Asuma, the Inuzuka clan's jōnin, and the Akimichi clan's jōnin exchanged serious glances.
They weren't surprised that Yu had returned.
It was within their expectations.
Otherwise, Yega wouldn't still be alive. What shocked them was Yu's silent arrival.
The ninja dogs hadn't issued any warnings!
Inuzuka hadn't sensed any danger!
What kind of person could suppress their presence to such an extent? If Hyūga Yū hadn't been with them, they might have all perished in an instant.
Asuma shifted his gaze away from Yu.
He subtly glanced at the ceiling beam, raised his right hand to remove the cigarette from his mouth, casually discarded it, and naturally moved both hands closer to the ninja tool pouch strapped to his leg.
Hyūga Yū's pupils widened, and a chill ran down his spine.
His mind and chakra were under control; he couldn't even make the slightest movement to alert his teammates.
"You shouldn't have come back..."
Kurenai's curled eyelashes trembled slightly, her eyes filled with emotion as she gazed at Yu, breathing heavily and murmuring to herself.
The scene she feared the most had arrived without warning.
The atmosphere remained tense.
Kurenai understood that she couldn't change the current situation. Her heart sank as she pulled the woman holding the child behind her. Her gaze shifted from worry to determination as she swept her eyes over Asuma and the others, speaking sternly:
"I withdraw from this mission..."
She led the woman out of the wooden house.
In the corner, Doctor Nak realized this was his last chance to escape the cabin alive. Without hesitation, he followed Kurenai toward the door.
Yu didn't stop Kurenai's actions.
As they passed each other, Kurenai paused, frowned, and looked up at Yu's gracefully contoured face. Her red eyes welled up with tears, filled with resentment and pleading as she looked at Yu.
Yu remained unmoved.
Kurenai bit her lip lightly, her chest rising and falling rapidly, her heart pounding wildly. She understood his intentions and left the cabin without looking back.
Yu turned his attention to Nono.
The wandering priestess's eyes sparkled as she widened her almond-shaped eyes, examining the suddenly appearing handsome young man as if discovering a piece of art.
Her gaze met his fierce, scarlet eyes. Her initial admiration for his beauty vanished instantly, replaced by trembling and fear.
"Help me save someone, and I'll pay you accordingly," Yu said directly.
His words were calm but carried strong persuasion.
"O-okay..." Nono's eyebrows furrowed as she composed herself and left the cabin without hesitation.
She felt she should make this deal with him. As soon as she stepped out, she was escorted away by Minami, who had been waiting at the door.
Asuma watched Kurenai's departing figure and suddenly felt relieved.
From now on,
Whether they killed Yu or Yu killed them, Kurenai would not be affected by this battle.
In the corner, Yega also wanted to flee, but the kunai in the Hyuga clan jonin's hand before him extinguished any thought of escape.
Just as Asuma was about to say something before the fight, he suddenly realized that no matter what, he couldn't open his mouth.
'As expected, Yu's eyes have the power to control others. Truly troublesome. But with all this constant fighting, how much chakra can those eyes possibly have left?'
Asuma gathered his thoughts—his entire body frozen, only his mind could still function.
And it wasn't just Asuma.
The jonin from the Akimichi clan, the jonin from the Inuzuka clan, and even the ninja hound all remained frozen mid-turn like wax statues.
Yu walked toward Asuma with his blade in hand.
Both sides knew clearly:
An encounter meant a duel to the death—one side a Leaf ninja, the other a rogue shinobi. One must die.
Asuma stared at Yu.
Unable to blink, his eyes had long been bloodshot, with tears flowing freely from overstressed tear ducts.
The only thing he seemed able to do was breathe and wait for Yu to take his life.
The distance closed.
Yu's pupils flashed red as he gripped his ninja blade and suddenly slashed toward Asuma.
A glint of cold steel burst forth.
The straight blade drew a sharp arc through the air, the flash of the blade icy and deadly.
The other three, controlled by the power of the Yasakani, fell into a daze and drew their kunai, ready to stab themselves in the stomach—to commit suicide!
