They had thought their efforts would be enough, but the enemy's strength far exceeded expectations. Worse, it was clear they had targeted Sunagakure, while Iwagakure, which should have been contributing forces, seemed content to watch from the sidelines. Though not entirely disorganized, the alliance was united in name only, failing to unleash its full combat potential. Of course, Akatsuki took the idea of "disunity" to a whole new level—fighting individually, each member secretly hoping others would serve as bait.
Facing Kakuzu, Baki still held a slight psychological edge. An experienced warrior like him would naturally feel cautious against unknown fighters, though he didn't feel the same pressure as when facing renowned martial artists. Those hiding in the shadows weren't necessarily the strongest; chances were, they avoided the spotlight due to flaws or glaring weaknesses too dangerous to expose.
Though Kakuzu's name wasn't widely known, that was simply because he'd lived far too long. All who once knew his true power and stood at his level had already perished. While Kakuzu remained active in the underworld and carried some fame as a bounty hunter, compared to his real strength, that reputation amounted to little more than whispers.
At the moment, Kakuzu—who hadn't even gone all-out—had no intention of fighting Baki to the death. Hidan's trump card, though flawed and slow, was nearly impossible to counter once it connected. Without an Immortal Body, being cursed by [Death under Pledge] almost certainly meant death. So far, nothing unusual had happened, but the attacks from two Suna Jonin proved nearly useless. Ordinary strikes couldn't kill someone with an Immortal Body, and after surviving one sealing technique, restraining Hidan became even harder. Worse, the stamina advantage granted by Hidan's Immortal Body was gradually pushing both Suna Jonin into a desperate situation as they exhausted themselves.
"We can't keep this up, Captain…" Yura, a man of considerable rank, suggested to Baki. "Request help from Konoha, or move closer to them?"
"The Konoha side seems to be improving their situation, and Iwagakure has arrived there too…" Jonin Maki panted heavily. As a sealing ninja—and especially as a female one—Maki was straining under the drawn-out battle, her stamina fading fast, while Hidan only grew more relentless as the fight wore on. This tactic—wearing enemies down through endless pressure—had already claimed countless top-tier warriors before.
Clearly stronger than the rest, Baki slashed his right hand forward, unleashing Wind Blade and forcing Kakuzu back. Then he quickly regrouped with the other two shinobi, forming a triangular defensive stance while keeping alert for any attack from Kakuzu or Hidan.
"These immortal freaks are way too dangerous—we should link up with shinobi from other villages," Baki declared. If they couldn't stop Hidan right now, he could grind them all down and kill them, one by one.
"Don't make Sunagakure shoulder all the pressure alone..."
If we're looking for a way to stop Hidan, sealing techniques might be our only bet around here. Gaara could've been our best shot, but he's still too weak to fully tap into his Jinchuriki powers. Sand could really turn the tide—if only Gaara was strong enough, he'd make one hell of a difference against Hidan. Also, if Shukaku were released, there might be a chance. Besides Magnet Release, Shukaku's chakra also has a sealing power people tend to forget about. With Shukaku's cooperation, there might be hope—but getting help from a tailed beast is extremely difficult.
"Where are Gaara, Temari, and Kankuro? How are they doing?" Baki placed high hopes on these three students, especially Gaara. As long as Gaara was still around, Sunagakure would have hope.
"I've already told them to retreat separately. They should be with Konoha's comrades right now. Although the situation isn't great here, it hasn't reached the point where we need their help yet..."
"That's good. Let's go—I'll lead. They won't be able to stop me." Powerful Baki had every confidence. His rare A-rank ninjutsu [Blade of Wind] perfectly showcased the immense strength of Wind Release. Without Naruto constantly upgrading Rasengan into Sage Arts, few wind release ninja in the entire shinobi world could rival Baki. The fact that he instantly killed Special Jonin Hayate Gekko in the original story says it all.
...
On Konoha's side, just as the scattered puppets were being cleared, Iwagakure reinforcements arrived.
