Chapter 135: Striking the Back Line
Only now did Mizuki truly realize how terrifying a group of idealistic madmen could be—especially when each of them possessed freakish talent and overwhelming power. What was even more concerning was the destructive potential they generated when gathered together under a single goal.
This time… we've likely fallen for a diversion tactic…
Though Mizuki had deduced that the Akatsuki organization was not united enough to work well in large-scale cooperative missions, he had overlooked another possibility: Nagato's goals and the secret agendas of Uchiha Obito and Black Zetsu. A formally dispatched backup might meet resistance, but "act first, explain later" support could be quietly accepted.
The moment Mizuki saw Gamaken—the towering green toad with twin swords on his back—he knew there were more Akatsuki members infiltrating Konoha than just Uchiha Itachi and Kisame. For someone to require Jiraiya's full strength to confront, they had to be nearly on par with the Toad Sage himself.
The distant battlefield was beyond Mizuki's current capabilities. In his weakened state, he couldn't offer much help. And though Konoha Hospital had strong defenses, unless a high-level shinobi was stationed there, the building could easily be breached by even a mid-tier enemy.
Just like now, Mizuki was helplessly watching as most of the nearby patrols were lured away by several suspicious figures.
They can't even spot such a simple bait tactic? Without a solid leader to guide them, these background character ninjas are nothing but a bunch of headless chickens… Damn it, this Chūnin rank won't cut it anymore. I need a promotion, or I won't even be able to command troops in battle!
A few White Zetsu clones had pulled attention away from critical areas, leaving holes in the defensive net. Their Mimicry Technique was second only to Mizuki's clone-based "Pseudo-Jinchūriki" in disguise capability. By absorbing a target's chakra, they could replicate their appearance and traits—an almost divine ability. And it had even inspired Mizuki's chakra-incubated clone development methods.
But admiration aside, the fact that White Zetsu clones infiltrated wasn't surprising—what frustrated Mizuki was the Akatsuki's precise objective.
Directly targeting the Nine-Tails Jinchūriki—Naruto Uzumaki. Itachi and Kisame act as the obvious front line, drawing away Konoha's main defenders like Kakashi and Guy. The second wave pins down Jiraiya. And then, while the strongest fighters are occupied, someone sneaks in to steal Naruto. Only Black Zetsu and Obito would go through such lengths… Whether rescuing Deidara is a primary goal or just a convenient bonus remains unclear…
What was worse, Mizuki's supposedly foresight-based intel had not helped at all—it might have even backfired by sending Jiraiya and Kakashi away from Naruto's side at the worst possible time.
"If I've made a mistake, then I'll make it right."
Though in no shape for intense combat, Mizuki wasn't totally useless. So long as he avoided exhausting himself, he could still fight. The enemy's target was Naruto. If Mizuki could protect him, then most of the crisis would be averted.
Not wasting time, he fired a flare into the sky. A blinding white light burst above Konoha Hospital, followed by a shrill alarm that echoed throughout the village, startling every villager and casting a fresh shadow of dread over a still-healing Konoha.
After launching the signal, Mizuki hurried downstairs and reached Naruto's room—only to find it empty. Guessing quickly, he turned to Sasuke's room, and before even reaching the door, he could already hear Naruto shouting inside.
Of course, he's here…
Knocking once, Mizuki pushed the door open.
"Sorry to interrupt your bonding time—please listen carefully."
"We're not bonding!" both Naruto and Sasuke replied in unison, faces red.
"Enough nonsense." Mizuki cut off their bickering. "You heard the fighting outside, right?"
Both boys nodded.
"Then, Naruto—your job is to stay alive." Mizuki didn't want to waste a single second. The enemy could strike any moment. Even though White Zetsu clones weren't individually strong, most were battle trash aside from rare variants like Tobi. Still, they were enough to distract Konoha's patrols. If Naruto was left unguarded for even a minute, it could be disastrous. "Now, follow me."
The hospital room was no place to mount a defense. Mizuki's fighting style required open space. Naruto, by now mostly recovered, could be useful in delaying the enemy—with some luck, even summon a powerful toad or use shadow clones to buy time. That alone would help Mizuki, who could no longer act as a front-line tank, to manage the situation better.
Just as Naruto got ready to move, Sasuke asked, "Mizuki-sensei, is there anything I can do?"
Mizuki paused. With his Sharingan and decent combat ability, Sasuke could complement Mizuki's own weaknesses.
