Slanting sunlight filtered through the leaves of towering trees, casting mottled shadows on the ground. Mizuki's mood mirrored these shifting patterns—relieved to have made it out alive, yet still troubled by what had just happened.
Once the correct solution was found, resolving the issue became a simple matter. Though there had been a few bumps along the way, things ultimately went in the right direction, leading to a decent outcome.
With the help of Aoba Yamashiro and Baki—two powerful Jonin—Mizuki successfully overcame his biggest crisis. Thanks to their strong support, he finally expelled the alien chakra from his body. The natural energy and tailed beast chakra were both removed, while the standard chakra injected into his body by Aoba and Baki naturally dissipated not long after leaving his original body.
Lucky to have escaped disaster with minimal consequences, Mizuki inwardly marveled at his good fortune in that critical moment. Still, glancing at the exhausted and panting Aoba Yamashiro and the weary-looking Baki, Mizuki once again felt the immense level of chakra reserves possessed by Jonin-ranked ninja. He couldn't help but deeply appreciate the undeniable importance of innate talent in the ninja world. Except for special cases like Kakashi Hatake—who had less chakra than usual—the norm generally aligned with someone like Baki or Aoba Yamashiro.
However, there were always uniquely gifted individuals that made one exclaim at the unfairness of the world. For example, thanks to his Breath-Sealing Art, Mizuki's chakra reserves completely outclassed most Jonin. Yet even at that level, he still fell far short compared to naturally gifted prodigies like Naruto Uzumaki, Gaara, and Kisame Hoshigaki.
Also, feeling the emptiness inside him now and the reality of damaged chakra pathways and nodes, Mizuki realized he wouldn't be suitable for intense battles anytime soon. Before recovering from his injuries, it would be best to avoid frequently using chakra.
Still, Mizuki considered this situation quite satisfactory overall. Having almost no lasting physical complications and without excessive depletion of cellular vitality, this alone was already quite rare after a series of fierce battles.
As for any other lingering issues, those could wait until later. Right now, Mizuki was looking up at a giant eagle circling high above, letting out rhythmic cries, which prompted a faint, bitter smile.
"Are they done already? Nowadays, do important people always have to make a dramatic entrance at the last minute?"
The arrival of the messenger hawk confirmed the conclusion of the purge operation. Though the internal conflicts and dirty dealings happening within Konoha were temporarily beyond Mizuki's concern, his own mission could now be considered complete—at least when it came to the main goal. Along with dealing with minor details, together with Aoba Yamashiro, he needed only deliver the two Genin back to Konoha village.
After a while, following a brief rest, everyone slowly regained some strength. While grateful that Akatsuki hadn't returned unexpectedly or sent additional powerful reinforcements, they also mourned their fallen comrades.
Strictly speaking, the achievements of the Three Great Villages during this mission had actually been rather impressive.
It was already a rare victory to have defeated someone as powerful as Red Sand of the Desert, who could single-handedly destroy an entire country. Moreover, they had also driven away monsters like Kakuzu and Hidan, beings possessing Immortal Bodies. Yet in terms of casualties, the outcome could only be described as barely passable.
Although Akatsuchi and Kurotsuchi from Iwagakure were unharmed, the accompanying ninja suffered heavy losses, especially when facing sudden betrayal by traitors and [Mirrored Sudden Attacker Technique]. Those ordinary ninja with limited potential who couldn't break through on the spot took severe damage. On the contrary, Sunagakure's elite squad, despite having fewer companions, mostly sustained just minor injuries and avoided serious harm from clones. Unfortunately, two jonin died fighting Hidan and Kakuzu — a loss that left everyone sighing. In contrast, Konoha's small group remained the most intact.
Before they knew it, evening had arrived. Given their current condition, pushing forward at night would have been too much to ask. Therefore, after a brief discussion among the three jonin squad leaders, the three ninja villages officially decided to combine forces and travel together. They planned to rest for the night before quickly completing the remaining journey.
...
