Shimura Danzo, the man who'd ruled Konoha's underground faction for decades, saw right through Mizuki's tough exterior.
Nobody could make it on their own in this world. Even someone like Orochimaru, who had abandoned most of his humanity to chase knowledge, was no exception. As long as a person still carried attachments, they would always have weaknesses. And for Shimura Danzo—who understood every shadowy corner of human nature—deciphering those weaknesses was just one of many skills that kept him thriving in the darkness.
After collecting himself, Mizuki returned to his usual routine—helping Tsubaki prepare dinner, then eating together. While subtly observing Tsubaki's condition, he also considered possible countermeasures.
In theory, Kotoamatsukami, though known as the strongest genjutsu, required massive energy and took years to recover from. Danzo wouldn't waste a move like that on Tsubaki. According to the original story, he only used it once during the Kage Summit, but its exact method and effects were unknown—and worse, it had been detected and interrupted midway.
So for now, Mizuki couldn't figure out how [Kotoamatsukami] really worked. More accurately, he wasn't familiar with any Mangekyo Sharingan dojutsu techniques at all. Without research or precedent, their principles were hard to imagine, let alone figuring out how to resist them.
Even without Kotoamatsukami, though, the Sharingan still gave genjutsu a terrifying boost in power. With Mizuki's skill level, casting illusions on Tsubaki normally required real effort—but now she had fallen into one without even realizing it. Whether Konoha had other hidden masters of illusion remained uncertain. Among the people Mizuki knew, the only ones capable might be Yuhi Kurenai—who was currently unconscious in the hospital—or Kakashi Hatake, who had been chatting with him earlier today and was now babysitting Sasuke Uchiha and Naruto Uzumaki. So aside from Shimura Danzo, who also had the Sharingan, Mizuki couldn't think of anyone else with that kind of ability.
[So he used genjutsu on Tsubaki to try and manipulate me indirectly—without any obvious signs of brainwashing or mind reading. At least it's not too far gone... It can still be fixed.]
Danzo Shimura wasn't a good man, but he hadn't sunk so low as to openly attack fellow compatriots who posed no threat to the village, especially experienced ninjas who had contributed multiple times to the village's safety. That's why he chose this more subtle way of gathering intelligence. He was probably after the life-saving pills' unique properties—or even the secrets behind Artificial Jinchuriki.
Perhaps Danzo had overestimated Mizuki's strength—the rumors about his mastery of genjutsu and sealing techniques must've spread far. But ultimately, he underestimated how skilled Mizuki truly was in illusion arts and overestimated the raw power of the Sharingan itself. Unless it involved a Mangekyo technique, the Sharingan's abilities were still high-level jutsu, but not beyond the reach of someone like Mizuki, whose chakra control was extremely refined and highly sensitive to even the smallest changes.
"Mizuki, why are you looking at me like that?" Chiharu Tsubaki, his fiancée, asked, noticing his unusual gaze. "Is there something on me?"
Mizuki shook his head and tapped Tsubaki on the forehead. "Relax, don't worry."
As chakra flowed in under Mizuki's control, it spread throughout Tsubaki's body. Moments later, Tsubaki seemed to lose all strength and slumped onto the seat.
"Mizuki, what just happened to me…" Still dazed from breaking free of the genjutsu, Tsubaki asked, "What did you do?"
"Nothing serious. Just rest for a bit."
After regaining her composure, Tsubaki forced herself upright, slowly piecing together what had occurred before asking in shock, "I fell for a genjutsu? How is that even possible?"
"Leave it to me. I'll handle everything properly."
"I didn't even realize I was caught in the illusion—I didn't feel anything at all," Tsubaki said. "Mizuki, could things be more dangerous than we thought?"
"Dangerous? Like, what's ever 100% safe? At least we're safe for now—we've got backup coming…"
Mizuki, who had just finalized cooperation plans with Hiashi Hyuga, wasn't overly concerned—at least for now. As long as he stayed cautious, things should be fine. The real issue was Tsubaki. From the start, he hadn't kept much from her, so she'd already been drawn into danger. The reason was simple—she knew too much. Though perhaps not fully aware of Mizuki's exact intentions or ultimate goals, she clearly understood the progress of his experiments, the effects of the life-saving pills, and even the methods used to create Pseudo-Jinchuriki. Except for lacking the technique to synthesize the life-saving pill used in cultivating flesh and blood, she practically knew as much as Mizuki himself.
