Naruto: The Medical God

The moment Hiroshi's expression shifted, the very air around them seemed to grow heavier. The playful smirk on his face disappeared, replaced by a focused intensity that sent a chill down Mizuki's spine.

Then, something strange happened.

A faint ember flickered at the corner of Hiroshi's lips. It was barely noticeable at first—a single spark that danced in the cold night air. But then, more followed. Small tongues of flame curled from the edges of his mouth, glowing a deep, ominous red. They licked at the air as if tasting the battlefield itself.

Mizuki's breathing hitched. His wild eyes locked onto Hiroshi, and for the first time since his transformation, fear flashed across his face. His body, previously brimming with reckless confidence, tensed involuntarily.

"T-That jutsu…" Mizuki stammered, taking an instinctive step back. His voice quivered with recognition, his mind racing to recall the stories—the legends.

"That's the—"

A sharp pain shot through his cheek.

He barely had time to process it before he felt it—an intense, searing heat spreading across his face. His eyes widened in shock as a thin, nearly invisible slash appeared on his cheek, a single line of crimson welling up before suddenly igniting.

Flames erupted from the wound, creeping hungrily along his skin.

"Aaaghh!" Mizuki howled, staggering backward, clawing at his own face. The fire didn't just burn—it scorched, branding his flesh with an agonizing heat that refused to fade. He tried to smother it with his hands, but the flames clung to him as if alive, eating away at his skin with merciless precision.

Naruto and Shin both froze, eyes wide with disbelief.

"What… the hell was that?" Naruto muttered, watching as the flames danced along Mizuki's cheek before finally fizzling out, leaving behind a scorched, blackened mark.

Shin, still breathless, stared at his father, his mind barely able to process what he had just witnessed.

Hiroshi exhaled slowly, more embers spilling from his mouth, casting an eerie glow against the darkness. He lowered his sword slightly, the metal reflecting the dying flames.

"You're trembling," Hiroshi noted calmly, his voice devoid of mockery—just a simple, undeniable fact.

Despite the pain coursing through his body, a small grin tugged at the corner of Mizuki's lips. Fear still lingered in his wide, trembling eyes, but beneath it, something else flickered—a dark, desperate determination.

"I didn't want to do this," he muttered, his voice shaky but resolute.

Then, with a sudden motion, his trembling hand slammed against the ground.

Poof!

A cloud of smoke erupted around him, obscuring his form for an instant. As the haze dissipated, something gleamed faintly in Mizuki's grasp—a small, intricately designed vial filled with a thick, dark liquid.

Hiroshi narrowed his eyes, his grip tightening on his sword. "Summoning Jutsu…?" he murmured, more curious than alarmed.

Without hesitation, Mizuki yanked the stopper off the vial and downed the entire contents in one gulp. The liquid slid down his throat, burning like molten fire. His body stiffened violently, his veins bulging unnaturally as a surge of sinister energy flooded his system.

Hiroshi's sharp gaze observed the scene with detached calm. "Healing yourself won't be of any use," he said, mistaking the potion for some kind of advanced Regeneration Medicine.

Without giving Mizuki time to react, Hiroshi moved.

A burst of embers exploded from his lips as he lunged forward, his sword poised to strike. Fire trailed from his mouth, crackling like a living entity, illuminating the battlefield with a hellish glow.

"I'll just cut you up—" Hiroshi began, his voice laced with lethal intent.

But then—

He stopped.

His words faded into silence.

His body, once fluid in motion, abruptly halted mid-strike.

A strange, heavy atmosphere filled the air.

Hiroshi's eyes, sharp and experienced, widened slightly as he finally saw it.

Mizuki's body was changing.

"...again," Hiroshi murmured, barely finishing his sentence.

The burning embers around his mouth flickered uncertainly, as if sensing the unnatural force surging before him.

A sickening crack echoed through the clearing.

Then another.

And another.

Mizuki's fingers twitched erratically, his muscles convulsing as his body stretched, twisted—evolved.

Shin's breath hitched. Naruto gritted his teeth.

Hiroshi, for the first time, felt an undeniable sense of unease.

This was no simple regeneration.

This was something far worse.

A deep, guttural growl rumbled from Mizuki's throat, though it no longer sounded entirely human. His body convulsed violently, muscles bulging and shifting under his skin as if something inside him was desperately trying to claw its way out.

Then, with a sickening crack, his torso expanded.

His already muscular frame swelled grotesquely, the veins beneath his skin darkening to an eerie violet hue. His arms thickened, his fingers elongating into viciously curved claws. Every inch of his upper body became covered in hardened scales, their dark sheen barely visible beneath the patches of his remaining tiger fur.

"A-Ahh… Aaaghhh—!" Mizuki's voice distorted into an animalistic roar, his throat gurgling as his transformation escalated.

His legs—no, his entire lower half—twisted and warped, flesh contorting unnaturally. His knees bent inward, bones snapping and reforming, his feet melting together into a grotesque fusion of muscle and sinew. The once-powerful legs that had carried him now merged into a single, thick appendage.

A monstrous, violet serpent's tail.

The massive tail coiled against the ground, crushing the earth beneath its weight as it extended, stretching longer and longer with every second. The tip lashed out wildly, its movements erratic, as if testing its newfound strength.

Hiroshi's eyes darkened, taking a step back as the flames still smoldering at his lips flickered uncertainly.

Naruto's breath caught in his throat. "What… is that thing?"

Shin could only watch in horror as Mizuki's transformation reached its grotesque peak.

His tongue split apart, morphing into something long, forked, and disturbingly agile. It flickered in and out of his elongated mouth, tasting the air. His jaw unhinged unnaturally, razor-sharp fangs glinting beneath the moonlight.

His face was no longer that of a man.

Nor a beast.

It was both.

A grotesque hybrid, a twisted fusion of tiger and serpent, his head now adorned with sharp, jagged scales that crept up from his neck to his cheeks. His feline eyes gleamed with a toxic, yellow glow, slit pupils narrowing into predatory focus.

The only thing that remained unchanged… was his hair.

Mizuki's once-proud silver locks still cascaded down his monstrous form, an eerie reminder of the man he had once been.

Then, he spoke.

But it was no longer the voice of Mizuki.

It was a chilling, inhuman rasp, layered with a deep, guttural growl beneath it.

"This… power…" The massive serpent-tiger hybrid flexed its claws, its tail coiling around itself like a predator ready to strike. A sinister grin stretched across its fanged mouth. "I have become something greater."

Hiroshi's grip on his sword tightened.

"You've become something, alright," Hiroshi muttered, eyes cold. "But greater?" He inhaled deeply, his next breath burning with intensity, the flames dancing along his words.

"That's still up for debate."

To be continued...

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How was this chapter? Liked it?

Yeah, guys, I know! I'm making this little arc a bit too long but I wanted to do something different alright? Also, for Shin's father's jutsu I took inspiration from Demon Slayer's Flame Breathing, has anyone any idea on how should I call it? Flame Breathing Jutsu feels lame and calling it Ashen Blade doesn't really give me that 'cool' effect.

Be sure to check out my original novel Hyperborea!