Naruto: From Extra to Savior

"Whoa, that was quick…" Mizuki's eyes went wide as Kurenai Yuhi went down with just one hit from Red Sand of the Desert—she didn't even get to throw a punch. Sure, Mizuki himself had an edge thanks to his Chakra Shield working well in situations like this, but Kurenai was still a Jonin after all. Getting hit wasn't unthinkable—the Iron Sand Drizzle moved incredibly fast, and the dim lighting made it hard to see clearly. But getting hurt so badly that her life hung in the balance? That truly shocked him.

Is Kurenai really that weak… or have I become this strong?

Even though he'd gone through several near-death experiences lately and felt his skills had improved a lot, he never expected to reach Jonin-level strength so soon.

Despite his thoughts racing, Mizuki didn't stop moving. In an instant, he flashed in front of Kurenai and raised his Chakra Shield, blocking the next wave of Iron Sand attacks just in time.

Mizuki was fast—but Red Sand reacted even faster. Right after being ambushed by Deidara, he immediately struck back, kicking Kurenai out of the battlefield. Although Leaf forces still outnumbered the enemy, only Hiashi Hyuga and Mizuki were actually ready for combat. Ko Hyuga might count as half at most, and as for Temari and Gaara? They should probably just watch how real battles are fought.

From Mizuki's perspective, this kind of mutual elimination was actually a gain. But winning a battle isn't just about calculations. Strategically speaking, even though Kurenai was quite popular, her death wouldn't make much difference—Konoha wasn't the kind of village that needed to rely on just one Jonin to pull it through. Yet on a personal level, over recent times they'd become practically daily coworkers—you just kept running into each other no matter what. Living in this world meant weighing gains, but also caring about relationships. Maybe it was a bit self-serving or sentimental, but he sure as hell didn't want to just stand by and watch someone he knew die helplessly in front of him.

The power behind these Iron Sands keeps growing—I can't keep this up much longer~

Too busy blocking Red Sand's unrelenting attacks, Mizuki couldn't even glance over to check on Kurenai. If things dragged on any further, she might pass the point of no return—and worse, he might end up dying too.

Just as the crisis peaked, their team leader Hiashi Hyuga stepped forward. He shot straight to Mizuki's side and activated the Rotation once more, deflecting the endless storm of iron sand. Seizing this opening, Mizuki scooped up Kurenai with one arm and ran without looking back. Covering them closely while retreating was Hiashi himself.

"We're falling back—you guys holding up if we make a run for it?" Mizuki asked as he returned, only to see several exhausted figures already trying to charge again. Guess it was time to pour some cold water.

Gaara was clearly running on fumes—never got a proper rest to begin with, and no way a kid his age should be stuck in this kind of brutal fight. As for Temari, whatever strength she had left would now only go toward helping Gaara withdraw.

"Retreat." Confirmed Hiashi, arriving slightly later to back up Mizuki's call. "There's no need to keep fighting. Our objective isn't killing them—it's returning to the village safely or waiting for rescue."

"Do we have backup coming?"

"Temari asked with confusion, 'I don't see how such an unexpected skirmish could possibly have backup arriving.'"

"'Even in a skirmish situation, it's possible to signal for help,'" Mizuki replied. "'Don't underestimate the wisdom of adults.'"

"Yeah, no worries. Reinforcements are on their way any second now." Mizuki wouldn't risk hiding critical information that could affect strategy — he'd already sent word to the village by some means and requested backup. But he only privately told Hiashi Hyuga beforehand. Better not to say anything yet, though. If others found out too soon, they might get careless, and that'd hurt our chances in battle. Now that we've dragged this out for so long, and with the enemy unable to keep hitting Konoha's six-man team from the air, things had shifted. On the ground, one side was fighting to complete a mission while the other just wanted to survive — clearly, the one fighting to fulfill a mission had the edge.

'In any case, survival equals victory right now. This isn't the time to worry about other problems. Once we're back, there'll be plenty of issues needing explanations — and boy, is that going to give me a headache later.'

Hiashi Hyuga seemed quite interested in Mizuki's intelligence updates, having already tried multiple times to indirectly extract more information through subtle questions. However, due to Mizuki's careful responses, these attempts hadn't yielded much.

