Days rolled by, and the chill of early spring had long faded away. With several consecutive days of pleasant weather, Konoha had become livelier as the temperatures rose. In an era where peace had settled deep in people's hearts, no one noticed the hidden dangers lying in wait. The Konoha ninja always had the strength to keep every threat at bay—except for the Nine-Tails attack over a decade ago. No one could even remember the last time Konoha was directly attacked.
As the Chunin Exams drew closer, Mizuki sped up his preparations. Crisis holds two sides—danger and opportunity entwined. A lifeless, unchanged rhythm always disgusted those who sought more than mediocrity.
Though Mizuki did enjoy this peaceful life, when turmoil couldn't be avoided, figuring out how to survive and profit from the mess didn't sound bad either.
Just as Mizuki thought he would have to wait until Orochimaru attacked Konoha, he received an urgent summoning order and had to give up his easygoing job managing mission requests.
When Mizuki arrived at the Hokage's Office, many others were already there—he was the last to arrive.
"Morino Ibiki, Aoba Yamashiro, Izumo Kamizuki, Kotetsu Hagane, Hayate Gekko… and me too? Looks like an S-ranked mission alright. Are we really being backed into a corner?"
"The team is complete," said the Third Hokage solemnly upon seeing Mizuki enter. "I've gathered you all here because there's a very difficult mission requiring your cooperation."
"First, I must deliver some bad news. Kakashi's genin squad, assigned to a C-rank mission in the Land of Waves, encountered a major complication that escalated it to S-rank. During the mission, they confronted Momochi Zabuza—an S-class rogue ninja. Though Hatake Kakashi emerged victorious, he was too exhausted to continue pursuit. Currently, Kakashi is severely drained, his combat effectiveness critically low. He has requested immediate assistance from the village."
"How could such a situation occur?" Aoba Yamashiro asked in surprise. "Wasn't the mission reviewed carefully before deployment?"
"I bear responsibility for this," the Third Hokage said gravely, taking a deep breath. "When the mission first came in, Mizuki himself raised concerns. The village did conduct some investigations, but unfortunately, the severity of the issue far exceeded our expectations."
"We originally assumed the opposition were just local warlords who might hire a few wandering ninja. With Kakashi leading the mission, we saw no problem. In fact, shortly after leaving the village, Kakashi's team was attacked by two chunin-level ninja, and we received that report—but failed to take it seriously. We never expected someone like Momochi Zabuza to appear afterward. Our enemies must be mad to hire a rogue ninja like Zabuza who has no loyalty at all."
"So we need to act quickly?" Morino Ibiki asked.
"Hmm. Proceed with caution. This operation will form a six-man squad led by Ibiki. Your top priority is protecting Kakashi's squad. If any other forces try to take advantage of the chaos in the Land of Waves, stop them at all costs."
"But," Mizuki asked hesitantly, "why doesn't Kakashi just abandon the mission? Since the client misrepresented the mission rank, the village could simply withdraw without dragging itself into a situation that brings absolutely no benefit?"
"I know," the Third said, taking a deep breath. "You have another secret mission: to covertly assist Kakashi in completing his mission in the Land of Waves. Although the Land of Waves is far from our village and quite impoverished, it's a strategically important location, serving as a crucial buffer zone between the Land of Fire and the Land of Water. If we can win its favor, it will benefit us greatly. Therefore, unless absolutely necessary, avoid exposing yourselves openly this time. Try not to make too much noise and provoke unnecessary controversy."
"Yes."
"Then I'll leave it to you. Hurry up and set out immediately."
After receiving their orders, everyone left the room. Their team leader Ibiki Morino instructed, "I'll give you all fifteen minutes, then meet me at the village gates."
With that, the group scattered like birds and beasts.
Mizuki quickly ran home, packed his ninja tools, and grabbed some life-saving pills before setting off again. "Although they've got significant side effects, using them in small doses as temporary healing agents should be manageable. If things really get desperate, I guess I'll just have to gamble with my life."
As he headed out, Mizuki noticed he still had some time, so he went to say goodbye to Chiharu and asked her to take care of the plants and pets in his apartment before heading toward the village exit.
"Am I the last one again? I don't think I'm late, am I?" Mizuki muttered.
"Not yet. Alright, everyone's here now. Let's move out!" The serious expression on Captain Ibiki's scarred face exuded an oppressive intensity that was difficult to bear. As a decent guy from this modern era, Mizuki really wasn't cut out for dealing with dangerous individuals who specialized in interrogation and psychological warfare.
The six of them dashed forward rapidly but exchanged very little conversation along the way. Aoba Yamashiro was skilled in genjutsu and had the ability to read minds; Ibiki Morino was a sadist—this interrogation duo typically didn't speak unless necessary. Hayate Gekko was perpetually ill, focusing instead on conserving energy to keep pace. Hagane Kotetsu and Izumo Kamizuki were inseparable buddies but also kept quiet, understandable given how urgent the mission was. However, Mizuki couldn't stand this oppressive atmosphere and decided to break the silence by addressing Ibiki.
