Naruto: From Extra to Savior

"Elder Danzo Shimura?" Mizuki asked in confusion. Honestly, the arrival of two jonin like Asuma Sarutobi and Might Guy had already been unexpected enough. But Kakashi Hatake's absence only deepened Mizuki's perplexity. With his current connections, Kakashi was practically the only one in power who'd actually listen to him. Others were either too distant or, even if they knew him, it remained uncertain whether they'd believe the words of a mere chunin like himself. Without Kakashi—and with Konoha still without a Hokage—Mizuki couldn't think of anyone else worth reaching out to...

The core of an Artificial Jinchuriki should be the Shadow Clone technique. Logically speaking, its thoughts, habits, and mindset shouldn't differ much from the original body. Then why did so many deviations occur during this distress signal incident? There shouldn't have been this much change!

...

Earlier on, the Artificial Jinchuriki left behind in Konoha had gone to rest. Ever since the original body left the village on missions, the artificial clone kept as low a profile as possible.

In the ninja world, although chakra and the existence of ninja themselves made people highly tolerant of strange and unusual phenomena, everyone remained wary toward obviously abnormal behavior happening right next to them. Why had the gentle Hinata Hyuga been bullied when she was young? Her Byakugan eyes, with their unusual pupil coloration, had given others reason enough. Likewise with Naruto Uzumaki—he'd faced ostracism from children his own age not just because adults had warned their kids away deliberately, but also likely because of those strange whisker-like markings on his face.

Therefore, if the "theory" suggested he should already be absent from the village, it would be better not to wander outside aimlessly. Staying quietly at home was clearly safer. Reading, studying, training, experimenting—those were the only ways to kill time now. Plus, Mizuki needed some quiet time to calmly assess recent gains anyway.

After staying busy until late into the night, the Artificial Jinchuriki finally rested. Maintaining physical condition while minimizing consumption—once this habit formed, it continued unbroken.

Night fell deeply. All around lay silent, occasionally interrupted only by faint silhouettes of patrolling ninjas passing by the window before disappearing again into darkness. The recently war-torn Konoha Village was far from its usual nights filled with bustling night markets and bright lights illuminating late-returning villagers. Still under control measures now, no one would normally remain outside wandering around.

Suddenly, a ripple from a summoning jutsu stirred the sleeping artificial clone awake. Sitting upright abruptly, the clone carefully reviewed the information transferred from the original body.

[Need support or backup?]

When it came to enemy threats, Mizuki had outlined four types of scenarios in his contingency plans.

The first type involved enemies that simply couldn't be defeated—such as facing off against an Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan, Rinnegan, or Tenseigan. Survival chances here were extremely slim, necessitating activation of the reincarnation plan. Of course, this method wasn't fully completed yet—it could only serve to signal the other side that he wouldn't survive, giving them time to prepare for future possibilities and leaving behind a final clue.

The second scenario involved powerful enemies too strong to fight head-on, yet survival odds remained high provided appropriate backup arrived timely.

Facing Orochimaru in the Forest of Death — that was exactly the kind of situation. This time's plea for help was just like the others, except this time he didn't have a massive chakra reserve to rely on for over-limit combat or desperate escapes. That meant there was only one explanation this time — he needed backup.

Then there were messages requiring discretion or caution, warning not to leave any trace behind.

And the last option was to erase everything — destroy all evidence, experiment logs, and data. If necessary, even resorting to "suicide" to cut off information leaks and protect the original body.

Now that he understood what his original body needed, the Artificial Jinchuriki threw on his clothes, did a quick check, and rushed out to find some powerful ninja who could accompany him when pleading their case before the elder council. If he showed up alone, people would start asking questions — where did he get this intel? It would be better to have someone influential back him up.

"Deidara and "Red Sand of the Desert"… this is really troublesome. Hope Kakashi's still in the village right now…"

If the original body could quickly figure it out, then the Artificial Jinchuriki, with the same thoughts and intellect, had no trouble understanding either. Previously, he had overlooked the possibility that Gaara, the One-Tail Jinchuriki, might be attacked. Now these unexpected events had already become reality. If he still couldn't piece together the causes and consequences clearly, Mizuki wouldn't make it out alive today.

