Naruto: From Extra to Savior

"There's someone else?" Hiashi Hyuga asked in confusion. "Are there really that many jonin in the village now?"

To say Konoha was in chaos would be an understatement—help was needed everywhere. Ninjutsu wasn't just a powerful destructive technique; when used for construction, it could also provide tremendous assistance. Techniques like [Wood Release] were often extremely useful, far more convenient than conventional methods used by civilians.

Might Guy, who was about to answer Hiashi's question, suddenly noticed Sasori moving.

"Later, okay?" Guy said as he stashed his pills and ninja gear before charging back in. Using his maneuverability advantage, the incredibly fast Might Guy dodged the Iron Sand attacks from the Third Kazekage's [Human Puppet], constantly threatening Red Sand of the Desert's original body.

"This feels kind of like watching a more powerful Rock Lee take on an even stronger Gaara—it might take a while before we see results..."

Seeing the situation stabilize, Mizuki temporarily set aside Kurenai Yuhi and handed her over to Ko Hyuga for care. The recent series of changes had exhausted Mizuki, forcing him to stop briefly to recover.

Taking a moment to catch his breath, Mizuki watched the battle between Might Guy and Red Sand of the Desert not far away. Their fighting styles were completely opposite, but they matched each other move for move. A puppet body, powerful [Iron Sand Body] techniques, and currently unusable jutsu were all deadly weapons Red Sand of the Desert could use against ninja types like Might Guy. However, Guy's speed and strength were his greatest assets—moving too fast for the naked eye to follow meant even the strongest attacks couldn't keep up with his rhythm. What's the point of a fancy jutsu if you can't land a hit?

Plus, Guy's Steel Fist taijutsu, along with his nonstop attacks, [Eight Gates] techniques, and special combos, gave him what he needed to match Red Sand of the Desert blow for blow.

"Should we go help out?" Mizuki asked Hiashi Hyuga, who was also recovering nearby. "It seems like we don't really have a way to get involved here..."

After hearing Mizuki's suggestion, Hiashi thought for a moment before replying, "The current situation favors us, and another strong reinforcement is on the way. It's better to delay things for now."

"I see," Mizuki nodded. "How about going around to capture a prisoner? Deidara shouldn't be able to escape easily..."

"Who will go?" Hiashi countered. "Our current position is already quite far from where we started. Leaving the group at this time would be unwise—better abandon the idea. Besides, those enemies clearly belong to an organized group; there's no telling what other dangerous opponents might be hiding nearby..."

Mizuki nodded in agreement with Hiashi's judgment. Honestly, Mizuki had just blurted it out without thinking much. Considering Deidara's cunning nature, there might be other unknown hidden tricks and contingency plans he hadn't yet discovered.

Also, what Hiashi Hyuga said reminded Mizuki that the current situation wasn't secure. The dangerous individual from Akatsuki known by the codename "Genbu"—Zetsu—might very well be nearby, observing the battle. If that were really the case, it would definitely not be good news. Acting alone at a time like this was undoubtedly a bad idea, and Mizuki could only abandon his plan to capture Deidara alive.

Since he couldn't assist in the battle for now, Mizuki stopped dwelling on it and turned back to Ko Hyuga's side, asking, "How is it going?"

Without even lifting his head, Ko focused intently on applying Medical Ninjutsu to treat Kurenai Yuhi's external wounds as he replied, "The poison hasn't had any fatal effects thanks to your medicine. She has sustained serious damage and severe wounds, but at least she is still alive and not in immediate danger."

After hearing Ko's words, Mizuki sighed. Kurenai Yuhi's condition hadn't been unexpected—her life seemed safe, but how long she'd need to recover or whether there would be lasting complications remained uncertain. But that would be dealt with once they safely returned to Konoha village. Just as Mizuki was about to speak again, suddenly he sensed someone appearing beside him, and then a voice came through: "How's Kurenai doing?" It was Asuma Sarutobi, who had hurriedly just arrived.

Mizuki gestured toward where Kurenai lay, "She's over there. I assume you've already seen for yourself… it isn't good."

