"Master, this kid's playing you," Wangliang suddenly spoke, his featureless black face unreadable.
"We're having a family chat. Outsiders, butt out," Gin snapped, picking his nose, his tone infuriatingly smug.
Wangliang's fists clenched. Indra's heirs are getting trickier. Not like Yao, so easy to fool.
"You caused Koharu's change, didn't you?" Gin pointed at Wangliang, certain the shadowy figure was behind her transformation.
"Heh, guess I—" Wangliang began, ready to dodge.
"Correct!" Yao cut in, throwing the game.
Hey, I just loosened my mental grip, and this geezer starts spilling? Wangliang groaned inwardly.
"I ordered Wangliang to control Nameless. Didn't expect her sealed strength to weaken so much she couldn't even beat you," Yao confessed.
I didn't! I just unleashed her dark side. No time to control that brat, Wangliang thought.
"Your roleplay was pro-level, nailing the yandere vibe," Gin said, impressed, mentally liking the mastermind's performance.
"No more stalling, Gin. You burned a lot fighting Nameless, right? That jutsu alone must've drained your chakra," Yao said, assuming Gin was buying time to recover.
"Heh, can't fool you. I've got, like, a billion chakra left," Gin replied, feigning panic and reluctantly nodding to his "weakness."
"No worries, Gin. Step back, I'll handle them," Tajima said, stepping forward, shielding him calmly.
"Sorry, Gin, it's my fault…" Koharu, buying Gin's act, tugged his sleeve, whispering guiltily.
Their reactions left Gin speechless. My acting's as good as Wangliang's. Didn't fool the enemy, but my team's sold.
Swish, swish, swish! Tajima flung shuriken to test the waters. Yao and Wangliang stood still, smirking at the spinning blades.
"They're not dodging?" Tajima grew suspicious.
"Tajima, you underestimate us," Yao said, straightening slightly, glancing at Wangliang.
Catching the hint, Wangliang sank into the ground's shadows.
The shuriken, nearing Yao, froze midair, as if space itself congealed. A eerie black-and-white old man emerged from the darkness.
"Who's this?" Tajima demanded coldly.
"This is Wangliang's true form, a ghostly assassin," Yao said, slipping into villainous exposition mode, thrilled by his apparent upper hand.
Gin, observing, mused. This jailer's the real pupil technique construct. The sludge form? We get it, no need to spell it out.
Tajima, wary of the jailer's chilling aura, activated Sharingan, locking onto the lifeless figure.
"Jie jie jie…" The jailer cackled, melding back into the shadows.
Drawing his long-unused katana, Tajima's Sharingan hunted for traces, finding nothing.
"Looking for something?" A raspy voice hissed in his ear. Without hesitation, Tajima slashed behind, hitting air.
"Jie jie jie…" The voice came from below. Shocked, Tajima looked down to see the jailer's head emerging from his shadow, gray eyes mocking. Another slash missed.
Tajima leapt back, frowning, analyzing. "If I'm right, he moves through shadows."
After a brief clash, Tajima had deduced most of the jailer's ability.
"Not bad, Clan Leader," Yao said, a flicker of pride crossing his face.
"You taught me well," Tajima replied coldly to his former mentor.
"Knowing Wangliang's trick, how will you counter?" Yao, curious, challenged his once-stellar pupil.
"As clan leader, the first thing I learned…" Tajima shook his head, pride in his tone. Yao frowned, annoyed by the non sequitur.
Before Yao could ponder, Tajima darted past Wangliang, charging straight at him. "Teacher, times have changed!"
Catch the king first. Tajima's three tomoe spun, pupil power surging with genjutsu toward the aged Yao.
The slow-reacting elder took a direct Sharingan genjutsu hit, eyes closing, falling silent.
Surprised by the easy hit, Tajima felt a twinge of disbelief. Yao's all thunder, no rain?
"Uncle, watch out!" Gin, munching seeds with Koharu, shouted.
"Still green, my dear disciple," a voice rasped. A pale, withered hand gripped Tajima's shoulder, Yao's voice now behind him.
Alarm bells rang in Tajima's mind. Yao was under genjutsu—how was he here? The hand pinned him with crushing force.
The jailer, now behind Tajima, had black-injected gray pupils and a hint of life. Speaking in Yao's voice, he said, "Tajima, you're still too arrogant."
A sinister aura seeped from the hand, violent thoughts clouding Tajima's mind, his crimson eyes misting with black.
"You won't control me!" Sensing his will eroding, Tajima roared, channeling chakra to his eyes. His untainted eye's tomoe spun, merging into a new pattern. "For mind games, you're still a rookie!"
---
If you want to read more than 20 chapters early feel free to visit pa tre on . com /Archus