Invasion Operation

Touma was able to participate in this mission because of his strength; even if he could not provide much help during the operation, he was at least capable of protecting himself and retreating unscathed.

Of course, Shibi, who could activate "Insect Sage Mode," also possessed impressive combat power, but he was a typical "three-minute man." His combat strength could not be sustained, and once those three minutes were up, he would revert to the strength of a genin.

Therefore, from a standpoint of responsibility, Shinku Yuhi could not possibly allow Shibi to participate in this mission.

Haruno Kizashi was even less worth mentioning; even if he took secret medicine to temporarily boost his potential, he could only exert combat power approaching that of a chunin. On a battlefield between jonin, he would only be reduced to the most basic cannon fodder.

Consequently, Touma arranged for these two companions to stay at the dungeon previously provided by the Heavenly Fire Cult, tasking them with guarding the Yomi Sect members whose chakra points had been sealed.

Naturally, to give them a sense of participation, Touma specifically requested that Teacher Shinku establish a communication link based on genjutsu for the three of them, allowing the two to see the images from his own eyes in real-time.

To be honest, before Touma proposed this idea, Shinku Yuhi—a master of genjutsu—had never imagined that genjutsu could be used in such a way. It truly broadened his horizons, and he even developed new ideas for improving the genjutsu he already mastered, allowing him to significantly expand the coverage and effective range of his techniques.

This concept of genjutsu communication was not Touma's own invention, nor did he see it from Orochimaru; rather, after mastering basic genjutsu, he recalled the "Genjutsu Communication" used by the Kara organization in Boruto and improvised the idea himself.

And it must be said, Teacher Shinku was fully capable of compensating for Touma's technical shortcomings, successfully replicating the genjutsu effect with remarkable accuracy in a short amount of time!

However, because it had just been developed, this genjutsu communication technique, which Teacher Shinku named "Phantom Leaf Transmission," did not have a very long range, temporarily maintaining stable communication only within a 3-kilometer radius.

But according to Teacher Shinku, once there was time to deeply optimize and improve the ninjutsu structure, the communication range would absolutely see a very significant increase, as the chakra consumption of "Phantom Leaf Transmission" was not high, leaving plenty of room for improvement!

After Shinku Yuhi and Touma rendezvoused with the ninjas from Shin-Gaku Village and Kairan Village, they made a preliminary plan for the hired ninjas from the two villages to launch an attack from both sides of the Sugiyama clan grounds, while he and his disciple would use the chaos to infiltrate the depths of the compound to search for the location of Onizuka Kenichi.

If they could directly control Onizuka Kenichi, that would be ideal; if they could not, they would have to prepare a large-scale genjutsu to cover the entire Sugiyama compound, causing the members of the Sugiyama clan to fall into a deep sleep first to prevent them from participating in the battle under manipulation.

The Water Release ninjutsu of the Kairan Village ninjas unleashed the expected momentum; dozens of water dragons, blotting out the sky, smashed into the defensive barrier of the Sugiyama clan grounds, overloading the barrier in one go and causing it to cease operation!

However, it was likely because the Land of Whirlpools had been destroyed not long ago, and the Sugiyama clan could not find a suitable sealing-jutsu ninja to help them maintain the barrier, so their family barrier appeared relatively fragile.

With the compound's defensive barrier broken, the guard squad within the Sugiyama clan could not sit idly by and immediately emerged to engage the ninjas from Shin-Gaku and Kairan.

Aiming for this moment, Shinku Yuhi placed his hand on Touma's shoulder and used the Body Flicker Technique to bring him inside.

Throughout the entire process, both were in a state of invisibility; furthermore, through the chakra transmitted by Teacher Shinku, Touma's feet moving rapidly across the ground did not make a single sound. This was the Silent Step Technique unique to Shinku Yuhi.

It should be known that Touma had never seen similar techniques in Orochimaru's training records; perhaps for Orochimaru, this type of movement technique, which was like an instinct to him, had no value in being recorded.

And his cheap father, Dou Huan, was a purely combat-oriented ninja who was completely clueless about assassination and infiltration techniques—he didn't know the first thing about them—so Touma could not find a place to learn such things.

Teacher Shinku's Silent Step Technique could not only be combined with the Body Flicker Technique but also incorporated elements of genjutsu. It not only completely eliminated sound but also allowed him to turn the tables on ninjas who attempted to use sensory techniques to track his footsteps, using the special frequency of his silent steps to invade their sensory techniques and trap them in a genjutsu.

This made Touma increasingly interested in genjutsu-type ninjas; he had previously thought that genjutsu-type ninjas just stood there and fought others in the spiritual realm!

Seeing the pleasant surprise in Touma's eyes, the corners of Shinku Yuhi's mouth could not help but curl upward. It seemed this disciple finally saw the merits of his teacher.

Before this, he had truly been worried about having nothing to teach his disciple, which had made him feel quite frustrated as a teacher!

After becoming familiar with the Silent Step Technique, Touma also began to intentionally leave his chakra markers in various places within the Sugiyama compound; this was in preparation for his "Earth-Shrinking Technique."

Because the "Earth-Shrinking Technique" originated from the "Substitution Technique," it naturally could not escape the limitations of the "Substitution Technique."

Even if the performance of the "Earth-Shrinking Technique" in battle was not inferior to the "Flying Thunder God," once an enemy possessed decent sensory abilities and saw through the chakra markers he left behind, his movement trajectory would no longer be a secret.

Of course, for now, the intelligence regarding his "Earth-Shrinking Technique" was known only to himself, and the only person who had come into close contact with the "Earth-Shrinking Technique," Hozuki Mitsuki, was currently being tortured to the point of being ruined by the Intelligence Department's interrogation squad. Therefore, the "Earth-Shrinking Technique" could still play a role for the time being!

Teacher Shinku was very fast; after finding a few people and interrogating them with genjutsu, he roughly deduced the hiding place of Onizuka Kenichi and the others. They were hiding beneath Taian Temple, the family temple of the Sugiyama clan.

Yes, you read that right; the Sugiyama clan's compound was large enough to house a temple within its grounds.

Generally speaking, temples in the ninja world either worshiped conventional Buddhas or indigenous local deities.

If it were a noble family's ancestral temple, it would mostly worship the family's ancestors. However, the Sugiyama clan was different; what they worshiped was actually a Death God—the very same Death God that the Uzumaki clan could summon through sealing jutsu.

Just as they entered the temple gate, Shinku Yuhi and Touma simultaneously felt a chill that pierced straight to their spines. Clearly, the things inside were highly abnormal; calling them eerie would not be an exaggeration.

The two simultaneously activated the "Evil Sealing Seal" left on their chests. The two circles of six tomoe on the "Evil Sealing Seal" rotated quietly, and instantly, a warm current spread throughout their bodies, pulling them back from that chill.

Shinku Yuhi and Touma exchanged a glance, tacitly increasing the output of their invisibility techniques, minimizing their breathing rhythms, and suppressing their chakra signatures as well.

Shinku Yuhi's invisibility technique was the "Lamp Phantom Body Technique," developed based on visual genjutsu, while Touma used the "Scale Concealment Technique," a snake-style invisibility technique developed by Orochimaru.

However, in terms of masking one's presence, the "Scale Concealment Technique," which deeply simulated reptilian traits, was certainly superior.

Sure enough, just as the master and disciple walked into the main hall of the temple, dozens of ghostly green flames suddenly appeared out of thin air, aiming straight at Shinku Yuhi and smashing toward him!