Chapter 188: The First Bootlegger?
After Mizuki left the Hokage's office, peace returned to the room. Tsunade and Shizune, both single women, had no real experience comforting young girls. They looked at the visibly nervous Karin and had no idea where to start.
With Mizuki gone—the only person Karin felt remotely familiar with—she became even more anxious.
To break the silence, Tsunade coughed lightly and signaled for Shizune to step in.
As her mentor and superior, Shizune couldn't refuse. Besides, with her youthful-looking appearance, she might come off as more approachable to someone Karin's age.
"Don't be nervous," Shizune said with a warm, practiced smile. "This is all just a misunderstanding. We're not here to hurt you…"
But Karin said nothing in return.
Thanks to her Kagura's Mind Eye ability, she could easily sense chakra, lies, and even someone's emotions. She knew Tsunade and Shizune weren't lying, and she could feel the shift in their attitudes after Mizuki explained her situation. She still didn't fully understand what "Uzumaki Clan" meant, but her instincts told her her situation had drastically improved.
She wasn't silent out of mistrust—just unfamiliarity. Despite her rough and stubborn personality years later, right now, she was still just a displaced girl trying to survive.
Seeing that Karin remained quiet, Tsunade sighed and said to Shizune, "Take her to the medical department for a full examination. And later, get her registered properly."
They needed to ensure Karin wasn't hiding any seals, genjutsu, or implanted threats. Being kind-hearted couldn't lead to letting in a potential enemy sleeper agent.
As Shizune left with Karin, Tsunade remained alone in the office. After thinking for a moment, she opened a drawer and pulled out a personnel file—on Mizuki.
She quietly flipped through the confidential documents, far more detailed than what was publicly available. As the first person promoted to jōnin under her leadership, she had thoroughly reviewed his background. Mizuki wasn't someone to be taken lightly.
The records told an unusual story: an unremarkable start in the academy, a mediocre genin career, and an unusually long tenure as a chūnin, marred by several disciplinary incidents and near-dismissals. Though he'd clawed his way back and rebuilt trust, Tsunade still had access to information Mizuki had never disclosed.
Of particular note were the full-effect properties of the Universal Elixir. With so few samples in circulation, it was impossible to confirm its exact purpose. Even Tsunade could only make educated guesses.
Another event stood out—during the diplomatic mission to Sunagakure with Hiashi Hyuga. Based on the hazy account from an injured Kurenai Yuhi, it seemed Mizuki had used a bizarre humanoid puppet to completely reverse the situation. An intelligence team later combed the battlefield but found only puppet fragments, no real answers. That investigation was shelved due to the leadership vacuum in Konoha at the time, and by the time Tsunade returned, it was too late to pursue.
Technically, hiding your cards is part of being a ninja. Gaining the upper hand through secrecy is how they operate.
Still, Tsunade couldn't help but feel that Mizuki was hiding too much. Even the venerable Hyuga clan seemed to covet something he possessed.
His increasing interaction with Hiashi Hyuga was raising red flags. The idea of a major clan growing too close to a strong outsider—especially one who had earned the trust of the Hokage—was politically dangerous. And if the Hyuga family was drooling over something in Mizuki's possession, that made Tsunade all the more curious.
"I'll have to dig deeper at some point. These powerful types… they're always hiding something. What the hell was Hiruzen doing all those years, raising a bunch of unruly monsters like this?"
…
Back at home, Mizuki was restless. He tried reviewing Adamantine Sealing Chains, but his mind wandered. A new Uzumaki girl had shown up just as he received a powerful Uzumaki technique? It all felt surreal. He couldn't understand why Karin broke their agreement and showed up so brazenly. He'd have to ask her about it later.
For now, he gave up on reading and turned to something else: a major discovery his "Bootleg Jinchūriki" clone had recently revealed.
Oddly enough, it all came back to the Shadow Clone Technique.
Everyone assumed that the jutsu—originated by Tobirama Senju—was designed for reconnaissance. After all, shadow clones could think independently, gather information, and return it instantly. That made perfect sense. The theory was airtight and had never been questioned.
But a few months ago, Mizuki had created his own bootleg version of a Jinchūriki using similar principles—chakra entities capable of independent action. He'd always thought this was just a clever coincidence.
But according to his clone's observations, that assumption was completely wrong.
"So… there are no coincidences in this world."
From what he now knew, Shadow Clone Technique wasn't created just for reconnaissance.
It was a deliberate attempt to imitate tailed beasts.
The clone itself was a crude version of what a tailed beast is: a living entity made entirely of chakra. In fact, shadow clones were likely developed as a stopgap attempt to replicate tailed beasts without requiring Yin-Yang Release.
And that meant something huge: Bootleg Jinchūriki wasn't Mizuki's invention at all. The credit should go to Tobirama, the true OG bootlegger.
The idea? Split the "Ten-Tails-like" spirit into nine chakra entities—like tailed beasts. Use normal chakra, lacking spiritual and physical cohesion, to create disposable clones that expire quickly.
From this perspective, Tobirama was trying to recreate tailed beasts in a sustainable way, but lacked the chakra quality to succeed. He died before he could perfect it.
And now, Mizuki had accidentally rediscovered and advanced this ancient idea. If Tobirama had access to Mizuki's Universal Elixir, or if the biotech of today had existed back then, this technique might've matured long ago.
Even though it hadn't made Mizuki stronger (yet), this revelation offered a path forward.
"If I use Sage Chakra as the base to imitate tailed beasts… then I'm not off track at all."
Apparently, others had thought about harnessing tailed beast energy too. And his attack on Shukaku might've been the most successful experiment yet.
…
Around noon, Mizuki was expecting his fiancée, Chihiro, to arrive.
Instead, Karin showed up.
Having no choice, he let her in and saw the nervous girl fidgeting in the living room. Mizuki couldn't even bring himself to scold her.
"Sigh… Did Lady Tsunade assign you a place to stay?" he asked.
"I don't think so… She said I should listen to whatever you arrange."
"What?" Mizuki grimaced. "I'm the one who's supposed to—wait, actually…"
He suddenly remembered: technically, he did have a spare place. But still, he'd need to talk to Chihiro about it.
Looking at Karin again, he asked, "Do you have any useful skills? Anything practical?"
"I can heal people's injuries… I also really like collecting perfumes. My sense of smell is super sharp."
"Sense of smell?" Mizuki nodded. "Hmm. That could be useful…"
He was still mulling it over when the door opened—and Chihiro stepped inside.
She immediately froze at the sight of the awkwardly seated Karin.
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