Looking at her now, Kurenai Yuhi indeed appeared extremely worrying—unconscious, covered with numerous wounds, especially a horrifying gash across her abdomen that looked particularly shocking.

Asuma Sarutobi was clearly shaken with worry; his entire demeanor showed how upset he was. His right hand unconsciously rested heavily on Mizuki's shoulder.

Mizuki turned slightly, glancing at the hand resting on his shoulder before continuing, "I assume you can guess how serious it is just from appearances. This is actually the improved condition after using my life-saving pills."

"This is one of your new medicines?"

"That's right." Mizuki nodded. "You know there might be some side effects too. She'll probably need an extended recovery period once we're back, and any complications will have to be managed by proper medical professionals."

This is already this bad now—imagine how much worse things must have been earlier... Thinking this, Asuma Sarutobi unintentionally pressed down harder onto Mizuki's shoulder.

Owch—that hurts! Seems like the wound from Red Sand of the Desert might be cracking open again...

Mizuki understood that Asuma had simply lost his composure out of concern; however, lingering here being emotional really wasn't appropriate at the moment.

"She won't die anytime soon, Asuma," Mizuki smiled while turning his head toward Asuma Sarutobi. "But if you don't let go soon, my arm might be in real danger instead—I still need it to treat other wounded comrades."

"Sorry, I lost control of myself," Asuma awkwardly retracted his hand and gave an embarrassed chuckle.

"It's fine. Anyone would panic if someone they care about is in danger."

This time, Mizuki's words weren't denied by Asuma Sarutobi, who rarely showed agreement and simply nodded.

"How are your injuries?" Mizuki couldn't help but ask with concern upon noticing the bandages still wrapped around Asuma's arm. In a situation where they faced powerful enemies, having an ally not fully ready could be problematic.

"Yeah, I took care of them yesterday. It's all cleared up now," Asuma replied as he moved his arm slightly to demonstrate.

"That's good then, but this isn't really the time for casual talk," Mizuki suggested. "You should go assist Guy. For now, I'll handle things here."

"Then I'll leave it to you," Asuma said while waving goodbye after hesitating momentarily.

"Be careful. That puppet master is definitely way beyond normal—he's on par with the Kage of the Five Great Ninja Villages. Watch yourself."

...

Meanwhile, Might Guy was clearly in a difficult spot against Red Sand of the Desert. At first, things went well enough—the Iron Sand Body of the Third Kazekage's human puppet wasn't even keeping up with his speed. Even the [Iron Sand Drizzle] couldn't land a single hit on him. But the veteran Puppet Master Sasori quickly changed tactics. In direct confrontation, [Iron Sand Barrade] proved much more effective than using the [Iron Sand Drizzle], especially against taijutsu practitioners like Might Guy. After being hit multiple times on his original body puppet due to exploited openings, although the original body puppet hadn't sustained any severe damage, the disadvantaged Red Sand reacted accordingly by changing their strategy.

Though slow-moving, the swirling [Iron Sand Mist] forced Might Guy to hesitate before moving—he now had to worry about how much damage he'd take charging in blindly.

Just when Might Guy found himself at a loss and unable to make progress, finally Asuma entered the battlefield. An extremely powerful close-range fighter from Konoha, Asuma had rich combat experience having served as a Guardian Shinobi before. His arrival brought intense pressure onto Red Sand.

Right upon entering the fray, Asuma unleashed a [Gray Puffball] attack. At that moment, Red Sand was utilizing [Iron Sand Barrade]; the loose, fog-like quality of the iron sand offered no resistance against the fiery, heated ash-laden assault, allowing the plume of ash to pierce through the mist and completely envelop Red Sand within.

"Asuma! Nice one~" The timing demonstrated here by Asuma was impressive—his skills shone brightly, and his battle acumen was evident as he immediately pinpointed the vulnerability within the [Iron Sand Barrade] technique.

"Not bad," Asuma shrugged off the praise, "But we need to wrap this up soon. We should drive them back and get back to Konoha as quickly as possible—it seems others don't seem to be doing too well."

"I understand," Guy nodded in acknowledgment.

