Naruto: From Extra to Savior

Overall, the current order within Konoha Village was still heading in a positive direction. That said, after years without war, the recent conflicts had created inevitable chaos that would linger for a while. On the surface, things looked pretty much the same by day as they usually did, but there was definitely more ninja patrolling—plainclothes and undercover alike.

At a time like this, with the leadership seat empty and people's morale shaky, it was only natural for all sorts of unofficial rumors to start spreading fast.

As expected, early in the morning Mizuki had already caught at least five different versions about who might succeed the Fifth Hokage just from listening in on street vendors' chatter. The names being tossed around weren't just Tsunade and Jiraiya; even Asuma Sarutobi and the ever-popular Kakashi Hatake had come up. As for Might Guy, despite his impressive strength, no such rumors surrounded him. Maybe people just couldn't take the thought seriously—an entertainer-style Hokage? Not really something they could picture.

Mizuki wandered quietly through the alleys, watching the early birds go about their morning hustle. At this very moment, huge changes were taking place every second. Ninja power wasn't only used for battle—it worked well for construction and production too. But then again, why have ninja villages, these semi-mercenary groups, managed to survive like this? That probably had everything to do with how the major nations and ninja villages interacted. Each village actually chose to ignore—or even actively suppress—the use of ninja power for public infrastructure. As purely military units under the control of the Daimyos, they generally maintained an equilibrium—mutually wary, yet mutually dependent. If Konoha ever started doing that, it'd be fully self-reliant and wouldn't depend on the Land of Fire anymore. Do you think the Daimos of the major nations would actually let that happen?

In the original story, the reason Asuma Sarutobi clashed with his father, Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi, and later joined the Guardian Shinobi serving the Daimyo, came down to a difference in belief. To many people, the Daimyo and the Hokage stood for two extremes within a country—the struggle between righteousness and power. If those forces can't unify, conflict becomes unavoidable.

"Hey there, young man! Come over here and chat for a bit?" Mizuki had gotten up early and simply wandered out because he had too much on his mind to sleep anyway. He hadn't expected to run into a familiar face this early.

"This isn't Anko Mitarashi, the Tokubetsu Jonin, is it?" Surprisingly, the voice belonged to Anko Mitarashi herself. Mizuki hadn't really imagined meeting her at this hour. Somehow, he never saw her as the type to get up early. "What do you want with me?"

Anko proved to be naturally outgoing—maybe even a little ditzy. Though they had crossed paths a few times on missions before, she seemed completely oblivious to any hints that Mizuki wasn't exactly eager to engage with her.

"It's just that I'd barely gotten back from a mission when I heard about Kurenai being hurt. Want to check on her together?" Anko Mitarashi said without missing a beat.

"I'm also considered a seriously injured patient—I went to the hospital yesterday. I'd rather not go back for now," Mizuki quickly declined. Even if he ended up going later, he definitely didn't want to go with her.

"Don't be such a hardass. C'mon, we're teammates after all."

She really couldn't read the room—no wonder Mizuki didn't want to hang around with her. Their personalities clashed badly; most of the time, they couldn't even have a proper conversation.

"Sorry, I've got plans..." Though he actually had nothing going on, spending time with Anko Mitarashi wasn't nearly as enjoyable as being with Tsubaki.

"Really?" Anko asked suspiciously. "Fine then, I'll let it slide for now. There's something I'll have to ask you about later anyway..."

Before her voice faded away, salvation arrived in the form of a call: "Mizuki, sorry to keep you waiting..." It was Tsubaki, who had come to deliver breakfast.

"See? I've got things to do. Sorry, can't join you today..." Mizuki couldn't help but feel relieved as he spoke to Anko Mitarashi.

As for Anko Mitarashi, despite her bold and careless nature and occasional failure to read the atmosphere, she wasn't stupid. In fact, her sharp instincts sometimes caught things no one else would've noticed—like during their previous close encounter when she almost discovered the cursed seal of Orochimaru on him. If Mizuki hadn't been quick-witted enough, things could have gone very wrong. Those hiding secrets should probably keep their distance from someone like Anko, who relied purely on talent and gut feelings.

