Naruto: Mizuki The Savior

Chapter 224: Reciprocity

"This… is a tricky matter," Jiraiya muttered. "Would you be interested in becoming a jinchūriki?"

"A jinchūriki?" Mizuki thought for a moment and declined, "I prefer to have complete control over my own power. Having a powerful, uncontrollable force sealed inside me… I don't feel at ease with that."

"In that case, there's not much I can offer," Jiraiya admitted. "If you can't sense natural energy directly, you'll need a medium. If you're willing, toad oil can help. With your sealing skills, resolving the issue of the oil evaporating once removed from Mount Myōboku shouldn't be a problem."

Mizuki shook his head. "In that case, I'd rather stick with what I have—continuing to use Tailed Beast chakra. But thank you for the suggestion, Jiraiya-sama."

"Ah, don't mention it. It's not like I helped much anyway."

As the casual conversation between them wound down, a knock suddenly came at the door.

"Mizuki, are you in there?"

"That's Kakashi? Come in. I've been waiting."

Hatake Kakashi pushed open the door and entered, spotting Mizuki and Jiraiya seated across from each other.

"Apologies for being late. Negotiating with Kirigakure about tonight's meeting took longer than expected."

"Mizuki, looks like we'll have to continue our chat another time," Jiraiya said, standing. "Let's shift focus. Kakashi, take a seat. We need to properly discuss the current situation in the Land of Water and Kirigakure."

…

Inside Mizuki's room, Kakashi frowned as Jiraiya laid out his intel.

"Jiraiya-sama, the analysis you made about Kirigakure's policy shifts and potential for power gain—Mizuki reached similar conclusions."

"Oh? Is that so…" Jiraiya nodded toward Mizuki. "Looks like Tsunade made a wise decision sending you both. But let me emphasize this: the Fifth Mizukage, Terumī Mei, is a formidable leader—not any less capable than Tsunade. When strategizing, keep her strength and decisiveness in mind. She's the true power behind Kirigakure."

"We've considered that possibility," Kakashi said.

Jiraiya continued, "As I mentioned, Kirigakure faces several problems. Of their two Tailed Beasts, the Three-Tails entered dormancy after the Fourth Mizukage Yagura's death and won't reawaken for three years. Retrieving and resealing it will be a massive ordeal. As for the Six-Tails' jinchūriki, Utakata… he went rogue after killing his teacher Harusame during a berserk episode. He's now a wanted man, but unless the Fifth Mizukage takes action herself, they likely won't be able to bring him back. Their strength is probably weaker than we assumed."

"Should we intervene directly?" Mizuki offered. "Perhaps a paid retrieval mission for the Six-Tails' jinchūriki?"

"No need." Jiraiya shook his head. "Being overly helpful to allies—especially when no aid was requested—can backfire. The tacit balance among the Five Great Nations must not be disturbed. We don't need unnecessary complications."

"But…" Kakashi looked hesitant. "Letting the Six-Tails roam free is dangerous. Even if the Akatsuki have paused their operations, what's to stop them from targeting a defenseless jinchūriki?"

"Kakashi," Jiraiya replied, "breaking convention over a potential threat isn't worth it. Offering aid now would be seen as manipulative. After all, compared to Kirigakure, Konoha is too powerful. Saying too much would only raise suspicion."

Mizuki interjected at the right moment, "Maybe we were too cautious with this mission. There really was no need to send such a powerful team. With Jiraiya-sama and Kakashi-san here, my presence feels a bit unnecessary."

"Hah, Mizuki," Kakashi smirked. "Should I take that as a complaint? You'd rather be loafing around back home?"

"You said it, not me."

"Hahaha! He's got a point," Jiraiya laughed. "Mizuki, you just got married, didn't you? Tsunade really has no compassion—pushing a newlywed out the door like this…"

More laughter followed.

"Jiraiya-sama, I wouldn't dare repeat that in front of her."

"Neither would I! You think I want to feel Tsunade's iron fist?" Jiraiya chuckled, then pulled a scroll from his robe. "I missed your wedding, so here—consider this a belated gift." He handed the scroll to Mizuki.

"Thank you so much," Mizuki said, pleasantly surprised. "May I open it?"

"Of course!"

With anticipation, Mizuki unrolled the scroll. When he read the title, his expression shifted.

"Fire Release: Great Fire Destruction – A-Rank Ninjutsu."

"Jiraiya-sama… this is too valuable."

One of the Legendary Sannin, Jiraiya had given him a top-tier technique as a casual gift.

"Keep it," Jiraiya said casually. "This jutsu is incredibly difficult to master. It requires excellent fire-nature manipulation and chakra control—and it's extremely chakra-intensive. Most can't handle it. But with your fire affinity and Sage Mode compatibility, this technique will suit you well. With natural energy boosting it, it might not quite reach S-rank, but it'll come close."

"In that case… thank you again. But I can't accept such a gift without reciprocating."

Mizuki took out a scroll and offered it to Jiraiya.

"What's this?" Jiraiya asked, curious.

"The Shadow Clone Technique—with some personal enhancements. It includes a method to adjust the chakra distribution in clones. The better your chakra control, the more precisely you can allocate chakra to each clone. It's a small trick, but quite practical."

"Hmm, not bad at all." Jiraiya accepted it with a nod.

Although Mizuki's technique didn't match the value of the A-rank jutsu, it was thoughtful and useful enough to count as a return gift—a symbolic gesture of reciprocity.

"Now that we've had a long talk," Kakashi chimed in, "shouldn't we get ready for tonight's meeting?"

Just as he said that, the room suddenly shook. Shouts echoed from outside.

"What's happening?" Mizuki frowned.

From the direction of the disturbance, it seemed to be coming from the area where Konoha's genin were staying…

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