Leaving Konoha Hospital, Mizuki and Chiharu walked along the busy street.
"Hey, Mizuki," Chiharu couldn't help but ask, "you're really going to cut ties with Iruka?"
"Don't worry about it, Chiharu."
"But you two have been friends since childhood. Didn't you always look out for him before?"
"You heard what I said to Iruka, right? Those words weren't just for him—they applied to me too," Mizuki said slowly.
"I still don't get it. What does that have to do with anything?" Chiharu honestly didn't understand male friendships.
"Chiharu, didn't I tell you before? Iruka and I weren't originally friends. Back then, Iruka was a lonely kid who got picked on a lot, so all of us always looked after him. But now, Iruka's already become a chunin and an outstanding teacher at the Ninja Academy."
Chiharu seemed to grasp a little and said, "So you're saying Iruka doesn't need your help anymore? But how is that related to whether or not you're friends?"
"It'll make sense soon enough, Chiharu." Mizuki remained noncommittal. "Do you see that brat over there with all the silly face paint? The one wearing that orange outfit?"
"Orange? Is that even a color?" she exclaimed, suddenly recognizing him. "Oh wait, he looks familiar. Isn't he that orphan everyone avoids? I heard the Third arranged for him to attend the Ninja Academy too. Seems like he was the only one who failed the graduation exam this year. There are rumors he's the monster Nine-Tails who attacked the village more than ten years ago. Why are you asking about him?"
"You're not wrong," Mizuki nodded. "Don't be fooled by his act—he's actually quite strong. An average chunin could get seriously hurt if they're not careful around him—just look at what happened to Iruka."
"You're taking such a big risk," Chiharu worriedly asked. "Won't Hokage-sama punish you for this?"
"Mistakes deserve punishment naturally, but nothing serious came from it in the end. I don't think the penalty will be too harsh."
"What if we go over and greet him? Apologize maybe?"
"No need," Mizuki muttered. "We'd better avoid too much contact with the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki while we're still under suspicion. Just stay quiet and pretend we didn't see him."
Naruto didn't notice Mizuki as they passed each other.
Just when Mizuki thought this matter could be dropped, shouting suddenly came from behind.
"You with the silver hair—wait up!"
Then came the sound of rapid footsteps approaching quickly. Naruto came to a sudden stop, skidded sideways, and blocked Mizuki's path.
"So it *is* you—the one who hurt Iruka-sensei!"
"Long time no see, Naruto-kun. As energetic as ever, I see."
"Like I'd even care what you think!"
"Naruto-kun," Mizuki pointed out, "it's impolite to point fingers at people when speaking."
"Who cares what you say!" Naruto shouted angrily. "Why did you hurt Iruka-sensei?"
"Naruto-kun, this isn't my fault at all. I didn't do anything. Actually, didn't you end up being the one who landed Iruka in the hospital?"
"Is that true?"
"That brat's clearly not all there, so gullible too."
"No way! If it weren't for you, Iruka-sensei wouldn't have gotten hurt."
"Naruto-kun, I just visited Iruka. He was all by himself in his hospital room, muttering how lonely he felt. Even the one who hurt him won't come visit. This batch of new graduates sure has no sense of compassion. I'm really worried about our village's future."
"Iruka-sensei would never be that kind of person. You're lying," Naruto said, then turned toward Chiharu. "He and this bad teacher are..." He hooked his pinky finger with hers to show what they were.
"I'm Chiharu Tsubaki, Mizuki's fiancée."
"Fiancée? Miss, you shouldn't stay with this guy anymore. He's a bad person—he'll end up mistreating you."
Chiharu gave a quiet smile without responding.
"You really dare to say that, you brat. Looks like I need to teach you a lesson," Mizuki thought.
"Ah, speaking of which, it's not like no one visited Iruka. When we came out, we saw Sakura Haruno going in. Such a good girl, unlike certain people." He glanced at Naruto while speaking.
"Chiharu sure is great, huh? Haha."
"You still can't tell I was being sarcastic? Guess I need to make it juicier."
"Sakura also swore she'd never forgive whoever did this to Iruka-sensei."
"Did Sakura really say that?" Naruto exclaimed in shock.
"Now for the final blow."
"Oh right, apparently Sasuke Uchiha was there too. Seems like they're getting real close. Such a cute couple. Nothing like young love, huh?"
"No way?" Naruto first looked devastated, then angry. "Damn it, Sasuke! Using my absence to hit on Sakura! I'll never forgive you! Wait—I gotta rush and get my graduation photo taken, then go explain everything to Sakura!"
Watching Naruto rush away quickly, Mizuki prepared to leave too.
"Big bad teacher, thanks for helping me pass the exam. But next time I definitely won't let you get away~"
The voice trailed off into the distance. Mizuki said to Chiharu, "You see? Iruka and that brat are alike—both complete idiots. So everything went smoothly."
