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Chapter 135 - Chapter 135: Eliminate the Backline

Only now did Mizuki truly understand how terrifying a group of obsessive idealists could be. Worse yet, these individuals were all incredibly gifted and possessed power that bordered on horrifying. What troubled him even more was that their combined destructive potential was simply too great.

"This time, we might've walked right into a classic bait-and-diversion trap…"

Although Mizuki had figured out that the Akatsuki was full of internal conflicts and didn't think it was likely they'd coordinate attacks with multiple members working together, he had overlooked another possibility—the differing objectives and methods between Nagato's ideals and Obito Uchiha along with Black Zetsu, who secretly controlled the Akatsuki from the shadows. If he asked for permission first, support would probably get denied. But if he helped out first and explained later, maybe things wouldn't turn out so bad…

When Mizuki spotted Gamahiro's emerald-green figure in the distance, his back loaded with two swords, he already knew this time the Akatsuki infiltrating Konoha wasn't limited to just Itachi Uchiha and Kisame Hoshigaki. Only opponents whose strength closely matched Jiraiya's would make him take such serious action.

From his current original body's state, Mizuki couldn't offer much help at the distant battlefield. As for Konoha Hospital, an important strategic location, its defenses certainly weren't lacking—but without experts of considerable capability present, responding swiftly would prove difficult. If a real expert set their sights on them, they'd end up getting played like puppets.

Exactly like now, Mizuki watched helplessly as most nearby guarding ninjas got lured away by several suspicious figures.

"Even failing to see through such a simple baiting tactic? Without competent leadership, these background presence-level ninjas are nothing but a disorderly rabble. This damn Chunin rank won't even let me boss these idiots around. I better get promoted soon, or I'll never be able to fight alongside them properly..."

A few White Zetsu duplicates had successfully distracted the security forces, which meant other areas would inevitably show vulnerabilities. White Zetsu's Transformation Jutsu was one of the toughest to tell apart from the real thing—next to Mizuki's own Artificial Jinchuriki Clone Jutsu, anyway. It could copy every detail of an enemy just by absorbing their chakra—Mizuki had to admit, that was practically a god-tier skill. What amazed him even more was how White Zetsu could replicate someone so perfectly using nothing but absorbed chakra. When considering the creation of the Artificial Jinchuriki and the cultivation techniques involving chakra-infused cloning, he had to admit White Zetsu's Transformation Jutsu had given him some inspiration.

Still, admiration aside, Mizuki found it unsurprising that White Zetsu clones managed to sneak inside. The real issue causing him great concern was the Akatsuki organization's true objective.

The mission's straightforward — go after the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, Naruto Uzumaki. Itachi Uchiha and Kisame Hoshigaki are the initial decoys, meant to pull guys like Kakashi Hatake and Might Guy away from their positions. Then we cut off Jiraiya's route. Once the main forces get tied up, Black Zetsu and Obito Uchiha will then extract the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki using covert operations. Only Black Zetsu and Obito would be patient enough to pull off a plan that convoluted. As for saving Deidara? Honestly, I doubt it's anything more than an afterthought on their 'if-we-have-time' list...

What embarrassed Mizuki even further was that his advantage in foreknowledge not only failed to help, but probably backfired — he had actually tricked both Kakashi Hatake and Jiraiya into leaving their protective posts near Naruto Uzumaki.

"Since I've made a mistake, I should at least try to make up for it appropriately!"

Though in poor condition, Mizuki wasn't out of the fight just yet. As long as he avoided intense combat and overexertion, things should be fine. The enemy's target is Naruto Uzumaki. Protecting him would solve most of the problems.

With the situation so urgent, Mizuki wasted no time. He fired off a signal flare requesting backup. The blinding light exploded above Konoha Hospital, followed by a piercing shriek echoing through the village. All the villagers were startled and instinctively looked up toward the source. For the people of Konoha, still recovering from war trauma, this event sent another chill through their hearts.

After launching the signal flare, Mizuki headed straight downstairs to Naruto Uzumaki's hospital room. He gave the door a quick knock — no answer. Thinking for a moment, Mizuki turned around and walked toward Sasuke Uchiha's nearby ward. Before getting too close, he could already hear Naruto shouting furiously inside.

