Big Moves Need Cooldown

"The ultimate move I've been saving for months was unleashed just like that."

Such a massive expenditure made Mizuki feel a sharp pang of regret.

"When quality is lacking, you make up for it with quantity. This approach is worth a try occasionally, but it's completely useless for daily tasks. To burn through months of reserves in a single ambush—it's just not cost-effective."

Mizuki glanced at the battered, scarred clone.

"The Pseudo-Jinchuriki, which still can't sustain itself, requires constant chakra replenishment. Its ability to operate independently is severely limited. Ordinary chakra clones simply can't meet the requirements, not to mention the issues with lifespan and vitality."

The mere thought of it gave him a headache.

"Besides, causing such a massive commotion this time—there's no telling how the village will react."

Outside the gates of the Forest of Death, the proctor Anko Mitarashi's initially pleasant mood had been completely ruined. Everything had been going fine; she was comfortably passing the time eating dango, letting the examinees fight to the death, and occasionally hearing a scream or two.

However, the skirmishes, which were expected to be lukewarm, seemed to be escalating. The violent fluctuations in chakra were enough to surprise even her, standing outside the forest, and the intensity of the successive explosions far exceeded the power level of typical Genin.

"This isn't good. Could a dangerous individual have infiltrated the exam?" Just as Anko hesitated about whether to go and investigate, a Chunin came to report an anomaly, forcing her to temporarily set aside her concerns and attend to the other situation first.

Anko looked on with a grim expression at the three dead Grass Ninja. Their identification papers confirmed their identities, yet their faces had melted away as if they had dissolved.

"Mimicry Technique? Is it you who has returned?" Anko instantly thought of that terrifying figure, and the Cursed Seal on her neck flared with intense pain.

"You lot, hurry and report this to the Third Hokage. Request one team—no, two teams of Anbu for support."

With that, Anko rushed into the Forest of Death.

"As a rogue ninja of Konoha, what could you possibly want by coming back now?"

Inside the Forest of Death, Gaara, having just bloodied three Rain Ninja, was still not satisfied. The sounds of battle in the distance caught his attention, and he couldn't help but turn toward that direction, while Kankuro and Temari kept urging him to get away from the danger zone as quickly as possible.

On the other side, the trio of Sasuke Uchiha, Naruto Uzumaki, and Sakura Haruno were much luckier; the signs of escalating combat power shortly after they left made them quicken their pace to get further away.

When the crimson magic circle rose a hundred meters into the sky, the terrifying aura drew the attention of every examinee in the Forest of Death. Karin, who had been relatively close, had already run far away. Seeing this, she dove into the river and didn't dare surface, leaving her two teammates to fend for themselves.

The three members of Sasuke's team, being the closest, had their expressions change drastically.

"Find a place to hide, quickly!" Sasuke shouted.

"How could someone this powerful appear in the Chunin Exams?"

Even Naruto, usually thick-skinned and oblivious, felt the terror. Without hesitation, he followed the other two into hiding.

Anko Mitarashi was sprinting toward the Forest of Death when she saw a brilliant pillar of light strike down from afar.

"Damn it, I'm still a step too late."

The immense power caused the ground to tremble even where Anko stood. Looking into the distance, the terrifying plasma swirling around the pillar of light made it seem impossible for anyone to survive within it.

The subsequent clash between the final ball lightning strike and the summoned Rashomon, followed by the small mushroom cloud, further shattered most people's understanding of the upper limits of ninja power.

As the smoke and dust cleared, Sasuke Uchiha looked toward the direction of the battle with envy.

"Can a ninja really reach this level? If I had this power, I could surely kill Itachi Uchiha."

Sasuke, ignorant of the high-end power levels of the ninja world, was still lost in unrealistic fantasies. Sakura and Naruto caught up to him.

"Sasuke-kun, are you alright?" Sakura asked.

"Yeah," Sasuke replied distractedly.

"Sasuke, there's such a huge commotion over there. Should we go take a look? We might be able to pick up some scraps," Naruto suggested.

"Better not," Sakura said, feeling strongly against returning to the danger zone they had just barely escaped. "Besides, this is just the Chunin Exams. Someone this powerful couldn't possibly be an examinee. It's too strange; a dangerous person has likely snuck in. It's better to leave that area to the village to handle."

"Let's leave here and find weaker teams to steal scrolls from," Sasuke decided.

"The guys out there are stronger than the last, yet I can only bully the trash nearby who aren't even Chunin. If this keeps up, when will I ever be able to take my revenge?"

His desire for power had long since surpassed everything else, and Sasuke had no patience left for playing the "ninja brotherhood" game.

The Genin team containing Kabuto Yakushi watched the distance in silence.

"Kabuto, it seems Lord Orochimaru has encountered a strong opponent. Should we go over and help?" Akado Yoroi suggested.

