Chapter 8: It’s the World’s Fault

Chapter 8: It's the World's Fault

On the second night of his transmigration, Mizuki returned home and finally felt the emptiness and loneliness of his house. The burden of harboring a secret, the alienation of a foreign world—none of these had sunk in the night before.

"And now… it's time to deal with my own hidden dangers."

In the bathroom, Mizuki let the warm water cascade over his body, staring at the ominous cursed seal on his arm.

"A Cursed Seal, huh? Is this a cheat code or a death sentence?"

It would be a lie to say he had no thoughts about it. In the original timeline, Mizuki was tempted by its power and took the gamble—only to meet an unfortunate end. Judging by his fate, this thing was completely unreliable.

The seal was currently inactive, completely unresponsive. With his current ability, he had no way of utilizing it. Even in the ninja world, few people could truly understand this mark, let alone use it properly. Only researchers like Orochimaru could fully grasp its mechanics.

To make matters worse, this wasn't even a finished product. Unlike Heaven and Earth Seals given to Mitarashi Anko, Kimimaro, or Uchiha Sasuke, Mizuki's "Tiger Seal" was a failed prototype. The only thing it did reliably was kill its user. While others could activate their Cursed Seals at will and harness their power, Mizuki's seal was essentially a one-time, life-draining bomb—completely useless in its current state.

The only way to counteract the damage of this seal would be to possess extraordinary vitality. The Uzumaki Clan's legendary life force, Kabuto's self-modifications, or Hashirama's cells—all of these could potentially counteract the Cursed Seal's side effects.

Unfortunately for Mizuki, none of these options were available to him.

"This thing is a ticking time bomb. Even if I don't actively use it, there's no guarantee it won't suddenly activate and drain me dry. I need to deal with this soon."

He wiped the fogged-up mirror and stared at his reflection. His new hairstyle was better than before, but his hair was still too short. Maybe he should get glasses? No—Kabuto wore glasses. That would be a bad idea.

---

After showering, Mizuki relaxed on his bed, enjoying his first night of true leisure. He casually grabbed a book lying nearby.

"Wait, this isn't Icha Icha Paradise?"

Instead, it was some biography of heroic warriors.

"Even a minor villain like me used to have hero fantasies, huh? Konoha's education is terrifyingly effective."

With a snort, he tossed the book aside, lay back, and stretched out his left hand. He focused his chakra, watching as a pale blue light gathered in his palm.

"Ninjas, huh? This mysterious power that shapes the entire world… how ridiculous."

For a transmigrator, the reality of this world was far different from what casual anime fans imagined. When you were merely an observer, inconsistencies and unanswered questions could be ignored. But now that he was inside the story, the flaws became glaringly obvious.

There was a saying: "No matter how big a pancake is, it's still limited by the size of the pan."

The people of this world, born and raised in it, took chakra for granted. But from Mizuki's perspective, chakra was an anomaly, a literal supernatural cheat that no one seemed to question.

To the average ninja, the pursuit of power meant learning new jutsu. But to someone with Mizuki's knowledge, the true secret of this world wasn't the jutsu—it was chakra itself.

According to legend, chakra didn't exist naturally—it was introduced to the world by Kaguya Ōtsutsuki.

The official story was that the Shinju (God Tree) bore a fruit, which Kaguya ate, granting her chakra. But Mizuki didn't buy this version at all.

Why would a natural world create something like the God Tree? Why would it grow a fruit that gives divine power? It didn't make sense.

The more logical theory was that this world had been invaded by an external force.

Mizuki recalled The Last: Naruto the Movie, which hinted at extraterrestrial elements affecting this world. In reality, the God Tree wasn't a gift—it was a weapon of conquest. It wasn't the world giving birth to chakra; it was chakra being stolen from the world itself.

Kaguya Ōtsutsuki was merely a thief.

And Hagoromo Ōtsutsuki, the Sage of Six Paths? His real goal was unclear. But what was certain was that he divided chakra into Yin and Yang, which made it impossible for anyone else to use the most powerful form of chakra without relying on the God Tree.

This restriction forced future generations to constantly seek greater power, leading to the chaos of the ninja world.

Ninjas weren't warriors. Ninjas were victims of a broken system.

The ninja world was a rigged game.

Not a single person in history had surpassed the Sage of Six Paths' level. That alone proved how deeply chakra had been limited.

Even so, the world was still in chaos.

Resurrection techniques like Edo Tensei blurred the line between life and death.

Forbidden arts like Reaper Death Seal defied natural law.

Orochimaru's research into immortality was only the tip of the iceberg.

And then, there were Rinnegan and Tenseigan, which could bring people back to life in bulk.

It was absurd.

The world itself was being abused.

Mizuki rubbed his temples. Compared to his old world, where the greatest scientific breakthrough was nuclear fission, this place had completely shattered the laws of reality.

The laws of physics? Completely ignored.

The conservation of energy? A joke.

Time travel? Sure, why not.

And yet, the world was still standing.

"Maybe this world really is built differently. Or maybe… it's on the verge of collapse, and nobody realizes it yet."

The more he thought about it, the dizzier he became.

"This damn world where everyone has a built-in cheat code…" he muttered, rolling over to sleep.

---

Somewhere between dreaming and wakefulness, Mizuki floated in a vast space filled with glowing bubbles.

Each bubble was a memory.

One bubble held the stress of university exams.

Another contained the joy of a job promotion.

And another…

The Nine-Tailed Fox.

Each one was a fragment of his life and Mizuki's life, blending together.

Then, in the distance, something unusual appeared.

A human figure—curled up, lifeless, empty.

Mizuki's heart pounded.

"…That's Mizuki?"

Before he could move closer, a sudden disturbance rocked the space.

Mizuki woke up with a gasp, sitting upright in bed.

His chest heaved, his breath ragged.

A voice interrupted his thoughts.

"Bad dream?"

A masked Anbu stood beside his bed.

"As a ninja, your guard is pathetic," the man said flatly.

"Lord Third wants to see you."

Mizuki exhaled sharply. "Got it. Give me a minute."

The Anbu nodded and disappeared.

Mizuki glanced toward the window—the sun was already rising.

He looked down at his cursed seal, tracing its twisted patterns with his fingers.

"…If that wasn't a normal dream, then my body, mind, and soul are all walking on a thin line."

With a bitter smile, he got out of bed.