False Power

"What is that? It's terrifying!" The horrific scream made Hayate Gekko and Aoba Yamashiro's hair stand on end.

"It's similar to the kind I gave you; using both together yields better recovery results, you know? Do you two want to try it?" Mizuki spoke of terrifying things as if he were completely unbothered.

"Forget it," Aoba Yamashiro quickly refused. "The effect is indeed good, but the side effects are likely just as significant. Even now, I can still feel an unbearable itching and numbness at the wound site."

"I don't have that feeling. Aside from the fatigue, nothing else feels wrong. It's recovering quite well."

"Oh, rare experimental data. Thank you for your hard work," Mizuki said, still as heartless as ever.

"You guy," Aoba Yamashiro was speechless, "you really aren't very likable."

"It's not like I need a grown man like you to like me anyway," Mizuki said dismissively. "Are we going to chase them? If the three of us go together, there's still a chance to capture a live one."

Temporary captain Aoba Yamashiro thought for a moment and said, "Forget it. Encountering them during a mission is one thing, but chasing them after one side has already retreated would be very troublesome. After all, this is a time of peace; we are not warring nations. Even if we capture them alive, they would be difficult to deal with."

The screams gradually faded into the distance, and the water, occasionally bubbling, slowly calmed.

"Should we go rendezvous with Captain Ibiki first, or go directly to support Hatake Kakashi?" Hayate Gekko asked.

"Let's go to the bridge to check the situation first. I felt an ominous burst of chakra just now, and I have a bad premonition. It's better to go over and take a look," Mizuki suggested.

"That's fine. If something happens to the Nine-Tails, we'll be in trouble," Aoba Yamashiro decided.

Having reached an agreement, the three of them flew off to support Hatake Kakashi.

"Right, I forgot to mention," Mizuki said with that infuriatingly calm attitude, "Hayate, the effects of your medicine have worn off; just go back and get plenty of rest, and you'll be fine. As for Aoba, your situation is complicated. I can't explain it clearly, but until the itching and numbness disappear, it's best to keep yourself in a state of intense activity and consume plenty of chakra."

He paused, then added, "You two should have a thorough check-up when you get back. It doesn't look like there are any problems for now, but it's best to be mentally prepared."

"No way, is it that serious?" Aoba Yamashiro asked. "You seem to have used more of the medicine than we did, and you were the most severely injured. Are you going to be okay?"

"It's precisely because I anticipated being more severely injured that I used more medicine," Mizuki replied. "But it's still just a semi-finished product, so it's hard to say for sure."

Hayate Gekko offered some comfort: "We all used it voluntarily, so I'm sure we all considered the consequences. Even if there are issues, Konoha's medical ninjutsu is the best; it will definitely be curable."

Just as Mizuki was about to speak, he suddenly felt a tremor.

"Who's there?"

"It's me, don't be nervous." It was Ibiki Morino, followed by Izumo and Kotetsu.

"I'm relieved to see you're all okay."

"It's the captain. You're slow; we suffered a huge loss."

"I can tell by the miserable state you're in." Especially Mizuki, covered in red and black blood scabs and wearing tattered clothes—it clearly wasn't the enemy's blood.

"How is it on Kakashi's side?"

"The mist is gradually clearing; the outcome should be decided. We need to hurry over and see."

"Right."

By the time the six of them arrived, everything was already over.

"A step late, but it doesn't look like there's much of a problem," Ibiki said. "We'll go over and clear the battlefield in a moment."

"That Lightning Style technique of Kakashi's is really flashy," Mizuki said with envy. "The nature transformation of lightning-attribute chakra, plus the ability to activate cells—it's truly a god-tier skill for picking up girls."

"Your current look isn't bad either; it's quite arrogant for a ninja," Kotetsu said.

"This is my own blood, alright? The price for looking cool is just too high."

"Don't you have a fiancée? Why are you still trying to pick up girls?"

"Kotetsu, please don't expose me. Next time you peek at the women's bath, I'll keep watch for you."

"Thanks, but no—wait, I don't peek at all!"

"Stop arguing," Ibiki said. "It looks like it's over. Aoba, come with me to catch a few live ones and ask where they hid their money. The four of you go clear the battlefield."

Poor Gato, having worked hard his whole life, ended up being tormented by Zabuza, and even in death, he was subjected to soul-searching and mind-reading, his hard-earned money stolen to help the poor.

Mizuki collected a pool of blood from the ground. "This batch is Zabuza's, and this one is Haku's. And this is?" He looked at some blood-stained steel needles. "Are these Naruto's or Sasuke's? Whatever, I'll collect them first. I hope the cells inside are still active."

After tidying everything up, Mizuki looked at Kakashi nearby.

"Why aren't you looking after your cute students? They don't look like they're in great shape either."

"The opponent held back; otherwise, Sasuke and Naruto would have been dead long ago."

"Is it the one who was hit by your Chidori?"

"Yes, it should be the boy you saw while you were monitoring them earlier."

"Is that so? Good people never live long, and you're quite cruel, aren't you?"

"I'm curious what position you're speaking from," he said, looking at Mizuki's blood-soaked body.

