Chapter 155 - Testing Power
"You three fall back," Mizuki ordered as soon as he heard Neji's report. "Aoba, you'll coordinate with Neji and Shino. I may not be able to look after you once the battle starts. Remember what I said — don't try to be a hero. If anything changes, inform me immediately."
No matter who the approaching enemy was, Mizuki knew he wouldn't be able to handle it casually. If he needed to activate Sage Mode, then the tailed beast chakra he'd infused would lower his chakra control, which in turn would dull his sensory perception and reflexes. In that state, he'd need his teammates to cover for him.
Time was short, so Aoba didn't waste a second. He turned and led the two genin away. Meanwhile, Mizuki pulled out a summoning scroll and summoned his giant bear companion, Botai-kun.
Under Mizuki's command, the massive bear quickly cleared the surrounding forest, crashing through trees and flattening them with brute strength. In no time, a large open area was cleared for battle.
"That's the captain's summon? I've never seen it before..." Neji was surprised by the bear's raw power.
It didn't have any particularly unique traits aside from its strength, but pure, straightforward force wasn't to be underestimated. In skilled hands, even the simplest tool could produce incredible results.
"Impressive clearing speed," Shino commented. As someone who worked in subtler ways through kikaichū, he was somewhat awed by this blunt, overwhelming force.
Seeing that preparations were complete, Aoba said to Neji and Shino,
"Your job now is support and recon. Be alert for any enemies hiding with stealth techniques — and keep yourselves safe."
"Understood," both nodded. They knew now wasn't the time to show off — their main priority was survival and support.
With the battlefield prepped and no more hiding spots, Mizuki leapt onto Botai's back, facing the direction the enemy was coming from. He began forming hand signs and concentrating his chakra.
As his hands moved, a massive wave of chakra burst outward from Mizuki, immediately drawing everyone's attention. Although Konoha had warned the others of the approaching enemy, none of the other villages had expected such an overwhelming chakra surge.
Even an elite jōnin using a self-sacrificing jutsu wouldn't normally generate a fluctuation this intense.
"What is he doing?"
Maki asked Temari.
"Did he show anything like this last time?"
Temari shook her head.
"Definitely not. I'm sure of it — he wasn't this strong back then."
"The sheer pressure from that chakra… no wonder Konoha promoted him to jōnin."
Maki was visibly impressed.
Even after their heavy losses, Konoha still had talented ninja stepping up to hold the front.
Compared to the scarcity in Suna, it was enviable.
"What is he trying to do? Jun, do you know? Is it sealing ninjutsu?"
"There are signs of sealing chakra... but..."
Jun focused her senses.
"There's clearly sealing involved, but the chakra volume is too enormous for a normal seal. And there's something… strange inside. I can't quite figure it out..."
"Forget it for now. Let's focus on who's attacking us."
Since the enemy was targeting the One-Tail Jinchūriki Gaara, Maki's anger surged.
No matter how powerful the Akatsuki were, repeatedly targeting his student was a humiliation Suna couldn't ignore.
"Yura, Jun — prepare to engage with me."
Maki, confident in their strength, was ready to take the offensive.
"Temari, Kankuro — guard Gaara. If things get dicey, don't hesitate to use Shukaku's power. Even releasing him entirely is acceptable."
"Releasing Shukaku?! Is that wise?" Temari asked, alarmed.
"It's fine. Shukaku is still a major asset. And we have plenty of jōnin here. If he gets loose, we've got two powerful sealing specialists — especially Mizuki. He should be able to handle it."
Though it was a shame to rely on outsiders, Maki was committed to a risk-managed strategy.
Meanwhile, on the Iwagakure side, tension rose as they noticed Konoha and Suna preparing for battle.
"What do we do?" Kurotsuchi asked anxiously.
"Should we go help?"
"No." Akatsuchi shook his head.
"We don't know who the enemy is yet. Even though Konoha gave us intel, we can't fully trust it.
Don't act rashly."
"But if we don't help them, what if they don't help us later?"
"That's why we brought so many subordinates.
We never expected support from them in the first place."
"Still, if something happens to Deidara... will Grandpa be upset?"
