A tailed beast's jutsu really packs a punch. Mizuki, who had activated Sage Mode, suffered serious consequences from a direct hit. Fortunately, he managed to activate his Chakra Shield in time — it cut most of the elemental damage. But the physical impact was still massive; his body scraped backward across the ground for quite a distance.
"Even with my body strength, comparable to that of the One-Tail, I could barely handle it. Just how strong is a casual attack like this? This is the power of an uncontrolled tailed beast... Then how overwhelming must be the might of a jinchūriki who perfectly controls its power..."
Although it wasn't his first time confronting a tailed beast, this was definitely the first time he faced one head-on in full form and at full strength.
Unfortunately, now wasn't the time for reflection. Despite being struck by Shukaku's Wind Release: Air Bullet, the Chakra Shield minimized actual injuries — Mizuki only looked worse than he was. Other than some minor shockwaves, he was practically unharmed. And thanks to Sage Mode's boost, those minor injuries didn't slow him down one bit.
Still dazed, Mizuki climbed back up, shook his head clear, and grimaced when he saw Shukaku crouching again, belly puffing out and maw widening for another shot.
"What a stubborn bastard! Even catching my breath is this hard..."
But fighting a tailed beast never made sense to begin with. Mizuki didn't expect this creature, acting purely on instinct, to easily let him off the hook.
Of course, Mizuki was no longer the helpless Chunin he used to be. Taking on Shukaku alone was tough. Facing someone with nearly limitless chakra reserves still unnerved him a little. But doing nothing after recently defeating Red Sand of the Desert — and with his confidence soaring — simply wasn't acceptable.
Resolute, Mizuki summoned a massive palm of natural energy, grabbed the remains of Red Sand's Original Body Puppet — already half crippled — crushed it tightly to eliminate all resistance, and hurled it straight at One-Tail Shukaku. Helpless and horrified, Red Sand watched himself fly directly into the path of Shukaku's next Air Bullet.
Without hesitation, Mizuki began forming hand seals.
[Fire Release: Great Dragon Fire Jutsu]
As Mizuki unleashed the technique, a massive volume of searing flames quickly formed, growing into a roaring crimson fire dragon. Then Sage Chakra and summoned natural energy surged into action, causing the fire dragon to rapidly expand — transforming into a radiant azure serpent stretching through the air. Under Mizuki's command, it roared forward toward Shukaku.
The powerful fire dragon surged ahead with unstoppable force and collided head-on with the wind-based chakra sphere launched by Shukaku.
The thunderous explosion from the clash between Sage Technique and tailed beast jutsu erupted across the battlefield.
Many ninja go through their entire lives without ever witnessing a battle of such immense ninjutsu power. Right now, the might of tailed beasts was impressive enough, but Mizuki—who until recently had been nothing more than a Chunin—suddenly unleashed overwhelming strength that left everyone stunned. Although people already knew that anyone promoted to Jonin by Tsunade upon her return to the village wouldn't be ordinary, no one expected him to grow strong enough to directly clash with Shukaku in a ninjutsu showdown.
Among all who remained alive on the battlefield, the unluckiest one was Red Sand of the Desert. Positioned right at the center of the confrontation between Mizuki and the tailed beast, he was crushed into pieces by the immense force. Soon after, Wind Release Air Bullet and Fire Release Sage Art became entwined. The fire riding upon the wind created an effect where wind and fire reinforced each other, forming swirling flame currents from the shattered fire dragon, carried within tremendous energy. It gave rise to a hellish storm of swirling flames, its fury spreading outward in waves. Wave after wave of intense heat continuously assaulted people's skin, forcing them to retreat further and further away from the battleground where Shukaku and Mizuki clashed.
As for Red Sand of the Desert caught right inside this epicenter of destruction, regretfully, it seemed there'd be no more chances for him to show his face ever again—[Impure World Reincarnation] would likely never find usable remains of his body again.
"An artist longing for eternity, may you rest forever in unchanging death... no one will disturb you ever again..."
From beginning to end, nobody truly understood what Red Sand of the Desert had been seeking throughout his life. Even Chiyo, who cherished him deeply as her most beloved grandson, never completely grasped what her beloved grandson really desired in his heart.
However, from a few scattered words exchanged with Red Sand of the Desert, Mizuki could roughly deduce that this rare human anomaly, despite joining Akatsuki, had never abandoned his personal pursuit. Perhaps, just like Orochimaru's relentless pursuit of immortality and the Sharingan, Scorpion devoted his entire existence searching for transformative power—to alter the pain of losing parents at a young age, the loneliness of childhood, or even the suffering inherent in being human. His obsession revolved around the artistic pursuit of eternal puppetry itself. Undoubtedly, Rinnegan must've played a crucial role in this quest. Yet, all these aspirations vanished along with Red Sand of the Desert turning into drifting ashes.
"After all, the human world cannot accommodate someone inherently different—even if they were born human."
Red Sand of the Desert disappeared without a trace. While others had retreated quite far due to the shockwave caused by the opposing techniques, thanks to their ninja observational skills, it wasn't hard to confirm that the once-genius puppet master of Sunagakure had indeed perished.
"Is he really dead?" Kankuro looked at the distant battlefield with reluctant disbelief. "Damn it! What exactly have we come here for after spending so much effort?"
If anyone still remembered Red Sand of the Desert clearly, it should have been Kankuro himself—another puppet master. Regarding this fellow puppeteer and senior figure, Kankuro had once idolized him deeply.
However, when Kankuro learned that Red Sand of the Desert had become a rogue ninja and attacked Gaara, his anger was indescribable. When news came about the mission to capture Red Sand of the Desert, Kankuro originally wanted to confront Red Sand of the Desert and ask him some questions. He never expected the legendary Puppet Master could go down that easily.
"Kankuro, don't blame anyone. Mizuki Jonin didn't do anything wrong," Baki comforted him. "After all, our strength wasn't enough to achieve our goals as we wished."
"I know, but..."
"Don't say another word. I understand how you feel, Kankuro. The battle isn't over yet. Maki gave her life—we've got no choice but to keep fighting." Shukaku's arrival threw the entire battle into chaos. Except for Mizuki and Shukaku locked in fierce combat, the scattered energy waves interrupted the other ongoing fights.
"Yura, you'll have to help watch over Gaara later. Hmm? Yura? What's wrong with you?" Burdened with combat duties and unable to manage too much, Baki had to entrust many responsibilities to Yura. However, when Baki turned around to give instructions, he noticed something was seriously wrong with Yura.
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