Chapter 153: Pressing Forward

In the hazy night, Mizuki sensed a figure approaching from the very path he had come.

"It's already this late..."

Mizuki was well aware of how tedious practicing chakra control and sensing could be. Especially when it came to perceiving natural energy—it required an even better environment to cultivate properly. Avoiding others wasn't because such training couldn't be done together; rather, it generated too much disturbance. For Neji Hyuga and Aoba Yamashiro, sensing Mizuki's activities posed no difficulty. And with Shino Aburame's parasitic bugs, which were highly sensitive to chakra fluctuations, coming out here to this remote wilderness first aimed at laying traps. Secondly, Mizuki seized every moment to practice perceiving natural energy. During times like these, in such quiet wild surroundings undisturbed by people, Mizuki found his cultivation yielded surprisingly good results.

Upon seeing someone approach, Mizuki realized it was getting late and time to return. Sure enough, Aoba Yamashiro soon emerged from the darkness.

"You're taking forever."

"Sorry to make you worry," Mizuki replied. "This spot just felt too good—I lost track of time, I guess..."

"Leaving your team behind just to catch some moonlight?" Aoba teased with a smile. "Even after becoming a Jonin, you haven't changed much..."

"Isn't that a good thing?" Mizuki knew Aoba held no actual reproach—just how old friends teased each other.

"Not bad, I guess. I get how you are. But those two Genin don't—they even started worrying that something had happened to you, not resting properly."

"After all, it's an S-ranked mission. How could they not feel nervous?"

"It must be like that initial excitement and anxiety right after we first wore our forehead protectors (hitai-ate) as ninja," Aoba sat down beside Mizuki on the tree trunk, enjoying the moonlight together. "By the way, Mizuki, do you still remember your first S-rank?"

"It's been too long—I can't remember clearly."

"I don't either. So I guess we're veteran ninja who've survived countless battles. I wonder if we'll finish our term peacefully..."

"I didn't figure you for someone who'd think about stuff like that. Guess I was wrong."

"I hadn't before, but lately, I have started thinking about it," Aoba calmly answered.

Indeed, recently too many lives had been lost—friends and strangers alike, taken away within the past month.

"I get it now—you're feeling sentimental tonight because of those two Genin, aren't you? Are you worried they're too nervous? Or can't handle the pressure?"

"Both, I suppose. Those two are rare talents. With the village suffering heavy losses, now's the time we need fresh talent the most. We can't let them die pointlessly here..."

"You know, you still don't completely trust me, your new team captain..." Mizuki straightforwardly pointed it out with generosity.

"Not exactly distrust—it's just that I think the village made its decision too hastily," Aoba scratched his head slightly awkwardly as he spoke.

"You're overthinking it, Aoba."

"If so, Mizuki would have to reveal some concrete information to Aoba Yamashiro to reassure him. It wouldn't be good to have a major helper feeling uneasy all the time."

"To be honest, I personally requested this personnel arrangement. Although I was the one who proposed the specific list, Lady Tsunade eventually approved it..."

"Wait, you're the one who set this up?" Aoba had assumed the Fifth Hokage was behind it all along—he hadn't expected this to be Mizuki's doing at all.

"One thing you said was right, Aoba—each of them's a rare talent who'll grow into one of the pillars holding up our village someday," Mizuki replied without answering directly.

"But you've seriously underestimated how strong they really are. They're already solid allies."

"Do you really believe that?" Aoba Yamashiro said suspiciously.

"Of course. Although capable jonin are hard to find these days, finding a few competent chunin isn't impossible. Why do you think the village agreed to my request for borrowing two genin? What they need isn't encouragement or reassurance—it's our trust!"

"Hmm..." Aoba paused thoughtfully before lifting his head again. "Okay, you make sense. After all, a flower grown in a greenhouse won't ever turn into a pillar of Konoha. This is indeed a great opportunity for training. Still, we'll have our hands full taking care of things..."

"Don't worry. Do you know why the village promoted me to jonin?" Mizuki said confidently. "This time, as long as they stay cautious, nothing bad will happen to them."

