Naruto: Burning Will

Temari leaned against her massive folding fan and said proudly, "We are not incompetent fools; we won't hold you back."

Gaara, his pale eyes calm and focused, added quietly, "Since this is for me, there's no reason to stay out of it."

Mizuki glanced toward Hinata Hyuga, who had rushed forward to engage the red sand scorpion, then turned to the two Sand ninja nearby. "You're with her. Stay cautious—maintain formation and don't rush ahead. The enemy isn't someone you can handle yet. Wait for the right moment and act accordingly."

Even Mizuki felt some hesitation. Though he had several small tricks to enhance his strength, it still might not be enough. The red sand scorpion was no problem—it could be handled by Hinata for now. But facing Deidara was a different story. His kind of ninjutsu was particularly unfavorable to Mizuki and Hinata. Because of Deidara's use of external ninja tools, his explosive clay effectively countered their main methods. Illusion-based jutsu, like Hinata's Gentle Fist and Mizuki's genjutsu, were largely ineffective against Deidara's attacks.

By contrast, Gaara and Temari, who both excelled in wide-range offensive and defensive ninjutsu, had better chances against Deidara.

Temari's wind-style jutsu, Kama Itachi (Sickle Weasel), demonstrated during the Chunin Exams a month ago, forced Tenten to retire from the match. This clearly showed its power. There was also the Fūton: Kamaitachi technique in the original manga, which was strong enough to knock down Tayuya. Though Tayuya was weakened by fighting Shikamaru first, the damage Temari inflicted was still significant. As long as Temari maintained sufficient chakra and coordinated well with her giant fan, she could easily counter Deidara's explosive clay, whose power relied on quantity. Temari was also thoughtful and strategic—while she might not match Shikamaru's intellect, her tactical awareness was solid, so mistakes would be rare.

Gaara, on the other hand, was arguably the best suited to handle a ninja like Deidara. Even though Gaara—who became Kazekage three years later in the manga—was defeated by Deidara in their fight, that didn't mean Gaara couldn't overcome him. Deidara's advantage was his speed and ability to control the battlefield from the air. But most of Gaara's sand techniques depended on defending the ground and village below, making aerial combat a disadvantageous environment for him.

As the Kazekage, Gaara's duty was to protect the village, and Deidara exploited this by targeting civilians and infrastructure, forcing Gaara to absorb continuous attacks. Although Gaara's chakra shield was powerful, it couldn't hold up forever. Deidara, who had no qualms about destroying villages, used this ruthlessness to his advantage. Eventually, Gaara's defense was broken under relentless assault, leading to his defeat.

This time, however, the Deidara Mizuki faced was not as formidable as the one three years later. With Gaara's sand defense supporting them, the battle situation was more favorable. Earth and sand-based ninjutsu like Gaara's are uniquely suited to defense, especially his chakra-dense sand shields—nemeses to explosive ninjutsu.

Many assume powerful explosions mean great destructive force, but most of the shockwave is wasted outside. Modern warfare uses bunkers precisely because contained explosions inside structures do far more internal damage, even if less visually spectacular. Similarly, Deidara's explosions were less effective against Gaara's layered sand defense. That's why Deidara resorted to risky strategies like blasting from inside Gaara's defenses to defeat him quickly. This time, with many allies aiding Gaara, they might stand a better chance.

Mizuki muttered, "If Temari and Gaara were three years older, what would we be worried about..."

Before he could finish, Hinata launched a precise attack, intercepting Deidara.

"I'll take the lead," Mizuki volunteered. Deidara's explosive clay was controlled by chakra, which explained why Sasuke's Chidori could destroy the chakra inside the clay and neutralize it. Following this logic, soft fist (Gentle Fist) techniques that disrupt chakra could also counter Deidara's explosive clay. But theory and practice differed. Chidori was a lightning-based jutsu, fast, long-range, and easy to control—perfect for dealing with Deidara.

Soft fist, on the other hand, required close proximity and precise timing. Missing even once could be fatal, as Deidara could remotely detonate clay without direct contact. If Mizuki relied solely on Gentle Fist, his chakra reserves would be quickly drained. It was better for someone more versatile—like Mizuki—to handle the frontline.

Mizuki sighed, "Every time, no proper tanks or bulldozers on the team, so I have to step in. This can't be the norm. The omnipotent medicine isn't a cure-all, and the lifespan cost is too high..."

The last time the Land of Waves was seriously damaged, recovery took nearly two months. Mizuki hoped this time would be less severe.

