"Is it really that lively?" Mizuki was the first to speak, stepping into the Hokage's office with a smirk. "Long time no see, Kakashi."
Kakashi's lone visible eye crinkled slightly. "Isn't this Shuimu? You've got that guilty look again. Up to no good? I've heard the atmosphere in the village's been tense lately—and some ninja are getting lazy."
"Me? Lazy? I'm the definition of discipline and dedication," Mizuki replied coolly. "Not like some masked jōnin who's always inexplicably late."
Some nearby genin chuckled and nodded sympathetically, clearly amused.
Ignoring Kakashi's smirk, Mizuki stepped forward and handed over a scroll. "Lord Third, here's the mission report you requested."
"Hmm," the Third Hokage murmured, flipping through the pages absently. "You're dismissed."
"Yes, Lord Hokage."
Just then, Naruto—who had overheard the word "mission"—perked up and ran over.
"Is it a mission to protect a feudal lord? Or maybe rescue a princess?! Let us take it!"
"Oh, Naruto-kun," Mizuki said with faux surprise, glancing around dramatically. "Sorry, didn't see you there. You're so short, like a little melon—I almost missed you!"
"'Melon'?" Naruto blinked, then looked at Sakura and Sasuke beside him. Realization struck. "Hey! You're talking about me?!"
"You bastard! Big stupid sensei! I'll beat you up!"
Sakura quickly held Naruto back before he could lunge at Mizuki.
Mizuki ignored the outburst and turned to Kakashi again. "Let's grab some ramen sometime. I heard from Ayame the other day that she's seen your real face. I'm curious—how handsome are you, exactly, to have the ramen shop fan club going crazy?"
"You're really talented at saying nonsense with a straight face," Kakashi replied flatly, his tone dry.
"It might not be nonsense," Mizuki chuckled. With that, he pushed open the door and left the office.
Back in the mission hall, Mizuki slouched at his desk, clearly unmotivated.
"What now? Sleep, I guess… Recharge a bit. I'll head back tonight and resume the experiments."
Before long, voices intruded on his half-dreaming state.
"Why's it so noisy?" he grumbled, rubbing his eyes and yawning. Shuimu looked up groggily. "What is it?"
"Finally awake, lazy sensei. We need to register our mission," Naruto's voice rang out.
"Huh? Why me? Isn't there someone else nearby?" Mizuki gestured vaguely—only to find the desk empty.
"Where did everyone go?" he muttered. "And we call this the ninja village of the future?"
"You don't get to say that!" Naruto snapped, pointing accusingly at the drool trailing from Mizuki's nap.
"Ah, what a way to treat your elders. Anyway, hand me the task list."
Naruto handed over the mission scroll with a scowl.
Mizuki skimmed it. "Hah. The Land of Waves mission, huh?"
Then, glancing at Kakashi: "You got approval from Lord Third for this? It's not a simple task. Could take a while."
Kakashi nodded. "Yeah, the Hokage approved. Figured it'd be good experience outside the village."
"Well, with you leading them, I suppose they'll survive."
"Mm."
"Then you'll depart the day after tomorrow." Mizuki completed the registration and handed the paperwork over.
Suddenly, Sakura asked shyly, "Um, Mizuki-sensei… have you ever seen Kakashi-sensei's real face?"
"Nope. Almost no one has. But Ayame from Ichiraku swears she has. Says he's super handsome."
"Really?" Sakura's eyes sparkled. "I'd love to see!"
"It's not really a secret," Kakashi interrupted casually. "You'll get your chance eventually. For now, head home and prepare. We leave the day after tomorrow."
The trio sighed in disappointment but left.
As their footsteps faded, Mizuki yawned and dozed off again.
Time passed quickly. Shuimu's days remained calm and repetitive. On the surface, he worked diligently at his assigned tasks. But truthfully, his daily routine masked something else entirely.
The reality was, after a few days of rest, Shuimu didn't need to conserve energy anymore. It had simply become a habit. The mission hall's monotony was draining, and sleep often overtook him.
At night, however, his real work began.
His current focus: experiments involving kudzu vines and jellyfish. His goal? To resolve the unstable vitality in his body and pursue the regenerative potential he believed chakra biology could unlock.
But the results were disappointing.
Kudzu, despite its regenerative properties, was too delicate. And the Turritopsis dohrnii—the so-called "immortal jellyfish"—was even more fragile. The jellyfish's power to revert to its polyp stage offered insight into cellular rejuvenation, but its body was too weak, barely viable outside water.
Still, Shuimu studied them relentlessly.
Kudzu's cell totipotency was remarkable—capable of regenerating an entire plant from a single segment. Animals, however, were a different story. For most adult creatures, totipotency was limited to reproductive cells and some bone marrow stem cells. Kudzu defied that principle, but it was still a plant.
The jellyfish's ability to split and regenerate was also fascinating. Yet again, it was useless on land—and too weak to survive physical strain.
Frustrated but determined, Mizuki continued.
In his lab (a makeshift extension of his home), bizarre creatures floated in petri dishes—three-legged sparrows, two-headed mice, and grotesque insects with compound eyes. Most were failures. Occasionally, something more normal emerged.
He destroyed the mutants, recorded the outcomes, and split the remaining samples into groups. One group received a green serum derived from kudzu. The other, a milky-white potion, derived from attempts to emulate the jellyfish's regenerative traits.
The results were mixed.
In smaller creatures, the green serum had promise. Severed parts regenerated—sometimes perfectly, sometimes… not. Inconsistent timing or dosage led to extra limbs or misplaced organs. Insects responded better than mammals. Plants, of course, had the cleanest outcomes.
As for the white serum, it failed in most higher organisms. Birds and mammals died quickly. But aquatic creatures showed slight promise. When paired with the green serum, survivability and consistency improved—an encouraging sign.
Still, it was all too limited in scope.
"This village is too restricting," Mizuki muttered one night. "I need a bigger, hidden lab."
He recalled the anime and manga detail: in the canon, he once worked on the Curse Mark in a remote hideout belonging to Orochimaru—not far from Konoha. That could be ideal.
"After the Chūnin Exams… I'll go scout it."
With a glint of ambition, Mizuki opened a scroll. A massive water tank appeared, along with green liquid and long-tailed creatures—salamander-like beings mutated through his own chakra-infused cells.
"To think I grew this monster from just a strand of hair," Mizuki said, half in awe. "Chakra truly makes us monsters. Are we even human anymore?"
He sealed the tank again and stored it carefully.
"At least now, I have a technique of my own—maybe not ready for the stage yet, but it's something. I'll bide my time… and collect my rewards."