On the second night after arriving in this world, Mizuki returned home and only then felt the emptiness and loneliness of his house. The oppressive feeling of having secrets he couldn't share with anyone, combined with the alienation of an unfamiliar environment—these were things he hadn't truly experienced the previous night.
"And next, it's time to deal with my personal latent threat," Mizuki murmured. In the bathroom, warm water poured down from the showerhead as he stood beneath it. Staring at the terrifying tattoo-like pattern on his arm, he continued, "Cursed Seal? A blessing in disguise or a death sentence?"
As for this cursed seal Orochimaru carelessly gave him, it would be lying to say he hadn't thought about it. In the original anime, Mizuki couldn't resist temptation and took risks. But judging from Mizuki's eventual fate, this cursed seal really wasn't reliable. The simple Cursed Seal remained dormant, completely unactivatable. With his current abilities, there probably wasn't much he could do either. To be honest, across the entire ninja world, aside from research-obsessed freaks like Orochimaru, very few people could understand this thing. Not only did most people not comprehend its workings, very few even knew how to use one. Plus, his version was only half-baked, with side effects dangerous enough to kill someone. Compared with Anko Mitarashi's, Kimimaro's, and Sasuke Uchiha's Cursed Seals of Heaven and Earth, calling his own seal the so-called "[Tora Cursed Seal]" felt like an exaggeration. Others' versions at least worked; as long as they didn't excessively drain them, overall harm stayed manageable. Their second transformations came without pressure. His, however, functioned more like an accelerating life-draining death sentence, capable of killing him outright in one go. Practically useless.
So, besides forcibly activating and suppressing it using immense strength, the only alternative method involved obtaining extraordinary vitality and regenerative capacity to offset the damage. Across the ninja world, such abilities did exist. For instance, Naruto Uzumaki and other members of the Uzumaki clan possessed powerful constitutions and vitality. Kabuto Yakushi achieved super regeneration through artificial modifications. Most effective of all would be transplanting cells from Hashirama Senju—the ultimate weapon. Danzo recovered from injuries and integrated Sharingan eyes using it. Obito, Madara, and Sasuke obtained Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan and Rinnegan through it. Tenzo acquired Wood Release techniques because of it.
Unfortunately, none of these methods applied to Mizuki at all—he simply couldn't count on any of them.
"This thing is just a ticking time bomb. Although exact circumstances remain unclear, even without using Orochimaru's provided activation formula pills, who knows if it might accidentally activate under certain circumstances, draining me dry until I become a mummy. This issue needs to be dealt with sooner rather than later."
He wiped the fogged-up mirror clean and took a look at himself. His appearance definitely had changed somewhat compared to before—though maybe his hair was too short now. Perhaps later he'd grow it out a bit. Maybe glasses? He considered it for a moment but dismissed the idea—it wouldn't work. Kabuto wore glasses too, which made it seem inappropriate.
...
After finishing his bath, Mizuki comfortably lay on the bed resting. Unlike yesterday, today finally brought bedtime moments filled with idle thoughts. He casually picked up a book and glanced at it. "Not Make Out Paradise?"
It turned out to be another heroic tale—something like Tale of Heroes. Who'd have thought even a villain could dream of being a hero? Konoha's education system really did its job well.
Mizuki tossed the book aside casually. Leaning back against the bed, he extended his left hand and silently channeled chakra. A glowing orb of pale blue chakra flickered into existence.
"Ninja, huh. This baffling world—is this really what created everything? What an utterly mind-boggling phenomenon."
For someone reincarnated into the Naruto world, their true thoughts might be completely different from everyone's expectations. If one simply treats this world as entertainment like an anime, even though many aspects remain unclear, no one would dig deeper. But when you actually find yourself in such a real world, many things force you to think—whether you want to or not.
In his previous life, there was a saying that perfectly described this situation: "You can't expand beyond the framework that contains you." Due to limitations in perspective, the native inhabitants of this ninja world treat as common knowledge certain things that Mizuki considers miraculous, never questioning them. As a reincarnated person himself, putting aside unrealistic external factors, Mizuki believed his biggest advantage lay in his godlike perspective and information superiority akin to a prophet—this was his greatest asset. If there was something equivalent to a "cheat ability," then what concerned him most wouldn't be anything else but this very "cheat ability" itself. In any world, there's never unfounded gain. A completely unexplained cheat ability inevitably means one has already paid a heavy price—even if one remains completely unaware or indifferent from birth to death.
[Chakra—the Source of Ninja Power! Countless shinobi chase powerful Ninjutsu to satisfy their desires, yet ignore the treasure right before them.] Mizuki couldn't help but look down on all ninjas, except for true sages like The Second and Orochimaru.
According to legend, Chakra didn't originally exist in the ninja world. The origin of ninja lies with the Sage of Six Paths. Based on knowledge from his previous life, it is confirmable that Chakra originated from Kaguya otsutsuki. However, regarding the origins of the God Tree, Madara Uchiha's account about the God Tree during their final battle cannot be trusted. In any physical reality, there's no need for something like a God Tree to appear, much less produce fruit that generates Chakra.
