Chapter 249: Swift and Decisive
The mighty and once-confident Naruto Uzumaki now found himself at a loss, staring helplessly at the grotesque summon beast Sanshō, controlled by the enemy. Massive in size yet unnervingly agile, the creature was barely fazed by Naruto's attacks. Even the usually devastating Rasengan only momentarily staggered it before it quickly rose again under the red-haired woman's command.
"Damn it... It's useless to tangle with the summon beast—I've got to take down the summoner!"
Though brash by nature, Naruto wasn't lacking in battle smarts. He quickly realized the real threat was the woman pulling the strings. Unfortunately, her strength made it hard for him to even get close.
Naruto glanced around anxiously, hoping for support. But the two Kirigakure shinobi who had come to help him were now being held off by two dark, bespectacled men.
"Guess I'll have to do this myself!"
With no better options, and summoning Gamabunta being too risky—his massive frame would be a perfect target for lightning attacks—Naruto once again resorted to his signature jutsu: Multi Shadow Clone Technique. All he could hope for now was that the enemy would make a mistake.
Not far away, Ken Misumi frowned as he clashed with the boy wielding twin blades—Chōjūrō, whose slender frame belied his powerful strikes. Though a bit unrefined, the young swordsman was clearly a formidable opponent.
"At this rate... I might actually lose."
That unsettling thought crept into Misumi's mind. The mission was meant to be a quick strike, but the barrier was still intact. It seemed Kidōmaru and Sakon were running into trouble too.
As a veteran of many battles, Misumi specialized in Soft Physique Modification, able to twist and extend his body to ensnare foes and crush them or snap their necks. Many powerful enemies had fallen to this technique.
But Chōjūrō's swordsmanship—precise, cautious, yet brutal—was exactly the type Misumi hated facing. Without getting in close, he couldn't use his best tricks. When he tried to entangle the enemy's blades with his soft body, he was nearly dismembered by the might of the Hiramekarei twin blades. After that, he abandoned all such tactics.
"Am I really going to die here after all I've survived?"
That dreadful thought sapped his composure. His attacks grew sloppy, and Chōjūrō's relentless strikes drove him further into a corner.
Compared to the flashy yet shallow Misumi, Akkon Akado was faring slightly better. But his impatience betrayed his strategy. His obvious attempts to close the distance only put the wary Kirigakure chunin Kanryū on high alert.
Kanryū's Water Style: Water Whip, combined with the rain-soaked environment, made for a perfect defense. Agile and precise water jutsu kept Akado at bay while draining his stamina. Realizing his special tricks wouldn't be enough, Akado could only hope his teammates would win quickly and come to his aid.
Meanwhile, Tayuya grew increasingly confident as she expertly deflected Naruto's shadow clones. She had gone from cautious to smug, now certain of victory. With a shift in her flute's melody, the Three Demon Brothers surged again—and her genjutsu broke through the rain, locking onto Naruto just as he tried to charge.
"Not even a bit of resistance? What a simple-minded fool."
She sneered at Naruto, who now stood frozen in place. She prepared to unleash her Demonic Flute: Phantom Sound Chains, ready to command Sanshō to crush him into paste.
But in that very moment—a hand suddenly reached from behind and seized her flute-wielding arm.
A calm voice cut through the storm.
"With thunder this loud, who are you trying to perform for with that flute?"
It was Mizuki.
Tayuya's eyes widened in shock.
"Could you stop now? Seems our Konoha junior isn't really into your kind of art."
"You—how are you here already? The other decoys should still be alive!"
"Oh, they're alive," Mizuki replied with a shrug. In the distance, faint explosions still echoed. "But those so-called 'artistic' bombers? Kakashi and I agreed—one of us was enough to handle them."
Tayuya immediately understood her dire situation. She was completely outmatched and had little hope of escape.
With no other choice, she activated her Curse Mark.
"Impatient, aren't you?"
Mizuki had no mercy for irritable enemies—male or female. Without waiting, he slammed a fist into her abdomen. The force of the blow crushed her attempted counterattack.
Even without going all out, Mizuki's punch in Sage Mode was more than any normal ninja could bear. Only Tayuya's strengthened body from the Curse Mark Stage 1 kept her conscious. Otherwise, she'd be long unconscious.
"Feeling cooperative now?"
"You bastard...! If you're so strong, fight fair and let me transform fully!"
"Fair? Sneak attacks are part of a ninja's skill set. Since when is that unfair?"
Let her transform into Curse Mark Stage 2 for a 'fair' one-on-one battle? That was samurai stuff. Ninja didn't have the luxury.
"You think I'm that blond idiot who falls for provocations disguised as honor duels?"
In her despair, Tayuya saw Mizuki's fist flying toward her again—this time slamming into the back of her head. Her world turned black as she lost consciousness.
"She's probably not dead… Maybe I hit her too hard," Mizuki muttered to himself.
Just to be sure, he sealed her chakra and Curse Mark with temporary techniques. Then he rushed to Naruto's side, injecting a small stream of chakra to dispel the genjutsu.
The battle wasn't over yet—but at least Naruto was safe.
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