Chiharu pressed her lips together trying to hide her smile. "Iruka must be truly unfortunate to have a jerk like you as a friend."
"How could that be? This is just the beginning. I won't settle for this after taking care of him all these years. One punch isn't enough compensation, especially since I didn't even do it myself. Next time I'll give him another beating~"
"But Iruka is already a chunin now, and that child from earlier will help him too. You probably won't stand a chance against both of them."
"That's true, Iruka always had better social skills than me. If I got hospitalized from fighting, I doubt many people would come visit me."
"Then I'll go keep you company."
"Hospital food tastes like crap anyway. No way I'm ending up there."
"Better not to." Chiharu asked, "Time's still early. Where are you planning to go next?"
Mizuki pointed ahead, "Right there."
"Eh—an actual hair salon~"
...
Ignoring the shop's ultra-girly vibe, Mizuki plopped himself down and waited for someone to serve him.
"Barbers always give off that same vibe, no matter which world you find yourself in. Maybe this one is a celebrity hairstylist who couldn't resist the urge to enter the ninja world?"
A barber approached them enthusiastically: "Honored guests, what kind of service are you looking for today?"
Mizuki looked up at the posters plastered all over the walls. These must be celebrities from this time period—now that's what I call style!
Mizuki paused when his eyes landed on a picture of a strangely dressed samurai.
The barber quickly jumped in: "That's the hairstyle of General-sama, the protagonist from the latest movie! Only highly esteemed samurai wear the 'Sakayama' hairstyle. It would suit you perfectly, mighty ninja-san! Want to give it a try?"
Chiharu tugged at Mizuki's sleeve: "Let's skip it, Mizuki."
"Hmm, how about that big afro over there? It looks powerful!"
"Not good."
"What about that natural curly hairstyle then? Not that either?"
"Fine then, just wash my hair, straighten everything, and cut the front into short bangs." Originally, Mizuki's hairstyle combined with his forehead protector resembled Kabuto Yakushi too much; he didn't want to look like the main villain. Dan Kato's image was quite decent though—he'd model after that for now and fix it once his hair grew out.
"Chiharu, that princess long-layered hairstyle over there looks pretty nice; do you want to try it?"
"No thanks, I'm fine with mine."
"You're being quite stubborn today, Chiharu. Well then, you can wait for me."
...
Time always flies when you're having fun. The sun was nearly setting, and it was time to eat again. Mizuki and Chiharu were looking for a place to grab dinner when they suddenly spotted someone ahead.
"Chiharu, you go back first; I still have something to do."
"Oh, okay then. Take care; I'll leave first." Though slightly puzzled, the usually timid Chiharu nodded and turned away without protest.
After watching Chiharu leave, Mizuki approached the figure and asked, "Waiting for me, Kakashi Hatake?"
"There's something I wanted to talk to you about. Follow me."
On the rooftop of a civilian house, Mizuki and Kakashi sat side by side, watching people passing below.
"Do ninjas especially enjoy sitting on rooftops? Speaking of which, isn't there an open-air hot spring nearby? How did you know exactly where to find me?"
"What did you want to talk about, Kakashi?"
"I've always been out doing missions. This time I came back to serve as the team leader for newly graduated genin."
"That sounds like a good job."
"Really? I've taught new graduates before too, but none of them passed my test. All were sent back to the Ninja Academy for retraining. Most of them probably gave up on becoming ninjas altogether."
"You really are strict, Kakashi."
"The blond kid from last night might very well be one of my students—alongside Sakura Haruno and Sasuke Uchiha."
"Well then, you're going to have your hands full."
"That's exactly what I think too."
"But what does that have to do with me? Surely you didn't call me here just to tell me this?"
Kakashi remained silent for a moment before asking, "How did it feel when you killed your teammate?"
"You really do dig straight into old wounds, don't you?"
Mizuki replied, "That feeling? I've already forgotten it."
"Forgotten?" Kakashi looked surprised. "That's quite an unexpected answer. It's completely different from the determined attitude you had when you addressed The Third."
"Don't you have similar experiences too? Otherwise, why would a normal person care about this?"
"You figured that out too? I accidentally let it slip. You're pretty clever."
"That's called being sharp and clever."
"Want to know what I thought back then?"
"Not interested."
"I didn't like people like you to begin with, but now I like you even less."
"Fine by me. I don't like men either — I'm already engaged. The guy you just ran off is my fiancée."
"Oh, that's too bad, but I won't apologize."
"No need. If that's all, I'll be on my way."
"What would you do if you run into a creep like that again?"
"Got no clue. How about you?"
"I don't know either."
"Then why ask? Aren't ninjas exactly like this?"
"You're right. Ninjas really are hopeless creatures!"
Mizuki leapt off the rooftop. "Stop staring at the women's bathhouse. Let me tell you a secret: Ayame from Ichiraku Ramen is looking for a husband. You should make a move on her. I've heard she secretly fancies you." Before Kakashi could react, he vanished.
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