Naruto: From Extra to Savior

Chapter 114: Chapter 114: Seeming Like an Old Acquaintance



"Then that's decided." Hiashi Hyuga was a man of action, too.

On their side, everyone had nearly used up all their strength just to temporarily disable Deidara. Now facing an even stronger foe—Red Sand of the Desert—the exhausted group seemed to have no better options left. They couldn't even force Sasori to unleash his full strength.

"So what exactly should we do?" Mizuki asked. With Hiashi here, who had greater power, he didn't necessarily need to keep playing the role of vanguard. Besides, Mizuki's physical condition wasn't suited for another direct confrontation with the more powerful Red Sand of the Desert.

"Your pills are indeed effective—you're still standing. But there aren't many choices right now," Hiashi started assigning the battle plan. "That puppet master isn't very flexible. We need reliable close-range techniques and ways to break through defenses. There are too many unknowns, so Gaara will have to spearhead the advance."

The abilities of Red Sand of the Desert could vary slightly depending on which puppet he used. Currently, Hiruko's attack and defense were undeniably strong. But its raw speed still left much to be desired. That was only natural—no one is completely without weakness, so a flawless puppet shouldn't exist either. If Sasori appeared in his true puppet form, he wouldn't feel as clumsy or lack agility like Hiruko, but he would also lose the overwhelming protection that left most ninja in despair.

"What about the others? Surely they can't just stand around watching?" Mizuki pressed on. Temari's offensive power was considerable too. Of course, large-scale ninjutsu came at a heavy cost. Without Mizuki's Breath-Sealing Art or the massive chakra reserves of a jinchuriki, one couldn't use it often. A girl barely around fourteen or fifteen shouldn't be this strong—but here she was. Another Hyuga, Ko Hyuga, wasn't seriously injured, but his stamina had been nearly drained, making it impossible for him to fight at full capacity for now. As for Kurenai Yuhi's combat effectiveness, genjutsu fundamentally worked by using chakra to manipulate an enemy's perception and create illusions. Advanced techniques like Tsukuyomi or Kotoamatsukami ventured into the realm of divine laws themselves, so whether they were purely genjutsu was debatable. Still, considering Kurenai Yuhi's skill in illusion arts alone, how could one even cast illusions on something like Red Sand of the Desert, which was little more than a reincarnation core? That truly wouldn't be easy. Even without her genjutsu, Kurenai Yuhi was still a formidable fighter. Unfortunately, under these circumstances, she simply had no chance to show her strength.

"There's no sign of them holding back at all. If capturing them alive proves impossible, eliminate that blond kid without hesitation," Hiashi Hyuga instructed the three ninja, especially Kurenai Yuhi. "Besides keeping an eye on this Deidara fellow, your top priority is self-preservation right now. Focus on recovering your stamina and chakra first. This confrontation might not end as easily as we hoped..."

A creeping sense of dread gnawed at Hiashi. The two opponents wearing those unmistakable black cloaks adorned with red clouds clearly belonged to a single organization. Even the mightiest hidden villages didn't have Jinchuriki. That alone proved how utterly terrifying these guys were. Knowing they came specifically to capture tailed beasts meant they understood the risks involved and had proven methods for controlling such mighty creatures. The thought sent chills down Mizuki's spine.

"When did such a frightening organization quietly emerge in the ninja world?"

As Hiashi worked out his battle strategy, Mizuki made the most of what little time he had left to patch himself up. With both [Mystical Palm Technique] and life-saving pills working together, he barely managed to restore most of his combat effectiveness. Yet feeling waves of deceptive but immense power surging through his body brought only bitter smiles to his face. He had mentally prepared himself when facing Sasori and Deidara, but draining his very life force so soon for a desperate fight caught him completely off guard.

"This was one of those times where praying for backup would've been appropriate..."

In previous difficult situations, Mizuki's immediate reaction had always been to hold position and wait for backup, with events generally unfolding according to his expectations. But this time felt fundamentally different—trapped in a desperate, isolated predicament. Very few individuals in this world could have saved their party from simultaneous attacks by both Sasori and Deidara, let alone someone conveniently passing by exactly when needed. The rational part of Mizuki knew better than to harbor such unrealistic hopes.

"It's time to move. Get ready..." Konoha ninjas found themselves stuck between two bad options. Delaying might allow their enemies to recover faster, while rushing headlong into battle faced the fact that Sasori hadn't even gotten serious yet, while their main forces had already suffered significant exhaustion.