After finishing dinner hastily, Mizuki quietly sat beside a small river, relaxing and calming his thoughts. This kind of peaceful state was what Mizuki felt most comfortable in. For a ninja like Mizuki, sensing chakra was like possessing a crucial third eye, a key method for perceiving the world. However, ever since entering Sage Mode, though, that third-eye sense felt like it was wrapped in thick fog, blurring everything around him. At first, this sudden loss drove Mizuki nearly crazy with frustration. Relying on his sensor ability like a sixth sense, Mizuki found himself almost blind without it. Fortunately, Shino Aburame and Neji Hyuga occasionally took over the sensing duties for him.
But now, like waking up after a long sleep, everything snapped back into perfect clarity. Every bird in the sky, every insect in the underbrush, even fish beneath the river's surface—each moved vividly across Mizuki's senses.
After a long pause, Mizuki reached out and picked up the Bloodstained Triple-Bladed Scythe lying beside him. He rapped the steel blade firmly with his knuckle, eliciting a sharp metallic ring, then nodded in satisfaction. This weapon had been specially collected by Aoba Yamashiro while Mizuki was preoccupied and unable to act. Alongside the scythe, Mizuki had sealed away a small piece of Hidan's broken body, intending to study later the bizarre biological mechanism behind what appeared to be a mockery of normal physiology — that ridiculous so-called 'immortality'. But those matters could wait. Right now, he found the weapon's material quality excellent indeed; the fact that it had resisted his full-strength strike with almost no damage made it a rare treasure. Whether he should use it directly or melt it down to forge a more suitable weapon was something he'd decide after consulting a professional weapon master.
Just as Mizuki was examining these moderately satisfying trophies, he suddenly sensed a thin, small figure approaching.
Feeling the incoming person's chakra and identifying traits, Mizuki couldn't help but frown slightly.
"It seems something troublesome has happened."
Soon after, Neji Hyuga emerged from the shadows of the forest behind them.
"What's going on, Neji?"
Neji walked over directly and spoke in a low voice. "I've noticed someone suspicious. They might be trouble."
"Huh?" Mizuki's heart tightened. If someone else showed up now causing trouble, it would be hard to handle. Fortunately, the mission was nearly complete—he could just retreat and avoid getting involved.
"Who are you talking about?"
"The Iwagakure prisoner, Deidara." Neji said a name that completely startled Mizuki.
"Deidara? How could it be him?"
No matter how he thought about it, Mizuki never expected this person to cause any issue.
"Are you sure you're not mistaken?"
"I'm absolutely certain," Neji stated firmly. "Before the mission began, I observed this person closely. Even under layers of Seals, his traits were still quite obvious. But now, that person is completely unrestricted—so he's pretending to be a captured prisoner?"
"Pretending?" Mizuki asked in confusion. "Why wouldn't he escape? There should have been plenty of chances to run away. Just during that chaos..."
Mizuki suddenly stopped himself mid-sentence.
"Oh, I see," he said with a bitter smile and shook his head. "It's already too late."
Wondering why he hadn't fled was naïve. He probably escaped long ago, and what remained was simply an expendable substitute.
『White Zetsu… truly impossible to guard against indeed.』
Among those who could evade Mizuki's Sensor abilities and remain utterly undetected in the ninja world, White Zetsu stood out. Before departure, Mizuki had carefully verified Deidara's condition, including his chakra signature. The only one capable of pulling the wool over his Sensor detection and replacing the real target with such realistic chakra mimicry would be none other than White Zetsu's duplicate.
The good mood Mizuki had been in moments ago was instantly spoiled by the troubling news Neji had brought.
"Captain Mizuki, what should we do?"
"When did you notice this? And who else knows?" First, Mizuki needed to confirm the situation.
"Shortly after linking up with Iwagakure, I made some observations as usual and discovered it right away," Neji replied. "So far, besides telling Captain Mizuki, I haven't told anyone else."
"Good," Mizuki nodded thoughtfully.
Better that no one else found out. After all, the secret mission to assassinate Deidara was officially deemed a failure.
"Moving forward, let's act like we don't know anything. Once we hand over the Deidara matter to Iwagakure, it'll no longer concern Konoha. If any problems come up, that'll be their problem. Just forget this ever happened and act like nothing went wrong."
"Will that really be okay? Could there be danger?"
"Don't worry, leave it to me," Mizuki said confidently. Since it wasn't Tobi—who possessed immense battle power—killing off one or two White Zetsu duplicates wouldn't make much difference anyway.
