Absolute Defense

The two iron doors had a pair of gilded Rashōmon demons carved on each leaf, their eyes inlaid with crimson chakra metal orbs that suddenly flared with eerie red light the moment the doors slammed shut.

On the door surfaces, dense sealing incantations emerged, and blue-black rust peeled off like living things, revealing the steel patterns hidden beneath.

Such thick iron doors, though far inferior in defense to the Triple Rashōmon, still had their own unique merits.

"It can actually be like this?!"

Hyuga Asuka stared, his eyeballs nearly popping out of their sockets in shock.

This chubby little genin had actually used a sealing scroll to deploy a defensive tactic as powerful as the Summoning Technique: Rashomon!

How had he even thought of that tactic? It was unbelievable.

Still, sealing scrolls of this grade must be extremely expensive, right?

Which noble clan did this fat genin belong to, to have such wealth?

A whistling sound rang out.

The Wind Release technique was incredibly fast, arriving before its sound; within a few breaths, it had already closed in on the Iron Prison Gate.

The Vortex High-Pressure Wind Ball tore through the air, triggering a burst of air pressure, the cracking sound of the atmosphere splitting so sharp it stung the eardrums.

Wherever the Vortex High-Pressure Wind Ball swept past, the burnt-out birch trees were uprooted, shredded into tiny blade-like fragments, while the surface rock layer was carved and peeled away like tofu, sucked into the wind ball.

In an instant, its power greatly increased, bearing some resemblance to the might of Wind Release: Spiraling Shuriken.

Sssss...

The Vortex High-Pressure Wind Ball struck the Iron Prison Gate in front of Umino Sasuke with pinpoint accuracy. The screech of metal scraping sounded like countless steel blades grinding and cutting, so piercing it set one's teeth on edge.

"Whew..."

Tejudo wiped a cold sweat, his heart pounding violently. How terrifying—if he had used his Steel Pot Wife for defense, he would have been torn to shreds by that Vortex High-Pressure Wind Ball.

The Vortex High-Pressure Wind Ball formed by Wind Release: Grinding Gale was immensely powerful, but the Iron Prison Gate's defense was no less formidable.

"Such strong defense!"

Although Hyuga Asuka had predicted the Iron Prison Gate's toughness, he hadn't expected its defensive power to reach this level.

That terrifying Vortex High-Pressure Wind Ball had only carved a pit less than half a meter deep into the Iron Prison Gate, failing to even break through its first layer of defense.

Compared to the Vortex High-Pressure Wind Ball's power, those kunai and shuriken were like tickling, posing no threat at all. Even the two Explosive Tags had only blasted off some iron shavings.

"Tejudo! Don't let your guard down—strengthen the defense!"

Umino Sasuke warned Tejudo, not daring to relax for a moment, and instead beginning to worry.

Under the perception of the Sonic Radar Technique, Wind Release: Grinding Gale and Earth Release: Earth Mausoleum Dumpling were both B-Rank Ninjutsu. On the surface, Wind Release: Grinding Gale seemed more lethal, but in terms of physical attack, Earth Release: Earth Mausoleum Dumpling was clearly a cut above.

The Iron Prison Gate excelled at defending against elemental ninjutsu, but when it came to physical defense, though stronger than conventional defensive techniques, it was still limited—far from the all-around resilience of Triple Rashomon.

"My Iron Fan Gate's Eldest Wife, your defense is the strongest!"

Tejudo's shout cracked as he channeled his chakra, activating all the defensive seals on the Iron Prison Gate.

Just then.

Rumble...

A dark yellow giant rock sphere, carrying the force of the earth's veins, crashed down.

With a thunderous boom, it slammed into the Iron Prison Gate.

Instantly.

A massive air shockwave, with the force of an avalanche, snapped the burnt birch trees on the surrounding battlefield clean in two.

The giant rock sphere weighed tens of thousands of pounds, its kinetic energy immense, like a meteor falling—comparable to a Zero-Tails strike—piercing straight through the first layer of the Iron Prison Gate.

