Invasion

Touma could take part in the mission because of his strength. Even if he couldn't offer much help during the mission, he was still capable enough to protect himself and make it out in one piece.

Of course, Shibi, who could enter Insect Sage Mode, also had impressive combat strength. But he was the classic three-minute wonder: his strength couldn't last, and once those three minutes were up, he was back to Genin-level strength.

So, out of a sense of responsibility, Shinku Yuhi couldn't possibly let Shibi take part in this mission.

Haruno Kizashi was even less suited for it. Even if he took a secret drug and temporarily pushed himself past his limits, he could only reach near-Chunin strength. On a battlefield of Jonin, he'd be little more than basic cannon fodder.

So Touma assigned these two companions to the dungeon the Heavenly Fire Cult had provided earlier, where they could guard the Yomi Sect followers whose chakra points had been sealed.

Of course, so they wouldn't feel completely left out, Touma specifically asked Teacher Shinku to establish a genjutsu-based communication link for the three of them, allowing the two to see what he saw through his eyes in real time.

To be honest, before Touma suggested the idea, even Shinku Yuhi, a genjutsu master, hadn't considered that genjutsu could be used this way. It had truly opened his eyes, and even given him new ideas for improving the genjutsu he already knew, greatly expanding their range and effective distance.

The idea for this genjutsu communication technique wasn't Touma's own, nor had he seen it in Orochimaru's notes. After learning the basics of genjutsu, he'd thought of it himself after recalling the "Genjutsu: Communication" used by Kara in Boruto.

And, as it turned out, Teacher Shinku was fully capable of making up for Touma's technical shortcomings. He managed to reproduce an almost identical genjutsu effect in no time!

However, since it had only just been developed, this genjutsu communication technique—named Phantom Leaf Transmission by Teacher Shinku—didn't have much range. For now, it could only maintain a stable connection within three kilometers.

But according to Teacher Shinku, once he had time to optimize its structure in depth, its range would improve dramatically. Phantom Leaf Transmission didn't consume much chakra, so it had plenty of room for improvement!

After Shinku Yuhi and Touma met up with the ninjas from Shin-Gaku Village and Kairan Village, they made a preliminary plan: the hired shinobi from both villages would attack the Sugiyama Clan compound from either side, while he and his student would take advantage of the chaos to sneak into the compound and search for Onizuka Kenichi.

If they could take Onizuka Kenichi under control directly, that would be ideal. If not, they'd have to blanket the entire Sugiyama Clan compound with genjutsu, putting the clan members to sleep first so they wouldn't be manipulated into joining the battle.

The Kairan Village ninjas' Water Release Ninjutsu made the kind of spectacle they'd expected. Dozens of water dragons blotted out the sky as they crashed into the Sugiyama Clan's defensive barrier. In a single strike, they overloaded it and shut it down!

That said, it was probably because the Land of Whirlpools had only recently fallen that the Sugiyama Clan couldn't find a suitable Sealing Jutsu ninja to help maintain the barrier. As a result, it seemed relatively fragile.

With the compound's defensive barrier broken, the Sugiyama Clan's guard squad couldn't just sit back and do nothing. They rushed out and engaged the shinobi from Shin-Gaku Village and Kairan Village.

Seizing the moment, Shinku Yuhi put a hand on Touma's shoulder and used Body Flicker to whisk him inside.

Throughout the entire process, the two of them remained invisible. What was more, chakra transmitted from Teacher Shinku let Touma move at high speed without making a sound. It was a Silent Step Technique unique to Shinku Yuhi.

Touma had never seen anything like it in Orochimaru's training notes. Maybe to Orochimaru, a movement technique that came as naturally as breathing wasn't worth recording.

Meanwhile, Touma's cheap father, Dou Huan, was a pure combat-type shinobi. When it came to skills like assassination and infiltration, he was so hopeless he might as well have known nothing at all. So Touma had never had anyone to teach him this sort of thing.

Teacher Shinku's Silent Step Technique could be combined with Body Flicker and even incorporated some genjutsu. It not only eliminated all sound, but also let him turn the tables on shinobi trying to sense his footsteps. By using a special rhythm in his steps to infiltrate their sensory techniques, he could put them under genjutsu instead.

This only made Touma more and more interested in genjutsu specialists. He'd previously thought they just stood around and fought people in the mental realm!

Seeing the delighted look in Touma's eyes, Shinku Yuhi couldn't help but smile. It seemed his student had finally noticed his teacher's strengths.

Before this, he'd genuinely worried he had nothing to teach his student. It had left him feeling like a failure as a teacher!

Once he'd gotten used to the Silent Step Technique, Touma began deliberately leaving chakra markers around the Sugiyama Clan compound. They were for his Earth-Shrinking Technique.

Since the Earth-Shrinking Technique originated from the Substitution Technique, it naturally couldn't escape the limitations of its predecessor.

In battle, the Earth-Shrinking Technique could perform just as well as the Flying Thunder God Technique. But if an enemy had good sensory abilities and discovered the chakra markers he'd left behind, his movements would no longer be a secret.

Of course, right now, only Touma knew anything about his Earth-Shrinking Technique. The only person who'd ever encountered it up close, Hozuki Mitsuki, had nearly been interrogated to the point of being ruined by the Intelligence Division's Torture and Interrogation Force. So for the time being, the Earth-Shrinking Technique could still be useful!

Teacher Shinku was quick. After interrogating a few people with genjutsu, he'd roughly figured out where Onizuka Kenichi and the others were hiding: beneath Taian Temple, the Sugiyama Clan's family shrine.

That's right, you read that correctly. The Sugiyama Clan compound was large enough to have an entire temple within its grounds.

Generally speaking, temples in the Shinobi World either enshrined the usual Buddhas or worshipped local deities.

Family shrines belonging to noble clans usually enshrined their ancestors. But the Sugiyama Clan was different. They worshipped a shinigami—the very same one the Uzumaki Clan could summon with Sealing Jutsu.

The moment they stepped through the temple gate, Shinku Yuhi and Touma both felt a chill that seemed to pierce their spines. There was clearly something very wrong inside. "Eerie" hardly did it justice.

The two of them simultaneously activated the Evil Sealing Seal on their chests. The six Tomoe in its two rings began to turn silently, and a wave of warmth spread through their bodies, bringing them back from the chill.

Shinku Yuhi and Touma exchanged a glance. In tacit agreement, they increased the strength of their Invisibility Techniques, slowed their breathing as much as possible, and concealed their chakra signatures.

Shinku Yuhi's Invisibility Technique, the Lamp Phantom Body Technique, had been developed from visual genjutsu. Touma used the Scale Concealment Technique, an Invisibility Technique developed by Orochimaru.

But when it came to concealing one's presence, Scale Concealment Technique, which closely imitated reptiles, was unquestionably superior.

Sure enough, just as the two of them entered the temple's main hall, dozens of ghostly green flames suddenly appeared out of nowhere and shot straight at Shinku Yuhi!