Chapter 214: Godlike
"Alright, if you think it's okay, then let them see more of the real world. That's part of the mission experience too. Just don't tell them too much—they wouldn't understand anyway."
"Maybe you're right." Kakashi agreed. "But letting them know how things are in our village doesn't mean other nations are the same. It's important they don't make dangerous mistakes out of naïveté."
Mizuki smiled faintly. "Then I suppose this is our first real disagreement on teaching methods, huh? Having different perspectives is good, Kakashi. But be mindful—they may not be as brilliant as Shikamaru, but they're sharp. Give them just a glimpse of the truth, and they might start overthinking everything…"
Mizuki let the matter drop. Kakashi didn't press further either.
"What we talked about earlier is actually a core part of our dual missions here. We need to establish contact with Lord Jiraiya as soon as possible. I've been to the Land of Water recently, but it was just a brief recon to investigate rumors of rebellion in Kirigakure. This time, we need solid intelligence to assess this weakened member of the Five Great Nations trying to rejoin the world order."
"You mean I'm handling this part?" Mizuki frowned. "That's delicate work."
"Your powers of observation and ability to see through appearances make you more suited for it than me."
"Fine, I'll take it. But that means you handle all the other stuff. I'll be the quiet observer—objectivity and all that…"
"So that's your excuse for slacking off?" Kakashi gave a resigned chuckle.
"What do you mean slacking off? I'm the model of dedication. I'm even working while injured."
"Injured? Wait, you're not fully recovered?"
"Moonlight Gai is still bedridden. I even had to step in for Kurenai as a team leader. I've used more medicine than both of them combined. What makes you think I'm fine?"
Mizuki said it so lightly, it almost didn't sound like he was talking about his own failing health.
"Even Lady Tsunade hasn't been able to cure you?"
Mizuki shook his head regretfully. "If she could, Gai would be saved."
"I see…" Kakashi also looked disappointed. "But you look okay."
"Don't worry. I'm terrified of dying. I won't drop dead any time soon. You'll be stuck with me for a while."
…
Late at night, only the sound of waves breaking against the ship and the whispering wind disturbed the silence. Mizuki lay on the wooden bed in his cabin, restlessly thinking over everything Kakashi had said.
The mission he'd been given wasn't particularly difficult. Kirigakure was at its weakest. The Fourth Mizukage, Yagura, was dead. The Three-Tails was lost, and the Six-Tails' Jinchūriki, Utakata, was on the run. Their standing forces were a joke.
Their strongest remaining asset was Mei Terumi. Most of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen were either dead or had defected. Even Chōjūrō's status was unclear—whether he'd even acquired Hiramekarei yet was uncertain. In terms of brute strength, they weren't hard to evaluate.
But strength wasn't the only metric. A ninja village wasn't some ragtag mercenary band—it was a formal military institution. Real evaluation included factors like wartime mobilization, leadership, internal stability, and relations with their feudal lord. Of these, internal tensions were the most critical.
As someone who seized power through rebellion, the Fifth Mizukage's real test was whether she could control the village, restore order, and maintain power. That's what Konoha truly wanted to know.
This brought up something Mizuki had long tried to ignore—Kakashi's question about whether ninjas "followed the rules."
The longer he stayed in this world, the more Mizuki found it strange.
The native inhabitants of the ninja world may not notice it. But for Mizuki, who retained memories of his previous life, there was no "blinded-by-familiarity" effect.
This was a world where chakra—supernatural power—truly existed. And the term supernatural wasn't used lightly.
Compared to his past life, where even a monk with basic herbal knowledge could start a cult by pretending to be a prophet, the ninja world was vastly different.
In the ancient world, ignorance ran rampant. A fraud who could heal a wound with herbs could easily convince people he was backed by a god. But here?
A ninja could actually heal wounds. At the pinnacle of medical ninjutsu, they could even bring people back from the brink of death. Miracles like flying, walking on water, controlling elements—fantasies in the old world—were routine here.
But strangely, in a world filled with people who could do what gods once did, no one treated them as deities.
Aside from the Sage of Six Paths, who had been mythologized over time, ninja hadn't been worshipped as gods—despite having powers that, by all rights, should've put them on the same pedestal.
This wasn't normal.
Over the centuries, ninja had become different from ordinary people. Yet society had neither cast them out nor deified them. The reason for this, Mizuki now realized, was because ninja had always followed the rules—or at least pretended to.
Compared to the massive population, ninja were few. Within a village, nearly everyone had a connection to a ninja or a potential to become one. So they saw ninja not as foreign, but simply as "those with more talent."
But outside the villages? In the countryside? Most people never had the chance to become ninja—nor did they know any. How did they view shinobi?
With awe? Envy? Hatred?
Or perhaps… as something other—gods, demons, or monsters?
To be continued...
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