"That's great news," the other three let out a collective sigh of relief. Facing such formidable opponents continuously while suffering one injury after another had drained even those who remained unharmed. Meanwhile, the Puppet Master opponent seemed tireless, growing stronger with every move, eventually deploying even the Human Puppet of the Third Kazekage. Knowing the Third Kazekage's power well, everyone guessed the Human Puppet wasn't at full strength yet — meaning the enemy still held unimaginably powerful hidden cards while their own side had already reached its breaking point.

Just when despair grew stronger, suddenly Mizuki's "big bomb" blocked Red Sand of the Desert and Deidara for quite some time, completely destroying the genius Puppet Master Red Sand of the Desert's Hundred Puppet Army technique. The dreaded [Hundred Puppet Army] was finally neutralized. Then Deidara, whose explosive bird mounts could fly and carry him through the skies, was taken down directly by Hiashi Hyuga, giving everyone renewed hope of survival.

However, reinforcements must be close by now. With the sun high in the sky, if everything went smoothly, they could arrive at any moment — especially under such urgent circumstances where delay absolutely wasn't an option. By this point, Mizuki's concern wasn't about reinforcements anymore but whether Konoha's higher-ups underestimated the threat and failed to send strong enough ninja, turning rescue into slaughter — it'd be a massacre.

"Now that everyone knows the situation, I'll stop holding back," Hiashi Hyuga quickly gathered everyone to retreat while seriously stating, "reinforcements will arrive any minute. Our job is just to stall the enemy until then. There's absolutely no need to keep fighting head-on. Since the enemy has already lost their overwhelming aerial advantage, all we need to do is hold out until backup arrives and then we'll be safe."

"Mizuki, I'll cover rear guard first. When I can't hold on anymore, you take over next."

"Hiashi Hyuga said to Mizuki, 'And try your best to save Kurenai's life.'"

"I understand," Mizuki nodded with comprehension. In truth, it made more sense for Mizuki to cover the rear—everyone had seen just how strong his Chakra Shield was. Particularly because Mizuki's enormous chakra reserves flew in the face of standard ninja norms. Aside from Hiashi Hyuga, who still had some strength left, nearly everyone else was barely fit for combat. Especially since his Chakra Shield had resisted those deadly Iron Sand attacks—which were not only heavy-hitting but also laced with deadly poison—it was clear he was burning through massive amounts of chakra. On top of that, his near-constant use of Medical Ninjutsu proved that Mizuki's combat capabilities far exceeded those of a regular Chunin. Given all that, putting him in charge of covering their retreat made the most sense.

However, to maximize the chances of saving Kurenai Yuhi's life, Hiashi Hyuga had no choice but to take on the rear-guard duty himself so Mizuki could immediately begin treating her injuries and improve her odds of survival.

"Jounin Kurenai Yuhi's injuries should not be life-threatening as long as she receives timely treatment," Mizuki stated firmly.

Although Kurenai's wounds were extremely severe—with multiple penetrating injuries and countless scars across her body—if none hit vital areas, there was still a high chance she'd survive as long as she wasn't already dead. More importantly, the continuous application of Omnipotence Pills was actively repairing her body and providing strong resistance against unpredictable poisons. If Mizuki had the time, his Medical Ninjutsu was solid—he'd even managed to recover partial battle readiness in a surprisingly short time after nearly dying himself. At the end of the day, this world revolved around chakra—it was the core, the force that shaped everything.

...

With Deidara's Explosive Bird no longer pursuing them, the Konoha group finally felt a great weight lifted off their shoulders. Their subsequent retreat became rather dull. Mizuki carried Kurenai over one shoulder while constantly using Mystical Palm Technique with his left hand to heal her. Meanwhile, Hiashi Hyuga followed at the back of the group, occasionally blocking attacks launched by Red Sand of the Desert.

For Red Sand of the Desert, the most effective technique remained Iron Sand Drizzle—it had fast attack speed, decent range, and good concealment, making it hard to defend against. Combined with its deadly toxicity, even minor injuries could prove fatal. Had it not been for Mizuki's broadly effective healing pills, all six of them would have died from poisoning already. However, excessive use of these pills without question would lead to major side effects. Once they returned to Konoha, these people would likely require a long recovery period—especially Kurenai, whose survival still hung in the balance at this point.

