Naruto: Mizuki The Savior

Chapter 42: Blood as the Medium

Across the shinobi world, there were many ninja who used blood to enhance their jutsu. However, techniques that absolutely required fresh blood as a medium were rare.

Blood, being an integral part of the body, was an excellent conductor of chakra. Many sealing techniques, barriers, and formation runes incorporated traces of animal or even human blood. Mizuki himself often used his own blood when performing Summoning Jutsu to strengthen his control, particularly because his summoned jellyfish were too simple-minded to act independently.

Another common category of blood-related techniques was those that pushed the body beyond its limits. These jutsu forced the user to burn their own vitality, with many clan-based secret techniques involving severe self-sacrifice.

And then, there was the ritualistic type—most notoriously exemplified by Hidan of the Akatsuki. His Curse Technique: Death Controlling Possessed Blood was a grotesque example of blood sacrifice, where he offered either his own blood or that of others to perform a deadly jutsu.

Mizuki wasn't sure if summoning techniques shared the same principles as sacrificial jutsu, but there were some suspicious similarities. He thought of the Aburame clan's Parasitic Insects technique, where the user exchanged their chakra to host insects inside their body in return for combat assistance.

From what he could deduce, unless the summoner was someone like himself—where the summoned creature was weak and completely subordinate—there was no way powerful summons would fight alongside humans without some form of compensation.

This was especially true for high-level summons, which were not just beasts but intelligent beings. The most powerful among them—such as the Toad Sages, Snake Sages, and the original Slug—stood at the pinnacle of the world's power.

Why would they involve themselves in human conflicts?

Even if Kaguya Ōtsutsuki were resurrected, enslaving all of humanity through the Infinite Tsukuyomi and turning them into White Zetsu, it wouldn't affect these summons at all. Frogs would still eat insects, snakes would still devour frogs—why would they care about human fate, let alone prophesy a Child of Destiny?

If there was one jutsu that epitomized the idea of sacrificing something to gain power, it was Reaper Death Seal. It demanded the user's very soul to summon an unidentified Shinigami, which then devoured both the target's and the caster's soul.

By contrast, Summoning Jutsu seemed more benign. But fundamentally, it was also a form of communication-based jutsu. The Reaper Death Seal called upon a supernatural entity, while Summoning Jutsu connected to specific creatures.

Mizuki's main question remained:

What did summons gain from summoners?

Or more disturbingly—

"What if they don't gain anything directly from humans, but instead draw benefits from this world itself?"

If that was the case, it would explain a lot. But without access to an actual summoning contract scroll, he couldn't be certain.

With these thoughts swirling in his mind, Mizuki picked up the summoning scroll again and flipped through it, only to find no concrete answers.

"I'll have to conduct a real investigation. I can't jump to conclusions just yet."

---

The Next Day

Early in the morning, Mizuki checked in on his artificial Jinchūriki. Its condition had stabilized, and there was no immediate danger.

Using brute-force space-time transportation to save it had been a necessary gamble.

Previously, before creating this pseudo-Jinchūriki, summoning jutsu had functioned properly. But after completing the project, something had changed. The summoning contract now recognized Mizuki and the clone as the same entity, preventing the technique from working as intended.

After careful examination, he realized why: Summoning Jutsu was a technique that established a connection between two distinct entities. However, since the contract now identified both Mizuki and the clone as one, traditional summoning failed.

The only workaround was to reinforce the sensory link between the two. If not for this limitation, he wouldn't have needed to rush into developing space-time jutsu. Unfortunately, true space-time ninjutsu was far more complex than he had anticipated. This was why Mizuki had become so fixated on summoning—it was a rare form of space-time jutsu that actually worked.

For the first time, he truly grasped how terrifying Flying Thunder God was. Minato Namikaze had refined reverse summoning into an instant teleportation technique, a feat that now seemed even more remarkable.

---

At Konoha Hospital

With most injured candidates receiving treatment, Mizuki found himself with little to do. Walking through the hospital corridors, he occasionally saw bodies being carried away under white sheets. Some of the deceased were candidates he had personally rescued, only for them to succumb to their wounds.

At the top floor's special care ward, Kakashi Hatake was already waiting for him.

"You called me here for something, Kakashi?" Mizuki asked as he entered, noting the presence of a few Anbu operatives standing guard.

Kakashi motioned toward Sasuke. "You can see for yourself—Sasuke is severely injured."

He continued, "But in one month, he still has to compete in the final round of the Chunin Exams. I need to give him special training… and at the same time, ensure his safety."

"And?" Mizuki crossed his arms. "Are you just telling me this to brag about your bond with your student?"

"Let me finish," Kakashi said patiently. "Training and protecting Sasuke will take up most of my time, but all three of my students advanced to the third round."

"Oh? I nearly forgot to congratulate you—Konoha's Technical Instructor, huh? Impressive teaching skills."

Kakashi coughed. "Let's not focus on that." He admitted, "Aside from the basics, I haven't actually taught them much."

"So?"

"Since I'll be focused on Sasuke, my other two students won't have anyone to guide them. That's why I've asked Ebisu to train Naruto, helping him with his foundational skills."

Mizuki immediately caught on. "And you want me to train Sakura?"

"Exactly. Please consider it."

"You must be joking." Mizuki flatly refused. "Ebisu is a Special Jonin with an actual background in teaching. Asking him makes sense. But me? What do I look like, a babysitter?"

"Don't reject me just yet." Kakashi smirked. "During the preliminary round, Sakura figured out that the written test was a village-run screening process. She asked me who the examiner was."

Mizuki narrowed his eyes. "And you sold me out?"

"That's a strong way of putting it," Kakashi replied. "She specifically requested you as her instructor."

"Really?" Mizuki was mildly surprised. "What's the point? She's up against Dosu, the strongest of the Sound-nin trio. The gap is too big. What does she hope to accomplish?"

"I don't understand girls either," Kakashi admitted. "But there's no one else suitable to teach her."

"So you're just using me as a substitute?"

"Not exactly," Kakashi countered. "With your skills in sealing jutsu, barrier techniques, and genjutsu, you could teach her plenty. She isn't ready for high-level techniques anyway, so whether I teach her or you do, the outcome is the same. Besides, there's no time for drastic improvements."

"Sealing jutsu and genjutsu, fine. But what's the point of barrier techniques? She'd be better off conserving her strength. Dosu's soundwave attacks are a nightmare to deal with."

"I'll leave that up to you," Kakashi said. "Let her learn whatever you think is best."

Mizuki pondered for a moment. "Well… I suppose I could use this to cash in a favor later."

"Alright," he finally agreed. "But—there's one condition."

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