Naruto: Mizuki The Savior

Chapter 236: The Morality of a "God"

"Just a matter of duty?" Kakashi shook his head. "Mizuki, Sasuke is my student. You might be able to brush things off—I can't!"

Mizuki looked at him and replied calmly, "Then maybe this is our biggest difference, Kakashi. I hope you understand—I'm not telling you to ignore Sasuke. I'm saying the way you're handling him is flawed."

"Then what do you think we should do?"

"You already know that lecturing has little to no effect. For Sasuke, anyone who tries to dictate his path—especially his revenge—will only trigger rebellion. So what we should do… is not lay out a fixed path, but offer him directions and let him choose."

"Even if that means letting him leave Konoha and fall for Orochimaru's temptation?"

"That's right."

Hearing this, Kakashi examined Mizuki's expression more carefully. "Are you… serious?"

Mizuki remained silent—clearly confirming it.

Moonlight filtered softly through the window, casting a subtle glow across the room. In the heavy silence, Kakashi suddenly spoke.

"Mizuki… maybe you're right. Maybe, at the core, we're no different from Uchiha Itachi or Orochimaru. We all try to control Sasuke—just with different goals. You want me to prove I'm right and they're wrong. But that's not possible. The only thing I can say for sure… is that Orochimaru seeks to harm Sasuke. I… want to protect my student. That much, I know is true."

He softened his tone. "I'll think about your advice. You're right—our good intentions might be too one-sided. Every shinobi must walk their own path. But letting Sasuke join Orochimaru… that, I will fight with everything I have to stop."

"I see." Mizuki gave a bitter smile. "Then maybe I spoke out of turn. Don't take it to heart."

"Mizuki, you're acting strange today. Didn't sleep well? Or is it the full moon making you think of your newlywed wife?"

"…Maybe."

Feeling that the tone had gotten too heavy, Kakashi joked, "You're smart, Mizuki—but don't think yourself into a dead end. As Konoha ninja, we need to stand by our principles. Overanalyzing the world objectively… that's not our job. That's something better left to the gods."

"Gods?" Mizuki was momentarily stunned, then chuckled. "Yeah… maybe I am overthinking it."

"Well then, get some rest. Tomorrow you're babysitting these brats. It's not as easy as it looks." With that, Kakashi disappeared in a blur of Body Flicker.

"Guess my 'Talk no Jutsu' didn't land today. Not only did I fail to persuade Sasuke—I got lectured by Kakashi instead. What a failure…"

Mizuki stared at his glowing hands in the moonlight, recalling Kakashi's parting words.

"To look at the world with a 'god's eye' as a mere human… when did I start thinking like that? When did I become so arrogant?"

Had his intelligence advantage—his "omniscient" knowledge—twisted his perspective so much that he now ignored all moral grounding? Had he changed?

Suddenly, Mizuki was alarmed.

"The morality of a god… I've been corrupted! Could it be… the natural energy?"

He remembered his conversation with Jiraiya the previous night, warning of the potential dangers that come with Sage Mode and natural energy.

"I can't even tell anymore if my thoughts are truly mine… or if I've already been subtly altered. I knew this day might come—but I never expected it so soon."

Even though he had long anticipated this risk—and understood it more clearly after talking to Jiraiya—Mizuki now realized how dangerous the mental battles in this unseen spiritual war truly were. A single slip could mean irreversible damage. This time, he had only received a warning shot… but the next time?

"I need to return and resolve this. Not just my physical body—but also the disturbance in my mind. While I've been worrying about Sasuke, I've let my own defenses collapse. Dammit, what a mess…"

While Mizuki sat deep in thought, in a corner of the room—a tiny, easily-overlooked toad had been silently observing everything. It was so small and stealthy that not even the numerous traps Mizuki had set detected it. Its eyes gleamed in the moonlight, capturing the entire scene.

Through an unknown connection, Jiraiya—who was perched on Naruto's windowsill—observed everything that had happened in Mizuki's room. He glanced at Naruto, who was sleeping in an undignified position and mumbling in his dreams. Then he looked thoughtfully toward Mizuki's direction.

"Just as you predicted, Orochimaru… The smarter they are, the more vulnerable they become to the influence of natural energy. Overthinking things—it's its own kind of flaw, huh?"

Jiraiya muttered to himself.

No one understood the dangers of Sage Mode more than Jiraiya. Only those with firm and grounded personalities could resist its influence. If Tailed Beast chakra enhanced negative emotions in moments of rage, then natural energy was even more insidious—gradually warping the user's mind over time without notice.

Orochimaru, who once tried and failed to master Sage Mode, didn't fail because of lack of skill—but because he chose to give it up. He understood that for people like him, the risk of losing control was too high. Yet ironically, even after abandoning Sage Mode, Orochimaru still fell into the trap he feared—slowly and inevitably.

"Good luck, Mizuki… I don't know if you're fortunate or cursed. But I hope you find your own answer, and don't continue walking blindly down this self-righteous path."

Jiraiya turned his head and looked at Naruto again.

"Such rare talent… Could he really be the Child of Prophecy, the one destined to bring peace to the world? Please… don't die halfway through this journey. And be strong—stronger than I ever was, Naruto."

Still haunted by the regret of Nagato's fate and Minato's death, Jiraiya had once again found hope in this unpredictable world.

"Is this all part of your plan, O Architect of Eternal Peace? Now, yet another soul has arisen who dares challenge destiny. What will you do next?"

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