"How could it be him?" Mizuki was indeed a little confused. In the original work, it was Gekko Hayate who tracked and monitored Kabuto Yakushi, and then was killed instantly by the Sand Ninja Maki. Although he was not close friends with Gekko Hayate, as a comrade-in-arms who had been through life and death with him, Mizuki still hoped that he could survive if possible.

"What's the problem?" Kakashi asked, "Gekko Hayate is a special jonin who is good at tracking and lurking. He is excellent in swordsmanship and has good combat power. Isn't it a good choice for him to investigate Kabuto Yakushi?"

Mizuki nodded without saying anything. Without accurate information, it seemed impossible to send out stronger ninjas. He couldn't just say that the Sand Ninja was going to rebel. Although there was indeed intelligence that this ally who had always been dissatisfied with Konoha had been acting abnormally recently, it was still too shocking to say that the Sand Ninja would join forces with Orochimaru to attack Konoha Village.

"I really can't help you, Moonlight Gale, you can only pray for the best."

Haruno Sakura, who was listening to Mizuki and Kakashi's conversation, suddenly interrupted and said, "Teacher Kakashi, the Gekkou Hayate you are talking about is the examiner of the Chunin Exam, and Yakushi Kabuto is the candidate who took the exam together, right?"

"Yeah." Kakashi replied.

"But why are they all Konoha ninjas, Kabuto-senpai wanting to attack Sasuke, and a special jonin from the village wanting to investigate?"

After hearing Sakura's question, Mizuki looked at Kakashi and said, "Don't you tell your subordinates any information?"

Kakashi responded awkwardly, "Didn't you forget this? Anyway, no one asked, so I thought I knew everything. Sakura, the Kabuto-senpai you mentioned is actually Orochimaru's subordinate and traitor. He approached you with bad intentions."

"How could this happen?" For Sakura, who had rarely come into contact with the dark side of ninja, she was already frightened by the attack by Orochimaru. This time she heard that her senior who was so close to her was actually a spy with evil intentions. This was really a huge blow to Sakura's worldview.

"Sakura, this is how the ninja world is. Betrayal, injury and even death are all things you have to face." Mizuki said comfortingly.

"Is that so? Teacher, have you ever had this experience?" Sakura asked.

"Alas, Sakura, some things are too early for Genin, but it's time for you to know about what's happening around you." Kakashi felt that he should do his duty as a teacher. "Remember the Wave Kingdom mission, the attack by Zabuza and Haku? The time when Naruto and Sasuke almost died? There are more things behind it than you can imagine. Do you remember that Mizuki teacher was seriously injured when you returned to the village? In fact, he and your Chunin Exam instructors Gekkou Hayate and Morino Ibiki all participated in the Wave Kingdom mission. Secretly, the Konoha ninjas blocked the attacks of the ninjas from other villages, so we only had to face two people."

Kakashi sighed after he finished speaking: "Sometimes fighting in the sun is not everything. The open and secret struggles behind the scenes are also extremely important. The skills of lurking and counter-espionage that the ninja school taught you are not just for you to take exams, but for you to use in practice to protect yourself."

"Okay, Kakashi, now is not the time to lecture you. Don't you have other things to do?" Mizuki said to Kakashi when he saw that they were getting further and further away.

"Yes, I'll leave first then."

Watching Kakashi leave, Mizuki turned to Haruno Sakura and said, "It's not good for Genin to know too much about some things. It will dampen your enthusiasm."

"Yes, Mizuki-sensei."

Looking at Sakura who was studying hard, Mizuki sincerely hoped that this smart girl would not think too much and get stuck in a rut.

On a high rooftop in Konoha Village, Jiraiya leaned against the railing and observed the farce below with interest. Elite teacher Ebisu was teaching Uzumaki Naruto the technique of using chakra, but the impatient Naruto always failed to do it well. He was scalded by the hot spring water and was soaked all over. He was bickering with Ebisu. Since yesterday, Jiraiya has been observing this pair of funny people carefully. The open-minded Jiraiya was often amused by the funny Naruto.

At this moment, an uninvited figure appeared behind Jiraiya and slowly walked towards him.

"Tsk, have you been discovered yet?"

"You didn't hide well, isn't it normal to be discovered? Jiraiya." The person who came was none other than Jiraiya's teacher, the Third Hokage Sarutobi Hiruzen. "You've been away from the village for so many years. Is there anything you want to come back for this time?"

"Collecting materials, collecting materials, what else can it be?" Jiraiya replied: "I am a very famous and popular writer."

"Okay, whatever you want." The Sandai was also troubled by Jiraiya's frank character. "But it's just right that you came back this time. You have been watching the current situation of the village for so many days, so I believe you have some understanding of it."

"So many days? Could it be that someone found out and informed you?"

"Don't talk about those unimportant things. You also know the news that Orochimaru has returned. This time I will make up for my mistakes." The third generation said, "I am old now. No matter what the result is, I hope you can take over my position."

"Old man, stop joking. I'm not interested in staying here to be the Hokage, a job that's thankless. You should find someone else. There are many people who want to be the Hokage."

After hearing Jiraiya's words, the Sandaime also said regretfully: "I know you were dissatisfied with my actions back then, otherwise you and Tsunade would not have wandered outside for so many years without returning, but as the leader of the village, it is inevitable to weigh the pros and cons and not accommodate a few people."

Sarutobi Hiruzen has been the Hokage for so many years, and he knows the situation of the village best. When the situation is unfavorable, he sacrifices the interests of a few people to maintain the authority of the village. He has done this countless times over the years. Some of them were ordered by himself, and some were done by Danzo Shimura with his acquiescence. The death of Hyuga Hizashi, the father of Hyuga Neji, and the extermination of the Uchiha clan are just two of the more famous ones.

"So I can't do this kind of thing, so let's leave it to someone more suitable."

"Alas." Sandai sighed, "So what do you want to do by coming back this time? Did you hear some bad news?"

"I guess so, but I did meet an interesting guy this time." Jiraiya said without comment, looking at Naruto Uzumaki who was making a funny face below.

"Oh? Is it your prophecy about the child of destiny again?"

"Who knows? That must be the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, right? The son of the Fourth Hokage has grown up healthily!"

"Well, he's already an excellent ninja in Konoha, quite similar to you back then."

"Time flies. Four generations have sacrificed for more than ten years, and my son has grown up so much." Jiraiya seemed to remember something and said, "Don't die, old man~"