Just as a hint of confusion appeared on Mizuki's face, Hinata immediately reverted to her usual timid demeanor, lowering her head and looking rather embarrassed. "Mizuki-sensei, I mean... what I meant to say is that fortunately, Great Uncle gave me some pocket money today. Why don't we use it to buy medicine for Naruto-kun?"
The Hyuga Clan was one of the most prestigious families in Konoha, with a large number of Jonins. Mizuki wasn't sure who this "Great Uncle" specifically was, but at this point, he didn't care.
As long as there was money, it was fine.
It was clear that Hinata was reluctant to spend the money, but Mizuki believed that for Naruto's sake, this girl would definitely fork it out.
"Hinata, it's all for Naruto. You understand, right?"
Hinata nodded slowly. "Yes, I understand."
Mizuki handed her a scroll. Upon opening it, she discovered that the elixir for "enhancing Chakra control" required seven types of medicinal ingredients. Only four of them could be bought in the market, while the remaining three, Mizuki claimed, he had already prepared and stored at home.
They split up: Hinata went to buy the medicine, while Mizuki returned home to fetch the other three ingredients and also to look for Naruto. They agreed to meet later at a valley outside the village.
As for why they couldn't take the medicine in the village and had to go to the valley, Mizuki explained that the elixir required some specialized equipment and instruments. "You're just a fresh graduate; you wouldn't understand. Just trust me on this."
Hinata mumbled a couple of words, not daring to argue, and obediently went to buy the medicine.
Meanwhile, Mizuki didn't head straight home. He observed the area around his house for a while and glanced toward the Hokage's building, which was brightly lit. It seemed the theft of the Scroll of Seals had been discovered.
"Heh, fools, take your time searching! Naruto-kun, you'd better buy me some more time."
He retrieved the rare medicinal ingredients he had collected over the past two years. Using this backup plan now was a last resort, but his original plan had been ruined by a few gluttons.
Mizuki took several deep breaths. He knew his body wasn't fully prepared, but he believed his willpower would see him through.
He took one last look at the photo of himself and his fiancée. He did have feelings for Tsubaki, but if the village discovered his past crime of killing a comrade, it would mean certain death. At this point, he had no choice but to abandon such sentiments.
Without hesitation, he closed the door and took the back alleys, quickly making his way to the valley outside the village where he found Hinata waiting for him, looking rather clueless.
This girl is really naive. Konoha can only produce such useless people—no wonder it's in decline. Joining forces with that lord was indeed the right choice.
"Mizuki-sensei, where's Naruto-kun?" Hinata asked innocently, peeking behind him. Her cautious demeanor greatly satisfied Mizuki's vanity.
Between acting immediately and continuing to deceive her, he chose the latter.
"Hinata, we need to prepare the elixir quickly. It seems there are people in the village who mean harm to Naruto. When I passed by earlier, I overheard someone talking about the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox. Do you know about the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox?"
Hinata shook her head blankly, indicating she didn't know.
What a waste of talent! If only I had that kind of potential! Mizuki's opinion of this Hyuga heiress dropped another two notches.
Entering the cave, he no longer concealed his actions and directly pressed the mechanism on the side wall. The hidden door opened, revealing a very clean stone chamber. Mizuki counted from left to right and removed the eighth stone brick in the center of the wall. Pulling the internal ring, a sound of gears meshing came from below the stone chamber. Soon, the ground parted, and a vessel made of peculiar metal slowly rose up. Hinata covered her small mouth beside him, while Mizuki sneered and placed the medicinal ingredients into the compartments of the vessel in a specific order.
At the critical moment, Mizuki hesitated again. Was he really going to give up everything? Was his body ready? Should he wait a couple more days? While he was still pondering, Hinata walked up to him and examined the metal vessel from all angles. Then, as if she had discovered something new, she pointed at a large red button on the side of the vessel and asked quite innocently, "What does this button do?"
Without waiting for Mizuki's answer, her fair finger pressed down on it.
Damn it! Mizuki was furious! He wasn't ready yet! Just as he was about to lose his temper, Hinata darted away to a distance, her speed truly impressive.
Cursing under his breath, he really didn't have time to deal with Hinata now, focusing solely on the vessel that was said to grant him infinite power.
The device had already started, and unwilling as he was, there was no stopping it now.
He watched as monkshood and a red lye reacted, the mixed potion combining with knotweed inside the vessel, and finally merging with several brightly colored snakegrass.
The potion turned a deep red, emitting a strong and pungent stench.
Hinata covered her nose, while Mizuki carefully observed the color of the potion. He added three more rare herbs in succession. When the deep red turned to a light red and the stench dissipated by more than half, he breathed a sigh of relief—the potion was ready! "Mizuki-sensei, shall we go find Naruto-kun? It's so dark here... I'm a little scared," Hinata whispered.
Mizuki's ferocity was barely concealed on his face, and he smiled coldly, "Don't worry, we'll go find Naruto. Hmm, let me try this potion first. After all, as a teacher, I have a duty to my precious students."
He took a beaker from a hidden compartment nearby and filled it to the brim with the red potion from the vessel's outlet.
The die was cast, and his desire for great power overwhelmed all fear and hesitation. He hesitated for at most three seconds, and seeing that Hinata made no move to stop him, he decisively tilted his head back and drank the entire potion.
The effects of the potion were immediate. Like molten lava, the liquid flowed down his throat into his stomach, then spread throughout his intestines. He felt an extremely violent energy rampaging through his body.
The first to be enhanced was his heart. A massive amount of energy surged into his atria and ventricles, and the backflow of blood caused Mizuki to spit out a mouthful of blood on the spot. His constitution wasn't strong enough, and this enhancement was very dangerous.
"I can do it! I am the strongest!" He endured the pain, trying to psych himself up with self-hypnosis.
Thinking of that person's words, he was now filled with regret. He had been too reckless; he should have been more cautious.
It felt as if a hand had gripped his heart and squeezed it tightly. His mouth gaped open, his breathing rapid, desperately trying to draw in more oxygen, like a fish out of water.
His body visibly hunched over.
His muscles slackened, his skin lost its elasticity, and his hair became dry and brittle, as if he had aged twenty years in an instant.
Mizuki, trembling and unsteady, reached out a hand toward Hinata, trying to get this female student to save him. How? He didn't actually know; it was purely an instinctive reaction.