CHAPTER 116

The word retreat is easy to say, but far harder to actually carry out. And this time, the retreat was essentially a polite way of saying: if you can't fight, you have to run.

When it comes to running, inevitably someone will fall behind—otherwise, it would simply become a race where the fastest survive and the slowest perish. Counting the six people in this group, Mizuki realized he might be the fastest runner among them. The two Hyūga clan members are not particularly fast sprinters; their combat style focuses on precise taijutsu, not speed. Yuhi Kurenai's speed is average at best. As for Gaara and Temari, neither is known for swift movement. That left Mizuki—despite his injuries—as possibly having the highest survival rate.

However, Hyūga Hizu did not allow their retreat to degenerate into a chaotic flight; the group kept a tight formation. If it had turned into a scramble, Gaara's chances would be close to zero. His speed was poor, and as the target of the enemy, unless he completely unleashed Shukaku, the One-Tail sealed within him, his survival was precarious at best.

This weary six-person team—exhausted and burdened by a severely injured Mizuki who was barely functional—could only do their best to avoid the advancing puppet corps controlled by Deidara and the Red Sand Scorpion. Hyūga Hizu took point with her precise Gentle Fist technique, while Gaara supported with his large chakra reserves. Temari and Yuhi Kurenai provided backup, and Hyūga Ke and injured Mizuki did their best just to keep pace.

"How long can your Gentle Fist technique hold off Deidara's chakra?" Mizuki asked, dragging his battered body while fleeing.

Deidara's recovery was critical. If he regained full strength and control of his explosive puppets, Konoha's escape would be doomed.

Hyūga Ke answered with concern, "It's hard to say, but if we can hold until dawn, that would be the absolute limit."

Dawn was drawing near, the sky already lightening. "There's not much time left..." Mizuki said, looking ahead.

Hyūga Ke shook her head. "You can't expect everyone to be a prodigy like Neji, who mastered the Gentle Fist through sheer intuition. The others just don't have that level of training."

The Hyūga who stayed behind after the clan split had varying skill levels. If Hyūga Hizu's Gentle Fist struck Deidara, he'd probably be finished. But the same jutsu in weaker hands like Hyūga Ke's is far less effective.

Mizuki nodded, understanding the harsh reality. He wasn't involved in clan politics and didn't care to be. But the dangerous situation gave him a headache.

"What do we do? Once Deidara regains control over his flying puppets, Konoha's side is finished." Mizuki's voice was heavy with worry.

For Shuimu, who had just severely beaten Deidara, there was no illusion that Deidara would let them escape so easily.

"Will help come?" Mizuki glanced anxiously at Hyūga Hizu and Gaara, who bore the brunt of the puppet attacks. Gaara's youthful face was strained, his vast chakra pool draining rapidly after a fierce fight. Even if his chakra lasted, his body was nearing exhaustion—he was only about twelve years old after all.

"You have to hold on a little longer, or we'll truly be finished..." Mizuki said grimly.

He never counted on a sudden, convenient rescue. There was no "destined hero" in this group. Gaara was the backbone, but not nearly enough to turn the tide against Deidara and the Red Sand Scorpion—the duo that had nearly killed him and taken Shukaku from him three years ago.

Luck was thin, but Mizuki could still try to send for reinforcements. The difficulty was getting the message out.

Being skilled in sealing techniques and familiar with spiritual communication, Mizuki could at least send limited messages over distance. Though he and his copy, Zhuli, couldn't communicate in real time, they had other means. Language, signals, written notes—many ways to pass information.

Mizuki wasn't versed in space-time ninjutsu, but he had some experience with telepathic techniques. These weren't inventions of his own; in canon, some shinobi used summoned spiritual beasts to relay messages. Without these methods, Pain might have razed Konoha without warning, and Naruto would never have awakened Sage Mode.

Thus, Mizuki had made special arrangements: several specially marked spiritual beasts around him and Zhuli, ready to be summoned by a psychic in Konoha to receive updates.

"Reinforcements should have been dispatched by now, but considering the distance, they're still far away. Our side is collapsing too fast..." Mizuki admitted.

The fight had started in the dead of night and escalated quickly. Requests for help would take time to reach the village, for the village to respond, and for backup to arrive. But Shuimu's group wasn't fast, so the rescue party was likely pushing full speed and should arrive eventually.

"Though I doubt we'll hold out long enough..." Mizuki muttered.

He wasn't worried about Konoha's response—both the Hyūga clan patriarch and the village leadership wielded enormous influence. If everyone here died, the village would pay dearly.

