Chapter 81: Heroic Legend

After Mizuki finished treating several wounded ninja, Tsubaki had already begun preparing to relocate everyone as Mizuki had instructed. Soon, as the battle intensified, this strategically important yet poorly defended outpost would inevitably be caught in the fighting. The scattered enemies they'd encountered were just the beginning.

"Tsubaki, do you think you can manage? Should I help?" Mizuki asked with concern. A few ninja with low battle readiness remained, and aside from Tsubaki—who at least had some skills—they possessed virtually no battle readiness at all. Outside the barrier of the outpost, they'd be even more vulnerable to strong enemy attacks.

"Don't worry, Mizuki. Enemies won't arrive anytime soon. If we leave quickly, we should be fine," Tsubaki said, shaking her head. "You have a mission to complete. Hurry along."

On the battlefield, every delay by a medical ninja could mean the death of another wounded comrade.

"No problem. Healing you counts as part of my mission too."

"Okay then, we'll take off first."

...

After watching Tsubaki and their colleagues depart toward the secure rear area, Mizuki finally let go of his concerns and sprinted toward the battlefield wholeheartedly.

From afar, he could already see the massive wall surrounding Konoha breached by an enormous serpent. A group of ninja frantically hurled kunai laced with explosive tags, but their attacks barely affected the giant snake's advance. Meanwhile, waves of Suna ninja streamed through the breach in the wall, clashing with the Konoha defenders who had been lying in wait, fully prepared.

[Kuchiyose no Jutsu—now that's a truly remarkable art. A good lineage of summoned beasts could rival lifetimes of rigorous training by most shinobi. No wonder people say Jiraiya's strength drops significantly without them.]

Surveying the chaotic scene ahead, Mizuki decided against rushing closer—getting caught in some large-scale ninjutsu would be disastrous for a chunin of his limited capability. After scanning the battlefield for a while, he finally spotted a familiar face: Ibiki Morino. That huge build, combined with the scar on his face, made him unmistakable.

"Captain Ibiki?" Mizuki called out.

Turning around and recognizing Mizuki, Ibiki replied seriously, "I already told you before—I'm not your captain anymore... Wait, actually, I am now."

Not the same team leader from Mizuki's previous mission, he was now leading this patrol unit.

"Forget about titles; today I'm here as a medical ninja supporting the frontline," Mizuki shrugged, observing how naturally Ibiki took command. "So, what can I assist with?"

"Oh, perfect. Come with me..."

Led by Ibiki to a temporary field station, Mizuki frowned as he glanced around and asked gravely, "Why so few? There should be more wounded than this, right?"

The entire base only housed a handful of ninja tending to a small number of injured comrades.

"There's no point saving many of them anymore," Ibiki replied calmly.

Such ordinary words startled Mizuki, sending a chill down his spine.

"No point? You mean they're all dead... or past saving by now?"

"The initial ambush caught many completely off guard. They were killed before they had any chance to react at all. The immense summoned beasts, coupled with the Suna ninjas' assault, overwhelmed many defenders entirely. Some were killed instantly, while others suffered injuries. We couldn't even recover their bodies from the battlefield..."

Mizuki didn't ask aloud, but Ibiki explained on his own anyway.

If the defenders can't pinpoint where the enemy is attacking from, the attackers gain a huge advantage. With complete initiative, the opening strike usually causes devastating casualties.

Just then, a deafening roar shook the battlefield outside as a colossal toad appeared, immediately locked in combat with a monstrous serpent.

"Lord Jiraiya has entered the fight?" Mizuki murmured.

"Oh? You already know Lord Jiraiya has returned? I thought only a few people were aware."

"I was the first to discover him and inform The Third," Mizuki casually explained.

Without wasting more time, Mizuki addressed Ibiki, "Send any more injured here as quickly as possible. I'll hold out until the medical team arrives. I have another mission afterward—things are much worse elsewhere."

Whether it was Orochimaru or Gaara, the spectacle would certainly be no smaller than this one.

"Understood, we're short everywhere," Ibiki nodded. "Just hold out until the medics arrive."

It was unusual not to have medical units positioned at the frontlines. However, although the village had received some intelligence reports, they still lacked specific details about the enemy's objectives. Naturally, their focus remained on the Chunin Exam venue—it housed far too many influential spectators.

As Mizuki temporarily served as a medical ninja, Sasuke Uchiha had already engaged Gaara, the One-Tail Jinchuriki.

Sakura Haruno watched in horror as Gaara gradually lost his human form.

"This must be why Teacher Mizuki said Gaara is the strongest Genin, claiming none of the other candidates together could defeat him. But... what exactly is this?"

Earlier, Sasuke Uchiha had struck Gaara directly with two Chidori attacks, inflicting considerable damage, yet failing to cause decisive injury. Instead, Gaara became even more savage.

"Now, Sakura~" Sasuke called out, preparing his [Chidori] nearby. Even though he'd long surpassed Kakashi's stated limit for using [Chidori]—

"My body is utterly exhausted, but I can still keep going. Medical Ninjutsu really does work after all."

Thinking this, Sasuke glanced at Sakura.

Sakura swiftly formed hand seals and activated the Binding Seal Formation. A wave of oppressive force rapidly pinned Gaara—who had completely lost his human shape—in place.

Restrained like this, Gaara had long since lost rationality and thrashed wildly in resistance.

"What raw power! He's even more dangerous now than he was before!"

Only against a complete beast like this—who had utterly lost his mind—could the same technique keep working.

Sakura looked toward the speeding Sasuke. Though with Sasuke Uchiha's Sharingan providing such keen insight, her coordination wasn't strictly necessary.

"The cursed seal on my neck is getting more obvious by the minute. Better not use the Sharingan if I can help it."

As his chakra diminished from using Chidori multiple times, Sasuke couldn't keep fighting much longer. His weakened body and thirst for power led to the Cursed Seal becoming unstable once more. Sakura, having just treated him, was fully aware of his physical condition.

Inside the barrier at the Chunin Exams venue, where no one outside could see, Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi was being overwhelmed by the combined attacks of Wood Release and the Bringer-of-Darkness Technique from the First and Second Hokage. He reached into his ninja tool pouch and pulled out a life-saving pill—one he had kept there for nearly a month.

"I originally thought I'd never have a reason to use this… But it seems I've come to this after all."

Facing Orochimaru alone wouldn't have been an issue for The Third Hokage at all. But with these two Hokage reincarnated through Impure World Reincarnation now in the battle, everything changed.

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