Chapter 51: Three Generates All Things
As Mizuki wandered through his dream, he gazed quietly at the memory spheres around him, each radiating a dazzling array of colors. These were memories he had never consciously paid attention to before.
"Ever since I sealed the Cursed Seal, I haven't dreamed of this place in a long time. Maybe I've been sleeping too deeply due to my weakened body, or maybe something triggered me to return here again."
The scenery was just as it had always been, except for the absence of those eerie red glows. This meant that the Cursed Seal was relatively stable and wouldn't cause trouble for the time being.
However, something had changed in a way that was almost unbelievable. Inside Mizuki's spiritual world, the Four Symbols Seal remained as firm as ever. Since suppressing the Cursed Seal's eruption in the Land of Waves, it had not suffered any more disturbances. The remnant consciousness of the original Mizuki had long since vanished, erased by the natural energy drawn in by the Cursed Seal during its previous outburst. What remained now was a condensed mass of energy, restrained by the Evil Sealing Method.
"Strange… why does it look like this?"
Unlike chakra, this energy felt far more stable. When Mizuki wrapped his spiritual power around it, the disturbances it created were minimal. What intrigued him the most was that this energy cluster took the form of a Taiji (Yin-Yang) symbol—but only half of it.
This peculiar form puzzled him, as it didn't resemble advanced Yin-Yang Release techniques. Mizuki had seen the Nara Clan's shadow techniques, which were infused with pure Yin chakra, but this felt fundamentally different. It seemed more like the life force drained by the Cursed Seal had been forcibly stabilized and condensed by the sealing technique.
Upon closer examination, Mizuki suddenly realized why this shape seemed familiar.
"If I shrink this down… doesn't it look exactly like a tomoe?"
The realization hit him like a bolt of lightning. After suppressing the Cursed Seal's rampage in the Land of Waves, the Evil Sealing Method had reshaped its form—not into an abstract tiger-head-like shape, but into a pitch-black tomoe.
"Could this really be the same thing? If so, then this has far greater implications than I thought…"
Tomoe were an incredibly common symbol in the shinobi world, with the most famous example being the Uchiha Clan's Sharingan. As their tomoe increased, so did their ocular power. Some even speculated that the tomoe represented a manifestation of the soul's strength.
Another example was the Heaven Cursed Seal, which, when stabilized, appeared in the shape of three tomoe.
There was also an often-overlooked detail—many summoning creatures bore tomoe patterns. For instance, Jiraiya's summoned toads. During their juvenile and adolescent stages, they all had tomoe markings. As they matured, these markings became more prominent until they reached adulthood, at which point their appearances varied more distinctly.
There were many other instances of tomoe in the ninja world. And if two tomoe were placed together in opposite directions, they would form a complete Taiji symbol.
Although Yin and Yang were fundamental opposites, the shinobi world seemed to favor the number three even more. The Heaven Cursed Seal consisted of three tomoe. The fully developed Sharingan had three tomoe before evolving into the Mangekyō Sharingan. Even shinobi teams were typically structured around three-man squads.
This pattern strongly resonated with certain ancient philosophical theories from Mizuki's past life. In Dao De Jing, the foundational concept of the universe was described as: "The Dao begets One. One begets Two. Two begets Three. Three begets All Things. All Things carry Yin and embrace Yang, achieving harmony through their interaction."
This made Mizuki recall the evolution of the Uchiha's Sharingan—from a single tomoe to two, then three, and finally the unique Mangekyō Sharingan, which was said to manifest in countless different forms. If three tomoe represented the culmination of a balanced, refined Sharingan, then the leap to the Mangekyō was akin to a qualitative transformation, each ability shaped by personal experience and individuality.
The sheer number of uncanny coincidences amused Mizuki.
This "three-stage evolution" could also be seen in the shinobi world's fundamental energy types: Yin Release, Yang Release, and the advanced Yin-Yang Release. The Sage of the Six Paths wielded Yin-Yang Release, while Indra and his reincarnations possessed Yin Release, and Asura and his reincarnations wielded Yang Release.
"The more I think about it, the more questions arise… But if I follow this logic, this mass of energy inside me should be predominantly Yang-based."
For now, however, Mizuki had no idea how to utilize this strange energy. It had already fused with his soul, making it impossible to remove. All he could do was observe its changes over time.
The next morning, Mizuki woke up on time, feeling refreshed. His dream had not left him with any mental burden—if anything, it gave him much-needed clarity.
Perhaps the events of the previous day, including the failed experiment and the terrifying presence of that unnatural "predator aura," had stirred something deep within him. Whatever the case, it was good to be more in tune with his own mental state.
But for now, the most pressing matter was fulfilling his new role as an instructor.
Mizuki arrived at the flower shop and opened for business. Not long after, Sakura arrived to begin her studies and part-time work.
Just when Mizuki thought this would be another uneventful day, an unexpected visitor arrived close to noon—Kakashi Hatake.
"What brings you here?" Mizuki asked in surprise. "Are you here to check if I've been doing my job properly? Don't worry, I always fulfill my obligations when there's a reward involved. Speaking of which, I finished reading this. Here." He handed Kakashi back the summoning contract scroll.
"Good timing—I actually need it right now," Kakashi said, taking the scroll.
"Something happened?"
"Yes," Kakashi replied with a bitter smile. "Turns out, Kabuto Yakushi infiltrated the hospital and attempted to attack Sasuke. Fortunately, he didn't succeed."
"So even after all these changes, the main events still end up happening, huh?" Mizuki mused. "Even though some details have shifted, the inertia of history is truly strong."
Hearing that Sasuke had been attacked, Sakura immediately became anxious.
"Kakashi-sensei! Is Sasuke okay?"
"Don't worry, Sakura. Sasuke is fine. Focus on your training with Mizuki-sensei, and you'll see him again in a month."
Kakashi then turned to Mizuki and asked, "Since you also encountered Kabuto's attack two days ago, did you notice anything unusual?"
Mizuki shook his head.
"Not really. I only confirmed that he's far stronger than a typical genin and that he's working under Orochimaru, targeting Sasuke. That's about it."
"That matches what I've gathered as well," Kakashi said. "But his abilities are truly alarming. Even under surveillance by multiple Anbu, he still managed to overpower several of them and nearly succeeded in his objective. That's not something an ordinary shinobi could pull off."
"Didn't you say the Anbu were already investigating him? Why are you still involved in this case?"
"I'm primarily focused on protecting Sasuke right now," Kakashi clarified. "As for tracking Kabuto, someone else is handling that."
"Who?"
"Moonlight Hayate."
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