Sprinting through Konoha's maze of rooftops and alleyways, Mizuki swiftly approached Kakashi Hatake's home. Patrols were tight, but if Mizuki kept his head down, the odds of getting caught were slim. Under the cover of darkness, the Breath-Sealing Art was practically divine invisibility. Still, it wasn't perfect — there were moments when he nearly got caught by patrolling Ninja Hounds (Ninken), but quick reflexes saved him each time. Getting caught after curfew could cost him dearly, but wasting time now would be worse.

"Finally arrived safely."

Reaching Kakashi's bedroom window, Mizuki let out a quiet breath and tapped gently on the half-open frame.

"Who is it?" Already awake from the noise outside, Kakashi pulled out a kunai and whispered cautiously.

"It's me, Kakashi." Mizuki replied.

"This late — what are you doing here?" Seeing a familiar face, Kakashi put the kunai away, opened the window, and invited Mizuki inside. "Important business? Can't it wait until morning?"

"Kakashi, we've got a major problem." Mizuki said anxiously. "We were ambushed — and it's serious."

"We'?!" Kakashi frowned for a moment before suddenly realizing. "You're a clone. So when you say 'big trouble,' you mean your original body's side?"

Kakashi didn't bother to ask how Mizuki had sent the message. Anyone who had seen the forbidden Summoning Scroll held by the Hatake Clan knew that sending distant warnings wasn't beyond his capabilities.

"Yes, the situation is extremely urgent. We need backup — now!"

"What? You actually need backup? With Lord Hiashi Hyuga there, Kurenai Yuhi watching over things, and you yourself in play?"

Kakashi felt a little confused but believed what Mizuki said. He quickly got himself together and set off with Mizuki, saying, "Let's go talk to the two advisors first. Sending ninja of this level for support isn't simple."

Mizuki understood Kakashi's concern, but at a time like this, they had no choice but to push ahead despite the odds. Lives were on the line, and two key people were caught up in it—Hiashi Hyuga and Gaara. There was no way they could just be left behind. Now, Mizuki needed to convince Konoha's leadership that without reinforcements, they really would die. But proving that point wasn't easy. Before Akatsuki fully revealed themselves, few would believe an organization capable of gathering so many dangerous S-class rogue ninjas even existed.

"Exactly what did you run into? Can you explain more clearly?" Kakashi asked while running side by side with Mizuki. "Whatever it was must've been terrifying if even Hiashi, head of the Hyuga clan, and Kurenai Yuhi—one of our elite Jonin—couldn't handle it. Who were they? Could it have been squads sent by other villages trying to capture the Jinchuriki?"

"No," Mizuki shook his head. "Unless their numbers were overwhelming, they wouldn't stand a chance against Hiashi's Gentle Fist. We ran into two incredibly powerful opponents."

"Powerful? How strong are we talking? And how many were there total?" Kakashi pressed.

"Just two..." Mizuki answered very seriously.

"What? Only two?" Kakashi asked in shock. "You're sure you didn't make a mistake?"

After all, besides Hiashi and elite Jonin Kurenai Yuhi, there was Mizuki himself, whose combat strength shouldn't be underestimated, plus Ko Hyuga and Suna ninja Temari and Gaara—who weren't helpless either. Though the team had its weaknesses, being overwhelmed so easily by only two enemies was truly unexpected.

"Just two, Kakashi—we encountered extremely formidable opponents."

"That's going to be a huge problem," Kakashi muttered, rubbing his temple. "The ninja world has plenty of people with that kind of strength—but why now? Why us?"

...

Inside the Hokage office at Konoha, two advisors—Homura Mitokado and Koharu Utatane—had already been alerted early and arrived quickly. Soon after, Danzo Shimura showed up as well.

"Mizuki, are you certain your information is accurate?" Homura asked seriously. "This isn't the time for jokes. You must understand—Hiashi Hyuga is practically one of Konoha's top fighters. Along with several elite warriors, it practically makes up a top-tier combat squad. And now you're telling us they were simply overpowered by two unidentified shinobi? That's just too strange."

