CHAPTER 109

The small flame that had briefly lit the darkness had now been snuffed out. Their temporary station, carefully hidden, was no longer exposed. The six Konoha shinobi remained silent, waiting for Hyūga Hiashi's command.

The Hyūga clan head, eyes closed in concentration, spoke in a low, calm voice.

"They both possess exceptionally large chakra reserves... and neither of them is weak."

That pronouncement shattered any remaining hope that this could be a minor disturbance. A ninja of Hiashi's stature would not appear here without reason. The enemy's identity was almost certain now—members of the Akatsuki. And their target was likely someone in this group.

"It seems they haven't pinpointed our exact position yet," Hiashi continued, opening his eyes as the Byakugan activated with a faint hum. "They're momentarily slowed by the traps and genjutsu we set. That gives us a chance. We may be able to launch a preemptive strike—"

But before he could finish, a thunderous boom tore through the night air. A chain of explosions erupted in the distance, tearing apart the surrounding traps. The sheer scale of destruction turned every face grim.

"That noise... could it be Deidara?" murmured Mizuki. "Then the other must be Sasori. The Akatsuki's so-called 'art duo'. I had a bad feeling… and they show up this soon."

Not far away, amidst the smoking ruins—

Sasori and Deidara advanced side-by-side through scorched terrain.

"Told you, Sasori-danna. Explosions are the purest form of art! One strike, and boom—problem solved," Deidara boasted, clay still dripping from the mouth of his left palm. "Why waste time with your creepy puppets to find the way?"

"Don't get cocky," Sasori's cold, mechanical voice replied from within his puppet armor, Hiruko. "You've already alerted the enemy with that noise. They'll be preparing."

Deidara shrugged, still grinning. "Tch. Doesn't matter. That Hyūga clan head might be tricky, but the rest? Easy pickings. With us here, it'll be over quick."

The Akatsuki's information broker—Zetsu, code-named "Xuanwu" among the group—had relayed intel: no top-tier jōnin present besides Hiashi. That was likely true, but even so, underestimating Konoha was dangerous.

Back at the Konoha camp—

As the sound of destruction drew nearer, Mizuki felt his gut twist. "Should we retreat? They're closing in fast… too fast. We won't have time to properly set up defenses."

Hiashi didn't reply immediately. His Byakugan scanned far ahead.

In terms of raw strength, their group wasn't entirely outclassed, but Hiashi was clearly the main fighting force. Soft Fist excelled at close-range combat. However, Deidara and Sasori both specialized in long-range warfare—his style was poorly matched to them.

Deidara could fly using clay birds and rain down explosives from above, making it nearly impossible for Hiashi to land a clean hit. Even his Hakkeshō Kaiten, while formidable for defense, wasn't a direct counter to airborne bombardment.

Sasori was worse. Hiruko's iron-hard shell negated many physical strikes, and his true body—hidden inside the Third Kazekage puppet—commanded magnet-style Iron Sand ninjutsu. Even Hiashi's precise strikes might struggle to reach Sasori's chakra core.

Kurenai Yūhi's genjutsu might have turned the tide, but against Sasori, whose brain and nerves were mostly artificial, illusions were unlikely to work. Deidara, young as he was, still possessed a strong will and chakra control—more than enough to disrupt basic genjutsu.

"We could have Kurenai try to contain Deidara," Mizuki muttered. "He's still younger than during the Kazekage extraction. Maybe not as refined yet."

But he knew what the others were thinking. Retreating without a fight would never sit well with Konoha's pride. They had numbers—six against two—and two jōnin. No one wanted to believe they'd be overwhelmed.

Hiashi finally spoke, voice firm. "We'll engage. Prepare for battle."

Mizuki sighed. "Orochimaru yesterday, now Akatsuki today. This isn't stimulation—it's a stress test from the gods…"

Still, this wasn't a solo mission. Even if the sky fell, there were two jōnin standing tall to hold it up. And it wasn't like they could escape on foot—not from Deidara's flight and Sasori's long-range assault.

"...If there's no danger, we fight. If there is danger—we still fight," Mizuki muttered. "At least this isn't like fighting Suigetsu with a water gun…"

The six began preparing. Mizuki pulled out four vials of his omnipotent potion and handed them out.

"To Kurenai, Hyūga Kei, and Hiashi-sama," he said, holding out the glowing green liquids. "This might even the odds."

Hiashi accepted his without a word, earning a rare sigh of relief from Mizuki. If anyone could make full use of the potion's boost, it was the Hyūga patriarch.

Soft Fist, when landed cleanly on vital points, was a sure kill—even against human puppets. And this wasn't a one-on-one match. With Kurenai and Mizuki backing him, Hiashi wasn't alone.

"Key objective: take down Deidara first. Sasori's too tricky unless we can strike his chakra core."

Mizuki turned to Temari and Gaara.

"Share this last one between you," he instructed, handing over the fourth vial. "Take it only if necessary. You're still young, and I'm not sure how it'll affect your bodies."

Temari nodded silently, tucking the vial away.

Mizuki did a final inventory.

"Out of chakra scrolls. Most of yesterday's stash was spent. No advanced materials on hand. Just the breath-holding seal and standard tools. Traps won't do much against Deidara's style."

He grimaced.

"Nothing's more annoying than these explosion maniacs who think 'art' means blowing up half a mountain."

Then, at last, they appeared.

The explosion-happy blonde with wild eyes and mouths on his hands; the grotesque puppet-armor crawling forward with a whip-like tail protruding from its back.

"Careful," Hyūga Kei warned. "That one's not human. The short one is a puppet—his real body is likely inside. And that shell is probably laced with poison."

"Understood," Kurenai nodded.

Mizuki added quickly, "Watch for poisons. I'm no medic-nin. The potion will slow toxins but it's not an antidote."

"That's fine," Hiashi said. "The Hyūga clan carries emergency neutralizers. I'll handle the puppet. You three take the blonde."

"Roger." Mizuki gave a short nod. Hiashi had read the situation perfectly.

Deidara—young and more impulsive—was the obvious target. Sasori, even weakened, was a nightmare to kill. Only Hiashi had the precision and power to try.

Temari and Gaara, meanwhile, were sidelined. The battle ahead was no place for half-prepared Genin.

As the two Akatsuki drew closer, Deidara raised a hand, grinning ear to ear.

"Hey, Konoha! We're not really looking for a fight. So if you'd just leave quietly—boom—we'll spare ya some pain, un!"

Hiashi's gaze narrowed.

"Who are you?"

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