
"Sorry to make you worry. I was just thinking about something."
"Thinking about what? Can I help?"
"Hmm, never mind that for now. Let's go check out the flowers you planted. It's been a while since we've visited the cabin in the backwoods."
"Eh, okay. But it's quite far—will your body hold up?"
"Don't worry. I'm fully recovered already. Let's get going. Better to leave early and return early."
The cabin from memory remained the same—just a few mats of tatami flooring and old furniture and decorations, yet everything was neatly arranged and surprisingly airy instead of stifling. The layout hadn't changed much either, except for rows upon rows of vibrant flowers blooming around the cabin, their buds still closed. The species was unknown, but they looked pleasing enough.
Mizuki, resting on the tatami, accepted a cup of water from Chiharu Tsubaki and tilted his head back to drink it all in one go.
"This cup is too shabby. We might need to come here often later, so let's replace these things with new ones."
"Alright." Tsubaki readily agreed, though whether she truly listened or not was unclear. Given her frugal nature, she'd probably forget about it later. "You walked all this way—rest more."
"I'm kind of hungry. Let's eat first."
"Yeah, we only brought boxed lunch. Not much, really."
"Don't worry about it. Everything you make tastes amazing."
They shared a modest meal, then rested briefly together. While Tsubaki carefully tended to the flowerbeds, Mizuki sat quietly nearby, savoring this rare moment of leisure.
After noon passed and the weather cooled down slightly, Mizuki suddenly said to his fiancée, "Tsubaki, I want to take you somewhere."
"Okay." Though puzzled, Tsubaki immediately agreed without hesitation.
On the forest path under the afternoon shade, two figures sped past—Mizuki and Tsubaki.
"Mizuki, are we going to that place you mentioned before?" Tsubaki asked worriedly.
"That's right," Mizuki admitted plainly.
"But didn't you say you wouldn't have anything to do with Orochimaru again?" Hearing his answer, Tsubaki anxiously pressed further.
"Of course. Didn't I tell you that already? I didn't lie to you, did I? Didn't we seal away Orochimaru's stuff together?"
"Then why go there again? Please, don't get involved with Orochimaru anymore."
"You're overthinking. I won't seek out Orochimaru again," Mizuki assured her. Associating with Orochimaru felt like seeking tiger's skin—abandonment was always possible the moment one lost value. "Besides, I've never actually been there myself. Might as well take this chance to have a look."
"Alright." Despite her worries, Tsubaki followed closely behind, unwilling to leave Mizuki alone.
Following his memory of the location, Mizuki easily found the spot. After activating the mechanisms in order, an abandoned small Laboratory appeared before them.
"See? There's absolutely nothing inside. I told you there was no danger."
"But," Tsubaki said cautiously, carefully inspecting every corner before finally setting her eyes on the device for cultivating life-saving pills. "What exactly is that device?"
"Doesn't it look familiar?" How could it not? Just over a month ago, the cursed seal on Mizuki's right arm had been almost identical.
"What exactly is that device?"
"This is the device used to prepare activation potions for the thing we sealed away. Even a complete outsider can make any potion they desire using this."
Seeing that Tsubaki still looked uneasy, Mizuki reassured her, "Mine has already been sealed, right? Anyway, this device is useless now. Let's destroy it—it takes up too much space."
"Destroy it? Then why did we come here in the first place?"
"Obviously, it's for this hidden base," Mizuki explained. "It's abandoned and unclaimed anyway. Since there's absolutely nothing here, I figured I could use it to store some stuff."
"Huh? What do you need this place for?"
Mizuki just smiled without answering, directly pulling out a sealing scroll. As he unsealed it, an array of bottles and jars appeared along with various experimental plants, bugs, and other strange creatures no one could identify.
"These are all the things you've been experimenting with at home, right? You're moving them all here?"
"Yeah. From now on, I can do any complicated experiments here instead of at home—it'll be way less cluttered."
"Hmm." If that was the only reason, Tsubaki could accept it. "But still, why bring me here? I don't get any of this—I wouldn't even know how to help."
"You won't have to deal with anything hard—just keep an eye on things when I'm busy and record some data. It's not difficult at all."
"Well… okay." Tsubaki reluctantly agreed.
Actually, Mizuki had planned to handle all this after the Chunin Exams, but as always, the best-laid plans tend to go awry. Since time was tight, coming here early allowed him to prepare for his next steps ahead.
"Tsubaki, give me a strand of your hair."
"What for?"
"Hurry up—I'll just pull one out myself if you don't."
"No way—I'll do it myself." Reluctantly pulling out one strand, Tsubaki asked, "What are you going to do with this?"
"I want to show you what your other self might look like," Mizuki grinned. "In a few days, come back and you'll see for yourself."
He pointed toward something nearby. "See that culture dish over there? That's where I put my hair."
Tsubaki leaned closer. It was indeed the culture dish where Mizuki had placed his own hair.
"How is this possible?"
The creature still had fangs and razor-sharp claws. But over the past few days, Mizuki had regularly injected chakra into it to sustain it. Though its human appearance had improved considerably over time, it remained unmistakably monstrous—an untamed wild beast.
"Scared, weren't you? At first, I even doubted if I myself had become a monster."
"How could this happen?" Tsubaki exclaimed in shock. "What exactly is that green liquid?"
"This is the most important achievement I've made in recent months – an invaluable life-saving pills that only I can concoct. If it weren't for this potion, none of us – Hayate Gekko, Aoba Yamashiro, and I – would have made it back alive." Mizuki was naturally eager to show off as he mentioned this. This was, after all, his first true achievement since arriving in this world.
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