"Hey, Captain, don't you think our team composition feels kind of strange?"
"What's strange about it?" Ibiki replied.
"You've got both you and Aoba Yamashiro, experts in intelligence gathering and interrogation. Then there's Kotetsu and Izumo for direct combat, and Hayate Gekko for high-speed one-on-one engagements. Seems like a solid team already. So what do they need me for?" Truthfully, Mizuki knew full well why but was asking anyway. Though never explicitly mentioned in the original story, Konoha likely dispatched a rescue squad. It would be extremely unusual for an experienced ninja like Kakashi not to report back to the village upon encountering complications. Getting knocked unconscious after barely defeating the enemy during the second attack while protecting both the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki and Sasuke Uchiha clearly defied standard Jonin behavior. Most probably Konoha had sent support, though whether they arrived in time or were involved in other behind-the-scenes affairs remained unclear.
Originally, Mizuki shouldn't have been involved at all. Unfortunately, unlike in the original story, he hadn't been stuck in jail, and his three-month punishment period was nearly over. He was still an outstanding Chunin after all, so being assigned this mission as a probationary task to signify his reinstatement made perfect sense. Besides, his constant laziness had probably rubbed more than a few people the wrong way.
Sigh… I guess this is just what I deserve.
If we don't get anything out of this mission, it'll be like working for nothing.
Before Ibiki could respond to Mizuki's question, Kotetsu complained, "The Third really sees every little thing. It's extremely wise to send idle ninjas out on missions."
"Who's been idle? I haven't messed up a single assignment in the past two months."
"You two, enough already," Hayate Gekko interjected with a cough. "As long as we make contact with Kakashi before Zabuza attacks again, we'll have completed most of the mission."
"Brother, just stop talking already," Mizuki couldn't help but say. "You really need rest more than me. Compared to you, the admirable ninja who insists on working while sick, I feel ashamed of my own selfishness."
"Heh heh," Ibiki actually laughed beside them. "This mission probably won't involve any major battles to begin with. With Kakashi here, we aren't meant to be frontline fighters. Our job is simply to secretly protect those three genin and the mission client. We'll deal with whatever comes up as it happens."
"Come on Ibiki, stop laughing. It's even scarier than before," Mizuki quipped.
"By the way Captain, after this mission comes the Chunin Exam," Mizuki continued. "Can you hook me up with something easy? Look how busy I've been lately—I've lost a ton of weight, and Chiharu's been really worried about me."
"That's too bad. The schedule's already set. You'll be informed when necessary."
"What? That's heartless! Not long ago I worked hard in the Forest of Death."
"Then you should talk to Anko about that."
"I'm going to bring up my salary issues with the Third next time. Sigh."
"Mizuki, you just won't quit, will you?" Hayate stubbornly chimed in again. "I have to handle preliminary matches before the third official exam. Want to switch jobs with me?"
"No thanks," Mizuki immediately declined. He refused to face the sleep-deprived jinchuriki of the One-Tail directly—who in their right mind would willingly walk into such terror after knowing what they were up against?
Finally, after traveling quickly for over three days, the six-man rescue squad arrived at the Land of Waves and secretly made contact with Kakashi Hatake.
"Hey Kakashi, I heard you got beaten up pretty badly. What an unexpected surprise," Mizuki sarcastically remarked.
"That's true," Kakashi didn't deny it. "After all, Zabuza is one of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen. These famous ninja who surpass the standard ranks are indeed formidable opponents."
"Alright, from now on, leave everything else to us. You just recover properly—we'll support you secretly. As for Zabuza, handle him yourself. Since [Silent Killing Technique] is so troublesome, our numbers won't give us much advantage if we're weaker individually. If Zabuza holds initiative and has home-field advantage, we'll be helpless," Ibiki explained.
"Of course, Zabuza will be mine. I'll leave other matters to you. Please take good care of those three genin as well."
At nightfall, Mizuki rested together with Aoba Yamashiro and Hayate Gekko inside a temporary tent. Morino Ibiki had divided their six-man team into two squads, with Ibiki himself watching alongside Izumo Kotetsu elsewhere.
Kakashi and Ibiki were careless. Although it's hard to imagine anyone daring to provoke Konoha directly, judging from what I remember, Kakashi had an extremely tough time in his final battle. Sasuke Uchiha and Naruto Uzumaki nearly died—if not for Haku holding back his strike, they wouldn't have survived to see Naruto's crucial turning point.
Judging from what I know, even if I don't intervene, Konoha is extremely unlikely to withhold a rescue squad. Yet back then, no one showed up—which raises some interesting questions. What exactly led to Kakashi being left to fight alone?
Mizuki didn't share their optimism. If things go as expected, there's going to be a major confrontation this time.
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