"All right, Mizuki. I believe in you." One thing Mizuki valued most about Tsubaki was their mutual trust—even though she certainly didn't know everything. "Let me know immediately if you need any help."
"I will." Mizuki nodded. "As for those experiments I assigned you earlier, stop them temporarily and move everything underground—to the secret lab. Be careful not to get discovered. Once completed, this location will be handled by Artificial Jinchuriki No.2."
"I'll be careful. Though honestly, I don't think it's that bad yet…"
"Oh? Do you have another idea?" Mizuki asked curiously.
"Take a look at this." Tsubaki pulled out a Sealing Scroll and quickly unfurled it. She formed Hand Seals and pressed her hands onto the scroll's surface. With a surge of chakra fluctuation, a figure appeared before them.
"What… When did you make this?"
Standing there was another identical Chiharu Tsubaki. Even Mizuki would've found it hard to tell the difference at a glance.
"This isn't just one of your hairs you pulled out over a month ago? I finished making her some time ago using the method you described—using chakra stimulation made it turn out like this. Actually, creating her wasn't difficult using your Sealing Technique. I just never got around to using her yet. Still, it feels kinda awkward if others saw two of me…"
"Outstanding work, Tsubaki."
Mizuki really couldn't catch a break when it came to finding help. Sure, he could cultivate [Artificial Jinchuriki clones], but without high-quality chakra—specifically [Sage Chakra]—they were barely compatible with other bodies. They couldn't even maintain balanced chakra flow due to intense rejection.
And growing his own clones wasn't something he could rush either. If the growth stimulation was too fast, deformities and other issues might occur, resulting in poor physical condition and short lifespans. He didn't have a choice but to grow them at a steady pace. At this point, maintaining a growth cycle of at least one month—ideally around one and a half—barely produced a usable body.
Don't forget everything required resources too. Don't get me started on how none of this stuff just dropped from the sky—gear, gallons of nutrient mix, and rare experimental samples. It cost quite a bit to gather, and many materials were hard to come by or unsuitable for open trade. Mizuki had to buy the raw ingredients himself and craft them by hand. It wasn't just money—it burned through serious time and effort too.
Just when Mizuki was stuck, someone showed up unexpectedly—an unexposed, completely trustworthy individual with extensive experience, not some clueless novice needing to learn everything from scratch. Finding someone like that in the ninja world was nearly impossible.
"What should I do? Originally, I wanted to make one to keep watch over the flower shop. I can't keep closing that place…"
"Don't worry about that. I'll find someone." This wasn't the time to be worrying about small things. "How's your [Breath-Sealing Art] training going?"
"Not great…" Tsubaki awkwardly shook her head.
"That's okay. There's no need to push yourself." Tsubaki's [Chakra Control] talent was quite impressive, especially in [Shape and Nature Transformation], something Mizuki truly envied. However, when it came down to precise cellular-level manipulation, she struggled. Expecting her to master the [Breath-Sealing Art] as quickly as Sakura Haruno did was simply asking too much.
"In that case, the endurance of your [Artificial Jinchuriki clone] will be problematic. You can't keep returning every few days to exchange memories and replenish chakra. Otherwise, the risk of exposing such a valuable behind-the-scenes asset would be far too high…"
But this was indeed not a problem that could be resolved immediately. For now, they'd have to make do and act cautiously; everything should be fine for the time being.
Mizuki thought for a while but found no solution, so he gave up.
"Let's go with this for now: set up a small cottage at the back mountain as a transit point, using a flower nursery as cover. It'll do for now. Now we just need to wait until the [Sage Chakra] is refined."
There were still a few minor issues, though. Mizuki sensed the patrolling ninjas passing by his window. Previously, he hadn't noticed unless specifically paying attention, but now, with heightened vigilance, their patrol pattern was clearly detectable.