The steel-forged door groaned and twisted in agony, spiderweb-like cracks radiating from the impact point.

Its momentum slightly diminished, it continued toward the second layer of the Iron Prison Gate.

Another thunderous boom.

The densely packed seals on the second Iron Prison Gate writhed like tadpoles, surging with incredible defensive power, halting the giant rock sphere's terrifying momentum.

"It actually blocked it!"

Hyuga Asuka was stunned.

A mere genin, using a sealing scroll tactic, had completely withstood a group attack comparable to an A-Rank Ninjutsu.

Incredible.

Absolutely unbelievable!

"Whew..."

Tejudo let out a deep breath, overjoyed and immensely grateful. If the captain hadn't taught him this powerful defensive secret technique, he would have been flattened into a meat patty by now.

"It's over—we're completely finished!"

Seeing that brutal assault fully blocked, the Sand Ninjas' hearts sank into despair. In their eyes, they could be torn apart at any moment by the upcoming Water Release Secret Technique.

If the captain's left hand weren't crippled, preventing him from forming hand seals, there might have been a chance to deploy a defensive jutsu. But now, with no tricks left, they could only wait for death.

"Captain, what do we do?"

"Are we all going to die here? If we start running now, is it still too late?"

"Yako is still waiting for me back in the village—I can't die."

These Sand Ninja had lost all trace of the Will of Wind's spirit, their hearts already leaning toward retreat.

Even the Hedgehog-Haired Jonin was no exception.

"Huh? What's going on here?"

Outside the battlefield, Gekko Yoru looked as if he'd seen a ghost, shock and suspicion flooding his eyes as he spotted something unusual about the [Uchiha Jonin] hiding behind the Iron Prison Gate.

It turned out that under the ten-thousand-ton impact of the Giant Rock Sphere, a powerful wave of air pressure had formed in the atmosphere, transmitting to Umino Sasuke and disrupting his Transformation Jutsu. At last, Gekko Yoru saw through the ruse.

Gekko Yoru's Heart Tightened. He could hardly believe his own eyes—how could anyone's Transformation Jutsu be so masterful that even he couldn't tell the difference? He was from the Gekko Clan; while his insight might not match the Hyuga or Uchiha, it was still among the best in Konoha. And yet he'd only noticed now?

To confirm whether his eyes were deceiving him, Gekko Yoru shot a glance at Hyuga Asuka not far away. "Asuka?"

"Mm!" Hyuga Asuka nodded firmly, signaling that it wasn't a genjutsu. The fake [Uchiha] from earlier was just this patrol Chunin, transformed with a masterful Transformation Jutsu.

"How can this be!"

Sarutobi Kagejiro beside him was stunned, his mouth agape in disbelief. "Impossible, this has to be genjutsu. The Uchiha's Sharingan can't be fake. Transformation Jutsu—"

"Kagejiro!"

Hyuga Asuka immediately cut off Sarutobi Kagejiro's next words, loudly warning him to say no more to prevent leaking intelligence.

"Huh?" Sarutobi Kagejiro finally realized his reckless move—he'd exposed his own side's ninja information. Chastised by his teammate, he felt his pride wounded but couldn't argue back. He could only mutter softly, somewhat aggrieved in self-defense, "I, I didn't mean to."

"Kagejiro!"

This time, Hyuga Asuka was truly angry, his voice even sharper in warning: don't say another word. If you keep going, you really will leak intelligence.

Poisoned by the Sand Poison, Hyuga Asuka collapsed to the ground, clearly having reached his limit.

The Sand Poison inside him kept eroding, to the point where he could no longer even stand steady.

Slap!

Umino Sasuke, having dispelled his Transformation Jutsu behind the Iron Prison Gate, slapped a hand to his Forehead Protector, utterly speechless. If it had been an unintentional slip leaking intelligence, that could be forgiven.

But then to go and defend himself—that was just stupid. It was practically begging the Sand Ninja to realize the information had been leaked and to cross-check it in reverse.