As for The Third Kazekage's other techniques—the Iron Sand Gathering Assault was indeed powerful, yet better suited for overwhelming opponents within confined spaces; out in the open field, it was just too easy to evade. As for Iron Sand Barrage, though impressive, it was much too slow—how could slowly drifting clouds of iron sand ever catch up with fleeing enemies? And as for Iron Sand Heavenly Wings—forget about it. As long as Red Sand of the Desert couldn't fly, the group remained reassured.

[Iron Sand World Method] This wide-area attack was no good against someone who just wanted to run away.

"Water, how are you feeling?" Ko Hyuga asked as he noticed Mizuki sweating heavily while working hard. "Need any help?"

"I'm okay, just a bit tired!" After such a long fight, he was running on pure willpower alone. Once that ran out, he probably wouldn't be able to keep going. His chakra was still holding up, but his physical body needed rest too.

Ko Hyuga glanced at Hiashi Hyuga behind him before saying to Mizuki, "Let me lend a hand then. Although I'm nowhere near your level, I do know a little about medical ninjutsu!"

Mizuki thought for a moment. Since he needed to save some energy for rearguard action, letting Ko Hyuga assist would work out fine. Besides, Kurenai Yuhi's injuries had stabilized somewhat after receiving treatment for a while.

Just as Mizuki was about to hand Kurenai over to Ko Hyuga, suddenly a huge crash came from behind, followed by the sound of trees snapping one after another.

"Huh?" Mizuki couldn't help but turn around. There stood the elegant Red Sand of the Desert, having been struck with immense force and sent flying backward, crashing through several large trees before collapsing lifelessly onto the ground.

"Reinforcements have arrived~" Ko Hyuga said happily.

"I know, I saw them," Mizuki replied with relief settling in. The newcomer was Might Guy himself—famed for his insane strength and fearless heart. At this critical moment, both sides had already suffered significant exhaustion. The Red Sand of the Desert wasn't known for having strong chakra reserves—since chakra comes from both body and spirit, a puppet body like his severely limits its production. The reincarnation core was simply limited in size; therefore, many physical shortcomings existed. If not for the fact that the Red Sand of the Desert was a puppet master whose techniques consumed less chakra, it was hard to say if he could've reached such a level. When two exhausted forces faced each other like strong crossbow bolts nearing the end of their flight, fresh reinforcements decisively changed the battle situation.

"Guy, you're right on time~" Hiashi Hyuga, who was nearly out of strength himself, felt reassured seeing Might Guy.

"Lord Hiashi is too polite," Might Guy responded cheerfully. "By the way, who exactly is that weird-looking puppet master on the opposing side? Hitting him feels really strange."

"That one's original body is also a puppet—a human puppet," Hiashi explained.

"A human puppet?" Although rumors about this special puppet-making method circulated among puppet masters, not many outsiders actually knew about it.

"Just be careful, especially watch out for poison," Hiashi warned, pointing toward the human puppet of the Third Kazekage nearby. "Especially that one—watch yourself. It uses [Iron Sand Body] Jutsu."

"I saw that earlier," Might Guy nodded. "Man, that power is seriously scary! Never thought I'd get to see the Iron Sand Body with my own eyes!"

"Well then, I'll leave the rest to you!" Hiashi Hyuga thought for a moment before turning to Mizuki. "Do you still have any life-saving pills left?"

Mizuki shook his head and said, "I used up too much at once without proper preparation. I didn't expect things to come to this."

It was true that he hadn't prepared much, but claiming he had nothing left would be a lie. Given Mizuki's cautious nature, it was unthinkable he hadn't made any prior preparations. Perhaps the stock really had dwindled, but saying he couldn't provide even a little was impossible. Moreover, producing a large amount today right after complaining about limited production yesterday would make the lie too obvious. And besides, letting too many life-saving pills slip into outside hands truly posed a risk—they could cause serious trouble if misused by someone with ill intentions.

"I still have a little left," Temari said, pulling out the last bit of the life-saving pill.

Seeing the last drop finally vanish, Mizuki's lingering dissatisfaction melted away completely.

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