"There are three of them, taking turns. Seems like there might be hidden observers too—called 'dark posts' in shinobi slang."
Not that it really mattered unless they tried to force their way in. With the barrier already set up inside the house, those lacking real skill wouldn't stand a chance trying to peek in. Furthermore, Mizuki had already moved away anything critical beforehand.
Under the current circumstances, Mizuki wasn't stupid enough to keep any incriminating evidence at home. If he were captured, having such damning proof would be disastrous.
It was Danzo Shimura's actions that first showed Mizuki the brutal and deceptive side of Konoha's underground faction. However, once you get used to playing dirty games in the shadows, your habits naturally start shifting in that direction. What really scared Mizuki wasn't this kind of backroom trickery—he could always find a way around those small-time techniques. The real problem would come if someone like Hiruzen Sarutobi directly confronted him, forcing Mizuki into making choices or even compromises. That was when Mizuki would truly find himself at a loss.
"Better not to meet face-to-face at all; the longer things drag out, the better..."
Since discovering Danzo was targeting him, Mizuki had become much more cautious. After dealing with some minor tasks, Mizuki appeared to others as entering a relaxed recovery period. For several days straight, he stayed at home reading books, conducting small experiments, practicing chakra control, occasionally going out with Tsubaki to walk around and get some fresh air. As for the rest of his duties? He just passed them all off to his Artificial Jinchuriki.
In secret, within an underground laboratory, with assistance from Tsubaki's Artificial Jinchuriki clone, Mizuki completed his second Artificial Jinchuriki on the third day. From that point on, official research began on the energy produced by splitting Cursed Seal Chakra.
Standing side by side with Kakashi once again on the rooftop of Konoha Hospital, Mizuki looked down at the people moving below.
"Haven't visited in a few days. Why the sudden thought to come see me?" Kakashi occasionally joked after they became familiar with each other. "By the way, how are your injuries?"
"Not too bad, I think I'm fine now. Look, I seem pretty energetic, don't I?"
Sighing, Kakashi said, "You can fool others with that answer, but do you really think my Sharingan would be fooled?"
He tapped his fingers against the eyepatch over his left eye before continuing, "After passing by me so many times, how could I not notice? My eyesight hasn't deteriorated that badly yet..."
"Fine, you win. Copy Ninja Sharingan Kakashi." Mizuki couldn't help but smile bitterly. The Sharingan was basically cheating. If normal chakra was like getting a standard in-game boost, then the Sharingan was like owning the full VIP deluxe package. It was an unfair gap—like the one between regular players and pay-to-win elites. It was especially annoying lately, prompting Mizuki to actually consider whether stealing a pair of Sharingan might be worth trying...
"Don't try to change the subject, Mizuki." Kakashi asked seriously, "Be honest. How much time do you really have left?"
"Do I really have to say?" Mizuki replied helplessly. Initially, he approached Kakashi with ulterior motives, but after spending so much time together, he genuinely felt they got along quite well. He actually thought Kakashi was a pretty good friend, and sometimes he just didn't feel like lying to him.
"Hayate Gekko remains critically injured with an uncertain fate, the Third Hokage is already dead, and Kurenai Yuhi has been unconscious for four or five days now..."
"It's no secret how powerful those life-saving pills are. Two critical injuries and two massive doses – most people wouldn't survive even one! It doesn't make sense that you've used them so much more often than others, yet you seem perfectly fine. And then there's your hair follicles..."
"Kakashi, I don't want to talk about exact timelines. I don't know if I'll live long enough to see this through. If there are no more serious injuries, I should be okay for a few months at least..." Mizuki said calmly to Kakashi. "If I can't hold on any longer... help me finish what I started."
After a pause, Mizuki continued, "On second thought, forget it. Once you're gone, what's the point in burdening the living?"
"You're certainly being carefree about this. Anyway, Lord Jiraiya will set off tomorrow to find Lady Tsunade. I'm sure you'll be alright."
"I guess so. I wasn't born to die young. Even the strongest enemies couldn't kill me—this time should be no different..." Hmm?
"What's wrong?" Kakashi asked with confusion.
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