Asuma charged forward first. Powerful wind-attribute chakra surged into his twin ninja tools, flowing through the Chakra Blades. As Asuma swung his arms, the edges of the blades shimmered with a pale blue glow. Combining the Chakra Blade with the [Flying Swallow] ninjutsu—[Sky Pierce], further empowered by the [Secret Technique: Emerald Gale], their range extended dramatically. A massive chakra blade slashed outward from Asuma's grip.

The sheer power of that Chakra Blade made Red Sand of the Desert extremely cautious. His Iron Sand Mist clearly couldn't stop that chakra blade charged with Wind Nature Chakra. Forced to act, Red Sand summoned large amounts of iron sand, forming an Iron Sand Shield for defense.

But the hastily-made Iron Sand Shield was pierced right through by the blade. Red Sand didn't dare hesitate—he darted aside fast. Fortunately, the Chakra Blade had significantly slowed after passing through the shield, allowing him to narrowly dodge a fatal strike. It still left a cut on his arm, but for a puppet, the damage was trivial. Asuma's Chakra Blade was just too unpredictable—it sliced through any weak points in the iron sand like paper.

Too focused on blocking Asuma, he totally dropped his guard against Might Guy. Spending so much iron sand on Asuma's attack opened up gaps in his Iron Sand Mist. The incredibly fast Might Guy didn't waste this opportunity at all, unleashing a smooth Konoha Taijutsu combo that left Red Sand unable to fight back. For a Puppet Master like Red Sand, facing a Taijutsu monster like Guy up close was a nightmare—if his body hadn't already been converted into a puppet, he'd have been finished long ago.

["Should I pull back now? Mission looks like it's failing~", thought Red Sand of the Desert.]

Unexpected reinforcements from the enemy side were already beyond expectations. Having two powerful Jonin appear simultaneously, working together seamlessly—covering each other's weaknesses while complementing strengths—made things really difficult for Red Sand. Plus there was still Hiashi Hyuga recovering his chakra behind them; handling this situation alone was simply too much, prompting him to seriously consider withdrawal.

["It's definitely that idiot Deidara dragging things down again. If I'd had someone else with me, things wouldn't have turned out this bad."]

Without Hundred Puppet Army, when facing numerical superiority from the enemy side, he felt truly powerless. Of course, he did have other techniques available — though they'd only increase consumption without fundamentally improving the situation.

Once decided, Red Sand didn't waste another second. Winning looked tough, but pulling back? That wasn't half as hard, especially for a master puppeteer like him — stealth and survival tactics were always top priority.

Ignoring the fact that the original body of his Human Puppet had already sustained partial damage, he manipulated several iron sands to push back Guy before channeling chakra.

[Iron Sand World Method!] With his most devastating area attack technique unleashed, countless iron sand cones formed in the sky. Guided by magnetic chakra, they shot out in every direction, embedding themselves into nearby ground.

"Quickly retreat!" Asuma and Guy quickly withdrew upon seeing the impending danger.

The battlefield now became filled with irregularly spreading iron sand attacks, making it impossible for anyone to approach closely. Watching helplessly from a safe distance, the two could only watch Red Sand escape calmly from their pincer movement. By the time the attacks from Iron Sand World Method finally ended, Red Sand had already vanished without a trace.

"Should we chase him?" asked Asuma.

"You stay here and keep watch. Let me try pursuit."

...

From a distant vantage point, Mizuki watched Red Sand's retreat — finally able to exhale in relief.

"She's gonna live. That was way too close. Never thought I'd make it out alive after punching Deidara and tangling with Red Sand of the Desert."

Relaxing slightly, Mizuki felt waves of fatigue wash over him, but there was still no time to rest yet—a severely wounded patient was waiting for treatment.

"How's she lookin'?" Asuma lit a cigarette, took a deep puff, then asked Mizuki.

"She'll pull through," Mizuki said, after thinking for a second. "But whether this injury affects her future as a ninja? Hard to say. Right now, there's just nothing this village can do to fully heal her. If one of the Legendary Sannin, Lady Tsunade, were here—there might be hope." Yeah, I guess upping the dose on life-saving pills might help, but then again, considering how serious her condition already is, she might end up like Hayate Gekko—stuck in a coma forever.

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