Naruto: Burning Will

"What do you think our chances of winning are?" Hyuga Hiashi asked Mizuki suddenly, just as the group was tensely awaiting the next confrontation.

"Huh?" Mizuki was taken off guard. He had been focusing on reinforcing barriers and laying traps, though he wasn't confident they would hold long against the Red Sand Scorpion's Iron Sand. Still, something was better than nothing. Mizuki, who usually preferred careful analysis, hadn't expected Hiashi to solicit his opinion.

"Better than before," Mizuki replied cautiously. Against a tactician like Hiashi, it was best to be prudent.

The Hundred Puppet Performance had overwhelmed them earlier. While elite shinobi often disregard sheer numbers, when combined with quality—particularly the Scorpion's collection of human puppets retaining chakra and Kekkei Genkai—the odds tipped dangerously.

"Your tactics have kept us alive," Hiashi acknowledged. "Do you have a better strategy now?"

"No secret cards left," Mizuki admitted. "We're all laid bare. The enemy must be nearing their limit too. It'll come down to who endures longer."

Hiashi nodded silently. Though both Deidara and the Red Sand Scorpion were deadly, their methods remained grounded in ninjutsu and puppet technique. The truly abnormal force had been the earlier use of Chibaku Tensei—an ability rarely seen, even in legend.

"Can you still use that jutsu from earlier?" Hiashi pressed.

"No way. That power's beyond what this body can handle. Besides, the enemy won't fall for it again. You saw what it did to the clone body. The Rinnegan's power is too immense—even allies might get crushed."

Hiashi seemed disappointed, but not surprised. Even without understanding the jutsu fully, he knew how much it shifted the battlefield.

Before they could regroup, a massive white clay bird circled overhead. Deidara and the Scorpion had returned, riding high with six other figures, scanning the area for weak points.

"What do we do now? Puppet users can fight from long distances..." Kurenai Yuhi said, the only one still in decent shape. Everyone else had exhausted their chakra reserves.

Throwing kunai or shuriken was futile—the Scorpion's puppets could shrug off such attacks. Large-scale ninjutsu was out of the question for most due to chakra exhaustion. Gaara's control over Shukaku was fading, and Temari's Wind Style, though still potent, might not be sustainable.

"Unless the puppet master extends his chakra threads to extreme distances, it won't matter," Hiashi said. "He'll expose himself doing that."

"Yeah," Mizuki agreed. "We actually have a better chance now. Earlier, we were swarmed. Now it's manageable."

"What about us? Can we help?" Temari asked. Both she and Gaara were clearly spent. Gaara's breathing was shallow, his sand armor cracking.

"Just protect yourselves," Hiashi responded. Mizuki, thanks to his experimental potion and the medical ninjutsu he received during the retreat, was back on his feet, but barely.

"If I pass out again like in the Land of Waves, I doubt anyone will carry me out this time..."

Their options were shrinking. "Are we supposed to just throw kunai at birds?" Mizuki grumbled. Even if they had explosive tags, the aerial puppets were fast and evasive. And Deidara wouldn't fall for a thread-trap again.

Only Hiashi's Eight Trigrams Vacuum Palm offered ranged capability, but landing a hit on a flying target was another matter.

Then, the Scorpion made his move. A puppet descended from the sky, its features unmistakable.

"No way..." Temari gasped, eyes wide. Even Gaara twitched.

"What's wrong?" Hiashi asked.

"That's the puppet of the Third Kazekage," Temari explained. "The strongest Kazekage in Suna's history—turned into a human puppet."

"You mean that puppet was made from a real person?" Hiashi asked.

"Yes. It retains his chakra, jutsu, even his Iron Sand Kekkei Genkai. It's the Red Sand Scorpion's forbidden art."

Mizuki, despite his unease, was impressed. "To preserve a bloodline like that with no side effects... truly an advanced technique. Compared to my unstable potions, this is perfection."

Hiashi looked up, grim. "If he turns me into a puppet, there's no cursed seal to block the Byakugan. That can never be allowed to happen."

The Scorpion, aware of this, kept the Kazekage puppet airborne. Losing it would be a huge blow.

From the puppet's arms, dozens of steel appendages shot out. Mizuki dodged just in time, but the rest were hit, especially Gaara, who was sliced across his torso.

Next came the poison. Clouds of purple mist burst from the puppet's mechanisms, swallowing the group.

Mizuki could only watch in horror. The Red Sand Scorpion excelled at two things: swarming enemies with numbers and drowning them in toxins. Those were the hardest to defend against.

Just as he feared the worst, a familiar cyclone erupted—Hiashi's Heavenly Spin.

The explosion of chakra cleared some of the mist and shattered the steel arms. Kurenai dashed out, followed by Hiashi carrying Hyuga Ke. Temari stumbled forward with Gaara on her back.

"Quick! Use the antidote!" Mizuki yelled. His all-purpose potion might not be as refined as Sakura's antidotes three years later, but it was their only hope.

Gaara was in the worst shape. If he died, Shukaku could emerge, and no one was in any condition to suppress it.

"If he lives, we might still stand a chance. If he dies and Shukaku gets loose... we're all dead."

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