Rescuing Deidara and leaving a substitution body made it pretty clear—he was here for recon, and there was a strong chance his mission specifically targeted Mizuki to gather intel on the Rinnegan. Better to just let him watch while pretending not to notice. It's not like there's much danger anyway. Iwagakure will eventually detect and kill him, so no need for Mizuki to get personally involved.
"Then should we travel together with them? Wouldn't that be inappropriate?"
"Just go back and rest early," Mizuki smiled without answering. Then with a flick of his right hand, an owl emerged from the shadows above and landed smoothly on Mizuki's arm. "You'll understand tomorrow morning."
When he heard Mizuki's words, Neji Hyuga wanted to argue further but knew better than to question—obedience was what a Genin needed most right now.
Watching Neji walk away, Mizuki looked down at the owl on his arm, which hooted softly as it turned its head, while he considered how to write his mission report.
'Now then, exactly how much crucial intel should I let slip? Hmm... definitely need to think this through carefully!'
...
In a hidden hideout, Kakuzu was helping Hidan stitch back together his shattered body. While doing this delicate work, he had to endure Hidan's constant cursing and chatter from the very beginning.
"Shut up, Hidan. If you keep talking, I'll kill you."
"If you could do it, you bastard, you'd have tried already! Just wait a second ago—you should've listened to me. That brat with the silver hair obviously couldn't maintain that power for long. If we'd held out just a bit longer, he would've made the perfect sacrifice. What a waste..."
"Hmm?" Hearing Hidan's arrogant words, Kakuzu paused the Earth Grudge Fear stitching process. "A guy lying flat on the ground throwing big talk around—who finds that annoying? And when you said 'hold out a bit longer,' were you implying I should carry it alone? For someone who got completely flattened, you sure talk tough."
"Listen nicely, old man Kakuzu! Just sew me up properly and everything will be fine. Look, my body feels like it's missing something… no, actually, I'm seriously lacking flesh! You couldn't even bring back every piece of me? And where's my favorite weapon? Go find it for me immediately!"
Seemingly ignoring Hidan's curses, Kakuzu suddenly turned his gaze sharply toward the door.
"Who's out there?"
With Kakuzu's words, the room's atmosphere turned sharply colder.
Silence answered, but the door swung open anyway. Through it appeared two silhouettes. The first carried audacious golden-blond hair and cerulean pupils, his youthful face wearing a carefree smile. Though clearly exhausted, his fiery temperament still burned bright. Behind him followed a strangely pale-skinned man whose appearance seemed unfamiliar.
"Isn't this Deidara? Actually managed to escape—how lucky. And this…" He glanced at the figure behind. "One of Zetsu's clones? So it was you? No wonder you managed to rescue Deidara."
Being in the heart of Konoha offered Zetsu no real opportunity to rescue anyone, but in the wild, creating chaos on the battlefield suited him perfectly. In such an environment, sneaking in to save a few human shields had a pretty high success rate as long as he wasn't specifically targeted.
"Guess I owe you two one this time—or things might've gotten real ugly. Too bad Aniki Sasori—our comrade in the pursuit of true art—fell in battle."
Despite expressing regret, Deidara's face still carried that cruel smile of his, aimed at no one in particular.
...
Konoha was deep into night, but the Hokage office remained brightly lit. The Fifth Hokage Tsunade stared painfully at the intelligence just received. She habitually reached out for her teacup only to find it already empty.
"Ugh, this group's such a pain."
Jiraiya, his white hair glinting in the moonlight, suddenly dropped in with a smirk, perching casually on the windowsill behind Tsunade's seat.
"What? You stressing out nonstop again? That's how you get wrinkles, y'know."
"Who are you to say that?" Tsunade replied, barely suppressing her anger.
"Anyway," Jiraiya cut in smoothly, "why'd ya drag me out so late this time?"
<><><><><><><><>
Thank you for reading! Your support will keep me updating!
~ Every 50 Powerstones = **4 Bonus Chapters** this weekend!
<><><><><><><><>
~ 100+ Advanced Chapters Available on Patreon!
~ More *Free* Chapters and Books Available on Patreon!
patreon.com/Tansnovel
<><><><><><><><>