"Kurotsuchi, I know you and Deidara were close. But now, he's a rogue ninja."
Akatsuchi's rock-like demeanor held firm.
"We trained under the same mentor, yes. But he made his choice.
He has to live with the consequences."
Iwagakure's overall strength ranked just below the top in the Five Great Nations, barely edging out Suna.
One of its key traits was the village's unity and relentless loyalty.
That fanatic solidarity was what had allowed them to remain a lasting power.
Akatsuchi continued,
"Did he say anything when you spoke with him earlier?"
"No..." Kurotsuchi shook her head.
"Then we don't need to worry about him. Our job is to bring him back.
What happens next is up to the Tsuchikage."
"...Alright."
Though disappointed, Kurotsuchi nodded.
"But that Konoha jōnin… Mizuki, he's no joke,"
Akatsuchi said as he watched Mizuki's movements.
"I underestimated him before. I thought Konoha wasn't taking this seriously.
But they've been hiding a monster in plain sight."
"So what? We're not weak either—"
"You can't say that for sure."
Akatsuchi, being older and more experienced, knew better.
"That Mizuki… he's probably not much weaker than me.
Let's see what he's really capable of..."
…
As for Mizuki, he had no time to worry about outside opinions.
With the tailed beast chakra coursing through his body, his Concealing Breath Technique began releasing large amounts of chakra.
At the same time, Mizuki's sensory abilities stretched outward, drawing in threads of natural energy, which were quickly absorbed into his body like gunpowder into a flame.
『This amount of power... If my control over chakra or natural energy slips even a little, I might be torn apart from the inside.』
Ordinarily, Sage Mode wasn't supposed to be this hard to master.
But Mizuki's body was unique — damaged and misaligned, and he refused to rely on someone else's borrowed Sage Mode.
Removing those "external aids" had made the process harder.
Without excellent chakra control and ways to manage his internal imbalance, he likely never could've succeeded.
Even now, the strain was immense.
In training, Mizuki had mastered balancing his chakra enough to slowly generate sage chakra.
But activating Sage Mode in combat, and maintaining mobility while doing so — that was another matter entirely.
Unlike Jiraiya, Mizuki had no toad sages to assist him.
He had to do everything himself.
The challenges he faced would've made most give up.
『This yin-yang imbalance… It's so exhausting.
What others maintain naturally, I have to fight for constantly. That cursed mark… it shattered the balance completely.』
To compensate, Mizuki had developed a sealing technique using materials from Kakashi's dog summoning scrolls and the Soul-Gathering Array.
He had gathered spirit waves from multiple summoned beasts, combining them into a condensed source of yin-element spiritual power to balance his damaged chakra flow.
As the seal activated, Mizuki's condition improved.
He could now sense and absorb more natural energy into his body, gradually stabilizing his sage chakra.
Then, finally — Mizuki's body began to change.
Unlike Jiraiya or Naruto's toad sage transformations, or the snake sage changes, Mizuki's had no dramatic physical traits.
His hair changed subtly —
from its usual striking silver-white to a crystal-clear, nearly translucent hue.
It was a delicate shift, hard to notice unless one was right next to him.
And strangely, his hair had grown —
where once it barely covered his ears and neck, it now flowed past his shoulders.
Otherwise, his body remained the same.
Mizuki checked his face and body —
no horns, no grotesque features.
『No horns? Did I succeed… or fail?』
Though he hadn't learned any powerful sage techniques, his body felt incredible — light, fluid, strong.
"Then let's test it."
Without a proper benchmark, Mizuki needed something basic to measure his strength.
"Fire Release: Phoenix Sage Fire Technique!"
A basic jutsu — one Mizuki had barely used since transmigrating into this world.
He infused it with natural energy, enhancing its power.
Small fireballs shot from his mouth like blooming flowers,
but quickly expanded into massive burning spheres as they flew forward, scorching the entire area ahead into blackened earth.
『This power... incredible.
Even if it's hard to land, no one can ignore something this strong.』
Mizuki was stunned by the devastation.
Just then, someone burst out from the inferno — unharmed.
It was Sasori of the Red Sand, wearing his signature cold smile.
"Looks like I can't end this quickly.
You're far more interesting than last time."
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