Chapter 209: The Birth of a "Savior"
The intelligence on Orochimaru had not been easy to obtain. Among the various pieces of information, one thing was certain—Orochimaru would never give up on Uchiha Sasuke. Even if he was temporarily weakened, once he recovered, he would absolutely try to lure Sasuke once again.
"Should we inform the genin about this?" Mizuki asked with visible concern.
Kakashi shook his head. "No need for now. At present, we seem to have the advantage in intel. The secrecy around this mission has been tight enough that we're not likely to be directly targeted... but then again, you never know what kind of slip-ups might occur."
"I see. So an attack is likely—but not necessarily during this mission."
"Exactly."
"These kinds of ambiguous situations are the worst."
"Stop complaining. That's what being a shinobi is about," Kakashi said calmly. "If every mission were foolproof, then the right people would just get it done. The shinobi world wouldn't be so chaotic."
"You're right. Our job is to clean up these messes." Mizuki couldn't help but agree.
…
The Land of Water was the furthest of the Five Great Nations from Konoha. As such, Kirigakure was isolated overseas and notoriously difficult to access. Because of the potential for ambush, Kakashi and Mizuki's group made haste through the journey. Most of their path lay within the borders of the Land of Fire. Only once they reached the coastline would they switch to a ship for the final leg.
Fortunately, within the Land of Fire—Konoha's sphere of influence—there was little threat of large-scale attacks. Even elite enemy ambushes weren't much of a concern with both Kakashi and Mizuki present. As a result, the journey was relatively smooth.
Rushing all day, the group arrived at the coastal town just before dusk. Finally, they could rest.
"We'll stay the night in this town. Tomorrow, we take the passenger ship to sea," Kakashi announced.
After several days trekking through the dense jungle, no one objected. Even hardened shinobi would prefer beds to bug-infested woods—especially in the late summer, when Fire Country's lush environment meant not just clean air, but also endless mosquitoes. Even standard-issue repellent could only do so much.
Once accommodations were secured, the genin were allowed to move freely, under strict orders not to wander off alone. Kakashi went off to arrange tomorrow's ship.
Mizuki, meanwhile, instinctively set up traps and surveillance. Despite the excellent detection abilities of Team Eight, he preferred to have absolute control over his own information. Experience was still lacking among genin—mistakes were bound to happen.
Finding a quiet high point, Mizuki observed the bustling little port town that had grown around maritime trade. Where there was demand, people would come—even to the infamous "Bloody Mist." Merchants and adventurers seeking fortune had made the risky journey to the Land of Water for years, leading to the strange prosperity of towns like this one. Underneath the surface of apparent peace, Mizuki could already sense the seedy underbelly emerging as night fell.
Scams. Extortion. Street fights. Opulent debauchery. And just beyond that, orphans and beggars, displaced and starving. All of it lay within Mizuki's sensory field.
"This world really is rotten to the core," Mizuki thought. "Outside of Konoha's protection, the truth is this harsh."
It was no wonder so many people sought to change the world.
But Mizuki had no answer to this reality. Could he save the world by helping a few poor children? That idea felt almost laughably naïve.
He could see it all: members of Teams Seven and Eight, out of compassion, had given food and coins to some of the street kids. But moments later, larger, tougher beggars came along, beat the smaller ones senseless, and stole everything. Mizuki sighed and descended to where the injured orphans now lay unconscious. Using medical ninjutsu, he healed them and ensured they would survive.
Then he called out into the night, seemingly to no one.
"Kakashi, were you just going to stand there and let our genin do something so foolish?"
A figure emerged from the shadows.
"You were watching too," Kakashi replied.
Mizuki smiled wearily. "Better to let those kids preserve a bit of their innocence and kindness while they still can."
Kakashi nodded. "It's not the war era anymore. It reminds me of… back then, when I was on the battlefield at their age—"
"Stop right there, Kakashi." Mizuki cut him off. "You may have been promoted to jōnin and sent to war at twelve, but I was just a normal genin back then—just a glorified errand boy. You've got way more trauma to pull from than I do."
"Heh, fair enough," Kakashi said with a slightly embarrassed laugh. "I just mean the world's different now. Let them believe in it a little longer."
"You say that like you don't believe in it anymore."
Kakashi didn't respond. Instead, he changed the subject.
"Those guys back there… want me to go give them a scare?"
"No need, Kakashi. They're just sad people clinging to survival, bullying those even weaker than them. That's all they can do."
"In the end, we really can't do much. All this power… and we still can't change the world."
Konoha might take in a few war orphans—but not all of them. No one could.
"That's a dangerous way of thinking, Kakashi," Mizuki warned. "Leave that kind of burden to the daimyō and the Hokage. We're just shinobi. We can't fix the world…"
Because those who tried—those who had strength and wanted to fix everything—always walked the path of the 'savior.'
And in trying to save everyone, they became blind to reality… and eventually, they became the source of chaos themselves.
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