Naruto: Mizuki The Savior

Chapter 243: Follow-Up

Though still uneasy about being entrusted with such an important task under pressure, this wasn't the time to hesitate. The three genin nodded and accepted their orders.

"Since you're all ready, I'll keep it brief," Mizuki said, pointing at the sealing array beneath them. "Sakura, the barrier you'll be controlling isn't anything too complicated. Just keep your chakra flow steady and even—it's not difficult, but you must stay focused. Don't let anything distract you. Sasuke, your job is to protect her and prevent anyone from interrupting. Hinata, you'll use your Byakugan to monitor the chakra flow in the barrier. Compare it with Sakura's output. If you see anything unusual, report to me immediately."

Before long, under Mizuki's guidance, the control of the barrier was successfully transferred to Haruno Sakura.

"Are you sure this'll work?" Kakashi asked, concern etched on his face. Leaving such a critical task to a few genin was risky, to say the least.

"We don't have a better option," Mizuki replied calmly. "If we want to protect this ship, this is our best bet. Otherwise, we try to break out—but the chances of everyone making it out are slim."

Given the tight encirclement, escaping while keeping the group intact would be nearly impossible. Even Jiraiya might not have been able to protect everyone. Holding their ground and defeating the enemy was the smarter play.

"Then it's settled. Once everything's ready, we move out—"

"You're forgetting our Mist allies," the ANBU captain "Ken" reminded them. "We won't just stand by and let our allies face danger alone."

"We regret dragging you into this, but it's better if you leave the direct fighting to us," Kakashi replied.

Mizuki added, "This barrier is strong enough defensively, but there's always a chance it'll be breached. If that happens, we'll need you Mist ninja to clean up any stragglers that slip through."

"Very well," Ken agreed. Seeing the lightning outside intensify, stepping out prematurely would have been unwise.

"We'll be waiting for your victorious return."

"Don't worry," Kakashi said with a rare, confident grin.

Even tailed beasts have been beaten down before—this level of trouble, if we go all out, won't be hard to resolve. The real risk is the rear line collapsing and letting the enemy slip through.

"You ready, Mizuki?"

"Almost. Hold on."

As he spoke, Mizuki's chakra surged and suddenly condensed. A heavy pressure emanated from his body like a wave.

"Not bad—looking intimidating," Kakashi commented.

Mizuki's silver hair had grown noticeably longer, and the rain now avoided his body, as though deterred by an invisible barrier. It poured down around him, no longer soaking him directly.

Mizuki hadn't intended to rely so heavily on Sage Mode, but charging into this chaotic battle without it was too dangerous. Without his summons or sealing techniques, his normal strength was barely that of an average jōnin—not enough to ignore swarms of enemies. While using Sage Mode too often could be risky, now wasn't the time to worry about side effects. Victory came first.

"Let's do this," Mizuki said, turning to Kakashi.

"Right! Wait—your eyes?"

"What about them?"

"They turned gold."

"Gold?" Mizuki echoed, confused. "That's new…"

No one had mentioned this before. Last time he used Sage Mode, aside from his hair growing, no one said anything about a change in his eyes.

"Shino, was it like this before?" Mizuki turned to Aburame Shino, the only one who'd witnessed his Sage Mode previously.

"No, it wasn't," Shino replied after inspecting him. "At least, not this obvious. But last time, your aura was surrounded by a fiery red chakra—it drew all the attention. No one really looked at anything else."

"Fair enough." Mizuki didn't dwell on it. Whether it was an evolution of Sage Mode or deeper natural energy corruption, there was no turning back. Whatever it was could wait until they returned.

"It's not dangerous, is it?" Kakashi asked, looking at the transformed Mizuki. "My sensei once told me this jutsu takes time to prepare. Didn't expect you to be ready so fast. You sure it won't backfire?"

"I'll be fine," Mizuki answered, shaking his head. "At least for now."

"Then let's begin. I'll go first."

With that, Kakashi leapt from the ship into the downpour, charging straight toward the closest enemy unit.

Mizuki wasn't far behind, keeping just enough distance to cover him.

Kakashi's rapid assault nearly surpassed human perception—his superior physical condition, masterful chakra control, and lightning-style enhancements boosted his speed and mobility beyond the reflexes of most ninja. He moved so fast, he left behind afterimages.

Though Mizuki's taijutsu was only average, his physical endurance was solid. With Sage Mode enhancing him, his speed and reflexes had jumped dramatically. He easily kept up with Kakashi—and even slightly surpassed him in raw stats—making tailing him no problem at all.

Yet their fighting styles gave off completely different impressions. Kakashi was like a panther—a graceful predator poised to strike with deadly precision. Mizuki, on the other hand, was a roaring bear, charging forward with overwhelming force. Less elegant, perhaps, but terrifyingly unstoppable.

With his body enveloped in natural energy, Mizuki didn't need to worry about surprise attacks from kunai or shuriken. Even a direct lightning strike wouldn't harm him much—he had a buffer. Kakashi, by contrast, had to constantly monitor the atmosphere for shifts in electrical energy, relying on his lightning affinity to avoid strikes with utmost precision.

The two jōnin tore into the battlefield under the raging storm—one swift and lethal, the other indomitable and unrelenting.

The battle had truly begun.

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