On both sides of the two iron gates, gilded Rashomon demons were carved, their eyes embedded with crimson chakra metal spheres that instantly flared with an eerie red light the moment the gates slammed down.
On the surface of the doors, dense sealing runes emerged.
The dark greenish-black rust flaked off like living things, revealing the steel patterns hidden underneath.
Although the defensive power of such thick iron gates was far inferior to the Triple Rashomon, it still had its unique advantages.
“I can’t believe that’s possible?!” Asuka Hyuga was dumbstruck, his eyes nearly popping out of his skull.
This chubby Genin kid could actually deploy a powerful defensive tactic similar to Summoning: Rashomon through a sealing scroll!
How did he even come up with such a strategy?
It was mind-blowing.
Still, a sealing scroll of this caliber had to be extremely expensive, right?
Which shinobi clan’s young master was this chubby Genin?
To actually possess such wealth!
A howling wind resounded.
The Wind Style technique was incredibly fast.
Overtaking the other attacks, it neared the Iron Prison Gates in a matter of breaths.
The swirling high-pressure sphere of wind ripped through the air, causing sonic booms that made everyone’s eardrums ache.
Wherever the high-pressure wind sphere swept, the burnt remains of birch trees were uprooted and shredded into tiny, razor-sharp splinters, while the rocky ground was sliced and peeled away like tofu, drawn into the vortex.
Its power surged instantly, carrying a hint of the fearsome might of Wind Style: Rasenshuriken.
*Screeech…* The high-pressure wind sphere slammed with pinpoint accuracy into the Iron Prison Gate in front of Sasuke Umino.
The sound of scraping metal was like countless steel blades grinding and cutting against each other, sharp enough to set one’s teeth on edge.
“Whew…” Tekudo wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, his heart pounding.
*Terrifying.
If I had used my “steel-wok wife” to block this, she’d probably have been shredded to pieces by that high-pressure vortex.* While the high-pressure sphere of Wind Style: Pressure Damage was powerful, the defensive power of the Iron Prison Gates was nothing to sneeze at either.
“What a powerful defense!” Although Asuka had anticipated the strength of the Iron Prison Gates, he hadn’t expected their defensive capability to reach such a level.
Such a terrifying high-pressure wind sphere had only managed to gouge a crater less than half a meter deep into the iron gate.
It hadn’t even breached the first layer of the Iron Prison Gates’ defense.
Compared to the high-pressure wind sphere, the kunai and shuriken were like mere tickles, posing no threat at all.
Even the two Explosive Tags only blasted away a few iron shavings.
“Tekudo!
Don’t let your guard down!
Reinforce the defense!” Sasuke Umino warned Tekudo.
He didn’t dare relax for a second; in fact, he was beginning to feel a bit worried.
Under the perception of his acoustic Radar Jutsu, although Wind Style: Pressure Damage and Earth Style: Earth Mausoleum Dumpling were both B-rank jutsu, and Pressure Damage seemed more lethal, the Earth Mausoleum Dumpling was significantly superior in terms of pure physical impact.
The Iron Prison Gates performed exceptionally well against elemental ninjutsu, but while their physical defense was much stronger than conventional defensive jutsu, its limits were lower.
They were far less comprehensive than the Triple Rashomon.
“My ‘iron-gate first wife,’ your defense is the absolute strongest!” Tekudo’s voice cracked as he roared, channeling his chakra to activate all the defensive runes on the Iron Prison Gates.
Just then, a deep rumble echoed.
The dark yellow stone sphere, carrying the heavy force of the earth, crashed down.
With a deafening boom, it smashed into the Iron Prison Gate.
Instantly, a massive shockwave of air swept outward with overwhelming force, snapping the charred birch trees around the battlefield.
The stone sphere, weighing thousands of tons, carried immense kinetic energy.
It fell like a meteor—comparable to a strike from the Zero-Tails—and smashed clean through the first Iron Prison Gate.