After carefully weighing pros and cons, Hiashi decided to seize the opportunity while their enemies still settled in, using numerical superiority to launch an offensive. At minimum, they needed to test Sasori's true capabilities before deciding their next move.

"We've wasted far too much time already," Mizuki muttered, watching as Sasori quickly dressed Deidara's wounds to prevent further deterioration.

All three acknowledged silently, tension rising as the battle was about to begin. Then Gaara surged forward toward Sasori, his sand-filled gourd inevitably slowing him down. Hiashi Hyuga and Mizuki followed at a steady pace behind him.

...

"That over there isn't a clone, right?" Mizuki double-checked one last time while advancing forward.

Mizuki, who had narrowly escaped Deidara's Exploding Clay Clone moments ago, had no intention of going through that again. The Sand Clone was a common and highly practical ninjutsu — Mizuki didn't want to be fooled twice, or he might not live to regret it.

Hiashi Hyuga shook his head. "Few clone techniques can fool the Byakugan. At least that one earlier was probably genuine..."

Since Hiashi had confirmed it, Mizuki put his doubts aside, waiting for the perfect moment to strike.

Meanwhile, Gaara, using sand to defend against poisoned kunai and senbon coming from all directions, suddenly spoke up. "That puppet master over there — his puppet's style and combat methods seem familiar..."

"Is he a rogue ninja from your Sunagakure?" Hiashi asked.

"Not sure," Gaara replied, shaking his head. "I've never seen him before, but the elders in our village might know."

Though slightly embarrassed, Gaara was almost certain — the enemy definitely came from Suna. Puppet Masters were specialists requiring inherited skills, marked by distinctive styles. Outside of Suna, large-scale systematic transmission of Puppet Master techniques had practically vanished. In fact, as soon as Red Sand of the Desert revealed his fighting style, Gaara and Temari, children of the Kazekage, had already reached their conclusion.

"Do you have corresponding countermeasures then?" Hiashi asked. "Do you understand his weaknesses?"

"Kankuro would've been better suited for this, but we can still figure it out," Gaara said, showing visible concern on his normally expressionless face. "Our chances of victory are slim to none..."

Gaara had been unusually polite. It wasn't that Konoha's side was weak — Red Sand was just terrifyingly strong. Any ninja who could create puppets like Hiruko couldn't possibly be a regular Puppet Master. Plus, Puppet Masters were known for their flexible, versatile tactics and wide variety of puppets. There was no way someone so powerful relied solely on a turtle-like defensive puppet.

"Don't hesitate now — falling back before a fight isn't Konoha's way," Hiashi firmly stated. "We can't always expect enemies to be weaker than us, but doing our best is enough."

"Careful — they're about to get close," Mizuki quietly warned.

The hidden traps mostly used toxic senbon fired from unexpected angles, mixed with other deadly weapons. For civilians, these attacks were nearly impossible to dodge. But they were nothing to Gaara. Senbon simply lacked the power to break through his Sand Shield. Under these circumstances, even while piloting Hiruko, Deidara didn't really have many effective options against Gaara's type of ninja. Of course, in close combat, Hiruko's tail spines could deliver both devastating force and terrifying poison at once.

Facing the combined assault of three opponents, Red Sand of the Desert remained utterly fearless. His tail lashed in wide arcs, emitting immense power and pressure that made it impossible for anyone to consider blocking head-on. The tail's ability to freely extend further complicated its unpredictable movements, forcing opponents to proceed with utmost caution.

"Dodge it—don't try to block!" Hiashi shouted urgently, knowing all too well the damage that tail could do.

『How then? We can subdue it only if it stops moving.』 When the tail was swinging, its momentum made it even harder to control; however, once stationary, there were options available. In the original story, Chiyo managed to bind Hiruko's tail with strong chakra threads, giving Sakura Haruno the chance to destroy him. Mizuki could perfectly copy this strategy. Since there were no puppet masters present from Konoha's side, Sasori probably wouldn't pay special attention to barely perceptible chakra threads. However, he himself couldn't carry out the maneuver, nor would Gaara be suitable. Thinking this through, Mizuki pulled out his last Fuma Shuriken and, while Sasori's view was blocked by the Sand Shield, passed it to Hiashi Hyuga.