Drawing from past-life knowledge, in a closed system without negative entropy input, the system naturally decays into chaos and destruction as entropy accumulates. When it reaches its peak, the world ends. Humans die, and so do worlds. Regarding the ninja world, it's hard to imagine how it could spontaneously produce a God Tree bearing fruit that grants Chakra, only for Kaguya otsutsuki to consume it—doesn't that equate to forging a knife, handing it to a stranger, and allowing oneself to be killed? Unless this world's underlying framework is extremely robust and massive, capable of tolerating extremely high levels of power, in which case these supernatural forces are merely within normal fluctuation ranges.
But observing the millennium-long history of the ninja world—where no one has ever matched the Sage of Six Paths—it becomes clear that this scenario is implausible. Therefore, the plot from the latest movie seems much more plausible. This world was likely invaded and plundered by outside high-level forces. The God Tree was merely a method, and the fruit represented the looted results. Kaguya otsutsuki played the role of a thief, while the Sage of Six Paths reaped the biggest harvest. The Sage's true intentions, however, remain a mystery. Yet the act of separating Yin and Yang Five Elements raises great suspicion. The consequence? Only by relying on the God Tree—which became known as the Outer Path—could the ultimate Yin-Yang Release be achieved.
Even so, take a look at how chaotic this world has become. Not to mention Indra and Asura's reincarnations—can't even rest in peace after death. Then there's The Second Hokage, who created the Impure World Reincarnation technique, blurring the boundaries between life and death. There's also the [Dead Demon Consuming Seal], even borrowing an unknown Shinigami to directly attack souls. And finally, large-scale resurrection techniques like the Rinnegan and Tenseigan—this world feels like a battered bride, trampled and twisted endlessly, with fundamental rules like life and death completely shattered. Thinking back to my previous life, where no supernatural powers existed—humans had merely achieved mass-energy conversion, fiddling with nuclear power and atomic bombs. The only things bordering on sci-fi or fantasy were cutting-edge theories like gravitational waves and quantum entanglement. Compared to that, this world is utterly unpredictable. Look at the ninja world—Kakashi's very first line really hit the nail on the head: "Ninjas aren't bound by normal logic." In other words, the same goes for this world—it simply lacks any solid, reliable truth. What about conservation of momentum or energy? What are those? The protagonist can travel across time and space itself, completely outclassing every other transmigrator.
According to Mizuki's knowledge before his transmigration, the ninja world wouldn't have collapsed even ten years later, meaning he would probably die without ever witnessing its end. Yet the butterfly effect might not let anyone off easy anyway.
Overall, this ninja world is full of shady secrets, with every villain trying to play the role of ultimate mastermind behind the scenes. They all wave the banner of "saving the world," but in truth, they only want to save the people living in it. No one seems to care about the world itself. Maybe some did think about it—the Sage of Six Paths and others of that caliber, or the Three Great Holy Lands. But they've all hidden backstage, acting like divine frauds, making their true intentions impossible to decipher.
"In the end, it always comes back to chakra… a power born from the union of body and mind. Other than physicality and spirit, what remains of a person? Haha, looks like Orochimaru really is a twisted genius. [Cursed Seal] and [Living Corpse Reincarnation]—both are incredible techniques."
Therefore, the conclusion becomes obvious: Chakra is essentially a leftover anomaly, resulting from a series of changes in the world, altering rules and shifting authority. Put bluntly, something like this shouldn't even exist. Once you learn how to extract chakra, it's like the world gave everyone a free cheat code. Some used it well—the Sage of Six Paths; others less successfully—Indra, Asura, Madara, Hashirama, Naruto, and Sasuke. Those less fortunate include various Kages, elite jonins, intelligent mid-tier shinobi like Kakashi, and chunin or genin like Mizuki. Those who never became ninjas were likely nameless background characters who simply forgot to pay for their special ability package.
After thinking until his head spun dizzily, half-asleep Mizuki muttered a curse: "Damn it, this cursed world with universal cheat codes," then rolled over and fell asleep.
...
Half-dreaming, everything around him shimmered with colorful bubbles. Looking ahead, strange and dazzling sights filled his vision. He casually reached out, touching each bubble floating nearby. "This one is exam tension and anxiety? This next one is excitement about getting a promotion at work? What's this? [Nine-Tails]?"
Each bubble contained a different experience and emotion. Drifting among them, Mizuki felt each one—one belonging to his past self, another to the original Mizuki.
Something felt amiss in the distance. Drawn by instinct, he drifted forward, passing through a thick cluster of bubbles. There, a figure appeared—curled up, eyes vacant, expressionless and motionless, as if there was nothing inside that hollow shell. "It's really Mizuki? No way!"
A surge of emotion triggered a sudden tremor. Mizuki shot upright, gasping heavily.
A voice came from beside him: "Bad dream? As a ninja, your alertness truly leaves much to be desired." A masked Anbu member stood by his bedside.
"The Third wants to see you."
"I understand. I'll prepare myself and come shortly."
He glanced out the window. "It's already light out."
<><><><><><><><>
Thank you for reading! Your support will keep me updating!
~ Every 50 Powerstones = **4 Bonus Chapters** this weekend!
<><><><><><><><>
~ 100+ Advanced Chapters Available on Patreon!
~ More *Free* Chapters and Books Available on Patreon!
patreon.com/Tansnovel
<><><><><><><><>