The steel-forged gate groaned, twisting and deforming as web-like cracks radiated from the point of impact.
Its momentum slightly blunted, the sphere continued to plow into the second Iron Prison Gate.
Another thunderous boom shook the area.
The dense runes on the second Iron Prison Gate swam rapidly like tadpoles, unleashing astonishing defensive power that finally halted the colossal momentum of the giant stone sphere.
“They actually blocked it!” Asuka Hyuga was utterly shocked.
A mere Genin, using a sealing scroll tactic, had completely blocked a coordinated onslaught comparable to an A-rank ninjutsu.
It was truly incredible.
Absolutely mind-blowing!
“Phew…” Tekudo let out a long breath, overjoyed and incredibly relieved.
If his captain hadn’t taught him this powerful defensive Secret Technique, he probably would have been crushed into a meat patty this time.
“We’re done for…
we’re completely done for!” Seeing their combined ultimate strike completely blocked, the Sand ninja felt their hearts turn to ash.
In their eyes, they could be torn to shreds by the upcoming ultimate Water Style jutsu at any second.
Had their captain’s left hand not been crippled, leaving him able to perform hand signs, they might have had some hope of casting a defensive ninjutsu.
But now, they were at their wits’ end, with nothing left to do but wait for death.
“Captain, what do we do?” “Are we all going to die here?
Is it too late to run?” “Masako is still waiting for me back in the village.
I can’t die.” These Sand ninja had lost every shred of the Will of Wind.
All of them wanted to retreat.
Even the spiky-haired Jonin was no exception.
“Wait, what’s going on?” On the edge of the battlefield, Yoru Gekko looked as if he had seen a ghost, his eyes wide with shock.
He had noticed something strange about the [Uchiha Jonin] hiding behind the Iron Prison Gates.
As it turned out, under the massive impact of the stone sphere, a powerful shockwave had rippled through the air and hit Sasuke Umino.
It disrupted his Transformation, finally allowing Yoru to see through the disguise.
Yoru’s heart skipped a beat.
He could hardly believe his eyes.
How could someone’s Transformation be so flawless that even he hadn’t noticed it until now?
He belonged to the Gekko Clan; while his perception wasn’t on par with the Hyuga or Uchiha, he was still among the top in Konoha.
Yet he was only finding out just now!
To confirm whether his eyes were playing tricks on him, Yoru cast a look at Asuka Hyuga nearby: “Asuka?” “Yes!” Asuka nodded in affirmation, indicating it wasn’t a Genjutsu.
The fake [Uchiha] from just now was indeed the patrol squad’s Chunin, disguised through a flawless Transformation.
“How can this be!” Beside them, Kagejiro Sarutobi was dumbfounded.
“Impossible,” he sputtered in disbelief.
“This must be a Genjutsu!
An Uchiha’s Sharingan can’t be fake.
And a Transformation…” “Kagejiro!” Asuka instantly cut off Kagejiro, raising his voice to warn him not to say another word, lest he leak sensitive information.
“Uh…” Kagejiro finally realized how reckless he had been.
Blabbing about their own shinobi’s intelligence and being publicly rebuked by his teammate made him feel like he had lost face.
Unable to argue back, he could only mutter under his breath in an aggrieved tone, “I…
I didn’t mean to.” “Kagejiro!” Asuka was truly furious this time.
He snapped even more sharply, warning him to shut up.
If he kept talking, he would completely give away their secrets.
Overcome by anger and the poison, Asuka collapsed to the ground, clearly pushed past his absolute limit.
The Sand poison was relentlessly ravaging his body, leaving him unable to even stand.
*Slap!* Hiding behind the Iron Prison Gate, Sasuke Umino—who had deactivated his Transformation—slapped his hand against his forehead protector, utterly speechless.
If it had been an accidental slip of the tongue, he could let it go.
But to actually try and argue back was pure stupidity.
It was practically begging the Sand ninja to realize they had leaked information and prompt them to verify it.