Naruto: From Extra to Savior

Since the day he visited Gekko Hayate, for over ten days straight, Mizuki would take walks whenever he had free time. Partly, it was to clear his mind—after all, studying and teaching were both mentally exhausting tasks. But more importantly, it was also to familiarize himself with the terrain and make some quiet reconnaissance and preparations. 

During this period, Mizuki clearly sensed an increase in the village's vigilance—a calm on the surface but tense beneath atmosphere. Outsiders might not notice, but anyone paying attention could easily detect the dramatic change in atmosphere compared to before, as well as the intensified scrutiny of strangers. These clearly indicated that the village had adopted a firm and resolute stance towards potential armed conflict, hiding its confidence in its own strength behind the guise of protecting important figures like the Daimyo during the Chunin Exams. Even though they knew someone had plans against the village, they hadn't even considered canceling the Chunin Exams. 

As for Gekko Hayate, it was truly unfortunate. Although his life was no longer in immediate danger, there still hadn't been any sign of him regaining consciousness. 

Sometimes, this was simply how things went for ninja. Every mission could mean parting ways between life and death. This held true even during times of peace—for shinobi, their lives were cheap, and during wartime, one violent clash between ninja teams could lead to widespread destruction and countless deaths. 

At noon, Mizuki brought Sakura Haruno and Ino Yamanaka to a dango shop, where he practically had to treat them to a feast. 

If you're wondering why—he had accidentally revealed the secret about embedding a Genjutsu Array into the flower shop's signboard, so he had little choice but to give the two girls a small "hush money" reward. Though it wasn't a major issue, letting it spread around would definitely damage his reputation. 

"Actually, these brown sugar dumplings don't taste great," Ino grumbled while eating. "I think the red bean paste ones are much better." 

"Yeah," Sakura nodded in agreement. 

Their chatter gave Mizuki a headache. If they hated it so much, why'd they eat it all anyway? They were clearly just teasing him openly—blatant blackmail. 

Helplessly, Mizuki had no choice but to order two more plates for them to taste. 

"Now listen up—you two, this place may be a famous old brand, but it's also extremely expensive. Don't you think it's time to go after eating your fill?" 

"Don't rush us—we're not done yet!" Ino muttered through a mouthful of food. 

Sakura also nodded and asked, "Teacher Mizuki, how exactly did you do that?" 

Truthfully, Sakura had noticed something odd the first time she visited, but back then, with her limited experience, she never looked into it deeply. Later, with her studies piling up, she stopped paying much attention to it. However, as her studies gradually shifted focus toward genjutsu and sealing techniques, she became increasingly familiar with Mizuki's style of ninjutsu. With Ino constantly asking why the Four Seasons Flower Shop always did so well, today the two girls had finally uncovered the secret behind that signboard.

"Both of you, keep your voices down," Mizuki really disliked discussing such matters in public. "This level of ninjutsu is still too advanced for you two; it's not something you can understand quickly. But I can teach you something else~"

Don't underestimate this simple bamboo board—it can generate a basic genjutsu and contains an impressive level of technical expertise. The genjutsu magical formation itself isn't particularly complex; the real significance lies in its theoretically self-sufficient design. If further developed, it could achieve extraordinary results.

"What kind of ninjutsu is it?" Sakura Haruno, who was preparing for the third stage of the Chunin Exams, wasn't going to miss any chance to improve her ninja skills.

"Don't worry, it'll definitely satisfy both of you. But naturally, you know what I mean~"

"We'll absolutely keep this secret~" promised both Sakura Haruno and Ino Yamanaka.

"Great~"

...

Inside the Konoha office, the Third Hokage was listening to a report from one of his Anbu.

Putting down the report, the Third asked, "It says here the barrier's effect is somewhat weaker than when Mizuki used it. What could be the cause?"

"According to the investigation, it is likely due to variations in mastery of sealing techniques. None of the test subjects had the same deep understanding as Mizuki; after all, he was the inventor."

"Hmm." The Third nodded. As for the Genjutsu Magical Formation that Mizuki contributed, the village had already tested it multiple times. With Mizuki's prior success in saving Hayate Gekko, this technique had enough potential to be added to the village's ninjutsu repository. After repeated trials confirmed the barrier worked—though its power depended heavily on the user's talent—the Third proceeded.

After confirming there were no major issues, he instructed, "Organize and archive the barrier-related documents, setting the secrecy level at A-rank ninjutsu. At the same time, upgrade Nindo Mizuki's file classification. Consider promoting him appropriately after the Chunin Exams."

As for the Genjutsu Magical Formation contributed by Mizuki, it inherently possessed strong capabilities in calming the mind while defending against spiritual attacks and genjutsu effects. Such a clearly specialized ninjutsu, if mastered well, truly could produce miraculous effects—Hayate Gekko stood as the best example.

Moreover, Mizuki, as an outstanding chunin, ranked among the top-tier battle readiness within the entire village's chunin class. Remarkably balanced across various abilities without noticeable weaknesses, his potential was tremendous.

Additionally, over these past few months, he had shown exceptional talent in medicine and sealing techniques rarely seen in the ninja world. His Medical Ninjutsu skills, particularly [Chakra Scalpel] and [Mystical Palm Technique], surpassed those of many experienced medical ninja.

Despite having committed grave errors previously—which he'd already been punished for—his performance over these last few months had indeed matched expectations for an excellent Konoha ninja. Promoting his ninja rank now made perfect sense.

...

Meanwhile, completely unaware that he was about to receive a promotion, Mizuki struggled with teaching Sakura Haruno and Ino Yamanaka. Sakura Haruno wasn't so bad—he'd spent over half a month training her, and her foundation was now relatively solid, making learning not particularly difficult for her. Ino Yamanaka, however, was quite another story. It wasn't that she lacked talent or intelligence.

"If someone isn't the same type of ninja and lacks the foundational knowledge, it's really hard to know where to start teaching them."

"This is... a scroll from Teacher Mizuki?" Sakura looked at the scroll Mizuki handed her, unsure of its purpose. "This sealing technique seems kind of familiar."

How could it not seem familiar? Sakura had used it before — back in the Forest of Death. Still, breaking down and combining more advanced sealing techniques and barriers was beyond Sakura's current skill level. After all, she had only been studying for less than a month.

"This sealing technique can help make up for your biggest weakness," Mizuki replied.

"My biggest weakness?" Sakura asked in surprise. "What do you mean?"

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