CHAPTER 14

In just a dozen days, Shuimu became infamous again, and his reputation was far from flattering. During his duties, he would often sleep in the task hall, treating his colleagues with blatant disregard. Fortunately, Shuimu always commuted to and from work on time, and his tasks were generally completed without issue. As a result, no one ever bothered to confront him.

"Anyway, it's not much worse to be called a lazy pig sitting here. It's better to go back to sleep early," Shuimu complained sleepily.

"You're going too far, Shuimu. If you keep this up, it will ruin the village's image in the eyes of our clients," a voice next to him complained disapprovingly.

"Is that you, Gangzitie? Oh, it's Iruka! Hey, where's Izumo Shenyue? Are you all just being lazy?" Mizuki, having been replaced by someone else at some point, was confused by the situation.

"Hey, Iruka had to leave, so I'm covering his shift. Izumo already swapped out," Gang Zitie replied bitterly. "Master Mizuki must be so tired. Do you need a break?"

"No need," Shuimu glanced at the clock on the wall. "It's almost time to clock out. I need to hurry home and eat."

"You really don't care about your work, do you?" Gang Zitie muttered under his breath.

"I'm sleeping during the day," Mizuki said with complete confidence.

"Then what are you doing tonight?"

"Of course, I'll sleep at night. What else is there to do?" Shuimu looked at Gang Zitie with a disdainful expression, "Do you really need to ask such a thing?"

Ignoring Gang Zitie, who was left sputtering in frustration, Mizuki got up and went home.

"Mizuki, can we go now?" Chie Tsubaki arrived to pick him up.

"Ah, Xiao Chun, you came just in time. Is everything ready?"

"Ready. Are we having potato stew today?"

"No, let's make curry today instead."

"Okay, let's hurry. Curry takes longer to cook, so I'll need to start soon."

"It's fine, don't worry. If it gets too late, we can just stay at my place."

With that, Xiao Chun took Mizuki's arm, and they left, leaving the single, frustrated man behind.

When they got home, it was already fully dark, but Mizuki and Xiao Chun were not the picture of sweetness that others might imagine.

"Shuimu, do you have to do this? You could ask the village for help, and it would be fine," Xiao Chun said, her tone full of concern.

"I can't. The village must never find out about this. The curse seal is too similar to Mitarashi Anko's, and it would be immediately clear that I've had dealings with Orochimaru. If anyone discovered it, things could get very troublesome. If it goes wrong, I could be locked away for the rest of my life."

It was better to scare Xiao Chun a little, so she wouldn't accidentally give something away.

Xiao Chun listened in silence, worried but accepting the explanation.

"Don't worry. I won't be involved with Orochimaru again. As long as the seal works, no one will know about the curse mark. But if I don't take care of it soon, the burden will be too great for my body to handle."

Lately, Shuimu had been conserving his energy, even increasing his food intake, but his body was still deteriorating.

"Is it really going to be okay?" Xiao Chun asked, concerned.

"Of course. When have I ever lied to you? And with the wedding date coming soon, I don't want to miss the most important moment of my life. Don't worry. You cook first, and I'll prepare the materials. We'll start once everything's ready."

"Okay." Xiao Chun nodded, determined.

After dinner, once everything was set, Shuimu activated the monitoring barrier in the room. There were no abnormal chakra fluctuations.

"No one is watching," he muttered to himself.

As expected, no one would be keeping tabs on an adult man and his fiancée alone in a room at night.

Everything was ready. Shuimu pulled out the materials he had gathered over the past few days and began to paint the sealing array while Xiao Chun assisted when needed.

Once the array was completed, it was checked multiple times for accuracy. Mizuki sat in the center and instructed, "It's your turn now. Don't be nervous; take your time. We have plenty of time."

Xiao Chun took the casting materials and began copying the seal runes onto Mizuki, especially those on his back that he couldn't see.

Time passed slowly, and Xiao Chun was beginning to sweat, mostly from nervousness since it was her first time casting a spell.

Finally, after a long period, Xiao Chun said, "Done."

"Is the reverse seal technique ready?" Mizuki asked.

"Yes, I've left the back door as you requested. Once activated by the mental fluctuation you designed, the seal will reverse and the curse mark will be greatly stimulated." Xiao Chun's voice trembled with worry. "But this leaves a loophole. According to your description, the spell seal will consume a lot of vitality. Why leave such a weakness?"

"Just be prepared. It might be useful, but I hope it never comes to that," Mizuki replied.

In fact, there was an important detail Mizuki didn't mention. The spirit had already been sealed by the Four Symbols Seal, and as long as the main gateway was left open, it could trigger a powerful burst of energy, while his fragile mind and soul would be protected by a secondary seal. Physical injuries were easier to recover from than mental wounds.

"Let's get started. Are you ready?" Mizuki confirmed.

"Yes," Xiao Chun nodded.

Shuimu extended his left hand, and Xiao Chun extended her right. Together, they formed the necessary hand seals.

Initially, Shuimu had planned to complete the sealing process alone. However, after revisiting the original seals from the Naruto series, the pain of triggering the curse mark and the precision required for the sealing technique made it clear he needed help. Mizuki had no choice but to ask his fiancée, Xiao Chun, to assist him despite her lack of physical strength and chakra.

With everything in place, Shuimu channeled his chakra, activating the curse mark on his right arm. The mark twisted into a hideous form, spreading red lines across his body. The pain was so intense it almost made him lose consciousness.

"Tsubaki, start!" Mizuki gritted his teeth.

"Okay." Xiao Chun placed her left hand on the curse mark, activating the Feng Xie Dharma Seal.

The sealing array released a misty white light, the runes pulsing as they absorbed into the curse mark on Mizuki's arm. The pain shot through him, seeming to pierce his very soul. Mizuki felt as though he were dying.

Just as he thought he couldn't endure anymore, Xiao Chun cried out, "Feng!" Mizuki felt his right arm tighten as the energy in his body focused. The intense pain gave way to a sudden relaxation. He collapsed, utterly drained.

Xiao Chun quickly rushed to support him, gently laying him on the floor.

"Is it done?" Mizuki panted, drenched in sweat.

"Yeah, are you okay?" Xiao Chun, also exhausted, wiped her forehead.

"I'm fine," Mizuki muttered before passing out.

He slept deeply, his mind quiet, unaware of anything around him. The feeling of waking up naturally after such a restful sleep was far beyond anything he had felt recently.

When Mizuki finally awoke in the morning, he found Xiao Chun had fallen asleep beside his bed.

"Looks like I kept you up all night. I'm sorry," he murmured, reaching out to gently touch her sleeping face.

"Huh? Mizuki, are you awake?" Xiao Chun's sharp instincts kicked in.

"Xiao Chun, thank you. Sorry for worrying you again."

"You'll be fine." Xiao Chun smiled. "Do you want to take the day off?"

"No, my work isn't difficult. I just sit around all day."

Xiao Chun smiled playfully. "Your reputation's been ruined. We've even heard rumors about you."

"Rumors aren't worth paying attention to," Mizuki said indifferently. "Like you being here last night, then us being late—what rumors do you think will spread?"

Xiao Chun's eyes widened, and then she blushed. "What should we do now?"

"What are you afraid of? I'm already late. Let's just have breakfast and take our time."

"Really? Why didn't you say that earlier?" Xiao Chun quickly rushed to get breakfast ready.

"Xiao Chun, if we go out looking like this, worse rumors will spread."

"Then hurry up and get ready!" she replied, already pushing him toward the door.