Chapter 169: Hidden Resonance

Even with Shukaku's chaotic interference—which had indirectly helped him—Mizuki was acutely aware that the tailed beast wasn't under his control. At most, he could try to influence it, and even that wasn't very reliable. Take now, for example: Mizuki needed a Tailed Beast Bomb, but it never came. Instead, he found himself in a tough spot.

"Uncontrollable power really is unreliable…"

Mizuki couldn't help but feel curious—how did Naruto Uzumaki, in the original timeline, ever manage to reconcile with the Tailed Beasts? Through love and justice? Trying to talk about boundless compassion with creatures that fought purely on instinct… what a joke.

Still, although the situation was difficult, it wasn't beyond recovery. By Mizuki's estimate, he could still hold out a bit longer. He even briefly considered running away—luring Shukaku out for a walk while letting Kakuzu and Hidan chase after him might not be a bad option. As for the optional mission to eliminate Deidara? Well, after taking out Sasori, he'd already done more than enough.

But Mizuki's foul mood didn't last long. Reinforcements had finally arrived.

A massive flock of summoned crows swooped in, harassing Kakuzu and Hidan and forcing them on the defensive. Yamashiro Aoba, one of Konoha's more versatile jonin, finally entered the scene. Not only was he a skilled genjutsu user, but his summoning techniques and mind-reading abilities were all top-notch. He even had a rather unique technique—Stone Needle—a paralysis jutsu that traveled along wires. With it, he disrupted Kakuzu's ability to react just in time.

Seizing the opportunity, Mizuki rushed forward and slammed a heavy punch into Kakuzu's left chest.

"Did that land? Hmm… something's off…"

Kakuzu's Earth Release body reinforcement was far tougher than Mizuki had expected. A punch like that should've torn through a normal person's chest—or at least severely wounded them. Kakashi's Chidori, after all, had managed to destroy one of Kakuzu's hearts. Mizuki's strength wasn't far behind, but even so, he couldn't confirm a kill. He could feel he'd cracked through something, but not deeply enough.

"So elemental affinities really matter this much at high-level battles?" Mizuki thought bitterly. "Relying only on Fire Release clearly isn't going to cut it. If I ever face a Water Release specialist like Kisame, I'll be in deep trouble."

The impact of Mizuki's blow sent Kakuzu skidding backward, carving a deep trench into the earth. Mizuki was just about to turn and deal with Hidan when another support attack arrived.

"Water Release: Water Trumpet!"

A surge of high-pressure water shot forth from Black Zetsu's—no, Kurotsuchi's—mouth, slamming into Hidan and knocking him back.

Seeing both enemies suppressed, Mizuki finally allowed himself a brief moment to relax.

"Mizuki, how are you holding up?" Yamashiro Aoba asked, appearing at his side.

"I'm fine. Still good to go." Mizuki's body was sore, sure, but that wasn't the main issue. The real pressure came from the mental strain—fighting two near-immortal freaks like this while keeping one eye on a lurking Tailed Beast was exhausting.

"Did that punch land?"

"Hard to say," Mizuki replied with a shake of his head. "His defenses are insane. I can't tell if it was fatal. Stay ready—we're not done yet."

"What a shame," Aoba sighed. "Neji, can you scan that guy's chakra? Is he dead or not?"

That's when Mizuki finally noticed that Neji and Shino had arrived with Aoba.

"You brought them too?" Mizuki asked, surprised.

"Of course. We can't let you shoulder everything. And honestly, it's safer to keep those two under our eyes than to leave them behind. At least this way, we can look after them."

"Look after?" Mizuki scoffed. "I'm not sure we can even look after ourselves at this point."

He wasn't wrong. Against someone like Sasori, Mizuki had forbidden the genin from getting close because of the puppet master's poisons. Neji and Shino would've been liabilities. But Hidan and Kakuzu? They weren't poison users, and with Aoba holding Kakuzu's attention, Neji and Shino might actually be helpful.

"Didn't you say this yourself a few days ago?" Aoba replied with a smirk. "This is their path too. We have to trust them."

"Tch… fine," Mizuki grumbled. "I'll leave those two to you. Just keep a close eye on them."

While they spoke, Neji had already activated his Byakugan and was scanning Kakuzu.

"Mizuki-senpai, he's not dead. And… his chakra is extremely bizarre," Neji said after a pause. "His body contains multiple cores. One of them is almost extinguished. But more strangely, his chakra doesn't flow like a normal person's. It's like something else is keeping him alive."

"Something else?" Aoba echoed.

"Yes," Neji replied. "It's like he has another creature living inside him. A parasitic being. And it's all centered around those cores."

"A summoning contract?" Aoba asked.

"Can't say. But it's definitely not natural."

Mizuki finally spoke up. "He's functionally immortal. Or close to it. You saw that punch—I should've caved his chest in. Anyone else would be on the ground, dying."

Aoba nodded. "What a monster."

"Be careful. If it's too much, fall back with the genin. Their main objective isn't even us."

...

With Kakuzu now being held off by Aoba, Mizuki could focus on taking down Hidan first, then turn back and help with Kakuzu, and finally—hopefully—deal with Shukaku. That was the plan.

"But why has Shukaku been so quiet for a while? He hasn't fired any more Tailed Beast Bombs… has he finally lost interest in me?"

Just as Mizuki pondered this, a shadow suddenly loomed overhead.

Looking up, he saw the massive form of Shukaku lunging directly at him.

"So he's coming for me directly now? Great…"

Black Zetsu—no, Kurotsuchi—and Hidan both had to immediately disengage and retreat. But Mizuki, caught in the center, had no such luxury.

Thanks to his speed, Mizuki narrowly dodged the incoming claw swipe—but couldn't avoid the sand tail that followed. It smashed into him with crushing force.

"A third hand? And it's even stronger than the claws? These things really live up to the name 'Tailed Beasts'..."

He wasn't the only one hit. Hidan got caught in the strike too, and Kurotsuchi, though not directly struck, was still knocked back by the shockwave. Her condition was unclear, but given the toughness of Iwa shinobi, she was probably fine.

As for Mizuki… well, he wasn't so lucky this time.

Though the chakra shield and Sage Mode had absorbed most of the damage, the sheer physical impact left him hurting. But that wasn't the worst part.

No, the real problem started after the hit.

"Wait… what is this? Chakra resonance? This didn't happen earlier. But now that I've had direct physical contact with Shukaku… something's happening."

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