This time, Mizuki carefully chose members with versatile skills that weren't easily countered. Neji Hyuga, with his Byakugan and Gentle Fist, wasn't ideally suited for fighting non-living puppets, but cutting through Chakra Threads controlling them was simple enough. Shino Aburame's bugs were also highly effective, directly paralyzing puppet abilities. As for Aoba Yamashiro, as a Special Jonin, his combat skills weren't weak—proficient in Fire Release, Mind-Reading Technique, and Summoning, his strength was evident. In the original story, he once forced Kakuzu and Hidan into chaos while rescuing Asuma Sarutobi. His strength was real; without Sage Mode, even Mizuki wouldn't find beating him easy.
With Iwagakure's support, dealing with ordinary puppets wasn't particularly tough anymore.
"Neji, how's Captain Mizuki doing?" Once they cleared the small fry, Aoba Yamashiro shifted focus—worried about how Mizuki was holding up. Although he knew Mizuki was powerful and confident, the disturbance earlier had been huge—especially that massive fire technique sending waves of heat rolling over even from a distance.
"Not bad. The puppet master has been driven out—it seems Captain Mizuki isn't losing." Neji Hyuga replied. "Should we go assist?"
Aoba Yamashiro thought for a moment before saying, "Not yet. Since there's no immediate danger, we shouldn't act recklessly."
Aoba Yamashiro remembered Mizuki's instructions for the mission.
"It's not like we're here to kill anyone or push for some big goal. Just sit tight and wait for further orders from the village. Stalling is our main priority. As for the escort gig? That's something they can handle themselves. Konoha'll only step in if we've got the bandwidth."
...
Considering that Sage Mode's wide-scale attacks and the raw power of Iron Sand Body techniques could tear through regular ninja, Mizuki moved the fight a bit farther away to keep the others out of it. This was critical—just one poisoned hit could spiral out of control fast.
With his original body providing close-range support, the Third Kazekage's human puppet gained significantly improved maneuverability. At least now, unlike before when it had been passively battered under Mizuki's attacks helplessly without any counterattacks, it finally managed some decent retaliation. Although still far from effortless, it could dodge while launching counterattacks using iron sand. Especially after abandoning the [Iron Sand Shield] in favor of [Iron Sand Barrage], it made things considerably harder for Mizuki. Even the head-on clash of [Iron Sand Gathering Assault] and the lightning-fast [Iron Sand Drizzle] barely did anything to Mizuki. His Chakra Shield combined with superior physical strength already blocked about seventy to eighty percent of the iron sand's powerful attacks. Now, however, the iron sand mist resembling thick fog not only prevented Mizuki from closing in but also kept spreading toward him under Red Sand of the Desert's control.
"Should I switch directly to exploiting the properties of iron sand? Poison? That's brutal stuff—it corrodes puppets and paralyzes humans outright. Should I follow up with fire again?"
Fire Release itself didn't consume particularly large amounts of chakra. However, the Sage-enhanced Fire Release relied on natural energy for amplification, meaning considerable consumption of Sage Chakra to maintain sensory awareness. Effectively draining a whole lot of chakra in the process. Moreover, having used Fire Release multiple times previously, continuing its use might lead someone as tactically gifted as Red Sand of the Desert to devise effective counters.
"This is tricky. Should I play the long game? Feels damn near impossible to kill him..."
For ninja, once they reached certain levels, when both sides were fighting at full strength, it became extremely difficult for one side to completely kill the other. Because elite jonin who survived far beyond most other ninja definitely had hidden tricks up their sleeves to save their own skin. Without one side retreating, battles would stretch out for very long durations.
Mizuki currently faced exactly this kind of predicament. Both Red Sand of the Desert and Mizuki lacked strong taijutsu skills, yet Mizuki barely maintained an advantage due to overwhelming physical superiority. However, when Red Sand of the Desert wanted to drag things out, it became highly problematic for Mizuki. Even if he couldn't block Mizuki's attacks outright, dodging strikes aimed at vital areas was sufficient. Damaged bodies could simply be replaced, instantly resurrected within moments. Like in the blink of an eye, all his effort before was for nothing.