"So they're definitely here..."

Mizuki knocked again, then pushed the door open and stepped inside.

"Sorry to interrupt whatever bonding you two were doing, please listen carefully..."

"Who's bonding with whom..." The duo responded simultaneously with perfect synchronization.

"Enough nonsense," Mizuki cut them off before they could argue further. "You both heard those battle sounds outside just now, right?"

Naruto Uzumaki and Sasuke Uchiha nodded.

"Now, Naruto Uzumaki, you need to protect yourself," Mizuki said without delay. Enemies could appear at any moment — every passing second increased the danger. Unknown threats might materialize right in front of them. Most White Zetsu duplicates are practically useless in battle — aside from a few exceptions like Tobi who actually have considerable combat prowess. Though Mizuki had little respect for the lot in Konoha — they were hardly impressive when it came to brains — their overall combat capability was solid. From what Mizuki had seen earlier, the number of White Zetsus present wouldn't last long. That made this period of weak defense the perfect opportunity for the enemy to capture the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki. "Then come with me."

A hospital ward wasn't a good place to set up a defense, and Mizuki's fighting style didn't suit confined spaces either. They needed somewhere more open.

Now that he's had time to recover, Naruto Uzumaki should be nearly healed by now. If things go right, he could actually be a pretty helpful ally. Although his overall strength is still pathetic, if he can summon one or two powerful Summoned Beasts or use Shadow Clones to buy time, it would provide significant assistance for Mizuki, who currently cannot serve as both bulldozer and tank.

Seeing Naruto Uzumaki about to be called away, Sasuke Uchiha nearby asked, "Teacher Mizuki, is there anything I can do?"

"Hmm..." Mizuki thought for a moment. With Sasuke here, his Sharingan paired with strong overall abilities could make up for Mizuki's weak taijutsu game. "You can tag along as well. Just remember to carefully manage your chakra control and avoid overexerting yourself. You know your condition best—if you don't want to die, don't push beyond your limits."

Sasuke nodded and said, "I understand."

Now with two helpers—better than none—Mizuki could finally stop running as his default plan and forget about popping pills and swinging a cleaver like a last-ditch effort. With two sturdy meat shields capable of taking hits and dishing them out, unless someone overwhelmingly strong showed up, he might finally get the chance to adopt a backline cerebral approach combined with control techniques. Not that they needed to hold out long—just long enough for backup from the people watching to arrive.

...

At another battlefield not far away, the battle between Itachi Uchiha and Kakashi Hatake remained deadlocked. Their similar fighting styles and nearly matched strengths made a swift conclusion an impossible dream. Kakashi's deadly [Lightning Cutter] proved difficult to land against Itachi Uchiha, who also possessed the Sharingan. Meanwhile, Kakashi, always cautious, made sure Itachi Uchiha never got a clear shot at locking eyes with him, leaving little chance for [Tsukuyomi] usage at all. Just then, an unexpected burst of energy from nearby battlefields drew their attention. However, within the thick mist, confirming the exact situation temporarily proved impossible. Soon afterward, bright flashes from signal flares pierced through the fog, instantly clarifying matters for the engaged fighters—apparently the external battles weren't going so smoothly either.

"Itachi, what's going on?" Kisame Hoshigaki's voice came from not far away. "We shouldn't have any backup, right? Isn't capturing Nine-Tails our team's responsibility?"

"Hn," Itachi noncommittally responded, seemingly somewhat distracted. "I don't know either, nor have I heard anything about this."

"Then does this mean we're being underestimated, Itachi?" The calm tone of Kisame Hoshigaki hinted at an underlying brutality that was hard to describe.

If Nagato had secretly sent extra backup behind Itachi and Kisame's backs, such action would imply distrust toward their abilities or loyalty—something absolutely intolerable for Kisame.

"Stay calm, Kisame. Not until we have the full picture."

"Itachi Uchiha's voice held no trace of emotion. 'Let's focus on completing the mission first—that's our priority. Other issues can wait until we return.'"

