It was still that spiritual world filled with memory orbs. The eerie red-and-black aura had already seeped through every corner. Opposite him, the original Mizuki emitted a bright red glow so intense that his original appearance could no longer be discerned. Faintly visible through the red light were crimson patterns covering his entire body.
"It seems almost complete. The original Mizuki won't last much longer."
Mizuki silently focused his spiritual power, extending both hands forward. A previously dim sealing array gradually emitted a blinding green light, forming a thin glowing film that wrapped around the red figure, separating most of the crimson mist outside.
"If it weren't for this Four Symbols Seal, I would have already lost all self-awareness to the overwhelming Sage Chakra. Too bad I haven't mastered the higher-level Eight Trigrams Sealing Style yet. Otherwise, I could have gained another massive Chakra source inside my body."
After clearly identifying the spiritual risks within himself, Mizuki had thoroughly analyzed his own mental state, with self-awareness being his top priority. Although one could simply summarize everything as 'transmigration' or 'soul possession,' the reality was far more complicated than that.
Regarding Freudian theory's concepts of ego, id, and superego, those classifications seemed exaggerated and didn't quite fit the current situation. However, such explanations only represented differences in spiritual realms. The key issue remained distinguishing between self and others. Undoubtedly, he possessed memories from a past life. Yet how his consciousness had crossed over was still unknown. Was there another version of himself living an ordinary life while he was merely a collection of memories that had crossed over? This question remained unanswered. But ultimately, the past life drifted far away — he was unquestionably Mizuki of this lifetime. The critical matter lay with that guy on the opposite side.
In terms of natural disposition, coming from a peaceful era as a greenhouse flower, he found it hard to believe he could successfully perform soul transference into the original Mizuki—a ninja born in wartime, possessing firm willpower and stubborn determination. After all, the original had both stronger will and superior strength, plus having home ground advantage. How could he be defeated so easily? Yet reality had already changed, so there must be reasons behind it. Regarding this type of soul transmigration phenomenon, without doubt, qualitatively he was significantly inferior. However, the key to turning the tables lay in the enormous difference in quantity. With Mizuki's brief life experience of less than thirty years, how could it compare with the vast information volume generated during his past life in an internet-advanced, knowledge-exploding era? It was like hackers launching a cyber attack—even the strongest computing capabilities would crash instantly when overwhelmed by tidal waves of attacks exceeding their capacity.
Concerning spiritual battles, the victor takes everything. There wouldn't exist two souls occupying one body without reason. Without question, Mizuki was dead — evident from how he had completely inherited everything belonging to Mizuki. That guy over there was merely a worthless remnant of a soul. Unless something unexpected happened, Mizuki would remain silent until death or slowly vanish away.
From a philosophical perspective, what exactly is memory? Plato believed memory was tied to recollection and innate knowledge, while some considered memory itself as the soul. Regardless, memory remains fundamental — the basis of self-perception. These are all matters of subjectivity.
"I am nothing without my memories"—this phrase fits the current situation well. From the former Mizuki's failure onward, I have become Mizuki himself. The former Mizuki lost his basic self-awareness; in terms of existence, he was no different from an ordinary stone by the roadside. The only distinction is that one exists within the real world, while the other resides within the self's soul.
That should've been how things were. But because of the cursed seal, everything changed.
The cursed seal is Orochimaru's research result combining Sage Mode and Living Corpse Reincarnation. It possesses a dual erosion effect on both body and mind. The physical harm caused by the Cursed Seal of Heaven, the Cursed Seal of Earth, and my own cursed seal is obvious enough, though my incomplete version is naturally even more destructive.
Regarding mental erosion, the Cursed Seal of Heaven and Cursed Seal of Earth operate through Orochimaru's soul backups, preparing for his rebirth through Living Corpse Reincarnation. My cursed seal skipped this step but instead replaced it with mutated Sage Chakra. In other words, it's an undirected, subconscious process of assimilation spreading throughout the world. Though not as specifically targeted as Orochimaru's soul backup method, it's even more troublesome.
Fortunately, when Orochimaru gave me the cursed seal, I hadn't yet transmigrated. The main body of the cursed seal still resided within the former Mizuki's soul. Reflected within the spiritual world, this meant the opposing side suffered far worse erosion than mine. Combined with the Sealing Formula I placed not long ago, the damage to my spirit was significantly reduced. Even so, the effects were still very serious.
Actually speaking, although incomplete, my cursed seal shouldn't be able to react to natural energy and Sage Chakra to such a degree. This must also be partially my fault. The former Mizuki had his body taken over, losing his memories and sense of self, therefore also losing the instinctive defenses inherent in his soul. With both spirit and flesh completely vulnerable, utterly defenseless against attack. Then, when triggered by Anko Mitarashi's similar power source, it became like dry tinder catching fire—once ignited, unstoppable. Within merely over a month, the opposing side was already nearly finished. Soon, he'd probably disappear entirely.
"Or perhaps, if there truly is a collective unconscious within this world, maybe he might become something akin to a heroic spirit or a world proxy. If that happens, things won't be fun at all."
I extended my hand, quietly sensing the red aura, but seemingly felt absolutely nothing.
"No malice detected, though it appears unsettling. Is this just an aesthetic problem? Or perhaps the world itself holds no hostility, acting purely out of instinct and indifference?"