"Better not. Judging by the intensity, even Lord Orochimaru finds this person troublesome. I don't think we can be of any help," Misumi Tsurugi disagreed.

Kabuto didn't answer. After a moment of thought, he said, "You two go ahead. I have some business to attend to; I'll meet up with you later." With that, he walked off on his own.

"Arrogant guy. Just because he's been favored by Lord Orochimaru lately, he doesn't put his seniors in his eyes at all," Akado Yoroi and Misumi Tsurugi said indignantly. "Just wait and see, you conceited jerk. Once this mission is over, we'll see whose contribution Lord Orochimaru values more."

In the Hokage Office in Konoha Village, the Third Hokage looked at the intelligence report and the request for support in his hands, then set them aside. "I knew the situation was dire even without reading this."

The violent fluctuations in chakra were felt by every ninja with even a modicum of strength throughout Konoha.

"Anbu, mobilize. Your primary mission is to locate Orochimaru, determine his objective, and stop him."

"Secondly, investigate the identity of the ninja fighting Orochimaru. If they cannot be captured, execute them on the spot. Move out!"

"Yes!" A group of Anbu moved out swiftly.

In the Forest of Death, any ninja with a shred of sanity instinctively stayed far away from the battle zone between Mizuki and Orochimaru. However, there were always a few lunatics who defied logic.

When Gaara arrived at the battlefield, all that remained was a massive crater slowly filling with water and a scene of utter devastation.

Gaara, his bloodlust ignited but unfulfilled, was already on the verge of mental collapse, while Temari and Kankuro could only watch him tremble beside him.

"What do we do? Gaara's losing his mind," Temari said worriedly. "If this continues, the battle plan is ruined."

"Who could have predicted that a mere Chunin Exams would provoke Gaara to this extent?" Kankuro said uneasily. "That's not what we should be concerned about now. If Gaara can't calm down soon, our own lives are what we should be most worried about."

"I hope nothing else happens to provoke him. Once he calms down, we'll head straight for the Central Tower. I really can't take any more scares like this."

On the streets of Konoha, there were noticeably more ninjas. Although the distance was far, the entire village could feel the slight tremors. Unsuspecting ordinary people even thought it was an earthquake.

After Mizuki settled things at home, he was about to go out and check the situation when the door opened.

"Tsubaki, why are you here? What's the rush?"

"It was you, wasn't it, Mizuki?" Tsubaki asked anxiously. "That kind of attack, that's the Celestial Phenomenon Attack you talked about, right?"

Others might not know, but Tsubaki could indeed figure out many things.

Mizuki had revealed some ideas early on about asking his fiancée for help in collecting chakra. Collecting a massive amount of chakra energy for emergencies had started long ago. The idea of combining Summoning Technique with sealing jutsu to create a long-range sniping combo attack only came about after returning from the Land of Waves. It was gradually perfected after receiving a large amount of sealing and summoning jutsu data from the Third Hokage.

The massive chakra was the initial energy source, serving to open a long-range spatial node. During the opening process, his own vast energy, carrying the fluctuations that tore through space, delivered the first wave of damage in a brute-force manner.

In the material world, guided by formations and barriers, the dissipating energy brought about a large amount of dust, which, upon friction with the air, formed a plasma phenomenon. This ensured the attack's power would not spread, creating a second wave of sustained damage.

Finally, mixed with the energy that tore through the void, a lightning ball of chakra and free plasma-charged ions served as the final killing blow, and also the best cover for retreat.

The temporary spatial channel, drained of energy, combined with the Summoning Technique, became a life-saving move before direct spatial teleportation of the physical body was possible. The first use greatly underestimated the danger of space ninjutsu; the clone was almost twisted into minced meat within the spatial channel in a short period.

"A fragile body and inferior chakra quality have become the biggest limitations to further progress."

It wasn't that Mizuki didn't want to resolve it quickly, but the problem had fallen into a vicious cycle. Without a strong body, he couldn't generate enough chakra to balance natural energy and cultivate Sage Mode. Without Sage Mode chakra, he couldn't fundamentally improve his physical condition.

Even with Hashirama Senju's cells now, Mizuki wouldn't dare transplant them without detailed experiments. Relying on the Cursed Seal was like walking on the edge of a knife, drinking poison to quench thirst. He would absolutely not risk his life to try before research made progress.

"That's right, it was me," Mizuki answered his fiancée's question directly. "I originally just wanted to sneak into the Forest of Death to take a look, but I ran into Orochimaru unexpectedly and had to fight. I had to use my last resort to escape." He couldn't tell Tsubaki that he had brought the trouble upon himself to abduct a little girl.

As he said this, Mizuki also let Tsubaki look at the battered Pseudo-Jinchuriki.