Although he didn't say it explicitly, Kakashi had no intention of prying into Mizuki's techniques. After all, in the shinobi world, it's unwise to dig too deeply into another ninja's secrets—especially their jutsu.
During the battle between Sasuke Uchiha and Gaara, it was clear Sasuke held the upper hand. By channeling lightning-nature chakra through his body, Sasuke was able to replicate the explosive acceleration of Rock Lee's taijutsu, albeit less refined. The Chidori-enhanced speed allowed him to bypass Gaara's sand defense—an impressive feat considering Gaara's reputation as a near-untouchable prodigy.
Gaara, caught off-guard by the overwhelming speed, found himself struggling to counterattack. Even with his sand armor active, his defenses were being peeled away under the pressure. It was only a matter of time before Sasuke broke through completely.
Inevitably, Gaara activated his Absolute Defense: Shield of Sand, attempting to turn the tide. But given the disparity in their fighting styles, and the surgical precision of the Chidori, his injury became unavoidable. In this version of events, however, Gaara doesn't lose control immediately—Shukaku remains sealed, at least for now.
As the Chidori echoed through the stadium, Mizuki weighed the ninja tools on his person.
"It's starting. Finally, this dull game is drawing to a close."
Just then, with a storm of genjutsu-induced feathers falling across the arena, Kabuto Yakushi made his move.
Mizuki, not one to wait for trouble, dashed forward, aiming straight at Kabuto.
However, someone moved faster.
Might Guy shot in like a green blur. A Leaf Whirlwind struck Kabuto with such force that it lifted him into the air. As he reeled, a punch landed cleanly on his jaw—knocking off his Anbu fox mask and revealing his real face.
"How did you figure me out? You guys really are something else..." Kabuto muttered with a smirk.
No one answered.
Mizuki stepped forward, and a Fire Release: Flame Bullet shot from his palm, whistling through the air toward the airborne Kabuto.
But Kabuto twisted midair, avoiding the blast by the skin of his teeth.
"Come down, you smug bastard~"
Another Mizuki clone, previously hidden in the crowd, materialized beneath Kabuto and grabbed his legs. With a brutal swing, he slammed him into the ground.
Before Kabuto could recover, a kunai was pressed against his throat.
Kakashi had arrived without a sound.
"Don't move. Struggle, and I'll end you."
Kabuto coughed, giving a pained grin.
"You think you've won? Even with three of you against me, you still couldn't catch me properly."
Then came the unmistakable hiss of burning paper.
"No—an explosive tag!"
The trio leapt back instantly. A deafening explosion tore through the area, scattering debris. Some civilians near the stands may have suffered minor injuries, but miraculously, there were no fatalities.
"Troublesome guy," Mizuki muttered. "That must have been a Shadow Clone switch."
"No point complaining," Kakashi said. "Right now, we need to check on the Third. Gaara's down, so the immediate threat is stalled. You take the lead here for now."
"Got it. Be careful," Mizuki replied, dodging a shuriken mid-sentence.
Within seconds, dozens of enemy shinobi appeared in the stands.
"What the hell is Konoha's intelligence division doing? How did so many infiltrate?"
Mizuki knew Konoha's manpower was stretched thin—and Root, led by Danzo, was likely withholding cooperation again—but that didn't make the chaos any easier to swallow.
For now, he left the fight to Kakashi's team. He'd play the role of a firefighter—dousing hotspots and relaying intel.
Using his Breath Concealment Technique, Mizuki slipped through the battlefield unnoticed. Skirmishes broke out everywhere, but he had no time to intervene. Using his faint presence as cover, he made his way toward the Kage viewing platform.
When he arrived, the Four Purple Flame Formation was already complete, sealing off the Third Hokage's position.
"Damn, I'm too late..."
If he'd arrived a moment earlier, he might've disrupted the setup. But once the barrier was active, it was self-contained—unbreachable from the outside without coordinated effort.
An Anbu with a sharp sensing talent noticed him.
"Who's there?!"
"Relax—it's me." Mizuki emerged from cover.
"Mizuki? Why are you here? What's the situation in the stands?"
"Worse than expected. More enemies than we accounted for. Kakashi's group is bogged down. I came to assess things here."
"Damn it. We've fallen straight into their trap..."
Mizuki knelt beside a badly burned Anbu, whose body was blackened by chakra flames.
"How is he?"
Mizuki shook his head.
"He's lucky to be alive. I can stabilize him, but he needs immediate evacuation."
"There's no time. We're short on people everywhere."
They both knew who was in the most danger now—the Third Hokage, trapped inside the barrier with Orochimaru.
After giving basic aid, Mizuki turned to his copy clone, now disguised as a nondescript shinobi.
"Stay here. Help however you can. If they need barriers, sealing techniques—whatever—assist them."
The Anbu gave Mizuki's clone a curious glance but remained silent, assuming it was just another specialized clone.
Back at the stands, Mizuki returned after taking out two enemy nin.
"What's the situation?" Kakashi asked.
"Don't count on backup," Mizuki replied grimly. "It's even worse near the Kage box."
"But the Hokage's up there with the Fourth Kazekage, right? Shouldn't that help balance things?"
"That's the thing... I didn't see the Kazekage. I saw Orochimaru—disguised as him."
"What?! You're saying Orochimaru impersonated the Kazekage? That's a direct provocation... how could Sunagakure let this happen?"
"Now's not the time to worry about alliances. The Third is in danger. The Four Purple Flame Formation is active, and he's completely cut off."
Mizuki scanned the battlefield as more enemy shinobi closed in.
"Where are the Genin?"
"I sent them to chase the three Sand ninja. Can't risk them releasing Shukaku."
Suddenly, a distant explosion rocked the village, followed by the unmistakable roar of a massive summoned beast.
"Kakashi... do we implement the emergency evacuation plan?"
"Iruka's with the civilians. He can handle it for now. You're more valuable at the front—your medical ninjutsu is needed."
"Understood. I'll head out now."
"And if you can," Kakashi added, "keep an eye on the Genin. We can't afford to lose them."
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