"What kind of thing is this? It's terrifying!" The horrifying scream sent a chill down Hayate Gekko and Aoba Yamashiro's spines.
"It's similar to what I gave you. When used together, it boosts the recovery effect. You two wanna give it a shot?" Mizuki said casually, as if nothing was wrong.
"No thanks," Aoba Yamashiro declined immediately. "The effect is indeed great, but I'm guessing the side effects won't be small either. My wounds still feel numb and tingly."
"As for me, I don't have that feeling. Besides being tired, nothing else seems wrong. I recovered pretty well actually."
"Oh well, guess that makes you two great test subjects. Appreciate the sacrifice." Mizuki continued speaking without a care in the world.
"You..." Aoba Yamashiro couldn't even find words, "...really are impossible to like."
"Like I care if someone like you likes me anyway." Mizuki shrugged indifferently. "Shall we chase them down? If all three of us go together, there might be hope of capturing a survivor."
Temporary team leader Aoba Yamashiro thought for a moment and said, "Forget it. Running into them on a mission is one thing, but chasing after they've pulled back will just bring trouble. After all, this is a time of peace, and we're not warring nations. Even capturing survivors would be difficult to handle."
The screams gradually faded into the distance, along with the occasional bubbles rising from the water.
"Should we meet up with Captain Ibiki first or go directly to support Kakashi?" Gekko Hayate asked.
"Let's head to the bridge first to check what's going on. Just now I sensed an ominous chakra surge. I have a bad feeling about this; better to take a look first." Mizuki suggested.
"Good idea. If the Nine-Tails is involved, we could be looking at a major disaster." Aoba Yamashiro made the decision.
The three immediately sped off to back up Kakashi Hatake.
"Oh right, forgot to mention," Mizuki added with his usual infuriating attitude. "Hayate, the life-saving pill's effect has already worn off. Just rest more when you get back and you'll be fine. As for Aoba, your situation is complicated. I can't explain clearly, but until that numbness disappears, it's best to remain active and use up as much chakra as possible."
He paused briefly before continuing, "You both should have thorough body checks after returning. So far nothing serious has occurred, but better prepare yourselves mentally just in case."
"You're kidding, right? That serious?" Aoba Yamashiro asked nervously. "Aren't you the one who took more medicine than we did? And weren't you the most severely injured? Are you okay?"
"I took more precisely because I expected to get hurt worse," Mizuki answered. "But after all, these were just prototypes. Everything remains uncertain."
Gekko Hayate comforted him, saying, "We all chose to use them willingly, so we must have known the risks already. Even if problems arise, Konoha's Medical Ninjutsu is the best. We'll definitely recover."
As Mizuki was about to speak, suddenly he felt a chill run through him.
"Who's there?"
"It's me. Don't be tense." It was Ibiki Morino, followed by Izumo and Kotetsu.
"I'm glad to see you're all safe."
"Captain! You arrived so late. We suffered heavy losses."
"Just looking at your pitiful appearance tells me everything."
"Especially Mizuki, covered in dark red blood crusts with his ragged clothes. This is clearly not the enemy's blood."
"How is Kakashi doing?"
"The mist is clearing up; the battle must have ended. We should go check it out quickly."
"Fine."
When the six of them arrived, everything was already over.
"We're just a little late, but seems like nothing serious happened," Ibiki said. "We'll clean up the battlefield later."
"Mizuki, your mind-probing scans are impressive," one commented.
"Kakashi's Lightning Release technique was really cool," Mizuki said admiringly. "The nature transformation of lightning chakra and the ability to vitalize cells—truly a masterful skill for impressing girls."
"You look pretty impressive yourself," Kotetsu noted. "For a ninja, this level of recklessness is quite remarkable."
"This is all my own blood, okay? The price I paid for being stylish was way too high."
"Don't you already have a fiancée? Why would you still try to flirt with other girls?"
"Kotetsu, please don't expose my secrets. Next time I catch you peeping into the women's bathhouse, I'll keep watch for you."
"Thanks, but no need. Besides, I never did that!"
"Enough bickering," Ibiki interrupted. "It seems the battle's over. Aoba and I will capture some survivors to find out where they've hidden the money. You four can start cleaning up the battlefield."
Poor Gato had worked hard his whole life, only to be used and discarded by Zabuza in the end. Even after his death, his mind was subjected to probing scans for information. All his wealth was taken and redistributed to the poor.
Mizuki collected a smear of blood from the ground. "This pile belongs to Zabuza, and this one to Haku. And what about this one?" He looked at the blood-stained senbon needles—Haku's signature weapons. "Is this Naruto's or Sasuke's? Whatever, I'll just collect it first. Hopefully, there are still some living cells left inside."
After finishing cleanup, Mizuki glanced at Kakashi beside him.
"Why don't you go take care of your lovely students? They seem pretty seriously injured, if I remember right."
"My opponent held back. Otherwise, Sasuke and Naruto would already be dead."
"You mean the one who got hit by your Lightning Cutter?"
"Yes, probably that young man you guys were watching earlier."
"Really? Good people always die early. You truly are cruel~"
"I'm curious which part of me you consider morally superior to say that." Kakashi looked pointedly at Mizuki's blood-soaked body.