"That's fine, but this barrier is seriously annoying. Not only does the mist block our vision, but that Genjutsu keeps activating right when we need a clear view — it's driving me crazy. What do you suggest?"

While Kisame Hoshigaki's Ninjutsu was known for its devastating power and broad-range techniques, using them recklessly would only waste chakra. With Mizuki secretly guiding Might Guy and with the latter's incredible combat reflexes, they hadn't managed a single successful strike even after an extended fight. Instead, Kisame had made several small mistakes under interference from illusions, getting heavily kicked multiple times by Might Guy after he activated Primary Lotus. Even now, his body still felt slightly unsettled.

"Move closer to me," Itachi Uchiha suggested.

"Alright then. Handling situations like this, you're definitely better than me." Saying this, Kisame Hoshigaki quickly regrouped with Itachi Uchiha.

"Huh?" As Kisame approached, ripples on the water surface reflected faint glimmers of light. Through the Sharingan's perception, Itachi immediately noticed the discrepancy.

"Watch out underwater..."

Kisame listened and quickly turned his attention to the spot underwater he'd missed before. Sure enough, something was off. "So this is where it was. I was wondering how someone could maintain such an advanced Barrier Technique in this environment without being noticed. Ridiculous! With the name Kisame, I should've seen through this much sooner."

As an extremely powerful Water Release ninja, he usually took advantage of water or underwater conditions to attack enemies, gradually overlooking the possibility that someone might counter him using precisely his specialty.

"Let's see who thinks they can pull one over on me like this..." said Kisame. Biting his thumb, he formed hand seals and slammed his palm onto the water's surface. [Summoning Jutsu!]

With Kisame's Summoning Jutsu, a giant shark surfaced. Then, under his control, it began patrolling underwater, continuously killing those unremarkable summoned beasts—jellyfish.

'That bastard… I made sure to keep my summons far from the Uchiha to stay hidden, but one stupid mistake and I'm out in the open already.'

However, Mizuki had no intention of conceding—not even against Kisame Hoshigaki. With the shark attacking, numerous jellyfish were killed, causing Mizuki's barrier to become increasingly unstable. Yet, unknowingly, as the shark killed more jellyfish, its body became covered with fragments from their remains. Many venomous jellyfish tentacles wrapped tightly around the shark. These venomous tentacles continuously injected poison into the shark's body. Eventually, the once fierce shark could no longer withstand the relentless poison and collapsed. This ordinary summoned beast ultimately succumbed to massive quantities of potent toxin.

"You still have some strength left, huh? Ordinary methods won't do. But we're short on time, so I can't keep wasting effort on weaker attacks. Come back, Samehada..." With that, Kisame Hoshigaki retracted his extended Samehada, then initiated another powerful underwater ninjutsu: [Samehada—Human Body Fusion—].

Soon enough, under his control, Samehada merged into Kisame's body. Kisame, who had until now retained at least a vaguely human appearance despite his terrifying look, transformed into a monstrous half-human, half-shark creature. Then with a single swift dive, he plunged underwater. His overwhelming strength and blinding speed left the summoned beasts helpless beneath the surface. Quickly, as the summoned creatures were slaughtered, the Barrier Technique's power greatly weakened. Now that the barrier was gone, Kisame—who remained in his half-human, half-fish form—detected Mizuki's Artificial Jinchuriki hidden right below him.

"So you've been hiding just beneath my feet all along... That takes guts, I'll admit. Though I respect your boldness, it looks like your time's up."

If this had happened above water, with Might Guy and Kakashi Hatake standing guard, there might've been a chance to exploit the chaos. But underwater, Mizuki's Artificial Jinchuriki would have to face this alone.

...

Jiraiya wore a heavy frown as he looked at the two figures before him. One of them hadn't moved into action yet, showing no real power for now. However, the clear leaf-like patterns visible on his upper body and his partially visible face—half white, half black—hinted at an eerie presence clearly not to be trusted. The other, wearing a spiral mask and revealing a Sharingan, had already displayed terrifying space-based jutsu skills. Somehow dodging Gamahiro's dual-blade strike effortlessly made it clear to Jiraiya that these enemies wouldn't fall easily—even if he gave them his all.

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