Mizuki said, "I'm leaving!"
He stepped out the door.
Just then, Tsubaki suddenly said, "Damn Sarutobi Hiruzen, I'll kill you sooner or later."
Mizuki froze, turned around, his face full of shock, "You — you also transmigrated here?"
The question wasn't strange, because Tsubaki had spoken in English. Although it sounded somewhat awkward, Mizuki couldn't mishear it — it was English, standard English.
This was the ninja world. There was no England or America, so where would English come from?
Mizuki instinctively assumed that Tsubaki had also transmigrated here.
His emotions surged. A fellow countryman!
But Tsubaki looked completely confused, "Mizuki-kun, do you know what that sleep talk meant?"
"Sleep talk? What sleep talk?" Mizuki realized something was wrong.
Tsubaki, "That strange sentence I just said — it was sleep talk from last night. You said it dozens of times. I memorized it and repeated it to ask you."
Mizuki: "…"
All excited for nothing.
He thought Tsubaki was also a transmigrator, but it was just his sleep talk.
He reacted quickly, "Oh, that sleep talk means: My dear Tsubaki, we will be very happy for the rest of our lives. Last night I dreamed that we got married and had several babies. Every day was carefree and happy."
Tsubaki's face lit up with joy, "Really? That's wonderful! But Mizuki-kun, why is the language you used in your sleep talk one I've never heard before?"
Mizuki explained, "That's an ancient language, even older than the Sage of Six Paths era. It's no longer used in the ninja world. I learned it on a mission in the Land of Whirlpools. I thought you knew it too just now — it startled me. It's getting late, I'm heading out."
Watching his retreating figure, the joy faded from Tsubaki's face, replaced by worry.
"When you talk in your sleep, you don't use your mother tongue — you use an ancient language rarely spoken. And last night, you were gritting your teeth, your face contorted, full of killing intent. There wasn't the slightest sign of happiness. Mizuki-kun, what are you hiding from me?"
Concern filled her face as she turned back into the house.
Just as she was about to close the door, a hand stopped it. A Root ninja stood at the doorway — she hadn't noticed when he'd arrived.
"Chūnin Tsubaki, Lord Danzō requests your presence!"
Tsubaki said coldly, "After the Uchiha clan was exterminated several years ago, Elder Danzō was removed from office by the Third Hokage. He has no authority to command village ninjas. You can leave. I won't go."
Root ninja, "This concerns the truth about your fiancé's current mission."
Tsubaki, "Wait a moment. I'll change clothes."
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By this time, Mizuki had walked far away, cold sweat breaking out on his back.
Close call! Too close!
"Thank goodness it was in English. If it had been in Japanese, I'd be done for by now."
In his dreams, he'd been shouting about killing the Third Hokage — dozens of times. If Tsubaki knew what it meant, even as his fiancée, she'd turn against him for the greater good.
Mizuki realized his engagement had to end, and soon. From now on, he'd have to sleep with one eye open. He absolutely could not talk in his sleep anymore.
❊❊❊❊❊
Hokage Building, Hokage's office.
Hiruzen stared at the crystal ball, watching until Mizuki walked out of Konoha's gates before putting it away. The office door opened, and Danzō walked in.
Hiruzen, "After Mizuki dies, bring me his body. There are secrets about him I need to know."
For over half a month now, the Chakra Control Pills given to Shikaku hadn't yielded any useful results.
He'd been preoccupied with this. He felt certain Mizuki was hiding something about the Chakra Control Pills.
This was why he'd repeatedly schemed to kill him. After his death, he could arrange for the Yamanaka clan to probe his memories and find the answers he wanted. Whether or not Mizuki had mastered the formula, he had to try.
Danzō, "Understood."
Hiruzen, "This time, everything should be foolproof, right?"
Danzō, "Last time we didn't know he had a trump card, so we underestimated him. This time we're fully prepared — guaranteed flawless."
Hiruzen, "You took his fiancée?"
Danzō, "His strength is unclear. I did this as a precaution."
Hiruzen's eyes narrowed, his voice low, "Danzō, you've crossed the line. Tsubaki is innocent."
Danzō glanced at him and sneered, "The news about their marriage came from the Hokage Building. I recall that when you and Biwako were getting married, not nearly as many people knew half a month beforehand."
Hiruzen took a puff from his pipe and said nothing.
