Chapter 162 – Decisive Resolve
Although breaking the Four Violet Flames Formation was critical, the sudden appearance of the One-Tail Shukaku meant the situation had completely devolved into chaos. It wasn't that Shukaku was invincible—there were plenty present who could match a Tailed Beast head-on, Mizuki included—but the sheer physical force Shukaku brought was something no ordinary ninja could replicate. The barrier, already set wide due to the battlefield's scale, now struggled to even contain the bulk of the Tailed Beast's sandy form.
In Mizuki's astonished gaze, Shukaku raised its massive arm and smashed it down on the wall of the barrier. Though the flame-infused walls of the Four Violet Flames Formation boasted powerful burns, they had little effect on the sand clone of Shukaku. But Shukaku's raw power was enough to make the barrier quake violently.
"He's not on a rampage... Gaara is still controlling it. Looks like things haven't gone completely off the rails yet."
After testing the barrier's limits, Shukaku took a step back, bent his massive legs, and lunged forward with a full-body tackle. The already-stressed barrier let out a horrible cracking sound, before finally shattering completely. With a hiss of violet-black flames dispersing, the formation crumbled into nothingness, leaving only scorched earth behind. The four traitorous ninja who had maintained the formation collapsed, unconscious from the feedback backlash.
The sudden collapse of the barrier shocked everyone. Its main purpose had been to trap the enemy, with the Mirror Attacker technique merely a secondary support—meant to buy time while Hidan and Kakuzu did the killing. But now, even that basic goal had failed.
"Told you—this wasn't over yet."
Mizuki, still locked in battle with Sasori, had just launched a Phoenix Fire Jutsu that forced Sasori to retreat a step. Dropping to one knee, Mizuki pressed a hand to the ground and quietly began gathering natural energy.
Sasori, sensing something was off, quickly retreated with the Third Kazekage puppet. A split-second later, the earth where he had just been standing erupted upward as a massive hand of natural energy burst from the ground, nearly grabbing him.
"Tch… what a shame. A puppet without a real body still has that sharp of a battle instinct..."
Regretfully, Mizuki gave up hope of catching Sasori off-guard again. The huge hand remained tethered to Mizuki through a glowing natural energy "arm" snaking across the ground. Mizuki used the hand to swat Sasori away, keeping him at bay. Then he retracted it—to block someone approaching him from behind.
"I don't like it when people sneak up on me, Jōnin Yura."
Mizuki glanced toward the puppet master. "If you want to help, the enemy is over there. Or… go assist your own village if you prefer."
"Apologies, Mizuki," Yura replied, pretending not to notice Mizuki's suspicion. "I just came to ask what our next move is. Isn't it normal to consult allies?"
Mizuki, tired of this traitor's charade, didn't bother pretending.
"Originally, I had no authority to give orders to a Sunagakure jōnin," he said flatly. "But since you're so polite, I'll entrust you with holding off that puppet master."
"You can't be serious!" Yura gaped. "I can't possibly take him alone!"
"Not a joke. He's your village's traitor. You should be familiar with him—shouldn't be too hard to handle."
Mizuki turned away, ignoring Yura. With such a dangerous time bomb nearby, he couldn't fight Sasori seriously. Sasori was a strong opponent, but nowhere near as dangerous as a sleeper agent under Subconscious Puppet Control. Mizuki wasn't ready to risk his own name by killing an allied ninja—yet—but he refused to fight side by side with a puppetized traitor.
His heart full of concern for his comrades, Mizuki regrouped with Hyuga Neji, and made for the shattered battlefield beyond the former barrier.
"Please let everyone be alive... If even one of them is dead, I won't be able to answer for it..."
Earlier, after Sunagakure failed to withstand Hidan and Kakuzu, they had merged with the Konoha and Iwagakure forces. But with the three villages now grouped together, order quickly deteriorated. Though most had at least seen each other during the mission, true understanding was sorely lacking.
And so, when the traitors made their move, the shinobi couldn't react in time.