At that moment—
The rooftop echoed with a deep, chakra-infused Buddhist chant—solemn, majestic, pure. Its tones were upright, harmonious, clear, profound, and far-reaching.
Like flowing water, the sound washed over everyone inside the room.
It cleansed the spiritual dissonance within them.
Asuma's disrupted mental state, under the influence of mind control, suddenly cleared. Just as the icy blade slashed toward his throat, he regained movement, rolled to the side, and narrowly dodged it. The ninja blade grazed his right shoulder blade, leaving a deep gash.
The mental control of the Yasakani briefly failed.
"Scatter!!!"
The Hyuga jonin shouted.
"Damn it, did you have to wait until the last second to act? Are you trying to give us a heart attack?" the Inuzuka jonin shouted as he retreated with his beloved hound.
The four split off to the four corners of the wooden cabin, surrounding Yu at the center.
The chant on the rooftop continued.
Yu stared coldly at it all, completely unfazed by Asuma's backup plan.
His Yasakani Mangekyō Yin Release chakra had not yet recovered to full strength—only thirty percent remained.
He had to reserve ten percent.
Which meant he could only use twenty.
That was why the chant of the solemn sutra could interfere with the mind control of the Yasakani.
Even if he had struck the Hyuga jonin first just now, Asuma's backup plan would have been triggered.
Still inside the cabin, Yega's expression shifted dramatically. He looked up at the rooftop. The sutra chanting was echoing down from above.
It was as if countless monks were seated atop the roof.
And Yega's instincts were correct.
At that moment, ten monks sat cross-legged on the rooftop. Hands clasped together, eyes closed, lips murmuring—chanting the sutras.
They were reinforcements from the Fire Temple, called in by Asuma!
The Sanskrit chants they recited enhanced mental strength and interfered with genjutsu and mind control techniques.
Inside the room—
"Yukimaru… don't be scared. Eat this. When this battle's over, I'll dig up as many as you want!"
The Inuzuka jonin still wore a gentle smile, crouching beside his loyal hound. He pulled an organ from his pouch.
The large, snow-white dog stared at the organ. Catching its bloody scent, its brain seemed to jolt with stimulation. Its limbs trembled as it entered a heightened stress state.
No longer anxious, it now looked ferocious. Its pupils glowed green. Its jaws opened wide, revealing sharp fangs. Putrid saliva dangled in long strands.
With a single bite, Yukimaru crunched down on the organ, lifted its head, and swallowed it.
Yega's pupils suddenly dilated as he locked his gaze onto that organ. His stomach lurched, and he began to dry heave uncontrollably.
He was a hunter, familiar with the organs of animals he killed daily.
What the Inuzuka jonin had fed his ninja hound… wasn't a beast's organ—it was a human heart!
And if he guessed correctly, it had likely come from one of the refugees.
In that instant—
Yukimaru's neck bulged, muscle after muscle swelling with power, veins coursing beneath the skin. Its claws extended, sharp as blades.
The Inuzuka jonin formed hand seals and created a shadow clone, smiling calmly.
"Inuzuka Style: Man-Beast Fusion—Three-Headed Wolf!"
Boom!
A puff of smoke exploded outward.
A monstrous wolf appeared, bursting through a corner of the wooden cabin—its body covered in snow-white fur, three wolf heads snarling, muscles rippling, black claws gleaming.
Zzzzz—
Asuma drew in a deep breath, enduring the burning pain in his back. From his pouch he pulled out the "Chakra Blade: True Ichi-Monji," slipping four fingers through the hilt, infusing it with wind-natured chakra, and locked eyes with Yu.
"Partial Expansion Jutsu!!"
The Akimichi jonin's body began to swell as well, transforming into a small giant within the wooden cabin. His fists expanded into massive hammers of flesh.
His presence surged along with his size.
The Hyuga jonin spread his arms wide, Byakugan still active, never having deactivated. He peered through his opponent, settling into his Gentle Fist stance.
At the center of the cabin—
Yu glanced sharply left and right with his Mangekyō eyes.
Alone, with a single blade.
Like a tiny boat trapped in a raging sea, he looked as though he could capsize at any moment.
°°°
A/N: Reviews! Stones!
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