Naruto: From Extra to Savior

Although the process was dangerous, if handled correctly, there was still a decent chance of surviving the crisis. That's what made an Omnipotent-type ninja so valuable. As long as one prepared early and possessed excellent tactical thinking, it was always possible to find suitable methods to solve problems. Therefore, a ninja without weaknesses was essentially the ninja with the highest survival rate.

"Did the enemies retreat that easily?" Without Mizuki's sensor abilities and intel edge, Sasuke Uchiha had no idea how powerful the enemy had been—walking right past death's door without even noticing.

"The enemies were either wounded or off-form. With Konoha's pursuit forces closing in, engaging us directly would've been foolish. Retreating was the reasonable choice."

In truth, after multiple run-ins with Sasuke Uchiha, Mizuki felt deeply disappointed with him. Itachi Uchiha's words rang true—Sasuke lacked the composure of a truly powerful ninja. Despite his talent, bloodline, and excellent teachers, his attitude only showed arrogance, hatred, and impatience. He couldn't accurately judge his own strength nor correctly assess his opponent's power. He resented Naruto Uzumaki for surpassing him, yet completely ignored the effort it took. That 'destined rivalry' was just a polite way to describe his childish refusal to accept loss.

As for this kind of vengeful brat stuck in childish thinking, Mizuki had no intention of interfering. Right now, Sasuke was far inferior to Naruto—at the very least, Naruto had clear goals and worked hard step by step, while Sasuke kept relying on raw talent and fantasizing about leaping straight to the top.

Although he disliked Sasuke Uchiha, Mizuki never considered changing anything. The Uchiha clan, inheriting the power of the Sharingan—one of the most potent Kekkei Genkai ever born—possessed the legendary Sage's Eyes. This bloodline was inherently biased toward Yin Attribute and heavily dependent on spiritual power. Therefore, the more emotionally intense and consumed an Uchiha was, the stronger their Sharingan became. Only extreme emotional fluctuations could unlock the Mangekyou Sharingan. In Mizuki's view, such a bizarre method of evolving one's Kekkei Genkai was practically on the verge of madness. To gain enlightenment through murdering one's loved ones was pure heresy, completely illogical.

Even so, Mizuki had never once considered correcting this tradition. The ancient ninja clans passed down from the Warring States period had their own reasons for existing. Mizuki might not personally like their ways, but he would never criticize how others lived, nor did he care to meddle in matters unrelated to himself. This time was no different—he simply fulfilled the duty of a Konoha chunin and a ninja mentor protecting younger generations.

Hearing Mizuki's explanation, Sasuke nodded. "Where are we going next?"

"You go find Sakura Haruno and head back to the village. Remember, once you return, don't trust anyone easily—except Kakashi-sensei. Especially you..."

Without Hiruzen Sarutobi, the Third Hokage, to suppress those rogue demons and monsters lurking within the village, Mizuki had no idea what unexpected troubles might emerge. He could no longer fully trust his recollection of the original storyline.

"I need to keep reminding myself—my memory of the original storyline is getting less and less reliable. This isn't some fictional tale anymore. It's the real world."

"Only Kakashi-sensei?" Sasuke asked, confused by Mizuki's warning. "Even the Third Hokage can't be trusted?"

"You'll find out soon enough..." Mizuki handed Sasuke Uchiha a sealing tag. "Stick this on your forehead and focus. It will shield you from the Genjutsu Barrier's interference."

"Are we not leaving together?"

Mizuki shook his head. "You guys go back first. Be careful on the way. I still have a mission to do."

The pursuit team has already passed through this area, so the danger should be low now. Besides, he indeed had something else to take care of.

Watching Sasuke Uchiha walk far away, Mizuki turned toward an empty shadow and said, "Everyone is gone. Why don't you come out?"

"It was only a matter of time before you found me." A figure appeared out of nowhere.

"This level of Genjutsu can only fool children. What do you want from me? And take off that ridiculous mask in front of me, Kabuto Yakushi..."

The figure removed the mask on his face, revealing none other than Kabuto Yakushi, who was supposed to have left long ago.

"Recently, you've certainly kept surprising me," Kabuto Yakushi smiled while pushing up his glasses. "Although it's been difficult to gather intelligence on Konoha lately, I've still learned quite a bit. It was you who saved Hayate Gekko, right? You've caused us quite a loss..."

"You didn't come just to tell me that, did you? And how exactly did you figure out it was me inside?"

"Didn't we just meet not too long ago? It wasn't hard to leave behind some traces. You hit really hard—you made me fall so painfully." Kabuto Yakushi added, seeming fearful even at the memory as he touched his forehead gently.

"But you didn't send anyone after me, which was actually quite unexpected!"

