Naruto: The King Behind the Curtain

At Kuroishi's call, Mui rose from the collapsed crowd. "Yes!"

Seeing this, Yangdo's eyes widened again. "You—you—have you been working together all along?"

Kuroishi laughed joyfully. "Yangdo, blame only your own stupidity. Did you really think you were watching him? No, it was him watching you all along!"

Yangdo's face twisted with fury and humiliation — until a sudden realization hit him. "Wait, did you just mention the Wish-Granting Casket?"

Kuroishi narrowed his eyes. "Hmm, looks like you aren't as clueless as I thought."

Yangdo fumed. "That thing is nothing but a lie. You're betraying Iwagakure over a mere myth?"

Kuroishi's expression darkened. "Enough! Cut the crap already! If not for your relentless pressure, I wouldn't have risked so much. Anyway, I'll start by sacrificing you two. If that's not enough, then I'll burn the entire Hozuki Castle to dust as an offering! The Casket will open eventually!"

"Did we really force you into this?" As Yangdo pondered in confusion, he saw Mui approaching him step by step.

As Mui's former superior, Yangdo naturally knew how formidable Mui's binding techniques could be. Without hesitation, he formed hand seals immediately. [Earth Release: Earth Flow River!]

Mui's pupils contracted. Before the ground beneath his feet transformed into a "river," he quickly dodged away.

"Not bad! Guess I underestimated you." Observing Yangdo's trembling body, Kuroishi understood that his opponent hadn't completely shaken off the paralysis effect of the mutated "Hozuki jutsu," merely forcing himself to move.

"Such trivial numbness... You think that can subdue me?" Yangdo assumed a defensive stance while shouting loudly, "Yamanaka Inoichi, stop pretending to be out cold. I know you're faking it too!"

However, Inoichi Yamanaka lay motionless on the floor without the slightest movement.

"That guy..." Kuroishi narrowed his eyes slightly. Now he also suspected that Inoichi might be faking unconsciousness.

But perhaps it was better this way.

If both Jonin teamed up, he would indeed find it troublesome.

Now facing only half-capable Jonin—dealing with him would be effortless.

"You damn traitor... Can't you see the larger battle at hand..." While Yangdo ranted furiously, Kuroishi had already seized the opportunity to strike.

[Earth Release: Earth and Stone Dragon]

A massive earth dragon emerged beside Kuroishi, spewing numerous mud projectiles toward Yangdo.

[Earth Release: Earth Land Return!]

Yangdo hastily slammed his palm on the ground before him, flipping a slab upward to serve as a shield.

Boom! Boom!

The mud projectiles smashed against the stone plate, splattering in all directions and shaking loose dust from the ceiling.

Fortunately, the hall was spacious enough; otherwise, others nearby might've been buried beneath the shockwaves of their first exchange.

"That bastard..." Glancing at the peacefully sleeping figure, Yangdo nearly ground his teeth into bits.

[Earth Release: Earth Clone Technique!]

Four clones of Yangdo dashed simultaneously toward Inoichi Yamanaka, clearly trying to force his participation.

"Don't you dare try anything funny!" Kuroishi quickly formed seals and pressed his hand firmly on the ground.

[Earth Release: Earth Spike Spears!]

Suddenly, sharp earthen spears erupted from the ground, impaling Yangdo's earth clones entirely.

Seeing that Inoichi Yamanaka still showed no reaction, Yangdo inwardly cursed in frustration. "Damn it, this guy's a lost cause!"

Fortunately for them, Kuroishi was secretly delighted while refraining from further provoking Leaf ninja who always acted on emotions.

[Earth Release: Stone Pillar Prison!]

Thick stone pillars erupted from the ground, encasing Yangdo inside.

Yangdo's expression shifted slightly as he instinctively started forming hand seals.

[Earth Release: Hardening Technique!]

Just as he expected, countless sharp spines burst from the pillars like deadly spikes aimed straight at him.

Crack! With a grating sound that set teeth on edge, the spikes snapped on impact.

Yangdo wasn't even slightly comforted. "Not only were my hand seals too slow, but even the chakra flow within my body feels sluggish. Such basic hardening technique barely protects against serious damage."

Seeing Kuroishi swinging his rocky fist to smash the pillars and charge toward him, Yangdo quickly escaped underground using [Earth Path: Underground Projection Technique].

He knew clearly that in his current condition, there was no way he could defeat Kuroishi.

His only option was to stall for time, hoping the toxin's effects on his fellow Iwa ninja would fade soon.

"Annoying slippery eel!" Frustrated by his failed pursuit, Kuroishi suddenly realized his opponent seemed deliberately luring him away from a certain direction.

"Hmph! So that's your plan? Although just pathetic wishful thinking, I love crushing those kinds of hopes completely!" Stopping his chase with an evil grin, Kuroishi started walking toward a corner.

In the shadowed alcove, several Iwa ninja wore expressions of despair.

"Aren't you going to come out and save these pitiful subordinates of yours?"

"Darn you! I'll fight you to the death!"

An Iwa Chunin struggled to his feet, determined to join the battle.

But even his thrown shuriken wobbled pathetically through the air, naturally failing to hit anything.

Without hesitation, Kuroishi impaled his heart with a simple [Earth Release: Earth Spear!].

Then he began forming hand seals toward another target.

This time, Yangdo hiding in shadows couldn't hold back any longer.

[Earth Release: Double Suicide Decapitation Technique!]

The ground beneath Kuroishi erupted violently, swallowing his entire body until only his head remained visible.

But immediately afterward, the captured Kuroishi vanished before everyone's eyes.

"Damn, it's an earth clone!" Realizing the danger, Yangdo hastily protected himself with the hardening technique.

Zap!

Suddenly, blinding white light exploded in the hall, forcing everyone to shield their eyes.

When the glare faded, they saw the horrifying scene.

Kuroishi's arm pierced straight through Yangdo's chest, protruding from his back.

"Lightning beats Earth—you've lost!" Whispering victory into his ear, Kuroishi savagely yanked his arm free.

"No! Master Yangdo!"

"It's over! Everything's ruined!"

While the Iwa ninja displayed desperate hatred toward the Leaf shinobi, blaming them for not setting aside old grudges to help defeat Kuroishi.

At this moment, Inoichi Yamanaka, who had been pretending to be dead, suddenly sprang into action like a salted fish leaping back to life.

Witnessing this, the remaining Iwa ninja looked on mockingly.

What difference could it make now? Did they really think Kuroishi would make careless mistakes when filled with triumph?

"Haha, you idiot! I've been waiting for you here all along!" Kuroishi cackled. "Pfft, your so-called mental arts? All it takes is a little caution..."

But just then, Inoichi Yamanaka suddenly produced a blue orb in his hand.

Kuroishi, who had been on guard the whole time against mental attacks, froze. Since when did a Yamanaka ninja become this skilled?

Though taken aback, Kuroishi could still feel the immense power radiating from the orb and instinctively tried to dodge away.

[Mind Body Disturbance Technique!]

Kuroishi's body stiffened—he'd completely lost control of himself.

"How is this even possible? I was being careful the entire time... wasn't I?" Shocked and terrified, Kuroishi caught sight of a small figure out of the corner of his eye forming hand seals.

"Is he one of the Yamanaka too? Wait... I get it now..." Before Kuroishi could finish his realization, the orb slammed into him and sent him flying—courtesy of Inoichi Yamanaka.

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