"What? That was terrifying!"
Moonlight Gale and Yamashiro Aoba stared in horror, shaken by the screams still echoing from the battle just past.
"It's similar to the dose I gave you earlier," Mizuki said nonchalantly, as if the violence hadn't fazed him. "If you combine both formulas, the effects might stack. Want to test it?"
"No thanks," Aoba replied immediately, waving him off. "The recovery speed is incredible, but the side effects are no joke. My wound's still itching like hell."
"I don't feel anything like that," Gale noted. "Just some fatigue. Otherwise, I'm healing well."
"Oh? Valuable field data. Appreciate the sacrifice."
Mizuki's tone remained flat, bordering on heartless.
"You're seriously the worst," Aoba muttered. "No wonder no one likes working with you."
"Good thing I'm not trying to be liked." Mizuki shrugged. "Should we go after them? If it's just the three of us, we might catch one alive."
As acting squad leader, Aoba hesitated, then shook his head. "Let it go. Pursuing now would complicate things. We were ambushed during a mission, but they've retreated. This isn't wartime—we can't risk unnecessary escalation just to catch a survivor."
The echoes of conflict faded behind them, bubbles of chakra residue bursting quietly in the mist.
"Should we regroup with Captain Ibiki or head to support Kakashi?" Moonlight Gale asked.
Mizuki's eyes narrowed. "Let's check the bridge first. I sensed a surge in chakra—ominous, unstable. Something's wrong."
"Yeah," Aoba nodded. "If anything happens to Naruto, especially with the Nine-Tails sealed inside him, the fallout could be catastrophic."
Without wasting another second, the three sped toward the Great Naruto Bridge.
"Oh, right." Mizuki's voice broke the silence again, casual as ever. "Gale, your dose expired. You'll be fine after some rest. Aoba, your case's trickier. Best to stay physically active and burn chakra until the itching subsides."
He paused, his face momentarily serious. "Once we return to the village, both of you should get a full check-up. I don't see immediate danger, but don't take any chances."
"Wait, it's that serious?" Aoba asked skeptically. "You took even more than us and were hit harder—how are you still standing?"
"Exactly because I expected worse injuries. That's why I used more." Mizuki said. "Still, it's an unstable prototype. No guarantees."
"We all agreed to this," Gale added calmly. "We knew the risks. And if anything goes wrong, Konoha's med-nin are the best. We'll recover."
Mizuki opened his mouth to respond—but his body suddenly tensed.
"Who's there?"
"Relax. It's me," said a voice from the mist. Ibiki Morino stepped forward, flanked by Izumo Kamizuki.
"Good to see you all alive."
"Took you long enough," Aoba grumbled. "We got wrecked out here."
Ibiki glanced over them, eyes narrowing. Mizuki, drenched in his own blood, looked barely human. His uniform was shredded. "Judging by your condition… I doubt that blood's from the enemy."
"Where's Kakashi?"
"The mist's clearing. It looks like the fight's over." Ibiki answered. "Let's go confirm."
"Kakashi's Raiton is impressive," Mizuki muttered as they moved. "Chakra nature transformation, cellular activation—it's like sorcery."
"Your state's not bad either," Izumo added sarcastically. "Real flashy, for someone half-dead."
"Yeah, well… being flashy costs blood. Unfortunately, all of it's mine."
"Didn't you have a fiancée?" Izumo teased. **"Still trying to charm girls covered in scabs?"
"One more word and I'll bring up your little incident peeking into the women's bath."
"That was a misunderstanding—!"
"Enough." Ibiki cut them off. "It's over. Aoba and I will interrogate survivors. You four, clean up the battlefield."
Cardo, the man who'd built his empire on exploitation, now lay dead—his soul likely to be probed for secrets before release.
Mizuki knelt beside a bloodstained patch of ground. "This blood… not Zabuza's. And this… White Zetsu? Or… no, too early. Naruto? Sasuke? These steel senbon…"
He pocketed the needles. "Better to analyze it later. Maybe there are viable cells left."
Kakashi stood nearby, silent.
"You should check on your students. They look roughed up."
"They're lucky. The enemy held back. Otherwise, they'd be dead."
"Was that the guy who tanked your Raikiri?"
"Yeah. One of the ones you mentioned earlier. He's gone now."
Mizuki gave a crooked smile. "Funny how the good ones never last long."
"That's rich, coming from you." Kakashi eyed him. Mizuki's entire torso was smeared with blood. "Wait—that's all yours?"
"Yeah. I'm barely hanging on. Lost almost everything—tools, scrolls, summons. Ibiki and Aoba get all the loot this time. Not even a beheading sword to show for it. Just… some senbon."
**"The Hokage'll compensate you."
**"Easy for you to say. I haven't been paid in three months."
Kakashi gave a half-smile. "The Hokage won't forget. I'm off to check on my genin."
And with that, he vanished.
"Dishonest to the end," Mizuki muttered, watching the others finish their tasks. He was tempted to sneak off—rest somewhere, just for a moment.
But as he tried to move—nothing. His limbs wouldn't obey.
"What—?" Panic rose. He tried to circulate chakra, but pain exploded from his right arm, radiating across his body. Cursed runes flared to life on his skin.
"No… not now. The Curse Seal shouldn't be activating. The Evil Sealing Method should've suppressed it."
He laughed bitterly. "Is my body really this far gone?"
The mutated natural energy surged, hijacking his cells. It hurt—but it gave him strength. Terrible, borrowed strength.
"This power… I know it's false. A trick from the edge of death. But most wouldn't resist this temptation."
His body fought back. The lingering medicine accelerated his recovery, and then, something changed. The clash of chakra and nature energy sparked something new.
"This… is this Sage Chakra?"
No—it wasn't stable. He wasn't in Sage Mode. But something was happening.
He pushed harder. The cursed seal recoiled, the energy retreating to his right arm. The runes warped—no longer an abstract tiger's head, but a single black magatama orb. It pulsed… then vanished.
"Mizuki!" Moonlight Gale caught him as he collapsed.
"I'm fine… just need a moment. You all finish up—I'll take a quick nap."
And with that, Mizuki lost consciousness.