Even with Shukaku stirring up the battlefield and offering indirect help, Mizuki still couldn't control him. Despite his guidance nearby, it remained inconvenient to rely on. For instance, when Mizuki needed it most, instead of receiving Shukaku's Air Bullet, he found himself in a difficult situation.
[Can't trust power I can't control…]
Mizuki couldn't help but wonder how Uzumaki Naruto had managed to achieve reconciliation between tailed beasts and humans in the original storyline. Was it really through love and justice? Telling tailed beasts—driven entirely by instinct—about boundless love? No way that could ever work.
Although the current situation looked unfavorable, it hadn't yet become unmanageable. Mizuki figured he could last a bit longer before things turned critical. Still, the tide of battle turned fast, so Mizuki began considering whether to run off with Shukaku for a stroll while Hidan and Kakuzu chased relentlessly behind—a possible last resort if things became untenable. As for the optional mission of assassinating Deidara, well, it depended on circumstances. After all, it wasn't mandatory, and having eliminated Red Sand of the Desert already yielded good results.
Before Mizuki's bad mood lasted too long, reinforcements arrived on the battlefield. With a massive swarm of summoned puppet crows attacking and keeping Kakuzu and Hidan barely managing their own defense, Aoba Yamashiro finally showed up. Besides impressing Mizuki with high-level genjutsu skills, Aoba also mastered summoning techniques. Moreover, his proficiency in mind-reading secret techniques was equally remarkable. His useful secret technique—rock needles—delivered paralyzing attacks through ropes, temporarily depriving Kakuzu of precise control over his shadow movements. Taking this opportunity, Mizuki swiftly dashed forward and landed a heavy punch straight into Kakuzu's left chest.
[Did I get him? Something feels off...]
Kakuzu's Earth Attribute ninjutsu, used for physical enhancement, offered incredibly strong defenses. Mizuki's powerful punch failed to completely penetrate Kakuzu's chest. Logically speaking, its strength should have been comparable to Kakashi Hatake's Chidori, which had instantly broken through one of Kakuzu's lives. Although Mizuki felt his punch did pierce through the defenses, he couldn't confirm yet whether it had been fatal.
The pronounced effects of elemental interactions in high-level combat exceeded Mizuki's expectations.
[Relying solely on Fire Release techniques won't work. Encountering a water-element ninja like Kisame Hoshigaki would severely counter me.]
This powerful punch sent Kakuzu sliding backward across the ground, carving a trench more than ten meters long. Just as Mizuki turned around to strike back against Hidan, another ally's attack crashed into the fray.
[Water Release — Suikō no Jutsu (Water Horn Attack).]
A torrential shockwave spewed from Kurotsuchi's mouth, directly repelling Hidan who had been preparing to attack.
Seeing both enemies temporarily suppressed, Mizuki involuntarily exhaled in relief.
"Mizuki, how are you feeling?" Nagare, who had just helped coordinate the attack, showed up next to Mizuki with a worried question.
"I'll manage." The physical exhaustion wasn't the real issue—it was the mind-numbing pressure of fighting two monsters with immortal bodies. And to make matters worse, there was Shukaku watching like a hawk ready to strike.
"Did we land a hit?"
"I'm not sure," Mizuki replied, shaking his head. "Their defense was too strong. I can't tell if it was fatal or not. Prepare yourself for more fighting."
"I see... so they probably didn't die after all? What a shame," Aoba Yamashiro said with disappointment. "Neji, check that guy's chakra condition. Let us know whether he's really dead or not."
"Why did you bring them along?" Mizuki suddenly noticed that Hyuga Neji and Shino Aburame had followed Aoba Yamashiro here.
"We needed backup—we couldn't let you handle such dangerous enemies alone. Besides, leaving those two genin unattended somewhere would be riskier. It's safer keeping them under our eyes where we can protect them directly."
"Protect them? We might not even have time to protect ourselves."
Mizuki said with a bitter smile. He had good reason to keep the genin out of this fight. Red Sand of the Desert was a puppet master and poison deployment expert—extremely troublesome. Hyuga Neji and Shino Aburame wouldn't stand a chance and would be in big trouble if they got anywhere near the poison.
As for Kakuzu and Hidan, this situation actually seemed suitable for Aoba Yamashiro to engage Kakuzu while stalling him, with support from Neji and Shino. Meanwhile, Mizuki could team up with Kurotsuchi, whose Kekkei Genkai involved Boil Release Secret Technique, to deal with Hidan. It was actually a decent plan—if they didn't have to worry about dodging Air Bullets every second.
"Mizuki, weren't you the one saying just a couple days ago that this was something they had to go through? We should give them trust."
"All right," Neji Hyuga shot back using Mizuki's own words, leaving Mizuki speechless. "Then those two are your responsibility. Just stay sharp..."
While they were talking, Hyuga Neji had already checked Kakuzu's status.
"Captain Mizuki, that man is definitely alive, and his condition is very strange," Neji explained after organizing his thoughts. "The flow of chakra inside his body is extremely abnormal. His body has several cores, one of which is almost completely destroyed. Worse yet, the connections throughout his body seem extremely weak, lacking any vitality found in a normal human. Something else entirely unnatural within him seems to be keeping him active."
"A strange substance?" Aoba Yamashiro asked curiously.
"Yes," Neji confirmed. "It's as if there's another monster hidden inside his body."
"Could it be related to [Summoning]?"
"It's hard to say. This entity appears to be connected to multiple core areas of his body."
"I see," Aoba turned toward Mizuki. "What do you think?"
"Immortal body," Mizuki revealed part of the truth. "At least some degree of immortality. You know what we just did would've killed a regular person—or at least left them critically injured."
"I figured as much," Aoba agreed. "Truly incredible creatures indeed."
"Be careful. If you really can't hold on anymore, don't force yourself. Take the two Genin and retreat. The enemy's main objective isn't us..."
After assigning someone to stall Kakuzu without holding back, Mizuki swiftly defeated Hidan and launched a swift counterattack to send Kakuzu flying. Finally, he would perform the Seal on Shukaku. This was currently the plan Mizuki was executing.
『Why's the tailed beast gone quiet all of a sudden? Is it actually giving up on me? That doesn't add up.』
Just as Mizuki was wondering why Shukaku hadn't launched any Air Bullets while he was entangled with Hidan, suddenly, Mizuki felt the sky darken above him. Looking up, he saw a massive raccoon dog entering his field of vision.
『It came directly here? This is going to be troublesome now...』
Meanwhile, Kurotsuchi and Hidan also wore helpless expressions and could only hastily flee.
Mizuki at the center used his speed advantage to skillfully dodge the creature's lunging claws, but failed to avoid the massive sand-coated tail sweeping toward him.
『Even its third arm is this flexible—and stronger than its claws. No wonder everyone fears these tailed beasts.』
Not just Mizuki; Hidan didn't escape unscathed either, being directly struck by the enormous tail. Though not hit directly, Kurotsuchi was caught in the shockwave as well. Her injuries remained unknown for now, but considering Iwagakure ninjas' toughness, there shouldn't be any major issues.
And Mizuki wasn't quite so lucky either—he had been swept by the tail and was now facing some additional problems.
Against purely physical attacks, Mizuki possessed both a Chakra Shield and Sage Mode enhancements. While he did sustain injuries, they weren't serious. The key issue, however, was an unexpected change resulting from direct contact with Shukaku.
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