Chapter 260: The Stance of Survival
Mizuki had no intention of playing god.
Those so-called "winners in life" who could swap organs as easily as changing clothes were a different breed. He didn't envy them. As for transplanting things like Sharingan or Byakugan? That was never part of his plan—not yet, at least.
The sole transplant-related jutsu Mizuki had managed to acquire was the Fine Extraction Technique. The reason he went through so much effort for it had nothing to do with copying others—it was a deeper strategy.
He envisioned combining the technique with the omnipotent elixirs he had developed. If it worked, he might be able to mass-produce and store backups of vital organs. Then, if his body ever underwent some irreversible change, he'd have a way to restore himself.
—
As for Karin, the red-haired girl, things seemed to be going fairly well. She got along with Sakura decently. With her sharp sensory perception that could gauge the malice or kindness in others, she had quickly warmed up to Sakura. Though still a little timid, it was a solid beginning.
Mizuki had plans to help guide her, though he had little time himself. Kozue couldn't possibly oversee everything either. Perhaps Sakura, being a peer, could support Karin and help her develop. Whether that would succeed… depended entirely on Karin's own ability.
But Mizuki wasn't too worried. Anyone who had survived alone until now definitely knew how to look out for themselves. Even if she often looked scared, Mizuki didn't believe Karin was truly weak. Her talent for playing the innocent and winning others' favor was almost second nature. Winning Sakura's trust shouldn't be hard.
In the secluded cabin in the mountains, Mizuki sat on the floor across from his bootleg jinchūriki clone. As the two conversed, the clone's expression grew more and more grim.
"It's gotten this bad so quickly? We clearly underestimated how dangerous natural energy could be."
"There's no turning back now," Mizuki said calmly. "And it's not like we didn't see this coming."
No matter how bad it got, Mizuki would never give up on Sage Mode.
"But this speed… it's too fast. Neither Jiraiya nor Naruto experienced such rapid decline. And I've taken precautions too—yet here we are. Clearly, the problem lies with me."
The first fear had become reality. As a transmigrator, Mizuki's soul had overridden the original's, but traces of the old identity remained. The new Mizuki was a hybrid—his own will layered with remnants of the original, creating a powerful but unstable soul.
That gave him strength—but also serious weaknesses. His soul was "broad but diffuse", making it far more vulnerable to external influences. Worse yet, Mizuki's personality was not that of a rigid, iron-willed man. He was clever and adaptable, yes—but that very mental flexibility made his will more easily distorted.
Sage Mode required enormous chakra reserves. That wasn't just about energy—it was about physical and mental strength. Those with more chakra usually had tougher bodies and minds. Though Mizuki had bypassed the chakra requirement with chakra-concealment techniques, his spiritual weakness remained a glaring flaw.
"Weakness won't disappear with a few clever tricks. At the end of the day, I'm just not strong enough," the jinchūriki clone muttered bitterly.
"I've thought about it a lot too," Mizuki said, pressing his fingers to his temple. "But now I can't even tell… whether these ideas are truly mine, or if they're traps laid by a twisted will. I don't even trust myself anymore. Just how unlucky am I?"
"We can't keep ignoring this. If we do, we might actually lose ourselves and become puppets of some force. That's worse than death."
"Worse than death? More like painless euthanasia," Mizuki joked bleakly. "You won't even know you're gone."
He looked at the clone. "Still, shouldn't we start thinking of countermeasures?"
"There is a solution," the clone said seriously.
"What kind?"
"If quality isn't enough—then go for quantity!"
"This war between our will and natural energy is a battle to the death. Once begun, it won't end until one side falls. Over an infinite timespan, our chance of winning alone is basically zero."
"So? What's the plan?"
"The enemy—natural energy—has endless reserves. But we are just one mind. That's not sustainable. What we need are reinforcements. More selves. Not one Mizuki—but many."
Mizuki's eyes narrowed, digesting the proposal.
"A coalition of 'Mizukis,' working in unison, pooling their willpower to hold off natural energy's corruption—that's a true even fight."
He didn't respond immediately.
After a long pause, Mizuki finally said, "You realize… the problem of soul and will synchronization still isn't fully solved. Once we breach that barrier… do you know what that means?"
The clone didn't answer.
"It means becoming a creator—a god. I've already created life once. And the first one tried to kill me. I killed him. The second died fleeing with my help—destroyed by Sasori and Deidara. Regretful, but I convinced myself it was necessary. But now…"
Mizuki's gaze darkened.
"If I free my mind entirely… and create many fully self-aware lives with my memories—what if one of them goes rogue? Just one. Do you know how dangerous that would be?"
Knowledge was power. But conscience and morality were the chains that restrained it. Mizuki could trust himself—but could he trust copies of himself to have the same self-restraint?
He and this clone had already started disagreeing. Over time, divergence was inevitable. And disaster was only a matter of time.
Before the clone could argue, Mizuki continued, voice heavy:
"God didn't just create humans and angels. He also made devils who rebelled."
That silenced the clone completely.
After a while, he muttered bitterly:
"Right now, we're still one and the same. But if we really unshackle our minds and give them freedom… we may never get them back."
"And if it comes to that," the clone whispered, "then one day… we might go to war with ourselves."
To be continued...
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