Wood Style And Sharingan

The space behind the door was narrow and deep—more like a closet than a room. There wasn't much space to move, just enough for two people to squeeze in—barely.

Smith slipped in first, then grabbed Yan Yue's hand and pulled her inside. With his other hand, he quietly closed the door behind them.

"Ah—!"

Yan Yue stumbled, and nearly fell against him. Their bodies were pressed tightly together, chest to chest. In that moment of silence, they could clearly feel each other's breathing... and scent.

"Shhh."

Smith gently placed a finger to his lips and motioned for her to stay quiet. Footsteps echoed outside, getting louder. They held their breath and listened closely.

"I heard the leader sent Qingfeng and Mingyue to capture those two targets. I wonder if they succeeded," said a voice from outside.

"With Qingfeng's space ability, long-range teleportation is easy through a pre-set array. Even if their enemies were third-tier psychics, they wouldn't stand a chance. Plus, Mingyue's illusion techniques are top-notch. Those kids never stood a chance."

"Yeah, they got lucky this time. Meanwhile, we're stuck on trash duty. Not fair."

"Quit whining. Just get the job done."

The voices passed directly in front of the door Smith and Yan Yue were hiding behind. They remained utterly still. Their hearts pounded so loudly they were afraid the men outside might hear.

Only after the footsteps faded did they dare to relax—but neither moved.

The cramped space left no room to reposition. Yan Yue tried to lean back, but her back was pressed firmly against the cold metal door. There was nowhere to go.

They remained face-to-face, bodies touching. Smith could feel the warmth of her skin through their clothes. And in such close proximity, her faint, delicate fragrance drifted past his nose.

"They're likely heading to the basement we just escaped," Smith whispered softly. "If they find the bodies, they'll start searching. We probably have about ten minutes before they return. Better to wait a little longer, just to be sure."

If those people were indeed third-tier psychics like Qingfeng and Mingyue, then their perception would be sharp. If Smith and Yan Yue left too early, they'd be spotted instantly.

"Okay," Yan Yue whispered in reply.

But her voice trembled slightly.

At this distance, she could clearly feel Smith's breath on her face—warm and tingling.

Her cheeks flushed. She turned her head slightly, not wanting to meet his eyes directly in the dim, claustrophobic space.

A heavy silence fell again.

Smith hadn't meant for the situation to turn... intimate. His only thought was to find a place to hide. But now, with their faces barely inches apart, time itself seemed to slow.

Even without touching her skin, Smith noticed the smooth texture of her cheeks, fair and flawless. She smelled faintly of flowers—soft and delicate, like cherry blossoms in the wind. It wasn't an artificial perfume, but something subtle and natural, the kind of scent you only noticed when close.

Her neckline was exposed slightly beneath her combat windbreaker. Her skin was smooth, her neck graceful like sculpted jade, framed by a few loose strands of hair.

Despite trying to look away, Smith couldn't help but feel affected. As a man, his body responded instinctively, which made the situation even more awkward.

Yan Yue noticed the sudden tension.

She froze, eyes widening slightly as she became aware of Smith's... reaction.

"You…"

Her voice was hushed, but her face turned beet red. Even her neck blushed.

"Ahem… this is a normal reaction," Smith mumbled, clearly embarrassed.

In this situation, how could he possibly control it?

The more awkward he felt, the harder it became to suppress.

"…They should be far enough now. Let's go," he said quickly, eager to break the awkward silence.

But just as he reached for the door handle—

Bang!

A loud crash echoed just outside. Someone had slammed another door open, hard enough to rattle the walls.

Whoever it was, they were angry.

"Ugh, it's us again doing the grunt work," a grumbling voice said. "What did we do in a past life to deserve this?"

"Because our rank is low," another replied flatly. "Stop complaining. Just get it done. If we screw up, the leader won't spare us."

"This job's a joke. What could possibly go wrong?"

Smith's hand froze on the door handle. His eyes met Yan Yue's in the dark. Tension filled the tiny space once more.

Bang… Bang…

Doors were being opened one by one, getting closer.

Smith recognized the rhythm. The door next to theirs had just been checked. Theirs was next.

"What do we do?" Yan Yue whispered urgently, panic creeping into her voice.

Smith clenched his jaw. "What else? We fight."

His Sharingan flared to life.

---

Outside, two Burning Fire Clan members had reached the final door.

"Okay, last one. Let's finish this and get out of here."

The door creaked open—

Whoosh!

Two shadows burst out.

"Who?!"

The guards recoiled, surprised by the sudden ambush.

At the same time, two streams of water rose from the fetid sewer beside them.

"Holy Water Strike!" Yan Yue shouted.

Caught off guard, the two men instinctively jumped back to dodge the attack.

That was exactly what Smith had hoped for.

Thud!

A dagger plunged into one man's back. He collapsed with a gurgled cry.

"Pony!" the other cried out in shock, reaching for his weapon—only to meet the deadly gaze of Smith's Sharingan.

Boom!

In an instant, he felt his body freeze.

His limbs were bound by invisible wedges. He couldn't move. He couldn't even blink.

Genjutsu: Magic Shackle Technique.

It immobilized the target by tricking the brain into believing they were physically restrained.

Fortunately, these two were only first-tier advanced psychics, far weaker than Qingfeng or Mingyue. Otherwise, Smith and Yan Yue's sneak attack wouldn't have succeeded so easily.

Smith stepped forward, Sharingan spinning slowly.

"Now then… let's see what you know."

He placed his hand on the man's forehead and triggered another illusion.

"Tell me everything. What's your mission? Why are you hunting us? Who's your leader?"

The man's expression went blank as he sank into the illusion realm.

Yan Yue watched silently, still a little shaken by their close call.

But they had no choice. The deeper they went into the Burning Fire Clan's territory, the clearer it became—this was no ordinary enemy.

This was just the beginning.

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