Chapter 96: Racing Against Time
From a distance, Mizuki could feel the group rapidly approaching, and he anxiously racked his brain for countermeasures. This point in time roughly marked the final stages of Orochimaru's Konoha Crush plan. Aside from Orochimaru himself, there weren't many others who would be fleeing in such haste.
Mizuki pressed down on his slightly warm but quickly cooling right forearm, then glanced at the agonized Uchiha Sasuke, who was clutching his neck.
"My curse mark is relatively stable, but Sasuke's is too active. At this level of resonance, he's practically a beacon in Orochimaru's sensory range—there's no way to hide him."
Mizuki didn't yet know the full reason behind Orochimaru's sudden urgency to come here, but of all the things that could interest him in this place, Sasuke was the most likely.
"He must be more seriously injured than expected—that's why he's so desperate to find Sasuke's body and perform the Reincarnation Technique."
He looked at Sasuke, who was utterly drained of strength and completely defenseless. Mizuki knew that if Orochimaru got his hands on him now, Sasuke was doomed. Without the future strength to resist Orochimaru's possession, he was just a sacrificial lamb.
"Mizuki-sensei…" Haruno Sakura glanced at the suffering Sasuke, then turned to Mizuki with pleading eyes, hoping he had a solution.
Mizuki shook his head and said, "Stay here and watch over Naruto, Temari, and Gaara. Keep hidden. Don't leave unless absolutely necessary…"
Time was running out. An ambush like this was already difficult to handle, and with their unique circumstances making concealment difficult, things became even trickier.
"What about Sasuke-kun?" Sakura asked.
"I'll handle it." Mizuki hoisted Sasuke onto his back and prepared to leave. "If things get dangerous, take Naruto and leave. Abandoning the two Sand ninja is acceptable."
With that, Mizuki vanished into the mist with Sasuke.
"I may not have the upper hand in strength, but at least I can choose the battlefield…"
With Sasuke in his hands, Mizuki at least retained some degree of initiative. Finding terrain advantageous to himself was key to buying time and waiting for reinforcements.
"It's always the same when I encounter powerful enemies—my first instinct is to stall and wait for help. Why do I always run into foes too powerful to handle? Is this karmic retribution for bullying too many kids?"
From Naruto, Suigetsu, Sakura, Ino, and Sasuke, to the Sound trio and even Temari earlier—Mizuki had quite the "track record." Among adult foes, he'd only briefly clashed with Iruka and Kabuto, and both fights were interrupted. The only large-scale encounter was during the Forest of Death when he narrowly escaped Orochimaru. Now they were about to meet again, far sooner than expected.
"Mizuki-sensei? Where are we going? Are we just leaving Sakura behind?" Sasuke asked weakly from Mizuki's back.
"Huh?" Mizuki was momentarily speechless. "You think we're running away and abandoning them?"
"Isn't that what we're doing?" Sasuke replied, surprised.
"The enemy's target is you. If you're not there, they're safe."
"Oh…"
Before Sasuke could respond, they reached a riverbank. Mizuki set him down.
"We're here. Take care of yourself—I might not be able to protect you in the heat of battle."
"Got it. Is the enemy that strong?"
"Don't do anything reckless. You're in no condition to fight. Anyone coming could kill you in an instant…"
With that, Mizuki dragged Sasuke to the center of the river.
"Stay behind me. Don't move. Don't use your Sharingan or the curse mark."
"Understood. Huh? There's something in the water?"
Mizuki smiled but didn't explain. He bit his finger and formed a series of hand seals.
"Summoning Technique."
As chakra-filled sigils spread out over the water, countless previously invisible creatures began to take form.
"Jellyfish? No—summoned beasts? This is Mizuki-sensei's Summoning Technique?"
The once-invisible jellyfish shimmered with light, and a thick mist began to rise around them.
"Mist Concealment Technique? And genjutsu?"
This wasn't just using the environment to create fog—it was a large-scale illusionary barrier, far more advanced than the one Mizuki had casually set up earlier.
"So many people know techniques of this level…"
Sasuke recalled their previous encounter with a powerful genjutsu user during the Forest of Death. He was beginning to reevaluate his own standing among the ninja.
Mizuki had no time to worry about Sasuke's self-esteem. He poured a tube of algae-laced solution into the water, which rapidly spread, turning the water beneath into a green haze that masked all underwater activity.
"They're here. Get ready—protect yourself." With that, Mizuki vanished into the mist. Moments later, the Sound ninja arrived at the riverbank.
"Looks like they were ready for us, Lord Orochimaru," Kabuto said, frowning. "To set up a barrier over such open terrain must mean there are many traps hidden underwater. And that blue tide—it's clearly designed to obscure visibility."
"I know, Kabuto. You don't need to narrate every detail," Orochimaru said impatiently.
While not especially dangerous, this setup would take time to dismantle—and none of them were suited to fighting in such an environment. Normally, brute force would suffice, but the time it would take was unpredictable, and that was something Orochimaru couldn't afford.
"Sakon. Go test it," Orochimaru ordered.
"Yes." Though uninjured, Sakon had the lowest remaining chakra. He dashed into the mist.
Inside the barrier, Mizuki let out a soft breath of relief.
"Orochimaru's in rough shape—maybe even worse than in the original timeline. The Sound Four are exhausted, Kabuto's fine, but he's not suited for this type of battle. If I can hold out just a little longer, they'll retreat on their own."
Moments ago, Mizuki had sensed several squads approaching. Orochimaru, being as sharp as he was, would understand the situation and know when to cut his losses.
As for Sakon, Mizuki wasn't worried. This was his domain, and he was lying in wait. If he couldn't stall them here, he had no business confronting Orochimaru and his team in the first place.
"If they were at full strength, I'd have turned tail already. Sasuke's survival would be left to fate. But as the saying goes: 'Even dragons flounder in shallow waters; even tigers get bullied when they're down.' A few bedraggled dogs aren't enough to scare me."
From the mist, they heard a few screams, then Sakon stumbled back, several kunai stuck in his legs, covered in bruises and bleeding profusely.
"Jellyfish tentacles?" Kabuto examined the wounds, quickly noticing the symptoms. "These contain neurotoxins."
"There are tons of those damn things underwater," Sakon said shakily. "I couldn't see a thing. That green water covers everything—it's impossible to avoid their attacks. Lord Orochimaru, this whole setup is clearly tailored to the enemy's strengths. We'll have to use powerful ninjutsu to blast through."
"We don't have time for that," Orochimaru growled.
The earlier escape had drained them all. Kimimaro was dead, and Orochimaru himself had barely any chakra left. Most of his jutsu requiring hand signs were unusable. Jirōbō's brute strength and earth-style jutsu were useless here. Kidōmaru's spiders weren't designed for water combat. Without visual targets, his long-range attacks were pointless. Sakon was now injured. Tayuya's genjutsu couldn't surpass the mist-based illusion. Kabuto, for all his cunning and skill, wasn't suited to barrier warfare.
Frustrated, Orochimaru extended his tongue, drawing the Kusanagi Sword from his mouth. The blade stretched into the mist and wildly slashed about, stirring up a storm—but to no avail.
Realizing it was pointless, Orochimaru finally gave up on capturing Sasuke.
"Let's go." He turned and swiftly fled.
Once all was quiet again, Mizuki reappeared with Sasuke, rising from the green waters.
"That was close. We almost died, Sasuke-kun. Looks like we're pretty lucky today."
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