It wasn't just a matter of surrendering to overwhelming force. As the clone's third eye gradually began to open, a disturbing aura radiated from its body—a malignant presence that had no place in this world, let alone in one ruled by chakra-wielding shinobi. Humanity, cherished as the stewards of the world's spirit, was never meant to birth something like this. Such abominable natural enemies should not exist—unless the world itself was on the brink of collapse.
Whether it made sense or not, the scene before him had clearly spiraled out of control. As a last resort, Mizuki stood firm under the suffocating pressure. He extended his right hand, chakra erupting violently as he channeled every bit of his mastery over Fire Release. No tricks. No finesse. Just raw, blinding white-blue flames at an extreme temperature, scorching the air and swallowing the clone whole.
"Step back, Tsubaki!" Mizuki shouted.
Even though he controlled it, the heat and radiance were enough to sear skin and blind the eyes.
The clone's body disintegrated rapidly under the intense blaze. With no soul to maintain the power sustaining the third eye, the artificial being crumbled into dust, scattered by the rising heat.
Only when the strange, malignant chakra had dissipated entirely did Mizuki allow himself to breathe again. Gasping, he collapsed to one knee. His left hand braced against the ground, while his right arm—numb and useless—hung limply, hideously blistered and badly burned.
Seeing the danger had passed, Tsubaki rushed to his side, immediately beginning to apply ointment to the wounded arm.
"I'm sorry, Tsubaki," Mizuki muttered, guilt heavy in his voice. "I let my guard down. The past few months went too smoothly—research, experiments, everything. I forgot how quickly things can go wrong."
This recklessness was a harsh reminder. In a world ruled by extraordinary power, even a moment of carelessness could lead to disaster.
He had known the clone, exposed to the near-finished version of the Omnipotent Potion, was unstable. It had no soul, and thus couldn't refine chakra on its own. But flooding it with Cursed Seal chakra—essentially hurling fire into a barrel of explosives—was a catastrophic miscalculation. Without willpower or a spirit to contain it, the cursed chakra rampaged unchecked. The clone's cells became dangerously overclocked, producing enormous quantities of chakra with no way to regulate it. The result was inevitable: the body detonated under the strain.
The destructive potential it exhibited in that brief moment had shaken Mizuki. He thought of Kai—Might Guy—unlocking all Eight Inner Gates and using the final, suicidal Gate of Death to pummel the Six Paths-powered Madara Uchiha to near death. The terror wasn't just in strength—it was in the lifeless desperation. The sheer intensity of self-sacrifice turned into raw power could threaten gods.
> "From now on, I must never inject Cursed Seal chakra into soulless clones again. Without a mind or spirit to resist it, even ordinary chakra is rejected. A foreign force without roots cannot last. But in a body already void of will, the cursed chakra is like opening all Eight Gates—it leads only to annihilation. Too dangerous."
"Does it still hurt?" Tsubaki asked worriedly as she treated the wound. "The burns are awful. Should we go to the hospital?"
"It's fine—just superficial." Mizuki tried to sound calm, but his voice was tight.
"Don't do anything this dangerous again."
"I won't," he promised, then added with a sheepish smile, "Sorry for making you worry."
"You'll be okay."
"I'm okay. The house is okay. It's a miracle I didn't burn it down." Mizuki laughed awkwardly, trying to lighten the mood.
Once his arm was wrapped and stabilized, Mizuki and Tsubaki began cleaning up the scorched room and putting away the leftover samples. Mizuki stared at the remaining vials thoughtfully before sealing them into storage scrolls.
> "If I let them mature any longer, they'll just rot. What a waste. Maybe I should weaponize them instead… some kind of single-use high-yield explosive. If someone throws a Water Dragon Bullet or Earth Dragon Bomb, I'll throw a 'Sasuke Bomb Technique' or 'Naruto Bomb Technique' and run for it. Might be useful."
Later that day, Haruno Sakura froze in surprise when Mizuki entered the flower shop, his right arm bandaged tightly.
"Shuimu-sensei!? What happened to you?! Are you hurt?"
"Well, you've got to be careful when researching ninjutsu," Mizuki replied lightly, trying not to sound too suspicious. "Or you'll end up like this."
He couldn't exactly say I accidentally made a cursed clone explode, after all. He still had a reputation to uphold as a teacher.
Glancing at his injured arm, Mizuki sighed to himself. He used to wonder why so many Fire Style techniques required expelling flames from the mouth. Turns out, mastering Fire Release was a punishing path. It consumed chakra rapidly, had slow projectile speed, and worst of all—if your control was off by even a bit—you could half-cook yourself in the process. He was living proof.
He'd long since completed the nature transformation for Fire Release. But shape transformation? That was a nightmare. Flames didn't want to be shaped—they were wild, unrestrained, and prone to turning on their user at the slightest mistake.
> "Developing new ninjutsu is a painful journey. For now, I can only rely on basic Fire Release and enhance its power with nature transformation. But even that requires top-tier chakra control and combat intuition—exhausting stuff."
"The teacher is amazing," Sakura said in awe, then handed over a bundle of bills. "Here's today's profit from the shop!"
"Whoa, that much? Thanks. You're really helping out."
While they chatted, the shop door creaked open again. A familiar figure in dark glasses stepped in.
"Have you seen Naruto Uzumaki?" the man asked. "Wait... Mizuki? This is your shop?"
"Oh, Ebisu." Mizuki blinked. "Didn't expect to see you. No, I haven't seen Naruto today."
"You're a shadow clone, huh?" Mizuki added, sensing the faint chakra distortion.
"Correct. If Naruto's not here, I'll keep looking," Ebisu said curtly before vanishing in a puff of smoke.
Watching him go, Sakura turned to Mizuki.
"Who was that? Did Naruto pull another prank?"
"No, that's Ebisu. Kakashi asked him to personally train Naruto."
"Kakashi-sensei did? Then he must be strong!"
"Well… strong might be a stretch," Mizuki smirked. "If we fought, the outcome would be uncertain. But Ebisu is a Tokubetsu Jōnin, specialized in instruction. He's one of the best tutors in the village."
"So if both Naruto and I pass, and he gets trained by someone like that, he'll become an even tougher opponent?" Sakura's eyes lit with a competitive spark.