Inside Training Ground No. 8, several people were practicing.
The battle had already been discovered. No one thought it was a friendly spar — the scream Danzō let out when his heart was pierced by a kunai couldn't be faked.
Team 5, led by Guy, was also in the training ground. Neji immediately activated his Byakugan and observed most of the battle. People were gathering toward the area.
After 10 seconds, Mizuki felt his mind go blank. An intense discomfort surged from within, like suddenly ascending from ground level to ten thousand meters high — oxygen deprivation, suffocation.
Unbearable! An indescribably unbearable feeling!
By this time, several teams of ninja had gathered.
Hiruzen, who had been outside Training Ground No. 8 all along, arrived with several ANBU members.
"Mizuki, what happened here?" Hiruzen asked.
Mizuki shook his head, forcibly suppressing the discomfort, and recounted what had happened. He didn't mention Danzō's name. From beginning to end, that bastard had appeared under a different identity. Though Mizuki knew it was him, he had no proof.
"Are you certain it was the Mangekyō Sharingan, shaped like a four-pointed pinwheel? And that person was killed by you four times, yet revived each time?"
After hearing Mizuki's account, Hiruzen's expression changed slightly as he asked these questions in succession.
The Uchiha's Mangekyō pupil technique Kotoamatsukami and the clan's ultimate pupil technique Izanagi made him wary. He even suspected that Mizuki might already be under Kotoamatsukami's control.
Mizuki nodded, "I'm one hundred percent certain!"
Hiruzen asked, "Do you have any proof?"
Mizuki frowned. This was a question he couldn't answer. There was no one else present — where would he get proof?
Just then, Neji stepped forward, "Third Hokage, I can testify. With my Byakugan, I saw the battle. It matches what Mizuki-sensei described exactly."
Besides Neji, another person stepped forward: Hinata Hyūga from Team 8.
"Ho… Hokage-sama, I… I also saw it."
Hiruzen nodded, "Since you both saw it, it must be true."
At this moment, he very much wanted to explain Kotoamatsukami's function, then tell everyone that Mizuki had been controlled and needed his freedom restricted.
If Mizuki agreed, Hiruzen would have a thousand ways to kill him. If he didn't agree, that would mean disobeying the Hokage's orders — and Hiruzen could openly charge him with a crime and strike him down.
But after much thought, Hiruzen abandoned this idea. With the Chūnin Exams approaching, Konoha needed stability. If they could avoid action in the village, they would.
Besides, the plan to kill Mizuki was already in place — all arrangements made. Changing course now wouldn't be wise.
"ANBU, listen up. Search the village for the suspicious individual matching this description. Once found, surveil and report immediately."
In truth, Hiruzen already suspected Danzō.
After all, performing Izanagi required Sharingan — four eyes weren't something an ordinary person could obtain. Danzō had orchestrated the Uchiha massacre. A large number of Sharingan had fallen into his hands.
And Shisui's death… Hiruzen hadn't known why he died before, but now he understood.
"Mizuki, come to my office. Everyone else, disperse!"
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In the Hokage's office, Hiruzen handed over a mission form.
"Someone in the village wants to harm you. Take this mission and lay low for a while."
Mizuki took the mission and glanced at it. Escort a merchant caravan to the Land of Tea (C-Rank Mission).
"Go prepare. Leave tomorrow morning."
Leaving the Hokage building, Mizuki wondered what scheme Hiruzen was plotting.
The mission seemed ordinary — nothing special. But he sensed a conspiracy. Otherwise, why would the Hokage call him to the office alone for a simple C-Rank mission?
"He has ill intentions. There's probably an ambush on the road." Mizuki stayed cautious.
His current strength could handle various threats, but that didn't mean he was invincible.
"Rock Lee still has one return opportunity left. I need to give it to him before leaving tomorrow."
The Tai Chi and Spiritual Water he'd given before were both carefully considered. The third gift couldn't be given carelessly either.
"So, what should I give?"
Give him the Leaf Dragon God or something?
Mizuki shook his head, rejecting the idea. To grant an item or knowledge to a disciple, he had to possess it or know it himself. He knew Tai Chi, so he could grant it — even if it was just the health-exercise version for old folks, at least there was something there.
But Leaf Dragon God? He didn't know it at all. It was a supreme martial art of Chen, a current Master of Taijutsu. He couldn't just give the name, could he?
Walking down the street, Mizuki pondered but couldn't figure out what to give. The problem was that he believed his current strength wasn't weak and he didn't lack anything anymore — which left him directionless.
Before, he knew he feared Tsukuyomi, so he gave spirit water to boost mental strength. He knew his Taijutsu wasn't good, so he gave Tai Chi. Now, feeling he had no weaknesses, he became confused.
Walking along, he came to a shop where a goldfish-scooping activity was being held. Many children gathered around a pool, holding nets, scooping goldfish from the water.
The rules were simple: for every three ryō spent, you could scoop fish for five minutes. All scooped goldfish were yours to keep. Most children held one net. But a few held a net in each hand, paying double.
