Chapter 66: What's Your Relationship with the Third Hokage?
"Hm… this chakra…"
Li Yao suddenly furrowed his brows, closing his eyes to carefully sense the chakra he was absorbing.
There was… something familiar. It felt… like the Third Hokage's chakra!
His eyes snapped open. He quickly stepped up to the female ninja in the middle. With a thought, the black iron chain binding her chest loosened slightly, revealing her generous curves.
Rip!
With both hands, Li Yao tore the woman's clothes apart in one motion—instantly baring her upper body, revealing an aggressive, weapon-like figure.
"Ah…"
The female ninja instinctively cried out as a chill ran across her chest. Before she could say anything more, another sudden movement came at her.
Li Yao's gaze held no fear.
Now with skin-to-skin contact, his chakra perception sharpened dramatically.
"No mistake. It's you!"
His expression lit up with excitement. The person whose chakra contained a trace of the Third's chakra—was her.
Why?
Why would this woman's chakra carry traces of the Third Hokage?
What was her connection to him?
Li Yao stared at her with blazing intensity, a look of desire surging across his face. If she truly had a link to the Third, he had to know.
"Mmm…"
The pain from his increasing grip made the woman let out a low groan, her brows furrowing deeply in anguish.
"Who are you?!"
She quickly forced the words out.
"Who are you?"
Her voice snapped Li Yao out of his momentary trance. He let go and asked the same question right back—he was extremely interested in this woman's identity.
"Captain…"
"Let go of our captain, you bastard!"
Though still blinded by the Darkness Illusion Technique, her two teammates could tell just from the sounds what kind of torment their captain was enduring. Fury erupted in their voices.
Bang! Bang!
Their protests were abruptly silenced. The smell of blood spread in the air. The female captain's face twisted, and she struggled against the chains binding her.
It was no use. The chakra-sealing chains were incredibly tough.
With her chakra sealed, there was no escaping.
"Do you have a grudge against the Sarutobi clan?"
Suddenly she stopped struggling and asked calmly.
Li Yao noticed that when she mentioned the Sarutobi clan, her eyes clearly showed deep, unmistakable hatred.
So… this woman had a grudge against them too.
Interesting.
Li Yao thought about it, then shook his head.
Whether she did or not—what did it matter to him?
He only wanted to know who she was.
Since she wouldn't tell him, he'd find out another way.
"Mmm…"
Her face suddenly went pale as the chakra within her body was rapidly drained.
Soon, her chakra was completely depleted.
Only then did Li Yao retract the Adamantine Sealing Chains and dispel the Darkness Illusion Technique.
"You…"
As her vision returned, the first thing she saw were her two subordinates—reduced to nothing more than decapitated heads atop piles of steaming, bloody flesh. Her glare toward Li Yao turned ice-cold with rage.
But then she saw his face—and hesitated, deeply confused.
"So young?"
"Wait… it is him. No, it must be him."
She had been about to question whether someone so young could possibly have such power. But then she remembered—she herself had been defeated instantly. The two Sarutobi brats being killed made perfect sense now.
But did this boy have a grudge against the Sarutobi clan?
She wasn't sure.
"This is… genjutsu!"
Suddenly she felt another wave of illusory chakra trying to invade her mind and influence her spirit.
She fought back with sheer willpower.
"Hm… it failed?"
Li Yao's brow rose slightly, his expression thoughtful.
The two Konoha ninja at the noble estate hadn't resisted at all once their chakra was drained—they'd simply spilled everything under genjutsu influence.
But this time, it didn't work.
He probed more carefully and sensed that her brain was resisting his genjutsu with an invisible force—her will.
"Invisible… but strong. It must be her willpower."
He was impressed. "So genjutsu can be resisted this way too."
"But… if it can resist—could it also be influenced?"
That thought reminded him of one of the strongest genjutsu in the series—Kotoamatsukami, which could permanently alter a person's will. It was on par with the soul-binding techniques of certain sci-fi universes.
Terrifying—yes. But also… desirable.
Li Yao desired such power.
Originally, he planned to one day obtain Shisui Uchiha's Mangekyō Sharingan and attempt to replicate Kotoamatsukami's special chakra nature through analysis.
But now, this woman's resistance through pure will had sparked a new idea.
What if genjutsu chakra could be continuously enhanced in intensity and purity—until it could influence a target's will like Kotoamatsukami?
"It should be possible."
He reasoned: the very existence of Kotoamatsukami proved genjutsu could alter a person's will.
Others couldn't replicate it because they couldn't refine genjutsu chakra to that level.
But he could.
With his absolute chakra control, he was confident he could create genjutsu on par with Kotoamatsukami—it was only a matter of time.
But for now… he needed to deal with the woman in front of him.
Li Yao withdrew his genjutsu chakra and asked directly, "What's your relationship with the Third?"
"I have nothing to do with that old bastard."
Her eyes blazed with fury, as if the mere suggestion had touched a nerve.
That confirmed it for Li Yao.
This woman did have some kind of connection to the Third.
He began trembling uncontrollably, eyes fixed on her like a starving wolf eyeing a piece of raw meat.
That hunger in his gaze made her skin crawl.
"Tell me—what exactly is your relationship with him?"
He asked eagerly, tightening the chains.
"Mmm…"
Her already-pale face turned ashen, sweat dotting her skin as the pressure increased.
"You… do you want to kill that old bastard too?"
She suddenly stared at Li Yao, eyes blazing.
She had finally realized: anyone so obsessed with her relationship to the Third either loved him—or hated him.
Considering he had just killed two of the Third's nephews—it clearly wasn't love.
"You too…"
Li Yao caught that word and froze.
He stared at her.
Her gaze held naked hatred toward the Third. She wanted to kill him—badly.
So maybe… she didn't have any blood connection to him.
Then why…?
Why did her chakra carry traces of the Third Hokage's chakra signature?
That trace was real. He was certain of it.
He didn't understand the mechanics—but it was definitely there.
If not family, then maybe she was involved in chakra assimilation experiments?
"...Tch."
"Boring."
He sighed and shook his head.
His earlier thrill deflated instantly.
He'd come in with hope—and left disappointed.
If she wasn't connected to the Third in the way he thought, then…
"Then die."
He gave her a cold smile.
Someone without any useful connection to Hiruzen had no reason to be spared.
Just because she hated the Third too didn't make her an ally.
From the moment Minato turned him in and he was thrown into the ANBU interrogation cells—
No one in this world was "his people."
(END CHAPTER)
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