The strength of Temari during the Chunin Exams is not very conspicuous when compared to Tenten and Nara Shikamaru. However, the portrayal of her confrontation with Tayuya during the Sasuke rescue mission is somewhat exaggerated. Shikamaru, despite giving his all, was unable to defeat Tayuya and was forced to retreat rather than being instantly killed. Tayuya's genjutsu is strong, but the claim that four of the Sound Four—who were in the second state of their cursed seals—could easily overpower Konoha's jonin and special jonin seems exaggerated.
Moreover, the idea that Tayuya in her second state could be defeated by Temari in a single move is quite casual and inconsistent with the manga's power scaling. Even considering the high costs and stakes of battle, this power comparison feels overstated. The explanation might be that the ninja fighting styles are too restrained by the battlefield environment—a dense forest where large-scale, high-power ninjutsu, which function like a bulldozer, dominate. In such an environment, subtle moves and close-quarters techniques like Tayuya's flute genjutsu are less effective. The two opponents mostly fought from long distances, and Tayuya seemed to realize that if she couldn't utilize her illusion techniques effectively, the battle would be lost.
But now, the opponent is Mizuki. Judging from overall strength, Mizuki is barely able to gain the upper hand. If the enemy is hidden in darkness while the opponent remains visible, that situation is more favorable. This is not a bad scenario.
Temari, visibly nervous, watched Mizuki as he carried Gaara. Mizuki then flew up to the top of a tree and dropped Gaara to the ground. As Gaara fell, a worried Temari hurried over and embraced him. Suddenly, a massive ball of fire pressed down on Temari. She panicked and had no time to dodge, so she blocked the attack with her fan. While the fan completely absorbed the physical impact, the intense heat still affected her.
In such a hostile environment, Temari endured the scorching heat momentarily and then forced the raging flames and heat back with a powerful wave of her giant fan. However, the flames she pushed away did not harm Mizuki, who had vanished from the treetop.
As Temari nervously scanned her surroundings, Gaara—still protected by Temari—moved subtly. Behind Temari, a hand formed a seal, and before she could react, a small dark magic circle entered the back of her head. It was too late when she realized something was wrong.
Temari collapsed slowly to the ground, and Mizuki appeared from the shadows. "This is too simple," he said, surprised that his plan went so smoothly. His preparations were all in place.
"It seems I underestimated the feelings of these three siblings," Mizuki mused. Though it was unkind to take advantage of family ties, he reminded himself that they were enemies now.
Then Mizuki released a shadow clone, and the fake Gaara disappeared. He glanced at the unconscious Temari without concern. The sealing technique itself wasn't harmful; it temporarily cut the connection between brain and body, adding a slight illusion effect. The victim's virtual senses would create pleasant dreams, a minor mercy.
Ignoring the unconscious fifteen-year-old, Mizuki moved to an open space nearby and lifted a small illusion, revealing Gaara unconscious inside.
"Knowing Temari is close, I should prepare early. Sure enough, if they don't suspect anything, I can do all the damage I want," Mizuki thought.
He took out a scroll and spread it before him. Using his sealing hand signs, a magic circle slowly floated above Gaara. Then a burst of light enveloped the young jinchūriki. This sealing array required an enormous amount of chakra, and Mizuki had taught it to Shuimu before the exams. The more chakra invested, the better the results.
The enchantment worked as the reverse of the Soul Gathering Array, creating a solid spiritual isolation barrier. It completely blocked Gaara's jinchūriki chakra connection and repelled all external spiritual interference. This barrier was highly repulsive to the outside world but formed a spiritual "black box" internally, isolating the jinchūriki's force.
As the caster of the enchantment, Mizuki immediately felt the massive pressure it created. The tailed beasts absorb and gather the negative human will—such as fear, despair, and hatred—to maintain their existence. Blocking this process inevitably triggered backlash.
The huge chakra barrier was designed to maximize the effect and sustain it long enough for Mizuki to observe the experiment's results.
"What is this? Negative will? No way... It can't be," Mizuki muttered, surprised and doubtful when encountering the blocked spirit for the first time.
The tailed beasts originated from the Divine Tree and were once worshipped as gods of human belief. It's strange that such divine beings are considered collections of negative will. Mizuki's findings suggested that the negative will originated from humans' fear and prayers against natural disasters like storms and droughts—the psychological hope for good weather.
Thus, the Six Paths Sage split the Ten-Tails into nine tailed beasts, not to harm humans, but to protect them. The misuse of the tailed beasts by ninjas is largely responsible for the current chaos.
"Humans are truly unfortunate," Mizuki thought. "Even if they become traitors, their own guardians abandon them."
Originally, the Divine Tree and the world were hostile to each other. The weapon controlling the Divine Tree was an enemy, but the seal of Kaguya Otsutsuki and the Six Paths Sage transformed the Divine Tree from a weapon of destruction into a protector. Although the tailed beasts caused damage, they were no longer completely controlled directly, but rather indirectly through seals.
Despite many problems, the Divine Tree and the tailed beasts had been partially purified.
However, humans, who should have been saved by the Six Paths, instead regarded the tailed beasts as mere weapons and prisoners, controlling them cruelly and losing the chance for redemption. This led to their current predicament.
If a family has only one child, even if that child is unpopular, they do not suffer neglect. But what if there are multiple children? Even if some are imperfect, they have their own will and ideas. What then?
"Though humans struggle to maintain their status, their numerical and intellectual advantages are undeniable," Mizuki concluded. "Perhaps this is why intelligent beings encourage human infighting: to compete for favor and inheritance."
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