After being struck by Shukaku's massive tail, external wounds were secondary concerns. More importantly, a chaotic mix of foreign energies within his body had begun to spiral out of control uncontrollably. Particularly, Shukaku's chakra—whose physical form was nearby and now in direct contact with Mizuki—began forming a clear connection that had previously been vague and faint.
You took something and never gave it back. Never even paid rent. Now you're here to collect, huh?
Feeling the chaotic state within, Mizuki strained to maintain balance in his power. Unfortunately, all this effort came a bit too late. Since he had enjoyed the convenience of tailed beast chakra—effortlessly absorbing natural energy and ultimately achieving Sage Mode—the consequences of its loss of control had to be borne entirely by Mizuki himself.
With Shukaku's chakra erupting inside him beyond Mizuki's control, large amounts of natural energy began getting absorbed from the outside world. This uncontrolled flood of natural energy entering his body immediately shattered its internal equilibrium. With no other options left, Mizuki dramatically boosted the flow of chakra from his original body despite immense difficulty. To maintain Sage Mode, Mizuki had to go all out, abandoning any reserve or insurance measures meant for keeping chakra reserves sufficient. If he were consumed by natural energy or lost Sage Mode, considering Mizuki's jonin-level strength caught between Kakuzu, Hidan, and the One-Tail Shukaku, he would essentially have only one path—death.
Mizuki had anticipated endless repercussions from using tailed beast chakra to help sense natural energy. Yet, the speed at which those side effects manifested caught him completely off guard.
Under such dire circumstances, Mizuki couldn't ignore the immediate danger surrounding him either. Shukaku stood nearby watching hungrily, continuously swinging its two giant claws attempting to capture Mizuki outright, leaving him no moment for carelessness.
Enduring tremendous physical discomfort and immense mental pressure, Mizuki kept dodging Shukaku's attacks. Shukaku's massive swinging tail frequently kicked up heavy dust clouds, significantly worsening visibility across the battlefield. Consequently, Mizuki's sensor abilities became increasingly impaired, making it even harder to evade the terrifying wide-range attacks of the tailed beast.
Moreover, every instance of contact tested Mizuki severely. Strands of beast chakra seeped through the points of contact into Mizuki's already faltering body. Yet, he was practically helpless to improve this passive situation.
Finally, when slammed once more by Shukaku's massive sand form, Mizuki could no longer maintain control. The Shukaku chakra that had originally been dispersed internally by Mizuki to maintain balanced absorption and circulation of natural energy completely broke free from his control, rampaging rapidly throughout his body.
His body had turned into a full open channel, letting Natural Energy surge in uncontrollably. Most of it was absorbed by the tailed beast chakra, then began absorbing even more Natural Energy in a self-reinforcing cycle. Another part fueled his body, keeping him in Sage Mode. An extremely small amount went into a half-dormant, nearly ruined cursed seal that Mizuki had long forgotten. Stimulated by this influx, the seal—which Mizuki had originally thought harmless—came back to life. Dark red swirling markings erupted across Mizuki's arms before rapidly spreading over his entire body.
With these powers overlapping at once, Mizuki's body became like a powder keg—a battlefield where Shukaku's chakra and the cursed seal fought for dominance. The Sage Chakra, representing Mizuki's own will, surged as well. As pressure mounted, increasing chakra output alongside the overwhelming influx of Natural Energy made his Sage Transformation grow ever more pronounced.
Enduring unbearable pain as if his body were being torn apart, Mizuki clenched his fists tightly, opened his mouth wide, and roared to release the agony. Anyone else would've blacked out from this pain months ago.
Such a disastrous situation was exactly what Mizuki feared most. Each of these abilities, if mastered by any ordinary ninja, would practically ensure a rise to [Jonin] (elite ninja) status. Unfortunately, Mizuki somehow ended up with all three—each immensely powerful yet highly incompatible. Whether he'd evolve into something new or shatter under the forces tearing him apart, not even Mizuki could say.
Meanwhile, Shukaku struck Mizuki multiple times at close range, finally getting some revenge. But the main issue—restoring lost strength—remained unresolved. If killing Mizuki was just about letting off steam, recovering the stolen willpower and the massive transformed shadow clone were now top priorities.
Though too weak to fight back effectively right now, Mizuki still wasn't helpless.
Among the inner energies, the tailed beast chakra was the most violent but existed in the smallest quantity, causing relatively minor damage to his body while severely disrupting Mizuki's control over internal energy balance. The Sage Chakra was the strongest, clearly representing Mizuki's true self. Except for a few mixed-in traces of summoned beast wills, it posed nearly no lingering damage. Yet much of its power had to be used to suppress the cursed seal's corrosion. Thanks to Breath-Sealing Art providing steady chakra support, his body hadn't reached the point of overexertion—yet. But given such intense consumption while containing internal instability, resisting Shukaku, and facing off against the ever-watchful Immortal Duo, this level of chakra overuse couldn't last much longer.
The upside? All that internal chaos was boosting his outward power dramatically.
<><><><><><><><>
Thank you for reading! Your support will keep me updating!
~ Every 50 Powerstones = **4 Bonus Chapters** this weekend!
<><><><><><><><>
~ 100+ Advanced Chapters Available on Patreon!
~ More *Free* Chapters and Books Available on Patreon!
patreon.com/Tansnovel
<><><><><><><><>