Naruto: Mizuki The Savior

Chapter 17: Unknown Danger

The silent night was filled with the chirping of frogs and the buzzing of unknown insects, making the darkness feel even more eerie.

Unable to sleep due to his growing unease about the impending unknown danger, Mizuki got up and stepped out of the tent.

The dense, pitch-black forest before him resembled a massive beast, its gaping maw awaiting unwary prey to step into its trap.

"Sigh... I hope I'm just overthinking things, or that the enemy isn't too strong." Mizuki muttered to himself. "At least I'm not alone."

Just then, his sharp eyes caught a movement in the shadows.

"Who's there?"

"It's me. Relax." A voice replied as Yamashiro Aoba emerged from the darkness.

"You can't sleep either?"

"Sort of. I saw you step out and figured I'd check on you."

Mizuki raised an eyebrow, unconvinced. "Really?"

Aoba awkwardly chuckled, rubbing the back of his head. "You don't need to be suspicious. I've heard about your situation. What can I say? Every ninja has their own path. No one can predict what choices they'll make when faced with certain situations."

Mizuki smirked. "You don't need to explain. I get it. No one wants to be the one sacrificed."

Aoba sighed. "At least you understand. But as a ninja, you should have already accepted that reality."

Mizuki didn't argue and instead changed the topic. "So why are you awake? A veteran like you shouldn't have issues sleeping in the field. Resting and conserving energy are basic survival skills."

"I'm a bit concerned." Aoba admitted. "Kakashi and Ibiki are being too optimistic. To be honest, I think we're lacking in direct combat power."

"I was thinking the same thing." Mizuki agreed. "Zabuza Momochi is an S-rank rogue ninja from Kirigakure. There's no way no one is watching him. If he's acting so boldly in the Land of Waves and no Hunter-nin have come after him, then something's off. Kirigakure isn't an incompetent village."

"We can speculate all we want, but we won't know for sure until something happens. For now, I plan to set up some traps and warning mechanisms. Just waiting blindly for an attack is too passive."

"That makes sense. But with the Chūnin Exams approaching, most of Konoha's forces are tied up. If we had a Hyūga or an Aburame on our team, it'd make things much easier."

"Yeah, but we don't. We'll have to manage with what we have."

"Alright. You stay here and set up your precautions. I'll scout ahead."

With that, Aoba disappeared into the forest.

---

For several days, the Konoha team detected no suspicious activity. Their initial anxieties began to ease as time passed, and Kakashi gradually recovered. Mizuki finally felt like he could breathe a little easier.

"As long as Kakashi regains his full strength, no matter what happens, we won't be defenseless."

In the dense forest, Mizuki, Gekkō Hayate, and Yamashiro Aoba hid among the shadows, watching from a distance as Uchiha Sasuke and Uzumaki Naruto trained.

"Mizuki, you've interacted with that Nine-Tails brat before, right? What do you think of him?" Aoba asked.

Mizuki thought for a moment. "How should I put it? He's… passionate about everything he does."

"Passionate? About ninjutsu?"

"About everything." Mizuki shook his head. "He's an annoying little punk, but he's strangely hard to hate."

"He doesn't seem that strong, though."

"He's got potential. If a Jōnin underestimates him and lets him take the initiative, they'll regret it. His chakra reserves are insane, his stamina is remarkable, and his healing ability is off the charts, thanks to both his natural resilience and the Nine-Tails' influence. In the long run, he won't be any weaker than Uchiha Sasuke." Mizuki's tone was certain.

"Huh?" Hayate raised an eyebrow. "That's a bold claim. Sasuke hasn't awakened his Sharingan yet, but once he does, there's no way Naruto can keep up."

"Normally, yes. But the Sharingan isn't invincible. Sasuke's current foundation is much stronger than Naruto's, so the gap between them looks wide. But trust me, Naruto isn't weak. He just needs the right opportunities to grow."

Aoba and Hayate didn't seem entirely convinced but didn't argue.

"Sasuke's heading back. Should we keep tailing him?"

"No. Let's continue observing Naruto. The captain is handling Sasuke."

"Got it."

They continued monitoring Naruto late into the night, watching as he trained until he collapsed from exhaustion.

"You were right, Mizuki," Aoba admitted. "That kid is going to become strong. With proper guidance, he'll be a force to be reckoned with."

Mizuki nodded but didn't respond.

Eventually, Aoba woke Mizuki up for his turn on watch.

"Perfect timing." Mizuki thought. "Let's see if Haku appears as expected."

Sure enough, not long after, a long-haired youth appeared in the forest.

"There you are."

Mizuki quickly woke Hayate and Aoba, gesturing for silence before pointing toward the approaching figure.

Still half-asleep, they took a moment to register the situation. Then, as realization struck, they immediately went on high alert.

Just like in Mizuki's memories, Haku found Naruto and prepared to kill him.

Hayate nearly sprang into action, but Mizuki grabbed his arm, shaking his head.

"Wait."

Sure enough, the moment Haku's hand reached Naruto's throat, he hesitated.

Instead of killing him, the two started talking about their dreams and goals.

Eventually, they parted peacefully.

"Haku probably hasn't killed many people in his life…" Mizuki mused. "And as for Naruto, the so-called Child of Prophecy, he barely kills anyone at all. Love and peace are ingrained in his very soul."

Once Haku was gone, Hayate turned to Mizuki. "How did you know he wouldn't kill Naruto?"

"No killing intent." Mizuki didn't elaborate.

"I see…" Hayate narrowed his eyes. "Do you know who he is?"

"Of course not." Mizuki immediately denied it. "Should we investigate? He could be an unexpected enemy."

"Not yet," Aoba decided. "I'll report this to Ibiki and Kakashi first."

He quickly left to relay the information.

---

Back at their rendezvous point, the entire team was assembled.

Ibiki frowned. "We tried tracking that kid but lost him. He disappeared without a trace."

He exhaled sharply before continuing. "We also found evidence suggesting multiple hidden ninja squads nearby. Their exact numbers and intentions are unknown."

"That's bad news," Kakashi muttered.

Ibiki nodded. "We can't afford to wait for reinforcements. We're on our own. But as long as we don't face an overwhelming force, we should be able to handle this."

Looking around at his team, he continued, "Kakashi, you and your students will handle Zabuza and his assistant. We'll deal with any external interference. If we can, we'll come to assist."

"No problem," Kakashi agreed. "My students are capable shinobi. They won't just be dead weight."

"Good." Ibiki turned to Mizuki, Aoba, and Hayate. "You three will patrol a five-kilometer radius around the bridge. Eliminate any suspicious figures. Kotetsu, Izumo, and I will remain hidden as the last line of defense."

"Understood."

---

The following days were tense.

Mizuki used some of his experimental creatures for early-warning traps, but they weren't reliable for combat.

Suddenly, one of his jellyfish-like scouts was destroyed.

He immediately tensed.

"Someone's coming."

The air grew thick with mist.

"Damn it," Mizuki cursed. "We've been discovered. They're coming!"