Mizuki scoffed coldly. "Are you mocking me as stupid? Should I make a big deal about one of my shadow clones associating with you? This is a dangerous time; I won't risk getting involved in any trouble because of a shadow clone with little value to me."

"Fine, your logic makes sense. So guess why I came looking for you?"

"Guess? I don't have time for games. If you're not going to say anything, then keep quiet. I'm not the one begging for your help right now."

Kabuto Yakushi shrugged helplessly. "You sure are blunt. We used to be comrades, after all..."

"Don't try to act close. Who exactly is your comrade?" Mizuki interrupted Kabuto Yakushi sharply. "Seems like you need something from me. Go ahead, what is it? And have you prepared a reward enticing enough to catch my interest?"

"Your Green Agent, combined with the spirit-sealing technique—the [Soul Gathering Magical Formation]—that revived Hayate Gekko?"

"You even know its name already?" Mizuki was slightly taken aback. "Looks like your intelligence network truly has no gaps."

"We always find ways to learn what needs to be known." Kabuto Yakushi smiled faintly.

"What's the reward?"

The effect of the life-saving pills was clearly visible on Hayate Gekko, making Kabuto Yakushi deeply covetous, especially since even Hiruzen Sarutobi, whose identity as The Third was well-known but not fully understood, had used them, producing shockingly impressive results.

As for the [Soul Gathering Magical Formation]—a secret spiritual technique—any such skill was immensely valuable, particularly one proven effective in practice. Such techniques were even more desirable.

Hearing Mizuki's question, Kabuto Yakushi replied calmly, "How about Kinjutsu: Impure World Reincarnation? Would you like me to explain its effects to you?"

"No, I understand..." Mizuki muttered. Even though he knew Kabuto wouldn't ask for something minor, demanding the Impure World Reincarnation outright in exchange still seemed excessive.

['Could there be something else going on that I don't know about?']

For someone like Mizuki, techniques at the level of the Impure World Reincarnation were entirely out of reach. Without connections or backing, unless he became Hokage himself, there was virtually no chance he'd ever get close to such a technique.

Truthfully, Mizuki had little interest in the Impure World Reincarnation. For one thing, the method required human sacrifices, which went against his personal ethics. And secondly, he had serious doubts about the technique itself. After all, it was essentially a form of [Kuchiyose no Jutsu]—pulling souls from the Pure Land into the living world. The dangers involved were unknown but undeniable. In the original storyline, everyone who used the Impure World Reincarnation ended up dead—or at least had died once. He couldn't quite explain why, but something about it just didn't sit right with him. Of course, if he could obtain it and study it, that would be great. But as a bargaining chip, it simply didn't appeal to him.

"I don't want the Impure World Reincarnation," Mizuki said. Since the other side was being so generous, he continued, "I want the [Flying Thunder God Technique] and the full [Cursed Seal] series. One for one."

"Eh?" Kabuto was taken aback by Mizuki's words. "That's impossible—it's absurd."

"It's not me who's begging for a deal. You're the ones who came looking for me..."

"We can't do that," Kabuto refused flatly.

"Impossible? Can't do it?" Mizuki's expression shifted from confusion to sudden realization. "I see now. It's not Orochimaru who wants this deal, is it? You're the one after my stuff."

Even as an opponent, Mizuki had to admit Kabuto had a keen eye. Still, admiration aside, he wouldn't budge on the price—one might even say he could raise it a bit more.

"You caught me off guard with a slip of the tongue," Kabuto said with a faint smile.

As for the forbidden techniques in Konoha, aside from the [Dead Demon Consuming Seal]—a secret passed down from Kushina Uzumaki to The Fourth, Minato Namikaze, and then to Konoha itself—it was possible Orochimaru had never learned about them. But for the others, there was no way he wasn't already aware. It was purely a matter of whether he was willing or not. Therefore, the possibility that Kabuto, an ambitious rogue, was acting on his own initiative was extremely high. He must already be familiar with the Impure World Reincarnation; otherwise, he wouldn't have created so much havoc three years later. Clearly, he was using this only bargaining chip to try and obtain Mizuki's secret techniques.

['No wonder you came secretly like this—you're trying to run your own side business.'] 

"Come back with enough leverage before trying to play games with me again, Kabuto. And don't bother coming back empty-handed." Taking advantage of Kabuto's momentary distraction, a kunai flew through the head of a Shadow Clone...

Far away, Kabuto suddenly stiffened as he helped Orochimaru evacuate.

"What's wrong, Kabuto?" Orochimaru, standing right beside him, immediately noticed the change.

"Nothing, Lord Orochimaru. Just one of my rear-guard Shadow Clones got destroyed."

"Hmph. Forget it. Focus on moving faster."

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