There is really no mercy in talent.

No one could accurately measure how big the gap was between talented ninjas and those without talent.

But one thing is certain, as long as those geniuses do not slack off, the gap between them and mediocre people will become bigger and bigger, and the speed at which the gap widens will become faster and faster.

Shuimu has never experienced what it feels like to be in the same era as a true genius.

In the previous life, he was mediocre and could not compete with the powerful figures at all.

The water and wood in this life are similar, and having great ambitions but little talent is the best portrayal.

However, no matter how arrogant he was, he never thought of competing with the likes of Hatake Kakashi and Might Guy. He could only fight with ordinary ninjas like Iruka.

Pick the tallest one among the short ones to show off Mizuki's mediocre ninja talent.

Uchiha Sasuke became a jonin at an early age, and Hyuga Neji followed suit and was successfully promoted, which made his companions and classmates who were once on the same level feel a sense of crisis that time was running out.

If I was still confused when I was promoted to Chunin, now I should have realized the gap between myself and Jonin.

After the New Year, Class 8, which had not been together for a long time, finally gathered together.

During such a long period of time, Shuimu was either busy with tasks in the village or had personal matters to deal with, so it was basically impossible for him to lead a team out to perform tasks.

If nothing else, the Security Department had a ton of things to do, and if Kakashi was out from time to time or something, Mizuki would be even busier.

I originally wanted to teach something else, but then I thought better of it. I just did a practical training class, stretched my muscles, and had a big meal, just to strengthen our relationship.

They have been Chunin for a year or two. There is no need for Mizuki to care about everything like before. It is enough to let them realize the gap.

As for the future path, these precocious guys shouldn’t be as worrying as Class 7.

"Teacher Mizuki, I heard from others that you might become the sixth Hokage. Is that true?"

Inuzuka Kiba, the only one among the three who was interested in gossip, suddenly asked.

"Who told you that?"

"It was all over the news a few months ago! Hey, Shino, Hinata, you guys heard about it too, right?"

The two people who were pushed forward as convincing evidence also nodded unconsciously.

"It seems that the mission the village gave you was too easy, and you still have the mood to pay attention to these nonsense."

Shuimu was too lazy to explain too much.

"Isn't this a good thing? In my opinion, there's nothing wrong with Mizuki-sensei being the Hokage!"

"Don't talk nonsense!"

Mizuki sighed, although Danzo's rumor offensive didn't have any effect, it did make many people confused.

"What good will it do you to flatter me so much?"

"Of course there are benefits, Mr. Mizuki. If you become the Hokage, I will be his student. If I run for the seventh Hokage in the future, won't it be more convincing?"

"How come your little brain is so smart? There is no shortcut to becoming a Hokage!"

Mizuki said unhappily.

"But we all think that with Mr. Mizuki's ability, it won't be a problem for him to be the Hokage!"

"What do you think?"

Mizuki smiled. They dared to speak so arrogantly without having met any masters. These guys had no idea how powerful the Kages of the five major ninja villages were.

"In terms of strength, I think I'm just okay, but being a Hokage isn't something you can just do with strength."

It’s okay for Shimura Danzo, but without Kotoamatsukami, he’s like a tiger without its claws, nothing to worry about.

Kakashi Hatake's strength is also obvious at a glance. Kamui's spatial attribute attack was too sudden and impossible to defend against. Even the Ten-Tails' arm was instantly broken. Mizuki's small body probably couldn't withstand it.

Mizuki cannot achieve such destructive power, and there are few people in the ninja world whose attack ability can surpass Kakashi Hatake.

But compared with Shuimu, its other abilities are obviously weaker.

Mizuki has many methods and almost no weaknesses. If Kamui fails to hit him, Kakashi will have no way to deal with him.

The combination of Lava Release and several physical clones can consume all his pitiful chakra without even taking a breath.

There are many factors that influence a life-and-death battle, and it is difficult to say who will win or lose.

But if they were to fight, Kakashi wouldn't stand much chance of winning.

"As for what you said about the Hokage's students having an advantage, Kiba, have you ever thought about it? There are so many qualified Hokage disciples, how could it be my turn? Even Kakashi, who you think has little hope, is a student of the Yondaime."

There are almost no young ninjas who have seen the yellow flash. When the Nine-Tails attacked the village, they were either not born yet or were still in their infancy. Few of them knew Kakashi's background.

"Eh... is this true? That's really depressing!"

"If you want to be Hokage, you have to work harder, Kiba!"

Uchiha Sasuke and Hyuga Neji have already walked ahead, and Uzumaki Naruto will be back soon. If we don't turn our ideals into actions, hope will be slim.

…

The year's plan begins in spring, the season when everything comes back to life, but also the beginning of troubles.

For Danzo Shimura, every year that passes means his chances of becoming Hokage get smaller.

The actual age increase makes others give me the impression of being older.

With strong enough successors, there is no need for the aging predecessors to make their presence felt, even if Danzo feels that he can still hold on.

The advantages of older experience and prestige will gradually become shackles if you want to go further.

The biggest problem now is that most of the ninjas in Konoha are Tsunade's supporters.

After all, he is the legitimate Fifth Hokage and is under the control of Tsunade.

Danzo's biggest weakness is already obvious. His combat power is insufficient. He still has enough deterrent power, but he doesn't have many capable subordinates.

Influence under the sun is what Danzo needs most.

A, who was placed with high hopes, also caused a lot of trouble some time ago, but fortunately, no major problems arose.

The only ones who can make Danzo feel at ease now are Yamanaka Kaze and Aburame Tone.

Aki's strength is just so-so. After stabilizing the power in his body, the signs of the Sharingan's collapse disappeared. Shin and Sai still played a very important role, but it is still far from enough for Aki to make further progress.

The combat power of several jonin-level warriors cannot play a decisive role.

It was not until now that Danzo began to regret not training a few capable disciples like the Third Generation did. It was really unreliable to rely on the elders who were equally cunning and treacherous.

It's not just the Mangekyō Sharingan that can quickly replenish strength, there are also tailed beasts...