"Hmm? No, as the master of this spiritual world, color changes reflect subconscious aversion. Red indicates warning; black signifies danger. Just dealing with the world's instincts alone has left me struggling to cope. I need to hurry."
...
Morning arrived, awoken by birdsong.
"Fortune favors the bold."
Mizuki opened his eyes and got up, first checking carefully on his precious jellyfish, then looking at the rare plant samples he cultivated. Everything appeared completely normal, so he relaxed and stepped into the bathroom for a shower.
Looking at his reflection in the dressing mirror, he noticed significant changes.
"My silver-white hair, once reaching my ears, now flows past my shoulders."
His fringe had already been cut once, but it was growing back fast enough to almost cover his eyes again. And—
Mizuki rubbed his temples. "My physical condition is getting worse and worse."
Because the lingering remnants of Mizuki's original soul acted like a leaky sieve, natural energy kept pouring into him nonstop. While the Four Symbols Seal was holding back the mental damage caused by the cursed seal for now, the physical toll remained significant. The [Evil Sealing Method] needed preparation soon, but how could he complete it without being monitored? He should start thinking about it—
...
After finally getting himself together, Mizuki stepped outside. Ever since receiving orders from the Third, he'd been going to work every day just like in his previous life—punctual as ever—and reliving that white-collar nine-to-five routine.
Still, Mizuki often took time to replenish his strength due to worsening health. His body rapidly generated huge amounts of energy through hyperactive metabolism, only for it all to dissipate into thin air without purpose, leaving his body severely weakened.
"Oh, isn't that the pervy teacher?"
"Who's that rude bastard disturbing people's sleep? Don't you know people can get really angry when woken up like that?" Mizuki muttered, annoyed, as he opened his eyes to look.
"Huh? Isn't that Tenten? Completed your mission already? Ah, Guy-sensei, sorry for the interruption." Mizuki took the mission report and confirmed its completion.
"Thank you for taking care of my students last time, Mizuki." Might Guy said cheerfully.
"You're being too kind. Your students are truly impressive—even I, a chunin, feel the pressure from them. Haha."
"That's the power of youth!" With a thumbs-up and sparkling teeth, the passionate teacher radiated pure enthusiasm.
"Haha," Mizuki chuckled politely along. Following Might Guy's suggestion, Mizuki assigned a C-rank mission to a genin team before heading off.
"Sigh, everything sure is peaceful around here."
"You said it, Mizuki," someone nearby agreed.
"Hmm? Since when have you been here, Iruka? Your ability to hide your presence has improved quite a bit."
"You've just been lazy lately. Napping on the job? Careful—they'll dock your pay." Iruka teased.
"Like I even get paid anymore—" Mizuki muttered under his breath. Three months worth of salary had already been taken away.
"Mizuki, there's a request here. Take a look at it; if there's no issue, we'll classify it as C-rank."
"Let me see…"
He grabbed the mission application and gave it a casual glance—but his indifferent demeanor vanished in an instant.
"The Land of Waves? Already so soon?"
Perhaps he was mistaken—the original plan had been for this mission, an important event for the main team prior to the Chunin Exams, to take far longer than expected. At the current production rate, constructing a bridge like that would clearly take more than just a couple of days. Considering the timing, receiving the mission request didn't seem particularly strange.
"But is there any profit involved?"
After thinking briefly, Mizuki told Iruka, "Hold off on this one—I need to consult someone first."
"Eh? It's just a normal escort and protection mission. At most, the opponents might be ordinary bandits or robbers. What's the problem with that?"
"It's hard to say. Better safe than sorry."
With that, Mizuki stood up and headed toward the Hokage's office.
Arriving at the entrance to the Hokage's office, Mizuki knocked on the door.
"Come in."
Mizuki pushed the door open and stepped inside.
"Hokage-sama."
"So it's you, Mizuki. What brings you here?"
"Just received a mission request, and something feels off about it."
"Hmm?"
Lord Third picked up the report submitted by Mizuki and skimmed through it.
"The mission description is straightforward. Based on the client's statement, classifying it as a C-Rank seems appropriate. What's your concern?"
"Lord Third, regarding the mission details, I think we should conduct an investigation first."
"Investigate?"
"Yes," Mizuki affirmed. "I've traveled through the Land of Waves before while on missions. It's a place of poverty and ignorance, ruled by local warlords who exploit the villagers."
"Are you worried they can't afford the payment? No one would dare default on payments to Konoha shinobi, right?"
"No, Lord Hokage. I suspect the client intentionally misclassified the mission rank." Mizuki paused slightly before continuing, "Building a bridge—a move that will set everything into motion—is definitely no small matter. It involves many people's interests. There's no telling what desperate measures someone might take."
"Hmm." Lord Third thought for a moment and said, "You make sense, but investigating the client before starting the mission isn't quite appropriate either. Plus, with our current personnel shortages in Konoha, we can't send anyone far away to the Land of Waves. Let's leave it at this for now. I'll assign suitable people to complete the mission."
"I understand. Sorry for the disturbance."
With that, Mizuki stepped out.
"The inertia of history is too strong. Before building up real strength and influence, making changes will be extremely difficult. But it's not without benefits. Raising my profile could possibly bring unexpected gains."
"That said, Momochi Zabuza and Haku aren't opponents I can handle right now, and my body still isn't in top condition. Completing [Evil Sealing Method] should be my priority."
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