Naruto: From Extra to Savior

Inside a quiet small room, Mizuki withdrew his right hand after completing the Sealing Technique. He then said to the Artificial Jinchuriki in front of him, "Your chakra has been refilled. However, your physical exhaustion is still quite significant. Don't risk chakra overuse for now."

"I understand," the Artificial Jinchuriki nodded. "Your mission went much more smoothly than mine. Things got completely out of hand on my end."

Mizuki's original body silently sifted through the memories that had just flooded into his mind. Regarding the unexpected butterfly effect that had triggered this major incident, Mizuki himself was deeply unsettled.

"Hearts and minds are the true driving forces behind events. I only played a small part at a crucial moment, yet the consequences were enormous. Who knows what things will be like three years from now..."

The Artificial Jinchuriki said, "Three years might be too far ahead, but starting from now, things probably won't remain as peaceful as before."

"Yeah," Mizuki nodded. "You know what you need to do next, right?"

"Of course. All necessary preparations have already been completed. Now it's time to transform our spoils of war and research findings into power."

"Exactly. The next three years will be crucial. Power is the only absolute truth. I'll handle the other matters properly. Once there's any progress, I'll notify you immediately." The planned steps were about to begin their first phase.

...

After obtaining accurate intelligence, Mizuki exchanged some polite greetings with Ebisu. Although they weren't particularly close or familiar, they did interact frequently enough as colleagues. Some basic courtesy had to be maintained.

After saying goodbye to Ebisu, Mizuki checked the sky's brightness and made a detour back home to freshen up. After an entire day full of hectic activity and consecutive battles, he looked covered in dust and grime—definitely not a pleasant sight for others.

After estimating the appropriate timing, Mizuki set off toward the Hokage's office building. It wouldn't look good to keep the two advisors waiting, especially since they'd temporarily assumed the Hokage's authority. Truthfully, Mizuki wasn't held in high regard by them anyway, especially Koharu Utatane. Ever since Naruto's incident involving stealing the Scroll of Seals, she had formed a very negative opinion of him. He wondered whether she'd find something to criticize him over this time.

Mizuki thought for a long while but couldn't recall anything inappropriate or suspicious he'd done recently. The only potentially questionable elements could be the life-saving pills, the genjutsu magical formation, and the Artificial Jinchuriki. But none of these should really pose big issues. Although strange, the genjutsu magical formation had long been submitted to the village as research material. The life-saving pills had appeared and been used a long time ago. The most unfamiliar aspect was the Artificial Jinchuriki. However, the ninja world already had countless bizarre clone techniques. Though the Artificial Jinchuriki's abilities were unique, stranger clones existed. If wood clones, earth clones, and water clones were considered normal, then Kabuto Yakushi's Dead Soul Technique was even creepier. Later came techniques like [Animal Path Transformation], which was incredibly powerful, capable of even mimicking Kekkei Genkai like the Sharingan. It was nothing short of mind-blowing.

Thinking along those lines eased Mizuki's worries slightly.

"This shouldn't be anything too serious... Hopefully, there won't be any unexpected trouble..."

For Mizuki, who had finally managed to integrate into Konoha's mainstream circle, it would be quite unfortunate if any further mishaps occurred. With enemy forces about to grow rapidly, if you don't have a solid organization behind you, you won't last long. Not everyone has the kind of heroic privilege that Sasuke Uchiha does, allowing him to recklessly form his own little squad like Hebi or Taka team and run around carefree. Just look at how many lone Jinchuriki were killed—it shows exactly what happens to those who stand alone. If someone like Kakuzu, a Bounty Hunter, targeted him, it'd all be over.

When Mizuki arrived at the Hokage's Office and saw Kakashi Hatake waiting for him, he immediately felt uneasy.

"What now? Trouble again?"

"What happened?" Mizuki asked.

If Kakashi came all the way to warn him personally, something serious must've gone down while he was away.

Kakashi replied, "During the meeting, don't go commenting on things that aren't your business, especially not voicing random opinions."

"Huh?" Mizuki couldn't help but be startled by Kakashi's words. "It's already gotten this bad? It's not even the end of the day yet."

Kakashi's meaning was clear—Konoha was currently leaderless. Relying solely on the two advisors to hold the village's authority wasn't sustainable long-term since their position lacked legitimacy. It was vital to choose a new Hokage as soon as possible to take charge and stabilize the situation.

"But considering my current status, I probably shouldn't be commenting on these matters anyway," Mizuki continued.

Kakashi nodded slightly. "Not only you—even I can't really say much either. However, public perception can be deadly."

This indeed made sense. Sometimes small individuals could influence big decisions made by important figures. Moreover, choosing sides too early wasn't necessarily wise. Of course, given his current standing, Mizuki himself hadn't even reached the level where he could count on the powerful elite for support, so there was no need to worry about such complications affecting him right now.

As Kakashi led Mizuki toward the Hokage's Office, he realized there were already several people inside.

[Two advisors, Danzo Shimura, a few high-ranking Jonin with considerable reputation and prestige, plus several Anbu silently standing nearby. But this time, there'd be no kindly presence of Hiruzen Sarutobi to soften the mood.]

"Chunin Mizuki reporting in," Mizuki respectfully greeted the elders upon entering.

"Hmm, step forward," Homura Mitokado said, his tone calm and dignified, standing out among the others.

"Yes..." Mizuki moved forward obediently, awaiting questions from the two advisors.

Koharu Utatane spoke first: "During the Third's fight against Orochimaru, he used an extremely powerful forbidden technique. Was it provided by you?"

[They're blaming me for this? Accusing me of supplying the forbidden drug?] Irritation surged within Mizuki. He knew that even without this incident, the Third would still have died from using the Dead Demon Consuming Seal. But these Konoha ninjas didn't know that! Perhaps they believed that if he hadn't supplied the forbidden life-saving pills, thus cutting off Hiruzen's chance of survival, the Third could still defeat Orochimaru and remain alive. The enormous loss caused by the death of the village's leader might have been avoided altogether.

But how could such an inappropriate reason be voiced in public? No matter what else were said, it would only be dismissed as hollow justifications. The blame for indirectly causing the Third Hokage's death might end up being pinned on him.

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