Mind Body Switch Technique

"Mm, I see it." The scar-mouthed ninja did not explain further, and the two behind him tacitly kept silent.

There was a patch of ground beneath Yamaki Atsushi's feet. Though it had been disguised on the surface, perhaps because there had not been enough time, it still revealed a few flaws. There were obvious signs that it had been dug up.

The "Iwa deserter ninja" quickly connected it to the Konoha Genin who had grabbed his companion earlier. That guy, who did not even wear the little vest of a Konoha Chunin yet moved and reacted faster than one, had disappeared.

He must have hidden underground.

All the "Iwa deserter ninja" present felt that they had discovered the enemy's backup plan. Though they looked down on it, they also shifted part of their attention to the ground beneath Yamaki Atsushi's feet.

"Who exactly is playing tricks? I'll count to three. If you don't make the exchange, forget it. I'm not familiar with the guy in your hands anyway." The scar-mouthed ninja's tone remained as calm as ever. With those words, he played the role of a true deserter ninja to perfection—a group of ruthless brutes without any bottom line.

In ninja battles, psychological warfare through verbal provocation often worked better than direct combat. That was why Naruto was the protagonist: Talk no Jutsu was the strongest ninja technique.

"One."

Before the scar-mouthed ninja could finish saying he would count, Yamaki Atsushi actually began counting first. It was domineering, arrogant, and utterly unexpected, leaving the scar-mouthed ninja and his two underlings staring in dumbfounded disbelief.

Psychological warfare was not something only they could play. Konoha's ninja were no worse at it, and Yamaki Atsushi's sudden act of arrogance did more than merely intimidate them.

The captured deserter ninja, who had just been hanging his head in dejection while clutching his hand, suddenly raised his head and lifted his hands while the three enemies were distracted by Yamaki Atsushi's move. His hands had already formed a special seal—the secret technique seal of the Yamanaka Clan.

Secret Technique: Mind Body Switch Technique

It turned out that the deserter ninja hanging his head and clutching his hand was Xing Ran disguised with the Transformation Technique. The real deserter ninja whom Xing Ran had crushed to death was now buried beneath Yamaki Atsushi's feet.

The sudden sneak attack indeed produced a remarkable effect. The deserter ninja's attention had first been drawn to the freshly turned soil beneath Yamaki Atsushi's feet, then Yamaki Atsushi's unconventional move distracted them again.

Xing Ran, having successfully cast the technique, had already entered the scar-mouthed ninja's body with his soul. The domineering nature of the secret technique immediately revealed itself, and Xing Ran gained control of the body at once.

The hand Xing Ran had been holding while disguised as a deserter ninja had not merely been for show. He had held it so he could prepare the hand seals and gather Chakra in advance, ready to unleash this Yamanaka Clan secret technique at any moment.

This technique required aiming at the enemy, concentrating one's mind into a single point through the soul, then releasing one's Spiritual Power to seize and control the opponent's body. Once it succeeded, victory or defeat was immediately decided. Under normal circumstances, the released spirit could only move in a straight line.

Because it required exhausting all Spiritual Power, both its range and hit rate were greatly limited. If the caster's released spirit failed to hit the opponent, it would be unable to return to the caster's body for a short time, leaving the caster unable to make any movement, including defensive actions. The risks were immense. Moreover, if the opponent was attacked, the caster's own body would also suffer injuries, making it more suitable for gathering intelligence.

To successfully hit the scar-mouthed ninja, Xing Ran had put considerable thought into the earlier tactical preparations.

The Scar-mouthed deserter ninja leading them was actually a Jonin. His orders this time had been to lead several Chunin and Genin across the Land of Fire's border to carry out sabotage behind enemy lines.

With his vigilance, he normally could not have fallen for such a trick so easily. Unfortunately, that was the charm of the ninja world: as long as the tactics were right, weaker opponents killing stronger ones was far from rare.

Xing Ran had prepared for a long time, and with Yamaki Atsushi's excellent performance, the plan had gone smoothly. They had controlled the enemy leader. Not only did they now have a hostage, but Junpei was in the scar-mouthed ninja's hands, which meant their own hostage had also been rescued. They had killed two birds with one stone.

A brilliant plan had succeeded, completely beyond the deserter ninja's expectations.

"Plan Two!"

However, just as the smile on Yamaki Atsushi's face had yet to fully spread, the scar-mouthed ninja controlled by Xing Ran's Mind Body Switch Technique suddenly shouted loudly.

Yamaki Atsushi's smile immediately froze, and at the same time, his hands began forming seals at high speed.

Do not misunderstand. It was not that the scar-mouthed ninja had broken free from Xing Ran's control and issued orders to his underlings. It was Xing Ran warning Yamaki Atsushi through the scar-mouthed ninja.

Plan One was naturally to capture the enemy leader, eliminating their worries while securing another trump card.

But Plan Two was different. Xing Ran had not had much time to explain it to Yamaki Atsushi. He had only told him that if it came to Plan Two, he was to do everything in his power to escape or evade.

Would Yamaki Atsushi evade? Xing Ran's true body had not yet returned to his soul. If he fled, what would happen to Xing Ran's body?

Thus, his first reaction was to form seals and defend with Earth Style: Earth Flow Wall.

Leaving aside Yamaki Atsushi's reaction in that instant, Xing Ran encountered a small accident. His Mind Body Switch Technique had successfully seized control of the enemy's trump card through a sneak attack, and the underlings still had not reacted. Unfortunately, Xing Ran's spiritual soul strength ranked at the bottom even within the Yamanaka Clan. After awakening Superman's weakness, it had become even weaker than before.

So, after occupying another person's body, Xing Ran quickly discovered that he could not suppress the target's mental resistance. In less than two seconds, the other party would break the ninja technique's control. It was enough to bring tears to his eyes—there had never been a Yamanaka Clan ninja this weak.

So Xing Ran could only take a risky approach.

The "scar-mouthed ninja" suddenly tore off Junpei's ninja tool pouch, raised it behind his head, and held it above the three deserter ninja who had stepped forward to negotiate. Then he kicked Junpei toward Xing Ran's true body.

After completing that series of movements, the deserter ninja also realized that something had gone wrong and prepared to attack. Some aimed at Xing Ran, while others targeted Junpei, who had been kicked away.

Xing Ran had already returned to his true body.

X-ray vision + Heat vision

Within 0.1 seconds, Xing Ran locked onto Junpei's ninja tool pouch. Inside was the Explosive Tag he had given away yesterday. Xing Ran's eyes merely blinked inconspicuously. A nearly imperceptible flash of red light passed by, piercing through the ninja tool pouch and striking the Explosive Tag.

"Damn it!"

"Boom!!"

The scar-mouthed ninja had only just regained his senses and had time for a single curse before a massive fireball erupted from the ninja tool pouch in his hands. Flames quickly engulfed the spot where the deserter ninja had been standing, then rolled toward Xing Ran as they chased after Junpei, who was still flying through the air.

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