Genin wouldn't be targeted in an attack. On the contrary, Mizuki himself might be the real target—he was far more dangerous than the rest.

"I guess I'll just have to trust you then..." Anyway, there was no way to back out halfway now. He'd just have to see it through either way.

"Let's go back. It's getting late." Mizuki glanced at several Parasitic Bugs flying nearby and recalled the two occasions not long ago when he felt someone watching them. He knew Shino Aburame and Neji Hyuga had come specifically to keep an eye on things.

"Yeah," Aoba followed Mizuki as they began heading back. "You've sure become more talkative ever since becoming a jonin."

"No, it's just that you're too weak. You've never even praised me once."

...

Early the next morning, the entire team proceeded slowly along the planned route, moving at an almost intolerable pace for a group composed of ninjas—an open provocation to any hidden enemies watching: "We're right here! If you've got the guts, come get us..."

This kind of open display was almost unheard of in ninja missions. Born from assassins, killers, and infiltrators, the ninja profession has always centered around stealth and rapid movement. Though some individual ninjas broke those rules, the core principles of ninja development have never changed.

Even though chakra boosted the role of ninja dramatically — evolving them from shadowy operatives into front-line fighters and even replacing traditional martial artists as the dominant force in combat — their core tactics had never really changed.

"Water, are you sure this is okay?" Aoba Yamashiro stared at the disorganized formation with deep concern. "Shouldn't we do something?"

"No," Mizuki shook his head. "Let Shino's bugs maintain surveillance within a limited range. That's all."

Truth was, Mizuki saw this coming. At its heart, this whole mission was just a bunch of villages and Akatsuki playing 'who's the biggest idiot'. Worse, every side thought they were smarter than the rest, which led to this bizarre mess.

[Information imbalance created this weird situation. So the only wild card here... it's actually me.]

With the only real information edge, Mizuki realized he might be the only one who could steer this mission's direction — especially now that his own power had risen enough to take part in such a high-stakes game.

Konoha thought they had the upper hand thanks to intel from Uchiha Itachi and Jiraiya's spy network, not to mention two prior clashes. Iwa believed the enemy had made a dumb move trying to rescue Deidara from the inside, so they planned to use that against them. Suna was even more ridiculous — hoping to sneak in during the chaos and grab whatever they could.

Akatsuki was even more confident in their intel: Zetsu's all-seeing presence and years of well-placed external agents gave them solid inside sources. And Red Sand of the Desert had slipped Yura into the operation team. None of these groups believed *their* side could ever fall into an enemy trap. Each one simply used what info they had to plan their next move.

The consequences of all four factions thinking they had the best intel were now crystal clear — and about to blow up in their faces. What started as a likely confrontation would now definitely turn into a full-blown disaster. A brutal battle was unavoidable.

Though unsure about Mizuki's plan, Aoba Yamashiro still passed on the orders to the two genin without question.

"Is it really this bad?" Aoba whispered carefully.

"Be ready," Mizuki replied flatly. "I don't know exactly when, but something's coming. Soon."

Given how things stood, once the enemy got a clear picture of our group, they'd make their move for sure. How many would come? Who exactly? No way to tell yet.

...

In that sluggish mood, the squad trudged along for two days. But they hadn't covered much more ground than Hiashi Hyuga's team had before. Mizuki even found time to visit the area flattened by the Planetary Devastation technique. The soil underground was clearly soft, littered with broken pieces looking like shattered puppets. Sure, new grass and plants had started growing back, but you couldn't hide the devastation entirely.

"So this is where you guys fought? This scar in the land is freakin' insane! How the hell did you survive that?"

Such a scene left Aoba Yamashiro greatly astonished that Hiashi Hyuga's group had managed to escape without losing a single person.

"It's a long story, but all you need to know is we might be facing opponents of this caliber," Hiashi explained.

"Man, we're *so* screwed," Aoba Yamashiro said with a wry grin. "If what you said is true, there might not be just one of them. How are we supposed to beat such enemies?"