These children used both hands, but the results weren't good. They often lost track of one side while focusing on the other and caught fewer goldfish than those using just one net. Paying more, catching less — it frustrated them to tears. They couldn't understand why.
The adults watching from the sidelines knew the lesson: doing things requires focus. When you try to grasp with both hands, you often end up with nothing.
Mizuki wasn't one to watch spectacles. He glanced once and walked away. But before he'd taken two steps, a flash of inspiration struck.
"That's it! I can give him this!"
Having figured out what to grant, Mizuki was delighted and hurried to Training Ground No. 8 to find Rock Lee.
Team 5 had been training there earlier — they probably hadn't left yet.
"Rock Lee has a simple, straightforward mind without complications. Maybe he really can learn it."
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Arriving at Training Ground No. 8, he quickly found Team 5.
"Guy-Jōnin, pardon the interruption. I need to see Rock Lee for a few minutes."
Guy didn't object.
Though he worried that Rock Lee's association with Mizuki might displease the higher-ups, simple contact wasn't a problem. As long as they didn't meet privately too often, it should be fine.
"Mizuki-sensei, what do you need from me?"
"How's your understanding of Tai Chi coming along?" Mizuki led him to a nearby spot and asked.
Rock Lee shook his head, "I still haven't grasped it."
Mizuki sighed inwardly. Tai Chi was too profound. With this boy's simple mind, even getting started was difficult.
"Tai Chi isn't suitable for you. Abandon it. Now, I'm going to teach you another ability."
Rock Lee looked discouraged, "Maybe we should forget it. My thinking ability isn't strong. I'm only suited for learning simple things. Complicated things don't suit me."
He assumed Mizuki was about to teach him something else complex and difficult.
Mizuki smiled, "Don't worry. This time, it might not be difficult for you."
He picked up two twigs from the ground and handed them to Rock Lee.
"Hold a twig in each hand like a pen and draw on the ground. Left hand draws a circle, right hand draws a square. Start at the same time, finish at the same time. Give it a try."
{T/N: This specific training appears in Hunter x Hunter. It appears during Gon and Killua's training with Wing and Zushi when they're learning about Nen. The exercise is used to demonstrate the difficulty of dual-tasking and splitting one's concentration, which is a fundamental skill for advanced Nen techniques}
Rock Lee didn't understand the purpose, but followed the instructions anyway, crouching as both hands moved simultaneously.
Mizuki watched nervously, then saw that Rock Lee actually succeeded. Though the shapes weren't perfect, he had done it.
"Excellent! It really works!" Mizuki was overjoyed.
Rock Lee still didn't understand why he was so happy.
Mizuki didn't explain immediately, "Continue. This time, change it up. Left hand writes the character for 'left' (左), right hand writes the character for 'right' (右)."
Rock Lee followed the instruction. This time was harder, and he attempted it several times before succeeding.
The "right" character was fairly standard while the "left" character was crooked — a result of his habit of writing with his right hand.
"Genius! Rock Lee, you're absolutely a genius."
Rock Lee asked curiously, "Sensei, what does this have to do with being a genius?"
Mizuki looked at him and spoke three words, "Dual-tasking ability!"
Rock Lee still didn't understand.
Mizuki explained further.
"Most people can't have their left and right hands do two different things at once — they can only focus on one task. But you're special. Your hands can do different things simultaneously. This is dual-tasking ability. Think about it: in battle, your left hand and right hand — or your hands and feet — could use different Taijutsu techniques at the same time. Wouldn't that be like becoming two people?"
Rock Lee finally understood.
"I alone can function as two people?"
Mizuki nodded, "For example, while your feet use Leaf Whirlwind, your free hand can throw shuriken at the same time. An enemy facing you is essentially facing two opponents. Defending becomes much harder. You can execute two different attacks simultaneously. Of course, dual-tasking requires extensive practice. Once mastered, it creates a terrifying effect where one plus one becomes greater than two."
He wasn't joking. Dual-tasking would greatly enhance combat power.
In Hunter x Hunter, Killua demonstrates exceptional dual-tasking during his Nen training. After mastering concentration-splitting, he could use different Nen applications with each hand simultaneously — for example, maintaining Ken (a defensive aura state) while charging a Thunderbolt attack.
Gon also developed this skill during his training with Knuckle. He learned to maintain Gyo (concentrating aura in his eyes to detect hidden Nen) while executing Jajanken attacks, allowing him to defend against invisible threats and launch powerful offensive techniques at the same time.
This ability to split focus between multiple Nen techniques gave them both a significant combat advantage, essentially allowing them to handle situations that would normally require two coordinated fighters.
Dual-tasking was an extremely practical combat talent.
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I'm currently translating another project (for $1.5) where the main character travels through various worlds, like Highschool of the Dead, Kabaneri of the Iron Fortress, Darwin's Game, and many more, building a massive harem. It will have smut chapters (+18) and spicy images of the female characters. Check it out if you're interested! :)
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