...

Watching Anko Mitarashi depart amidst swirling dust and dirt, Mizuki smiled at Tsubaki and said, "Thanks just now... Never thought you'd get so crafty, willing to lie so convincingly."

"You looked like you were in a bind, right? Who's gonna care anyway?" After all, who would question the affairs between a betrothed couple?

"You really don't like dealing with her?"

"Do you expect me to build a good relationship with her?" Instead of answering directly, Mizuki avoided the question. Slightly low on emotional intelligence, he vaguely sensed there might be some kind of trap in this question—it involved more than just simple interpersonal issues.

Tsubaki gave a soft laugh and shook her head, "That's not what I meant. I just feel like lately, whenever you interact with people, you always seem to carry certain preconceived notions beforehand..."

"Hmm?" Although Mizuki had never talked to Tsubaki about something like this before, now that he thought about it, it kind of made sense. Since inheriting memories from his past life, before interacting with others, he always subconsciously labeled them based on impressions carried over from those memories—people like Naruto, Sasuke, or even Anko Mitarashi. Countless examples existed, yet in this life, Mizuki hadn't truly gotten to know many of these individuals well, still persistently viewing them through biased lenses, whether those labels were good or bad.

However, people weren't exactly the same as he remembered. Take Kakashi Hatake for example; only after extended interaction did Mizuki realize this man genuinely valued emotions, though his social skills often barely exceeded those of his slightly reclusive former self from his past life.

Iruka Umino's ninja abilities were no cause for concern. His position as a teacher at the Ninja Academy alone proved his capabilities. Shimura Danzo might not have enjoyed public renown in Konoha, but neither was his reputation overtly villainous. Though many shinobi despised interactions with the "Root" organization and actively avoided Danzo Shimura, few could entirely condemn his actions when scrutinizing their deeper implications.

To put it plainly, within the hearts of Konoha ninjas, Danzo Shimura's behavior still remained within the framework of Konoha's interests. In Mizuki's opinion, Danzo's greatest mistake wasn't driven by selfish motives—Danzo had never placed his longing for the Hokage title above Konoha's well-being. Even if such desires existed, they merely aimed to prove through the Hokage title that his affection for Konoha equaled that of Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi. Danzo's gravest error lay in attempting to change Konoha—and even the entire ninja world—in his own way, overestimating his role and abilities. Fundamentally speaking, this was a typical case of capability and wisdom falling short of great ambitions. His methods and intellect failed to realize his grand visions. Worse still, he implemented schemes without considering practical constraints—a tragic case where noble intentions yielded catastrophic outcomes, ultimately consuming him in self-delusion.

"One should not seek to become Ksitigarbha without first attaining Bodhisattva status; those lacking the chosen one's composure should not rashly aspire to play savior."

From the very beginning, Mizuki had always dismissed Danzo Shimura as unworthy of close study, convinced he already grasped the man's core traits. However, without personal contact, there was no telling whether misunderstandings might exist. And indeed, direct interaction proved difficult. [Kotoamatsukami] was simply too troublesome. Many special dojutsu techniques granted by the Mangekyou Sharingan were named after ancient deities from past lives—Amaterasu, Tsukuyomi, Susanoo, Izanagi, Izanami, Kotoamatsukami, and others—all names of gods. In a world where supernatural forces openly manifested, most jutsu names related to gods were far from arbitrary. Therefore, until he determined whether Kotoamatsukami could actually be resisted, Mizuki would absolutely refuse any secret meeting with Shimura Danzo alone. He understood the principle that a gentleman should never place himself in unnecessary danger. One must never allow such an opportunity—the chance to spend hours devising strategies, only to be undone by another's concealed trump card.

"Mizuki, why are you spacing out?" Tsubaki couldn't help breaking the silence when she noticed Mizuki had fallen into an extended, troubled silence following her question.