"This is bad... I'm in real trouble here..."
Mizuki had finally seen what a true battle between experts looked like thanks to Sage Mode's power, but this came at a high cost—massive chakra consumption. Right now, he could still keep fighting, even for a while longer, but chakra wasn't meant to be burned like this. The enemies present weren't just Sasori of the Red Sand; there were also Kakuzu and Hidan—two terrifying foes. Whether there were other hidden allies or secret techniques was unknown, but draining all his chakra here would definitely be a foolish move. However, retreating directly wasn't easy either. After going through so much effort without achieving any significant results would be a huge loss. If he couldn't quickly defeat Sasori, then at least he should destroy the Third Kazekage's human puppet.
Just as Mizuki was preparing for one last push to try and gain a decisive advantage, suddenly an unexpected development disrupted his rhythm.
"The three villages are gathering now?" Mizuki observed the information passed on by flying insects in midair. "So they must believe the enemy is strong enough that they need to unite forces?"
"Hmm? Something feels off..." Mizuki suddenly realized something. "Didn't Hidan and Kakuzu seem to have held back their full strength? At the very least, I haven't seen Kakuzu unleash his multiple hearts' elemental transformation and those devastating attribute-based ninjutsu attacks yet. And why would they allow these three villages to join forces? Wouldn't that only make things harder for them?"
Realizing something was wrong, Mizuki immediately turned back. Meanwhile, Red Sand of the Desert, who had been playing it cautious until now, strangely seemed to regain some confidence, controlling several puppets to block Mizuki's retreat path.
"Get out of my way! You really think this junk can stop me?" Mizuki no longer had time for nonsense and simply smashed through the obstruction before sprinting away furiously.
"It's already too late," came the familiar elegant yet cold voice from behind him. "What I said earlier still stands—you can join us if you want."
"Join again? Do you really think you've already won?"
"Yes indeed. We've been winning from the start. You don't even know how much effort we've invested in this operation."
"So what? It doesn't seem like you've gained much either—you've taken heavy losses yourself..."
"That's exactly why I want to cooperate with you. Just agree to work together, and everything else becomes irrelevant."
"You're really that sure it's me with this fake Rinnegan?"
"The Hyuga have long been a house in decay, rotting from within. Those fools can't even break free from the [Caged Bird Seal] (the restriction binding the branch house); how could they possibly obtain something like the Rinnegan? As for anyone else… forget about them."
Mizuki had no reply after hearing that. Sasori's origin alone was enough to grant him an extraordinary perspective. And Mizuki found himself unable to deny the truth in his words. The [Caged Bird Seal] restrained not just the branch house—it bound every Hyuga who longed for freedom. Even the main house wasn't spared. They enjoyed the protection of the branch family, but in return, they carried their own invisible chains.
"Didn't expect you to be such a smooth talker too—thought your only talent was puppetry." Mizuki rejected Red Sand of the Desert's offer. "Not until we settle who comes out on top."
"A truce under threat? Can't stomach that kind of humiliation? Human emotions really are a pain."
"No, I just meant the result hasn't been decided yet."
"Then I'll just sit back and see how you try to flip this around..." Red Sand of the Desert watched as Mizuki dashed off, then calmly followed behind at his own pace—there was no way he could match Mizuki's speed anyway.
[Red Sand of the Desert must die today...]
Mizuki secretly resolved. It wasn't Sasori's strength that worried me the most—it was his intelligence. That guy's mind was sharp as hell. A calculating mind like a puppet, nearly free from emotional interference, able to process every piece of information with cold precision. If someone like that targeted him and stayed alive, it'd be more trouble than Danzo. He even created that creepy Stealth Brain Control Sand—he clearly wasn't one to play by the rules. If someone close to me ended up being controlled, it'd be a huge problem.
Before Mizuki could arrive, he saw in the distance a barrier rising—a pale purple light screen forming a wall enclosing a group of people inside completely. What's more, there were some unusual elements present too.
[Mirrored Sudden Attacker Technique]? So Pain's not even here, but still pulling strings? Guess they really mean to erase us all...
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