True powerhouses aren't exactly a dime a dozen.

Before Mizuki could respond, Danzo cut in with a question: "How confident are you about your assumption that the enemy's goal is the Jinchuriki?"

Currently, within Mizuki's team, their most valuable asset was obviously the One-Tail Shukaku. Second was Hiashi Hyuga's Byakugan, freed from the Caged Bird Seal. As for everything else, someone with that level of strength probably wouldn't even consider them worth noticing.

"The enemy wasn't lying when they said they were after Suna's Jinchuriki," Mizuki said. Of course, the message passed through the Kuchiyose no Jutsu wasn't that detailed, but that didn't stop Mizuki from reasonably embellishing a bit, revealing more intelligence to push Konoha's leadership into taking this seriously and sending reinforcements sooner.

After listening to Mizuki's words, Danzo Shimura turned toward Homura Mitokado and nodded, saying, "We should dispatch reinforcements. At times like these, no matter what the enemy's goal is, we must cut off the hands reaching for our village. We need to let those who are itching for trouble see Konoha's strength, to deter them. Moreover, they might be after someone vital to our joint strategy with Suna. We cannot afford any mistakes."

Homura Mitokado and Koharu Utatane considered his words and agreed as well. Under these circumstances, Konoha had no choice but to act. The very next day after signing the peace deal with Suna, their negotiation team was ambushed. And if someone crucial were to fall, the consequences could be catastrophic.

"The Jonin in the village all have their own missions already. Kakashi, you'll have to go," Homura decided resolutely once the decision was made, turning directly to Kakashi Hatake who was present. "Capture survivors if possible. If not, eliminate them without hesitation."

Just as Kakashi was about to accept the mission,

Danzo interrupted, "Send someone else. Kakashi Hatake has a more important task ahead."

"Hmm?" Homura frowned slightly, expressing dissatisfaction. "Powerful, versatile, a master of countless ninjutsu—there was practically no weakness he couldn't handle. He was the most suitable for facing unknown enemies."

"Let him focus on keeping an eye on his student, Naruto Uzumaki," Danzo suggested. "That boy is a Jinchuriki too… and a target just like the others."

"That's impossible! Everyone knows the Nine-Tails belongs to Konoha. Who dares to steal it right here?" Koharu expressed disbelief.

"One-Tail Shukaku is Suna's—and still they dared strike in front of our own shinobi," Danzo countered. "Moreover, they even killed the Third before our very eyes yesterday."

Konoha was strong, yes—but too many peaceful years had lulled the village into thinking they were untouchable. True threats wouldn't flinch at Konoha's title as the strongest ninja village.

"Well, you do have a point there, Danzo," Koharu admitted. "Then let's send Might Guy instead."

Homura nodded in agreement. "Also call Asuma along. It's a waste to keep him as just a Daimyo's bodyguard and receptionist. Someone else can take his place." Even though Asuma carried some old wounds, assigning him no combat tasks at all was due to his status as the son of the late guardian ninja and Third's sacrifice, which kept him doing high-class protective and ceremonial duties. For such a capable Jonin, it was truly underutilizing his potential. Sending him out on assignment now would be beneficial.

"Oh, and Danzo..." Homura turned serious, addressing Danzo. "The arrangement and allocation of personnel is the responsibility of us advisors temporarily replacing the Hokage. I'd appreciate it if you refrained from interfering too much..."

Is that so? You always think you know best, don't you?

"Danzo Shimura doesn't seem to have taken Homura Mitokado's warning seriously," remarked another elder. "It would indeed be inappropriate to interfere so openly before becoming Hokage."

"Danzo, your recent actions have gone too far," Homura Mitokado said, his tone clearly irritated. "Root should have been officially disbanded. Although we could overlook the fact that you've continued to secretly operate it under your command, your infiltration and interference with the Anbu has been absolutely unacceptable. Those are things you should only do *after* you become Hokage..."

"Hmph," Danzo scoffed coldly. "So, you still think I even have a chance at becoming Hokage?"

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