Chapter 100: Mutual Aid
For Anko Mitarashi, there was never really a need to rely on the power of the Curse Mark. Her own strength was already considerable, and she had no particular desire to seek even greater power. The Curse Mark had never brought her many benefits, but when it did act up, the burden and dangers were always immense.
Upon waking, Anko was still in a hazy state of consciousness and seemed unable to move. She struggled weakly once before giving up altogether.
"She should be fine now," Mizuki said, turning to Yamashiro Aoba. "In a little while, I'll run out of chakra and the barrier will disappear. Once that happens, call in a medical ninja to take over."
"Thanks a lot, Mizuki," Aoba said sincerely.
"I'll be going now. The rest is up to you."
Bidding Aoba farewell, Mizuki exited the building, followed shortly by Kakashi.
"What do you need from me, Kakashi?" Mizuki asked.
Kakashi's students weren't here, and this was just a temporary shelter. Kakashi had no real reason to come by unless there was a specific issue—clearly, he had something troublesome in mind for Mizuki.
"You're sharp as always. There is something," Kakashi replied. "The two advisors want to see you…"
"They want to see me? About what?" Mizuki asked in surprise. He wasn't close to Homura Mitokado or Koharu Utatane. Ever since his redemption, he had seldom interacted with them. It was hard to imagine what would bring him to their attention now.
"It's about the Third Hokage's death… and your enhancement serum," Kakashi said. "I didn't see it up close myself, but that kind of power is hard to ignore—especially for the higher-ups."
"The universal serum? Did the Third have a reserve dose?"
Kakashi's words reminded Mizuki that the Third Hokage had fought Orochimaru with only a few ANBU present—perhaps only Mizuki's clone saw the whole battle. But…
"When?" Mizuki asked, a bit troubled. Not only did he need to periodically replenish chakra for his clone, he also needed to sync memories. That hadn't happened yet. So far, he only knew his clone was still alive—but not the details.
"Later. Everyone's busy for now."
"That's fine. I'll go before dinner," Mizuki agreed, relieved. "Did you see where my clone went?"
"Near the Ninja Academy, helping out Ebisu…" Kakashi replied.
"Why the Academy…? Never mind. Anyway…" Mizuki added, "You didn't come all this way just to deliver a message, did you? Spit it out."
"Well, I do have a personal favor to ask," Kakashi said after a pause. "It's about Sasuke's Curse Mark—do you have any way to deal with it?"
Mizuki groaned internally.
It seemed Kakashi, seeing Mizuki's recent improvements in sealing techniques, had decided to ask out of desperation.
"Did Lord Jiraiya take a look? What did he say?"
"It's complicated," Kakashi replied with a bitter smile. "He didn't go into detail, but I think he can't deal with it."
That was likely true. Perhaps Mount Myoboku could help, but that was a different matter altogether.
Mizuki sighed. "Kakashi, the Curse Mark is incredibly complicated."
Everyone had seen that the Evil Sealing Method had little effect on the Curse Mark.
But it depended on the person. Anko had lived with it for years without major incidents. Sasuke, on the other hand, clearly couldn't handle it. Like Kakashi said—it relied entirely on Sasuke's personal willpower. For a revenge-driven power-seeker, that was practically a joke.
"Is it impossible?"
"No. In this world, nothing is truly impossible," Mizuki said. "As long as chakra exists, there's always a way."
Indeed, even Mizuki's prototype Curse Mark had been greatly improved. But stepping in recklessly might cause ripples—what if Sasuke didn't receive training from Orochimaru and failed to grow strong enough to seal Kaguya? That needed to be considered. Not that Mizuki particularly cared—but still, prematurely entering the sights of figures like Ryuchi Cave's summoning beasts could be dangerous.
"So there's a way? Tell me."
"Removing it is impossible. I can seal it, but your Evil Sealing Method is too weak. Given Sasuke's personality, it's just not enough."
The Curse Mark's harm wasn't just physical—it delivered intense psychological stimulation. Unlike Mount Myoboku's Sage Mode, which could turn users to stone, the Snake Sage path had its own drawbacks. Jugo's madness wasn't baseless. All those who inherited the Curse Mark line tended to spiral into extremes. The more it was used, the more its side effects resembled mental pollution. Sasuke's emotional coldness later on could very well be linked to his repeated reliance on the Curse Mark.
"I know the Evil Sealing Method isn't working, but I can't find anything stronger."
"Even stronger ones won't help unless they target the root cause."
The Curse Mark's power originated from Snake Sage chakra—a degraded Sage Mode. Its energy was of a higher grade than regular chakra. When quality doesn't suffice, quantity won't always compensate.
"Then what should we do?"
"There is one way," Mizuki explained. "It won't remove the Curse Mark, but it can reinforce Sasuke's mind and prevent the mark's influence from damaging his spirit. But it comes with a side effect."
"And that is?"
"It'll make evolving the Sharingan more difficult."
With Mizuki's capabilities, he couldn't fully erase or suppress the Curse Mark, but he could create a mental barrier based on his own prototype methods. Physical damage was easier to manage and could be handled separately. However, overly stabilizing the mind would dull emotional fluctuations—making it harder for the Sharingan to evolve. In other words, Sasuke's chance of awakening the Mangekyo would be much lower.
"I see…" Kakashi pondered. "You're surprisingly knowledgeable about the Sharingan."
"It's famous. Who wouldn't secretly research it?" Mizuki replied evasively. He figured Kakashi wouldn't dig too deep.
"I'll talk to Sasuke first. I don't think he'll object."
"Of course. But what are you offering in return?" Mizuki smirked. "You're not expecting me to do this for free, are you?"
"Uh…" Kakashi faltered. He hadn't thought of that. "I have some jutsu scrolls. Want them?"
"Forget it," Mizuki sighed. "I might ask you for a personal favor later…"
More specifically, he would need Kakashi's Sharingan.
"Then it's settled. When do we start?"
"Three days from now. I need time to prepare."
---
Read up to 20 chapter ahead of time on patreon.com/Legendryweeb
{please give this novel 5 Star review and power stone}
*Thank you*