Though Gaara was more suited to be a tank, his mobility was poor. Three years later, Deidara exploited his speed advantage to outmaneuver Gaara. Now Gaara was even weaker. Placing him up front would make him a sitting target, wearing down his stamina quickly.

"You can't always rely on others—you have to do it yourself."

Pulling out two wind demon shuriken, holding one in each hand, Mizuki said, "I'll take the lead. Hinata, you follow close. You can handle close-range explosive clay, right?"

"Of course," Hinata nodded.

"Gaara, you handle the big explosions—sand's better than a sword for that."

Gaara nodded silently.

"Temari, if things go south, alert me immediately. It doesn't matter if you're an enemy or an ally then."

"Is that alright?" Temari asked suspiciously.

"I'm here," Gaara said, rare words from him. Sand was easier to defend against wind blades than against explosive clay.

"That's why Gaara is Kazekage, and Temari is just his older sister. Even if she's smart, her adaptability and decision-making aren't quite there yet..."

After assigning roles, Mizuki asked Hinata, "Any objections?"

"None," Hinata replied.

Normally, Hinata would handle the frontline in the absence of Neji, as she was the highest-ranked Hyuga. But it was difficult to coordinate with a group that barely knew each other's fighting styles. Free-form teamwork was the only option.

Knowing Hinata didn't object, Mizuki relaxed a little. Mizuki, keenly aware of their relative weakness, feared Hinata's illusion jutsu might give her overconfidence, leading to disaster. Deidara's green clay and fierce reputation made it clear they must be cautious.

"It's up to us to make the first move. If Deidara strikes first, we're in trouble."

"Then act when the chance comes. Let's go."

Turning to his team, Mizuki waved his wind demon shuriken in both hands.

"You're a technical type, but always end up doing the dirty work. Really unlucky. Next time, find a meat shield to cover you—only then can you use your full strength."

Aiming at Deidara, Mizuki shouted, "Move out!"

Chakra surged beneath Mizuki's feet as he shot forward like an arrow. Hinata kept up with great effort, while Gaara, stubborn as ever, lagged behind. Temari's pace was less important—timing her ninjutsu was what mattered.

Deidara, preparing explosive clay, immediately lobbed a swarm of densely packed little clay birds at Mizuki without hesitation.

"Watch out, there's a trap!" Mizuki shouted as he rushed forward and spotted a bi-winged clay plane and a grasshopper-shaped clay hidden beneath the birds. Deidara aimed to catch Mizuki and Hinata off-guard with this surprise attack.

"A faster biplane and a bouncing grasshopper? Nice try, but your little tricks won't work against us. You're about to learn what happens when you underestimate the enemy..."

"Temari!" Mizuki called out.

"Got it!" Temari swung her giant fan.

Fūton: Kamaitachi!

A powerful gust of wind with countless sharp blades sliced through the explosive clay, causing them to detonate prematurely and cover the battlefield in smoke, obscuring vision.

"Keep moving forward!" Mizuki ordered.

A surprise strike, rapid advance—this was the key to victory. Against Deidara, establishing an early advantage was essential. A war of attrition would only invite disaster, especially since most of the team were unfamiliar with the enemy. This was no standard combat unit, lacking a dedicated frontal attacker. Mizuki had to step in.

Gaara, though unsure of Mizuki's exact plan, supported him by forming hand seals and unleashing a sand sweep across the smoke screen. Mizuki took Hinata through the thick veil.

"Accelerate, push through," Mizuki urged, "Don't worry about anything else. I'll block any clay that slips past."

Within the dense smoke, no one noticed a faintly glowing, transparent blue chakra barrier close to Mizuki's body.

Chakra Shield.

"This is my first time using it in actual combat," Mizuki thought. "Sakura uses this to protect her whole body from Dosu's sonic attacks. I only need to shield key areas in front of me. With precise chakra control, it should withstand the explosive force of those little birds and grasshoppers."

Maintaining a chakra shield consumed a lot of chakra, especially one with strong defensive properties requiring concentrated control.

Wearing the shield, Mizuki felt the pressure as several two-winged clay birds exploded nearby, slowing his advance. Suddenly, a grasshopper-shaped clay broke through and detonated without warning.

"Damn it! You're really messing with my pace. At your age, your combat intuition is terrifying."

Mizuki acknowledged Deidara's superior skill compared to that of Ghost Light Shuiyue—not just in strength, but in battle talent.

"Can you keep up?" Mizuki asked Hinata.

"I'm fine. You're the one—" Hinata panted.

Mizuki noticed an injury on his right arm but decided it was minor.

"This won't stop me. Keep going."

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