The traitors wasted no time. While everyone was regrouping and distracted, they triggered the Four Violet Flames Formation, catching the majority off guard. Only Neji, who had scouted ahead, and Kurotsuchi, whose instincts pushed her to intercept the enemy, managed to escape. Even the always-cautious Maki was caught. The only other "lucky" one to avoid the trap? Yura—conveniently off on another "task."
Once the trap was sprung, the Mirror Attacker technique followed, matching each ninja with a clone. Though not deadly on its own, the technique effectively slowed everyone down.
"Kakuzu, which bastard came up with this dumb plan?"
Hidan asked as the traps started taking effect.
"If it were up to me, I'd have just sacrificed them all to Jashin-sama from the start."
"How long would that take?" Kakuzu growled. "By the time you were done, the targets would've escaped."
"Eh, same difference. Look at them now—this is still a slaughterhouse! They're all gonna be sacrifices in the end."
Hidan let out a series of deranged giggles, clearly delighted.
"Stop wasting time. Get moving."
"Alright, alright." Hidan finally moved into action. "But seriously, who came up with this?"
"The leader. Got a problem with that?"
"The leader, huh? That guy who thinks he's fate's chosen messiah? Still no Tailed Beasts caught after all this time… just playing games. What are we even doing with these war beasts anyway?"
Kakuzu's gaze turned cold.
"Careful. If you weren't immortal, you'd be dead already."
"Heh, relax, Kakuzu-dono. I'm just curious, is all…"
"Forget it. That Sunagakure kunoichi's about to fall. She's yours."
"Yessss. Let me taste more of death's pain…"
Hidan charged toward Jun, one of Sunagakure's jōnin.
Exhausted from an earlier fight and worn down by her mirror clone, she had no strength left.
She managed to dodge the first scythe swing by letting a few shuriken from her clone hit her shoulder.
But Maki shouted too late.
"Jun, behind you! Watch out!"
She turned—too slow. The returning sweep of Hidan's scythe slammed into her, slicing her side.
Though she dodged a lethal blow, blood sprayed across the battlefield.
"Such precise control... He's been holding back. This was a total trap..."
Jun staggered but didn't fall. She was a jōnin for a reason.
"Jun! Are you okay?"
Maki called out urgently.
"I'll live, but my left arm is out. I won't be much use."
"Understood."
At least she wasn't out of commission completely.
"Gaara, you're still in decent shape. Help Jun."
"Got it."
Of all the ninjas present, Gaara was the least affected by the Mirror technique. It couldn't copy Kekkei Genkai or Tailed Beast abilities, so his clone was far weaker.
Meanwhile, Hidan licked the blood off his scythe.
"Kakuzu, I'm ready. Time to begin."
"Just get it done. That technique wastes too much time."
Hidan, grinning with joy, stabbed his palm, letting blood drip into a bizarre sigil.
Standing in its center, his body began to transform—skin turning black with white lines forming across his body.
"What now? He just hurt himself—why? Even if you're immortal, what's the point?"
Moments later, Hidan swallowed blood from his weapon—Jun's blood—and stood motionless.
The battlefield fell silent.
Then Jun let out a scream and collapsed, clutching her stomach. Blood poured between her fingers.
"Jun!?"
Maki's eyes widened in horror.
"Shared pain… that's his technique? A death curse ritual?"
"You get it now?"
Hidan's voice echoed eerily.
"This is the power of Lord Jashin. The ritual has begun."
"Damn it…"
Maki gritted his teeth. "Sand Village might not be as strong as Konoha, but we're still one of the Five Great Nations. We won't go down like this."
He turned to Gaara.
"Don't hesitate anymore. Use Shukaku."
Maki wasn't just a tactician—he was a warrior too. When the time came, he unleashed the final trump card without regret.
Gaara nodded solemnly. He had seen the desperation firsthand. Even though he still struggled to control Shukaku, there was no other choice.
If he didn't use it, they were all going to die.
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