Treatment

The only piece of good news was that Little Shukaku's strength within Takuma had increased somewhat, but that was merely a small consolation. Mizuki had never counted on Takuma's combat power, and Little Shukaku's slight increase in strength could not change the overall situation.

If there was any lesson to be learned from failure, this setback had served as a warning to Mizuki. His enemies were not mindless blocks of wood incapable of thinking. Without the intelligence advantage of an omniscient perspective, he, too, would make all sorts of mistakes.

Although the mission had not gone smoothly, fortunately, there had been no irreparable losses.

Deep underground, Kankuro wore an ugly expression. His lips trembled, yet he could not speak. Temari's face was filled with grief, and even Chiyo, who had seen countless comrades part through life and death, showed a trace of exhaustion.

"We were still one step too late!"

Gaara, who had had the overwhelming majority of his tailed beast chakra extracted, had already been close to death. After more than three days of torment by the Phantom Dragon Nine Seals, the only reason he was still alive was the temporary effect of the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path's seal.

Once the Phantom Dragon Nine Seals was released, Gaara would most likely be beyond saving.

The sword through his heart had merely been an extra precaution to ensure Gaara's death.

For a Jinchuriki whose life was tied to the tailed beast within them, sharing both prosperity and ruin, losing the tailed beast's chakra also meant losing their vitality. This was an even deeper rule, something ordinary medical ninjutsu could not remedy.

Kaede, the Seven-Tails' Jinchuriki, would not have survived either if Mizuki had arrived any later. Even now, the female Takigakure Ninja remained in an almost irrecoverably