The forest clearing was tense. Iruka-sensei stood wounded, clutching his side. Naruto stood ready to defend him.
And Mizuki... Mizuki was drinking the glowing green potion he stole from the vault.
The liquid hissed as it touched the air, smelling aggressively of spoiled milk and battery acid.
"BEHOLD!" Mizuki screamed, crushing the vial. "THE POWER OF THE CURSE MARK!"
His muscles bulged. His skin ripped.
Squelch-pop.
The sound was uncomfortably wet, like someone stirring mayonnaise with a heavy spoon.
Orange fur began to sprout. Stripes appeared. His face elongated into a snout.
A sudden wave of scent rolled over the clearing—not the musk of a predator, but the distinct, dusty smell of a wet carpet that hadn't been vacuumed in a decade.
Naruto gasped. Iruka gasped.
Mizuki stood tall, roaring at the moon. He was now a 7-foot-tall bipedal tiger wearing ninja pants.
The tail had burst through the seat of his trousers, twitching with a jerky, independent rhythm that looked painful.
Silence settled over the clearing.
"Uh..." Naruto pointed a shaking finger. "Iruka-sensei... did he just turn into a furry?"
Iruka adjusted his flak jacket, looking more disappointed than terrified. "It appears so, Naruto."
"Is that... is that a forbidden jutsu?" Naruto asked, leaning in to look at Mizuki's whiskers. "Or is it just a lifestyle choice?"
"I AM A GOD!" Mizuki roared, flexing his claws. "FEAR MY STRIPES!"
"I mean, it's kinda impressive," Sylvie noted, stepping out from behind a tree eating popcorn.
Crunch-munch.
The smell of artificial movie-theater butter wafted through the clearing, completely undermining the gravity of the situation.
"But tactically? You lost your opposable thumbs. How are you going to throw a kunai?"
Mizuki paused. He looked at his massive paw-hands. He tried to pick up a shuriken. It slipped out of his pads and fell into the dirt.
Plap.
His paw beans were soft and puffy, squishing uselessly against the cold steel of the weapon.
"I... I WILL USE MY FANGS!" Mizuki stuttered.
"And you're bright orange," Sylvie added, adjusting her glasses. "In a green forest. Stealth is absolutely out the window. You look like a mascot for breakfast cereal."
"THEY'RE GRRRRREAT!" Naruto shouted, pumping his fist.
"STOP MOCKING ME!" Mizuki shrieked. He lunged.
Naruto didn't even use a Rasengan. He just pulled out a laser pointer.
Click.
A beam of concentrated red light cut through the gloom, brighter and more alluring than the moon itself.
He shined the red dot on the tree trunk.
Mizuki's pupils dilated. His head snapped toward the dot. He chattered his teeth.
Ek-ek-ek-ek.
A strange, clicking vibration erupted from his throat, a primal noise that completely bypassed his human vocal cords.
"Must... catch..."
Mizuki pounced on the tree, clawing frantically at the red light.
Scritch-scratch-scritch.
The sound of his claws shredding the bark was rhythmic and desperate, sending showers of woodchips raining down on his own head.
Iruka sighed, rubbing his temples. "I authorized a mission for this?"
"Let's go get ramen," Naruto suggested, turning around. "He's gonna be at that for a while."
"Good idea," Iruka agreed.
They walked away, leaving the terrifying villain batting at a laser pointer while Sylvie took photos for blackmail.