"Nothing urgent, Tsubaki—just something that came back to me," Mizuki replied apologetically. "You're right about recent issues."

Miscalculations regarding understanding people might interfere with one's judgment—such as with Hiashi Hyuga, who he might soon interact with more deeply...

"I was just thinking aloud—but recently, it felt like something has been off about how you connect with others. Before, your relationships always seemed forced. Even your interactions with Iruka felt strained, almost disingenuous."

That comment practically accused him of insincerity in the past. Yet only someone close like Tsubaki could notice such things, and only she would dare speak them directly to him.

Looking at Mizuki's awkward expression, Tsubaki smiled and said, "But recently he's changed a lot—seems much better than before, almost like back when we were kids. Still, he's got more on his mind now, and he's been making all sorts of weird stuff."

"If you think it's okay, then I guess that's fine, but was he really that bad in the past?" How did someone like Mizuki even end up with a fiancée? Mizuki himself was pretty curious about that. Guess they were both in the same boat—not exactly experts when it came to emotions.

"I can't really explain it either… but I always feel a bit uneasy about it."

"Alright, let's drop it then. Since today's free, want to walk around a bit?" Thinking too much about the past isn't healthy. Best to avoid getting stuck there if possible.

"That special jonin Anko Mitarashi earlier seemed like she was looking for you," Tsubaki replied, ignoring Mizuki's attempt to change the topic.

"Yeah… I know." As for why Anko Mitarashi showed up just now—maybe coincidence, but more likely she'd sensed something. Cursed seals vibrate similarly to weakened Sage Chakra. It wouldn't be surprising if someone as perceptive as Anko Mitarashi caught a vibe. But if she asked directly, how should Mizuki respond? He couldn't exactly ask her to turn a blind eye—not like they were close enough for that yet. After all, since she used to be Orochimaru's student, there was definitely some connection between her and Danzo Shimura. Before Tsunade returned, Mizuki had no intention of getting involved with Danzo in any way. Without a strong Hokage keeping things under control, Danzo's influence had already grown out of hand.

Seeing Mizuki understood, Tsubaki didn't press further. She knew how careful Mizuki usually was. Especially these past few months—seeing all those secret experiments Mizuki carried out without the village knowing had really worried her, but since nothing major happened, she felt relieved.

"It's still too early to go visit the hospital right now. Maybe later… showing up too soon might disturb everyone's rest. Better to wait till later."

Besides, there was another important reason to go—to have a serious talk with Kakashi Hatake.

Last night, Mizuki mused over his options: Orochimaru's condition had worsened—there was no way he could afford to wait for Sasuke Uchiha's body anymore. A transfer needed to happen immediately. Even if Orochimaru tried to endure, sending an unprepared Sound Four to abduct Sasuke without Kimimaro's help, it was uncertain whether they could successfully convince Sasuke to defect. Moreover, the timeline was already subtly deviating from the original storyline. At this point, Tsunade hadn't returned yet. Whether Orochimaru would still seek Tsunade for treatment, whether the Sannin would reunite in Tanzaku, or whether Tsunade's blood phobia would get resolved—all remained unknown.

Sasuke Uchiha couldn't be allowed to run wild. If he failed to defect to Orochimaru smoothly, then alternative methods must be found to address the issue of his strength falling far behind Naruto's.

Otherwise, Sasuke's mind would grow increasingly distorted. A completely unhinged and out-of-control Sasuke would be far more dangerous than the already-dangerous runaway Sasuke. [Sharingan] really is a real enigma...

One reason future uncertainties needed to be carefully considered was the immediate issue at hand—the upcoming infiltration of Konoha by Itachi Uchiha and Kisame Hoshigaki. These two would sneak into the village while Jiraiya was traveling with Naruto, attempting to capture the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki—Naruto Uzumaki. Though they ultimately failed, Kakashi Hatake was gravely affected by [Tsukuyomi]. Still unfamiliar with the Mangekyo Sharingan's power, Kakashi suffered major losses during their first confrontation. He was bedridden for months until Tsunade finally returned to heal him.

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