Naruto: Mizuki The Savior

Chapter 14: Sealing Jutsu

In just over ten days, Mizuki had gained a new reputation—not for talent or skill, but for being utterly lazy. He openly napped in the mission hall, ignoring his colleagues entirely. Still, since he showed up on time for work and didn't make any major mistakes, no one really bothered him.

"This job could be done just as well by a pig sitting here," Mizuki muttered groggily, rubbing his eyes.

"You're unbelievable, Mizuki! If you keep this up, you're going to ruin our village's reputation with the clients," came a disgruntled voice from his side.

"Hmm? Kotetsu? Where's Iruka? And Izumo isn't here either? Did they all go slack off somewhere?" Mizuki blinked, realizing the people around him had changed.

"Iruka had something to do, so I'm filling in for him," Kotetsu Hagane replied with barely concealed irritation. "Izumo already finished his shift and left."

"Ah, I see." Mizuki stretched. "Well, in that case, I should be heading out too—almost time for dinner."

"You don't even realize what you've been doing all day, do you?"

"Sleeping, obviously," Mizuki answered matter-of-factly.

"And at night?"

"Sleeping as well. What else would I be doing?" He gave Kotetsu a look of utter contempt, as if he had just asked the dumbest question in the world.

Too annoyed to argue, Kotetsu clenched his fists while Mizuki casually picked up his things.

"Mizuki, are you ready to go?"

A soft voice interrupted their conversation as Chie Tsubaki arrived to pick him up.

"Yeah. Do you have everything prepared?"

"Yes. Are we having potato stew again tonight?"

"No, let's go with curry this time. Something different."

"Alright, but we should start early—it takes a while to cook."

"No rush. If it gets too late, you can just stay over at my place."

With that, Mizuki let Tsubaki take his arm as they strolled off together, leaving behind a group of bitter, single men.

When they arrived home, the sky had long turned dark, but there was no romantic candlelit dinner waiting for them—only serious business.

"Mizuki, do we really have to do this?" Tsubaki asked worriedly. "If we inform the village, they'll help you. You don't have to take this risk."

"No, Tsubaki," Mizuki shook his head firmly. "If the village finds out about this, they'll immediately connect me to Orochimaru. That would be a disaster. If I get caught, I could be locked away for the rest of my life."

Tsubaki bit her lip, hesitant but unable to refute his logic.

"Don't worry. Once the seal is in place, the Cursed Seal won't activate again. No one will find out. And if I don't do this soon, my body won't last much longer."

Despite Mizuki's efforts to conserve his energy, the effects of the Cursed Seal were getting worse. His appetite had increased, but his body was still deteriorating rapidly. If this continued, someone was bound to notice.

"Are you sure this will work?"

"Of course. Have I ever lied to you?" Mizuki smiled. "Besides, our wedding is coming up. I wouldn't want to miss the most important moment of my life. Trust me, Tsubaki."

"Alright…" She exhaled, still uneasy. "I'll start dinner while you prepare the materials."

After eating and cleaning up, Mizuki activated the surveillance barrier in his room to check for any signs of spying.

"No unusual chakra activity… No one's watching."

As expected, no one would waste time monitoring a grown man spending the evening alone with his fiancée.

With everything set, Mizuki carefully laid out the materials he had gathered over the past few days, inscribing a complex sealing array onto the floor. Tsubaki assisted, occasionally stepping in to make adjustments where needed.

When the final details were complete, Mizuki sat at the center of the formation.

"It's your turn now, Tsubaki. Don't be nervous—take your time, we're not in a rush."

Tsubaki nodded, picking up the sealing ink and carefully drawing the necessary symbols onto Mizuki's body, especially on his back where he couldn't reach.

Time passed, and sweat beaded on her forehead—not from exhaustion, but from nerves. This was her first time performing such a delicate procedure.

Eventually, she stepped back. "It's done."

"You added the contingency release function, right?"

"Yes," she confirmed reluctantly. "But Mizuki, are you sure about this? If you activate the Cursed Seal's full power, the damage to your body could be fatal…"

"Better safe than sorry. Hopefully, I won't have to use it."

What he didn't tell her was that this wasn't just a failsafe—it was part of his deeper plan. The Four Symbols Seal he had placed on his mind provided an extra layer of protection. If he ever needed to tap into the Cursed Seal's power, his mind would remain intact while only his body took the brunt of the damage. And physical injuries were far easier to recover from than spiritual ones.

"Alright, let's begin. Are you ready?"

Tsubaki took a deep breath. "Yes."

They both extended their hands—Mizuki his left, Tsubaki her right—and formed a series of hand seals together.

Mizuki activated his chakra, awakening the Cursed Seal. Immediately, black markings spread across his arm and began crawling over his body.

The pain was beyond words. It was as if his very soul was being shredded apart.

"Tsubaki—now!"

"Understood! Evil Sealing Method!"

The inscribed formation glowed, white mist rising as the sealing characters shifted, converging toward Mizuki's right arm.

The agony was unbearable. Every fiber of his being screamed in torment as chakra surged through their connected hands, flowing into the seal.

Just as Mizuki thought he wouldn't last, Tsubaki gave one final shout:

"Seal!"

With that, the energy was forcibly compressed. The pain abruptly ceased, leaving Mizuki feeling completely drained. His body, utterly spent, collapsed.

Tsubaki caught him, lowering him gently to the floor.

"It's done?" Mizuki gasped, barely able to speak.

"Yes… Are you alright?" She, too, was exhausted.

"Good… I'm fine…" was all he managed before passing out.

For the first time in what felt like forever, Mizuki had a deep, uninterrupted sleep—one without dreams, worries, or pain.

By the time he woke up, morning light was spilling through the window.

Tsubaki was slumped against the bed, clearly having watched over him all night.

"Looks like she stayed up for me," he thought, gently brushing a strand of hair from her face.

As soon as he moved, she stirred.

"Mizuki? You're awake?"

"Yeah… Thank you, Tsubaki. I'm sorry for making you worry."

"As long as you're okay." She smiled in relief. "Do you want to take the day off?"

"No need. My job isn't that demanding—I just have to sit around all day."

Tsubaki giggled. "You've already gained quite the reputation, you know. Even my colleagues have been talking about you."

Mizuki shrugged. "Who cares? If you worry about every little rumor, life becomes exhausting." He smirked. "Take this morning, for example—if people find out we overslept and arrived late together, what do you think they'll say?"

Tsubaki froze. "Oh no! What if they get the wrong idea?"

"Let them. Doesn't matter—after all, you are my fiancée. Let them be jealous."

"You're impossible!" She turned red but quickly hurried to get ready.

"Better hurry up, or we'll be even later."

With that, they scrambled to prepare and rushed out the door.

By some miracle, Mizuki managed to arrive on time.

"Hey, Kotetsu? You again?"

"Yeah, I'm on shift today," Kotetsu grumbled. "What's up with you lately? You're showing up later and later."

"Had a long night."

Kotetsu raised an eyebrow. "…A long night?"

Seeing his smirk, Mizuki knew exactly what he was thinking but made no effort to correct him.

Flipping through the day's assignments, something caught Mizuki's eye.

"The Land of Waves mission? Looks like my warning wasn't entirely ignored after all."

As he glanced toward the Hokage's office, he spotted Kakashi and his team inside.

"So, the hero's journey begins," Mizuki mused. "Meanwhile, I'm still stuck here, playing a reformed villain. How frustrating."