"Easy days never last. I'm always rushing, but time is never enough..."

This attack wasn't entirely unexpected. Mizuki had recklessly followed the dangerous Zhuli on a mission without proper preparation. Ren Zhuli was a prime target in the ninja world. The "Xiao" organization had long coveted tailed beasts like Shukaku.

Mizuki knew that not long after Orochimaru's plan to collapse Konoha failed, Uchiha Itachi and Kisame Hoshigaki infiltrated Konoha to capture Naruto Uzumaki. Although they failed, Itachi seriously wounded Kakashi with Tsukuyomi before being driven off by Jiraiya.

This was the "Xiao" organization's first major appearance in the series, and Mizuki was well aware of it. However, the full web of cause and effect was complex and not always clear.

Since the "Xiao" organization dared to send their elite like Itachi and Kisame to seize Naruto, it was obvious they were fully prepared. Despite Konoha's massive losses, the village remained a major power. If the "Xiao" organization struck, they wouldn't show mercy to Naruto or the tailed beasts.

The plan to capture all tailed beasts, once set in motion, would be relentless. The "Xiao" organization's strength three years ago was formidable—and even now, no force in the ninja world could stand in their way.

Gaara, the One-Tail jinchūriki, wandering outside the village, was a prime target. It was no surprise Deidara and the Red Sand Scorpion pursued him.

In fact, the "Xiao" organization's plan was halted by an unforeseen event. Konoha's collapse plan and the "Xiao"'s exposure of their intentions made the village desperate. They considered restricting Naruto's movements to protect the Nine-Tails. Only Jiraiya and Tsunade's insistence prevented it.

After investigation, Jiraiya learned the "Xiao" organization suspended their tailed beast hunt for three years, allowing Naruto more freedom.

Though the manga never explains how Jiraiya got this info, Mizuki connected the dots. The likely reason the "Xiao" stopped was a problem with the tailed beasts themselves, making their capture impossible.

Tailed beasts are born of human will. Though they don't truly die, they can enter a state of dormancy. That's why the Nine-Tails lent chakra to Naruto repeatedly early on—sealing is a powerful bind. When Shukaku died, the beast sealed inside suffered too, forced into death by the seal's power. But as long as humanity lives, the beasts will eventually revive, which takes about three years.

This explained Naruto's three-year period of growth and limited activity.

During this time, the Fourth Mizukage Yagura died—a genius who controlled the Three-Tails, secretly manipulated by Uchiha Obito with a Sharingan. The original manga doesn't detail Yagura's death, but confirms it happened, leading to Mei Terumi becoming Fifth Mizukage.

Mizuki deduced that soon after Itachi and Kisame's failed capture, the "Xiao" organization's plan was interrupted, investigations began, and a three-year buffer was set.

Itachi and Kisame acted first, while other missions were canceled due to Yagura's death.

But Mizuki's actions had shifted this timeline slightly, a classic butterfly effect.

Originally, Gaara should have been rescued by Temari after fighting Naruto and returned safely to Sunagakure, protected by masters like Chiyo. It wouldn't have been easy to capture Gaara then.

This time, except for Hyūga Hizu—barely a master—no one else could match powerhouses like Deidara and the Red Sand Scorpion. No wonder the explosive duo attacked directly.

"Now is not the time for regrets. Understanding what happened won't fix our situation. The question is, how long can we hold out until help arrives?"

Under siege by a dozen puppets, Hyūga Hizu fought bravely, killing several enemies and breaking through the encirclement. But she suffered serious injuries in the process. Mizuki knew she couldn't last much longer; collapse was near. Gaara too, without rest, was near fainting—he needed Shukaku's power again.

Even now, Mizuki refused to release Shukaku. Besides doubts about whether the beast could defeat the Red Sand Scorpion, relying on a tailed beast that might turn on him was too risky. Just yesterday, Mizuki had forcibly drawn chakra from Shukaku to create a small clone—who probably would want to kill its creator first.

"There's no choice. Let's 'fry the fish' first. Whatever comes out of the frying pan, we'll deal with."

With dawn approaching, Mizuki produced two seal scrolls: one containing a clone of Sasuke Uchiha unadjusted by chakra, and another holding chakra released when Sasuke's curse mark activated.

"It's unfair to you, destined to live briefly like a flash of lightning, but I'm sorry. Before you vanish, take a good look—the sunrise is beautiful."

Creating life with his own hands only to watch it die was a bitter feeling Mizuki knew well. He had suppressed the pain when killing clones for survival after reckless mistakes. But doing it again now was truly disheartening.

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