『Under Byakugan observation, those chakra threads should be completely visible.』

Sure enough, just as Mizuki predicted, Hiashi caught on immediately and took the shuriken. Then Mizuki rapidly created a Shadow Clone while his original body transformed into another Fuma Shuriken.

"Wind Demon Shuriken—Shadow Windmill." Hiashi usually relied on his Gentle Fist, but that didn't mean he couldn't handle regular ninja gear. Even when rarely used, his skills far surpassed those of average ninjas.

The Fuma Shuriken flew swiftly through the air, striking from behind and slightly off to one side of Sasori. Still, this posed little challenge for him. With a simple flick of his tail, the wind shuriken was easily deflected away. That exposed the second hidden Fuma Shuriken concealed within the shadow.

『What good can these petty tricks do... Wait, we've long past the phase of mere testing. No point in repeating useless moves like that. Then...』 Just as Red Sand of the Desert became suspicious and prepared to strike down the second Fuma Shuriken with his tail, he found himself unable to move.

『What happened?』 Alarmed, Sasori suddenly discovered that the tip of his tail had been bound by a strand of chakra thread, the other end circling around Hiashi Hyuga's hand before returning to entwine itself around the second shuriken.

『So someone else knows Puppet Technique too? What the hell has Genwu been doing? Why wasn't such basic intel picked up earlier?』 Although partially due to his own carelessness, he also felt displeased regarding Zetsu's laxity.

Just as the second Fuma Shuriken flew overhead of Red Sand of the Desert, there was a sudden "pop" sound, ending the Transformation Jutsu and revealing Mizuki's true form.

『That's the signature move of a chosen one—the same trick that trapped Zabuza Momochi, and now even Red Sand of the Desert falls for it. These are no ordinary foes.』

Such a golden opportunity might never come again. Mizuki unleashed what was possibly the most powerful Scalpel since learning this jutsu, first piercing straight through Hiruko's neck before continuing rearward in a slashing motion.

『Just how tough was that original ninja's body? They say Hiruko was once a real ninja Sasori killed and turned into a human puppet. How terrifying must have been that ninja's physical defenses?』

When Mizuki's [Scalpel] reached halfway through Hiruko's gaping mouth on his back, suddenly, Hiruko began exploding from the inside. Before Mizuki could react, a spinning razor-edged blade wheel shot toward his head. The weapon was so close that Mizuki had no time to dodge. He desperately funneled chakra into his Chakra Shield at maximum capacity while twisting his body and turning his head as much as possible.

A loud 'thud' echoed as the blade deeply embedded itself into Mizuki's left shoulder, lodging firmly in the scapula. The excruciating pain almost made him pass out instantly. Fortunately, through numerous near-death battles, he'd gained some experience—knowing he absolutely couldn't relax now, or death would be just one step away.

[If not for the Chakra Shield, I'd probably be cut in half by now.]

Indeed, Red Sand of the Desert really had way more battle experience than even the young Deidara. Even in disadvantageous situations, he decisively abandoned Hiruko to maximize enemy damage efficiently without any awkwardness or waste.

At that crucial moment, Mizuki channeled chakra into [Scalpel] again and stabbed straight for the left chest of Red Sand's original body — the reincarnation core area. That forced Sasori to pull back his blade to defend.

"Looks like Deidara wasn't lying after all. Someone's definitely leaked our intel," came the magnetic voice from Red Sand's original body. "I'm curious though — how exactly did you figure out my weakness?"

Such crucial vulnerability information was every ninja's most sensitive taboo. Even among the Akatsuki, only one or two members were aware of his actual weakness.

Still nursing his old wounds, Mizuki took yet another brutal hit. He felt his stamina rapidly fading as blood poured from his wound, and a chilling coldness began spreading from his left shoulder down through his entire body.

[Poisoned? This is bad.]

Just when Mizuki forced himself to stay alert, Kurenai—who hadn't made much of an impression until now—rushed over and blocked the spinning blade wheel coming from Sasori.

[Though honestly, you totally phoned it in today — kinda disappointing, to be honest. But hey, your style got countered, so I guess I can't blame you. Since you saved my life, I'll let this major underperformance slide.]

For someone who'd been pretty much useless the whole fight, Kurenai finally managed to do something useful at the end.

With this reprieve, Mizuki quickly consumed most of the remaining half vial of medicine before pouring what was left onto the wound in his left shoulder.

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