"I'll say it again," Mizuki's mouth twitched, "this is all my own blood."

"Ah?" Kakashi was shocked. "You've lost so much blood and you're still alive? You really are lucky."

"You don't need to be a busybody. I've suffered a huge loss this time; my summoning beast and ninja tools are almost all gone," Mizuki said, unwilling to let it go. "Ibiki and Aoba got to loot all the benefits. These rogue ninjas and wandering mercenaries don't have a drop of oil on them; they're dirt poor. Even the valuable Executioner's Blade isn't for me; I can only pick up a few steel needles—they're useless."

"The Third Hokage will compensate you."

"Do you have any idea? I've been working for free for months, and my wages were deducted to nothing long ago!"

"Heh," Kakashi chuckled sheepishly. "The Third Hokage certainly won't treat you unfairly. I have to go see my students now, see you later." With that, he vanished using the Body Flicker Technique.

"Sigh, what a bunch of ungrateful guys. Looks like I'll be living in poverty for a while. I wonder if Tsubaki has enough money to support a household?" Mizuki couldn't help but contemplate the promising career path of becoming a kept man.

Glancing at his companions still busy not far away, Mizuki toyed with the idea of slipping away; there wasn't much to pack anyway. He prepared to leave and find a place to sleep, as he was truly exhausted from the day's events.

"Huh? Why can't I move?" Just as Mizuki prepared to act, he realized something was wrong with his body. "It's not responding to me. What's going on?"

Sensing that something was terribly wrong, Mizuki hurriedly tried to circulate his chakra, but it was already too late. A searing, agonizing pain spread rapidly from his right arm throughout his entire body. Wherever it touched, patterns of runes began to emerge.

"Damn it, why is the Cursed Seal activating? My mental state and the Evil Sealing Method are both fine, there shouldn't be any errors. Could it be?" Mizuki couldn't help but smile bitterly. "Has my body really been overdrawn to this extent?"

The power of the Evil Sealing Method relied primarily on one's spirit and willpower, but the vessel for the seal remained a physical body of flesh and blood. If the body were too weak, it would be difficult to sustain the sealing technique itself, making it no surprise that the Cursed Seal would erupt.

Mutated natural energy rampaged wildly within his body, recklessly draining the vitality of every cell while simultaneously granting him immense power.

This false strength—if I didn't already know it was just an illusion born from overdrawing my life force, I doubt an ordinary person could resist such temptation.

What now? Mizuki seemed to have run out of options and could only let the situation worsen. The residual effects of the potion in his body seemed to sense the crisis and frantically worked to repair his riddled physique. Forced into a corner, Mizuki could only futilely circulate his chakra to resist the influx of mutated natural energy.

Just as Mizuki was nearing despair, a mysterious power suddenly emerged from the collision between his internal chakra and the natural energy. It felt like the primordial energy of life itself; wherever it passed, his body felt like withered wood meeting the spring, and all hidden dangers vanished without a trace. At the same time, the all-purpose potion seemed to receive reinforcements, its morale boosted as its recovery speed increased dramatically.

"This power... this effect?" Mizuki thought in disbelief. "Sage Chakra? Sage Mode? Is it really this simple?" The strength of this power was beyond imagination. His previous base chakra had crumbled at the slightest touch of natural energy—they weren't even on the same level—but this Sage Chakra allowed him to truly understand what that incomparable power was all about.

"Although I don't understand the situation, it's a turn for the better. However," Mizuki had self-awareness, "this isn't a power I should covet right now. The current situation is that my own chakra is limited while the natural energy is endless. If I don't seal the Cursed Seal quickly, even Sage Chakra won't be able to save me sooner or later."

A power that one cannot freely control is, in the end, nothing more than a reflection in the water—an empty dream.

No longer indulging in the sensation, Mizuki took advantage of the Sage Chakra repairing his body to extract more chakra while using it to block the natural energy. This generated even more Sage Chakra, gradually forming a virtuous cycle. Benefiting from the final remnants of the potion's potency, he managed to slowly force the natural energy back in one fell swoop. As the two energies used his body as a battlefield, the intense tearing pain caused Mizuki to cry out.

"What's wrong, Mizuki?" Hayate Gekko, who was nearby, heard the scream and hurried over to ask.

Mizuki had no time to answer; the critical moment had arrived. The natural energy was forced back into his right arm, causing it to swell significantly. The heart-wrenching pain gave Mizuki the urge to simply chop his own arm off.

Mustering his spirit, Mizuki channeled his mental energy to activate the Evil Sealing Method, sealing the Cursed Seal once more.

The runes generated by the Cursed Seal rapidly contracted, but they were no longer the abstract tiger-head shape from before. Instead, they formed a pitch-black, jade-like tomoe, surrounded by the Evil Sealing Method, before both the tomoe and the runes faded into his body and disappeared.

"Mizuki, did the side effects of the potion kick in?" Seeing that something was wrong, Hayate Gekko rushed over to support the swaying Mizuki.

"Finally, it's over." Too exhausted to move, Mizuki managed a strained smile. "You guys keep working; I'm going to slack off for a bit."

As he finished speaking, Mizuki felt a wave of darkness wash over him, and he knew no more.