"Why are you so worried? We've got allies on our side, remember? Plus, you should have more confidence in me. I'm about to get promoted, then married—I'm destined to be a champion of life and definitely won't die in a cursed place like this."

"Mizuki, you don't have to keep showing off about your fiancée; we already know."

"I'm just reminding you," Mizuki shot back at Aoba while glancing sideways. "Once we return, you better throw a feast immediately. I've even lined up the guests already. Also, it's time for you to prepare a wedding gift."

Mizuki and Aoba Yamashiro were chatting lightheartedly during this leisurely moment. Suddenly, they saw Baki approaching with Yura. Behind them, Akatsuchi was coming with Kurotsuchi, apparently something important needed discussing.

As they drew closer, Mizuki clearly noticed an expression of discontent on their faces.

"Guys, what can I do for you?" Mizuki asked first.

"We want to withdraw from the joint force and head straight back to Sunagakure," Baki said seriously—a statement that even shocked Mizuki.

"What happened?" Mizuki asked.

"We believe our village is no longer very far from here. With full effort, we can reach home within less than a day, so there is no need to keep moving at this sluggish pace anymore." The Jonin Yura answered beside him.

"That's pretty much the general feeling over there," Baki added with a nod.

"You begged shamelessly to join us originally, yet now you're walking out without any explanation at all? Are all Sand ninja this impolite?" Young Kurotsuchi couldn't stand how flip-flopping these Suna ninjas were, and openly mocked them.

"Circumstances change; we don't need to be bound by rigid rules. After all, ninjas aren't supposed to be rigid or stuck in one role forever. Besides, isn't this also good news for you? You'll reach Iwagakure faster instead of taking detours."

Mizuki gave Yura a sharp look, rage bubbling beneath his surface. It had to be Yura acting under orders from Red Sand of the Desert—that bastard must've fed Baki faulty intel and messed everything up.

Then, Mizuki turned serious and said bluntly, "Jonin Baki, regarding your village suddenly wanting to pull out, I neither know nor care what reasons there may be. That doesn't matter to me at all. There's only one question I want answered: Has Sunagakure found something more valuable than its alliance with Konoha?"

Mizuki's tone was no longer discussion—it was a barefaced threat. Under the pressure of current circumstances, and with Mizuki completely unclear about what kind of tricks Red Sand of the Desert had ordered Yura to play behind the scenes, chances were slim that any kind of reasoning or persuasion would work. In such a situation, a direct threat seemed much more effective.

Mizuki's confidence came from this truth: compared to Konoha needing Sunagakure as temporary allies to catch their breath, Sunagakure needed Konoha's reputation even more as a show of strength. If they truly made enemies of Konoha, Iwagakure watching from the sidelines would certainly be the first to strike.

"Jonin Mizuki, what exactly do you mean by that?" Baki asked frowning after hearing Mizuki's words.

"It means exactly what I said, Jonin Baki. Please really consider what I've told you."

"I'd like to confirm again—do your words represent Konoha and the Fifth Hokage?"

"As for this mission, I'm sure Sunagakure isn't entirely unaware of the truth. Right now, no matter the reason, Konoha won't say anything different from what I just told you." Mizuki felt relieved thinking that at the very least, Konoha was still nominally the leading power in the ninja world. He himself had become a jonin whose words carried weight—not a dispensable chunin anymore. In situations like this, his statements representing Konoha—even if slightly deviating later on—as long as the general direction was correct, would definitely be supported by the village.

"If that's the case, we'll take some time to think it over." With those words, Baki led Yura away, his expression even darker than before.

Seeing Baki leave, Mizuki finally exhaled in relief. "Take time to think it over" was merely a polite excuse—it essentially meant conceding. If all three jonins from Sunagakure, especially Baki—the strongest among them—left, it would be a significant loss.

"In that case, we'll take our leave too, Jonin Mizuki. Guess Konoha's word still holds some weight after all." The burly Akatsuchi spoke politely.

Watching the two teams leave one after another, Aoba Yamashiro let out a deep breath beside them. "That nearly blew up in our face back there. Mizuki, you sure know how to play it bold."

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