"Alright. Come along. But watch your chakra output—don't overdo it. You know your condition. If you don't want to die, don't act tough."
"I understand," Sasuke replied, nodding.
With two halfway-capable assistants, Mizuki finally had something better than the fallback plan of "run first, use meds second, slash wildly third." Now, with meat shields in place, he could afford to stay in the back line and focus on control and tactics.
He didn't need to hold out forever—just long enough for reinforcements to arrive.
…
Meanwhile, the clash between Kakashi and Itachi continued, neither side gaining an edge. With their styles and comparable strength, a quick resolution was unlikely. Kakashi's Lightning Blade was difficult to land against someone with a Sharingan of their own. And Kakashi, cautious as ever, denied Itachi any opportunity to make eye contact, effectively preventing Tsukuyomi.
Then came a surge of battle fluctuation from not far away—sharp enough to catch both fighters' attention even through the thick mist. Shortly after, a flare lit up the sky, piercing the fog.
"Itachi, what's going on?" Kisame's voice came through. "We're not supposed to have reinforcements, right? Wasn't the Nine-Tails ours to handle?"
"Mm." Itachi gave a noncommittal answer, seemingly distracted. "I wasn't informed of anything."
"So what, they don't trust us now? Tch…" Kisame's calm voice hinted at a violent undertone.
If their leader Nagato had sent backup without informing them, that suggested distrust of either their strength or their loyalty—something Kisame could not stomach.
"Let's not jump to conclusions," Itachi replied. "Focus on the mission. We'll deal with the rest later."
"Fine. But this mist is getting ridiculous. Not only can I not see, but I keep getting hit with annoying genjutsu. What now?"
Despite his devastating jutsu and massive chakra reserves, Kisame had yet to land a clean hit. With Mizuki's hidden guidance and Guy's exceptional intuition and reflexes, they'd evaded everything. Worse, Kisame had made several mistakes under the genjutsu's interference, getting kicked by Guy multiple times.
"Fall back to me," Itachi said calmly.
"Sure. I'll leave this mess to you." Kisame quickly regrouped with his partner.
"Huh?" As Kisame moved, his steps disturbed the water surface, causing odd ripples. Itachi's Sharingan instantly picked up on the anomaly.
"Watch the water…"
At Itachi's warning, Kisame inspected the area and found something strange.
"So this is where it was hiding. I've been wondering how someone could use a genjutsu barrier of this level without being detected. Hah—me, Kisame, getting toyed with like this… laughable."
Used to being the one leveraging water techniques to dominate, he had overlooked the idea that someone might beat him at his own game.
"Let's see what kind of rat's been hiding down here…" Kisame bit his finger, formed hand seals, and slammed his palm into the lake.
Summoning Jutsu!
A massive shark surfaced, circling beneath the water. Under Kisame's control, it began hunting Mizuki's jellyfish-like summoning beasts and systematically destroying them.
Damn it. I'd already moved my summons away from Itachi to avoid detection, but a single mistake, and now I'm exposed…
But Mizuki wasn't giving up so easily.
Though the shark killed dozens of jellyfish, its body soon became covered in fragments—many of which included venomous tendrils. Bit by bit, these tendrils injected toxins into the creature's body. Before long, the once-rampaging shark could no longer keep up and fell prey to the poisons.
"Impressive. Your tricks are annoying, but I'm done playing. Time's short." Kisame reeled back Samehada, preparing a finishing move.
"Samehada: Human Fusion!"
The sword merged with Kisame's body, transforming him into a monstrous humanoid shark. With increased speed and power, he dove into the lake. The remaining jellyfish summons stood no chance. As they fell, Mizuki's genjutsu barrier weakened, and the now-exposed pseudo-jinchūriki clone was finally detected by Kisame's heightened chakra sense.
"So you were hiding right under our feet. Bold move. I admire your courage… but you're about to die."
On land, Mizuki might've had a chance with Kakashi and Guy at his side. But underwater, the clone was alone.
…
Elsewhere, Jiraiya glared at the two figures before him.
One had yet to act but bore strange plant-like features, with a face half-white and half-black—clearly no ordinary person. The other wore a swirling mask with a single Sharingan eye and had just avoided Gamaken's dual-sword strike using an eerie space-time technique.
If the Akatsuki is filled with monsters like these… the entire ninja world is in real trouble.
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