"For the last time," Mizuki twitched his mouth slightly, "this is all my own blood."
"Oh?" Kakashi exclaimed in shock. "You lost so much blood yet survived. What a lucky guy you are."
"Don't rub salt into the wound. This time I suffered major losses—nearly all my summoned beasts and ninja tools are gone." Mizuki grumbled bitterly. "Ibiki and Aoba took away all the profits while we got stuck with these broke rogue and wandering ninjas worth next to nothing. Not even the valuable Cleaver Sword ended up in my hands. I could only pick up a few lousy needles. What use are those anyway?"
"The Third Hokage will compensate you."
"You don't understand!" Mizuki snapped. "I've been working for free these past few months—the old man already deducted all my salary!"
"Hehe," Kakashi chuckled awkwardly. "The Third Hokage definitely won't let you down. I need to check on my students now. See you around." [Shifting Body Technique] With that, he vanished using the Shifting Body Technique.
"Sigh... All untrustworthy bastards. Looks like I'm facing a lean period again. I wonder if Tsubaki has enough money to take care of both of us..."
Mizuki couldn't help but contemplate the promising career prospects of being a kept man. Glancing at his comrades still working busily in the distant area, Mizuki considered sneaking off. After all, there wasn't much to pack up. He decided to leave first and find somewhere to sleep. Today had been extremely exhausting.
"Huh? Why can't I move?" Just as Mizuki prepared to act, he noticed something was wrong with his body. "My body isn't responding. What's going on?"
Realizing something serious was happening, Mizuki hurriedly circulated his chakra, though it was already too late. A scorching pain rapidly spread from his right arm throughout his entire body. Wherever the pain reached, countless runes emerged across his skin.
"Damn it! How could the cursed seal activate? My mind and the Evil Sealing Method were both fine. There shouldn't have been any mistakes. Could it be…" Mizuki couldn't help but laugh bitterly. "Is my physical exhaustion really that severe?"
The power of the Evil Sealing Method mainly relied on one's own spirit and willpower. However, the vessel bearing this seal was still flesh and blood. If the body became too weak, even maintaining the sealing technique itself became difficult, making the sudden activation of the cursed seal unsurprising.
Mutated natural energy wildly rampaged inside his body, ruthlessly draining every cell's vitality while deceptively bestowing tremendous strength.
"This false power… If I didn't already know it was just an illusion born from drained life force, most people would probably succumb to its temptation."
What could he do? Mizuki seemed helpless, able only to watch helplessly as things worsened. The remaining effects of the pills also responded to the imminent crisis, desperately accelerating the repair of his severely damaged body. Mizuki circulated chakra to resist the mutated natural energy, though he knew his efforts were futile.
Just as Mizuki neared despair, suddenly an unknown force emerged from the collision between his chakra and natural energy. It felt like Primordial Energy at the Dawn of Life, revitalizing his body as if a tree reborn in spring, erasing every hidden danger without a trace. At the same time, the remaining pills appeared to receive reinforcements and surged with renewed vigor, significantly increasing the recovery speed.
"This force… this effect?" Mizuki thought incredulously. "Sage Chakra? Sage Mode? Did I actually achieve it this easily?" This power's strength completely exceeded imagination. Previously, his original chakra practically collapsed upon encountering natural energy, clearly belonging to different levels of power. However, this Sage Chakra let Mizuki finally understand what absolute power truly felt like.
"Although I don't understand what's happening, it seems like an unexpected salvation. Still," Mizuki reminded himself, "this isn't power I should desire at my current stage. With limited personal chakra reserves while natural energy has unlimited supply, unless I seal the cursed seal soon, eventually even Sage Chakra won't save me."
Power beyond one's control will always remain nothing more than [Mirage on Water or Flower in Mirror].
Shaking off his obsession with this newfound strength, Mizuki seized the opportunity provided by Sage Chakra repairing his body. While extracting additional chakra reserves, he used chakra to block natural energy at the same time, producing even more Sage Chakra. Gradually establishing a virtuous cycle, aided by the pills giving their last burst of effectiveness, he steadily began forcing the natural energy back.
The two energies made his body their battlefield, causing Mizuki to scream in agony from the piercing pain.
"What's wrong? Mizuki?" Hayate Gekko, who stood nearby, heard the cry and couldn't help but come over to ask.
Mizuki had no time to respond. The critical moment had arrived. The natural energy was forced into his right arm, causing it to swell significantly. The excruciating pain gave Mizuki an urge to chop off his own right arm.
Gritting his teeth, Mizuki summoned his spiritual power and activated the Evil Sealing Method to seal the Cursed Seal once more.
The runes generated by the seal quickly contracted, but they no longer resembled the abstract Tora head as before. Instead, they coalesced into a jet-black teardrop-shaped jewel surrounded by the Evil Sealing Method symbols, then both the jewel and the runes vanished into his body.
"Realizing something was terribly wrong, Hayate rushed over and steadied the trembling Mizuki, who looked on the verge of collapse.
"Finally, it's over," Mizuki said with a weary smile, his energy completely spent. "You guys go ahead. I'm gonna catch my breath for a bit."
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