Naruto: Mizuki The Savior

Chapter 233: Differences

While Hatake Kakashi was busy entertaining the overly enthusiastic female Mizukage, Mizuki was sneaking around, doing reconnaissance in the shadows. Once the veil of mist surrounding the Hidden Mist Village was lifted, nothing could block Mizuki's penetrating gaze. What surprised him the most was that there was only one Anbu tailing him—and this stalker wasn't particularly strong.

If Mizuki wanted to, he could shake off the pursuer at any moment without being detected. But after some thought, he gave up on using genjutsu to deal with him. The guy was simply too weak—he couldn't even detect Mizuki's minor manipulations. There was no real threat here.

"Looks like Uchiha Obito left a lot behind in the Hidden Mist…"

Besides the barrier that resembled Konoha's style, some of the village's defense mechanisms and layout also carried heavy Leaf influence. That was likely one of the legacies Obito had left behind during the years he posed as the Mizukage. Having seen enough, Mizuki casually patched a few backdoors in the barrier and added a few hidden loopholes known only to himself. Then, ignoring the ineffective surveillance, he used Body Flicker to instantly appear at a bustling training ground—grabbing hold of a lightning-charged hand.

"You're going too far, Sasuke. Chidori isn't something you use like this."

Mizuki stopped Sasuke from releasing his jutsu, then looked around at the genin who had gathered to watch.

"Fighting again?" he asked.

"Um…" Sakura timidly stepped forward. "It was just supposed to be light sparring. But then…"

"Sparring?" Mizuki glanced at the disheveled Sasuke, then at Chōjūrō, who stood on the other side in a tense stance.

"This doesn't look like friendly sparring. Were you planning to kill your opponent, Sasuke?"

From the situation, it seemed Sasuke had initiated the challenge but wasn't gaining the upper hand—so he tried to end it with a big move.

"Mizuki-sensei, I was about to win…" Sasuke said defiantly, shaking off Mizuki's grip, his Sharingan flaring with resentment.

"Isn't interfering with genin sparring outside a jōnin's responsibilities? Besides, aren't you in charge of Team 8 now, not Team 7?"

"Oh?" Mizuki raised an eyebrow. "You got a problem with me sticking my nose in? I'm the vice-captain of this mission. Kakashi's not here, so like it or not—you all follow my orders."

As he spoke, Mizuki channeled chakra into his left hand and struck Sasuke in the stomach with tremendous force, eliciting a pained scream.

"Ahhh… What did you do to me?" Sasuke groaned.

"Just calming you down. I temporarily sealed your chakra—you won't be using any jutsu for a while."

Though Mizuki didn't know Gentle Fist, his sealing techniques were enough to suppress chakra and prevent jutsu use.

Sasuke dropped to his knees, writhing in pain.

"Sasuke, are you okay?" Sakura and Naruto rushed forward, anxious.

"I'm fine!" Sasuke forced himself up, though his body swayed unsteadily. Sakura and Naruto quickly supported him.

Ignoring their reactions, Mizuki turned to Chōjūrō. "You're Chōjūrō, right? Sorry about this—our Konoha genin was out of line. I hope you don't take it personally."

"Ah, no problem…" the timid Chōjūrō quickly sheathed his dual blades and waved it off. "It was just sparring, and I didn't really get hurt. It's fine…"

"You're saying you weren't hurt? Are you mocking me?" Sasuke snapped, his breathing ragged. "You mean I couldn't even scratch you with everything I had?"

Hearing Sasuke's raw frustration, Mizuki glanced at him and said, "Is winning that important to you? Beating a Mist genin—does that satisfy your ego?"

Sasuke glared at Mizuki, his face contorted in fury. Suddenly, a wave of unease surged.

"Huh? That's… the Cursed Seal? Now?"

Black and red flame-like markings began to emerge on Sasuke's neck and crawl across his body.

"Sasuke, what's happening?!" Sakura cried out in horror. She had seen this transformation once before and recognized it immediately.

"Step back," Mizuki ordered as he approached, gripping Sasuke's shoulder and pulling back his collar to examine the spreading Cursed Seal.

"I sealed his chakra, which backfired and triggered the curse mark? Without enough chakra to sustain the Evil Suppression Seal, the Cursed Seal is now running wild…"

Though the outburst was unintentional, Mizuki wasn't too alarmed. He pressed his right hand to Sasuke's neck and, with a surge of chakra, layered a temporary sealing formula around the Evil Suppression Seal. Gradually, with Sasuke screaming in pain, the ominous markings began to fade and were finally re-sealed.

"You three—take Sasuke back to rest. Now."

The outburst drained Sasuke's strength, and his body's self-defense mechanisms kicked in. Exhausted, he passed out.

"You jerk! I knew you were no good. Instead of helping Sasuke, you hurt him!" Naruto shouted, throwing a punch at Mizuki.

From Naruto's perspective, Mizuki had shown up, struck Sasuke, and then Sasuke passed out. That was all he saw.

"Don't be ridiculous, Naruto," Sakura stopped him and then turned to Mizuki, bowing slightly. "Sorry about that."

Mizuki shook his head, his expression grim. "It's fine. Just get him back."

Then he looked to Kiba and Shino, who had walked over.

"You two—help out as well. We'll talk later tonight if needed."

"Got it."

As the group carried Sasuke away, Mizuki flexed his right arm. The Cursed Seal on his own arm throbbed with heat, and he frowned, thinking of countermeasures.

"I really overlooked a huge problem. Sasuke's Cursed Seal isn't like mine—it's the real deal. Leaving it alone could kill him…"

Setting that concern aside for now, Mizuki turned toward an empty corner and asked, "Mind telling me your name?"

"So I've been discovered?" A pulse of chakra erupted, and a Mist ninja emerged into view. He had silver, shoulder-length hair, a plain face, and resembled Mizuki's old self from before his transmigration. "As expected of a Konoha jōnin—your sensory skills are sharp."

Mizuki ignored the compliment. "And you are?"

"No need to be formal. I'm a chūnin from the Mist. Just call me Kanryū."

"Alright then, Chūnin Kanryū. I assume you saw what happened, including with Chōjūrō here. Our Konoha kid caused trouble—I apologize."

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