Danzō's meaning was clear: you pushed this forward, Sarutobi Hiruzen, so stop pretending to be the good guy. I've seen through everything.
❊❊❊❊❊
After leaving Konoha, Mizuki traveled straight east along the main road at a moderate pace.
But his mind stayed tense. Traps might lie on the road ahead. Ambushes might hide in the forests on either side. A matter of life and death — he couldn't afford to relax.
From Konoha to the border would take at least five or six days on foot.
The first day passed quickly. Mizuki wasn't attacked at all. In the evening, he stayed at an inn in a town he passed through, and that night also passed without incident.
Then came the second day, the third day… All the way to the sixth day, when he arrived at the village that had issued the bandit suppression mission — nothing unusual happened.
"Looks like they're waiting for me on the mountain."
Entering the village, Mizuki found the village chief, identified himself, and asked about the bandits' location.
"Mizuki-kun, it's already late, and you've traveled such a long distance. Let's discuss the mission tomorrow. The village has prepared fine wine and delicious food. Please enjoy a meal, get a good night's sleep, and rest up — you'll be better prepared for going up the mountain tomorrow."
The village chief was very polite.
Having been drugged with medicinal wine by Tsubaki before, Mizuki had become even more cautious — drinking was absolutely out of the question.
"No need to trouble yourself, village chief. Just tell me about the bandits. I'll eliminate them tonight."
Soon, Mizuki learned the general situation from the village chief.
The bandit gang numbered around twenty, all ordinary people with no ninjas among them. Ordinary bandits wouldn't normally require Konoha ninjas to eliminate them. But the authorities had sent troops up the mountain several times, and none had succeeded.
The main reason was that the mountain had cliffs on all four sides. The bandits used ropes to climb up and down. When troops arrived, the bandits would pull up the ropes, and the troops couldn't climb up.
"Understood. I'll head up the mountain now. Wait for my news."
The sun had already set, and the sky was gradually darkening.
After Mizuki left the village, the village chief immediately lit a bonfire in the open space.
Arriving at the base of the mountain, Mizuki looked up and saw that the mountain had cliffs on all four sides, difficult for ordinary people to climb.
But for a ninja, this was trivial. He placed both feet on the cliff face and walked up step by step, as if walking on flat ground.
"They should be making their move now!" Mizuki braced himself.
The next moment, he heard a hissing sound. He knew it instantly — an explosive tag, already activated.
He spotted it three meters to his left. At that distance, the blast wouldn't injure him, but the shockwave would knock him off balance or throw him into the air.
This was a cliff face, not flat ground. Any slip could send him falling, let alone being thrown into the air.
Mizuki whipped his head around, searching for a target for his Body Swap Technique.
Before he could find one, the explosive tag detonated with a boom. The shockwave sent his body flying, his feet losing contact with the cliff.
Over a hundred meters from the ground — a fall from here meant compound fractures, ruptured organs, a split-open head.
Dead as dead could be!
Of course, that was for ordinary people.
Mizuki reacted quickly. From the Yongquan tenketsu on his feet, two streams of chakra burst forth, forming strong winds. The counter-thrust pushed him back toward the cliff, and his hands grasped a protruding rock.
After more than half a month of practice, the Sky Walk Technique still wasn't fully mastered — he couldn't fly through the air. But using it briefly in an emergency like this was no problem.
Back on the cliff face, Mizuki grew even more cautious. His eyes scanned the surroundings for more explosive tags.
Just then, two hands shot out from the cliff rock and grabbed both his ankles.
Doton: Shinjū Zanshu no Jutsu ▻ Earth Release: Double Suicide Decapitation Technique
With a soft shout, Mizuki was pulled into the rock, only his head exposed.
A masked Root ninja emerged from the cliff face.
"Your mobility is restricted. You can't even form hand seals. According to Lord Danzō's orders, you can die now."
The ninja held a kunai and slashed toward Mizuki's throat.
Mizuki smiled, "Looks like Danzō still doesn't know how that previous Root ninja died."
The Body Swap Technique hadn't been exposed yet.
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T/N: Comment, give me Power Stones, like and favorite, it all supports me and makes me go foward with this. Appreciate my other stories as well, I guarantee the good work!
If you want to enjoy a large catalog of good novels with excellent translations: MrBlackWing (on that website)
That's it and happy reading! (-‿◦)