The Captive "Locksmith"

Lu You clenched his fists.

They had assembled so many of Konoha's elites.

Sharingan, Byakugan, Genjutsu, Eight Gates, along with the coordination of Ino–Shika–Chō.

Yet Hinata Yota had died in battle.

Kakashi had fallen unconscious.

Might Guy had been suppressed head-on.

Kurenai Yuhi's Genjutsu had collapsed at the slightest touch.

The Root operatives had died one after another within the white mist.

It was not that they were too weak.

It was that every one of their abilities had been perfectly countered by Lie Yang!

On the other side of the mist, Lie Yang had originally been preparing to evade Torifu Akimichi's next charge when his movements abruptly halted.

A strange, faint will entered his spiritual domain without warning.

It was not Kurenai Yuhi's Genjutsu.

This will did not create illusions or distort his senses. Instead, it charged straight toward the source of his mind, attempting to seize control of his body.

Lie Yang's consciousness trembled slightly.

The next instant, the spirit accumulated across two lifetimes and the will tempered by the First-Stage Gene Lock surged together.

The invading will seemed to have crashed into an immovable iron wall.

With a single thought, Lie Yang could have crushed it completely.

But he did not.

For the first time, a distinct change appeared in his eyes.

It was neither anger nor wariness.

It was delight!

The instant the unfamiliar will touched the source of his mind, his spirit experienced a boiling sensation remarkably similar to when he had first unlocked the Gene Lock.

All his thoughts became intensely focused in an instant.

His spiritual power continuously gathered toward its deepest depths.

The higher shackle beyond the First-Stage Gene Lock, which he had never been able to clearly reach, revealed a faint outline for the first time!

"Found it."

Lie Yang spoke softly.

Yamanaka Daito, hidden on the outskirts of the battlefield, went deathly pale.

His hands formed a special seal. His entire consciousness had already entered Lie Yang's spiritual domain through the Mind Body Switch Technique.

Normally, once the technique succeeded, he should have immediately gained control of the target's body.

But his consciousness could not even break through the outermost edge of Lie Yang's spiritual source.

That will was too powerful!

It was as though it had been tempered through countless deaths and agonies. It contained not the slightest stray thought, nor any crack that could be shaken.

Yamanaka Daito finally understood why Kurenai Yuhi could not dispel the Genjutsu on Kakashi.

Spiritual power at this level far exceeded the comprehension of ordinary ninja.

What frightened him even more was that Lie Yang had not expelled him.

His opponent was observing his consciousness!

"Not good!"

Yamanaka Daito forcibly cut off the Mind Body Switch Technique.

The unfamiliar will swiftly withdrew from Lie Yang's spiritual domain.

Lie Yang did not stop it.

That instant had been enough.

A life-or-death crisis was not the true core of the Gene Lock.

Death was merely an external force.

In the most direct way possible, it forced a living being to gather spirit, will, and bodily instinct into a single point, thereby smashing open the shackles buried deep within its genes.

What truly mattered was extreme concentration.

And the Yamanaka Clan's Mind Body Switch Technique could bypass external pressure and directly invade the source of the mind!

Lie Yang turned toward the depths of the white mist.

He had found the opportunity to unlock the Second-Stage Gene Lock.

Lu You was still trying to determine Lie Yang's location.

The next moment, Might Guy emerged from the mist with unconscious Kakashi on his back and landed beside him.

"We can't keep fighting."

Might Guy's right arm hung limply at his side, while the burden from opening the Third Gate was rapidly catching up with him.

"Kakashi's condition is getting worse."

Kurenai Yuhi followed close behind.

"I can only protect his mind temporarily. I can't dispel the Genjutsu."

"If this drags on, he may never wake up."

Torifu Akimichi said in a deep voice, "I can use the Butterfly Secret Technique one more time."

Lu You looked at the others.

He was unwilling to accept it.

But Hinata Yota was already dead, and the two Root ninja had also lost all signs of chakra.

If they continued fighting, the only outcome would be total annihilation.

The intelligence no longer mattered.

Uchiha Lieyang's strength simply could not be accurately described with words.

"Retreat!"

Lu You gave the order decisively.

"Torifu, cover us!"

Torifu Akimichi gritted his teeth as crimson butterfly wings spread from his back once more.

Immense chakra churned the white mist as thunderous roars and violent winds erupted together.

A massive butterfly silhouette blanketed the battlefield, concealing everyone's footsteps and chakra fluctuations.

Lu You rushed to Hinata Yota's corpse and collected both his head and body.

Might Guy secured Kakashi firmly to his back.

Kurenai Yuhi stood guard beside them, continuously using chakra to sustain his mind.

Using the roar of the butterfly wings as cover, the group swiftly withdrew.

No one noticed that another set of footsteps had already blended in among them.

Concealed by the white mist and butterfly shadow, Lie Yang silently followed behind the group.

His target was not Kakashi.

Nor was it Might Guy.

Kakashi had a bond with Uchiha Obito.

Might Guy had the potential to open the Gate of Death.

Shisui Uchiha possessed Kotoamatsukami.

Fugaku Uchiha also possessed the Mangekyō Sharingan.

Those four were the truly dangerous opponents Lie Yang had marked out.

Earlier, he had gravely wounded Kakashi with Genjutsu but had not killed him because he did not want to draw Obito's attention.

The other Konoha ninja were not worth fearing.

Lie Yang's senses passed over the retreating group and locked onto the aura at the very rear, which was gradually falling behind.

Yamanaka Daito had only just ended the Mind Body Switch Technique. His spirit had suffered backlash, and he was slowing down more and more.

By the time he realized there were no companions around him, a hand had settled on his shoulder.

Yamanaka Daito's body stiffened.

"It's you..."

Lie Yang stood behind him.

Yamanaka Daito suddenly bit down on the poison hidden in his teeth.

Lie Yang's finger struck his jaw first.

Crack!

His jaw dislocated.

Immediately afterward, four crisp cracks rang out in succession.

All four joints in Yamanaka Daito's limbs were dislocated, and his body crumpled limply to the ground.

He tried to use chakra to strike at his heart, but Lie Yang brought a palm down on the back of his neck and knocked him unconscious.

Lie Yang picked up Yamanaka Daito and vanished into the depths of the forest.

One day later.

Inside a hidden cave far from the battlefield, Yamanaka Daito slowly regained consciousness.

The instant he opened his eyes, he saw a pair of Mangekyō Sharingan.

Terrifying ocular power pressed into his mind.

Yamanaka Daito's body began to tremble uncontrollably.

Lie Yang had already reset his dislocated limbs. Calmly, he said, "Use the Mind Body Switch Technique on me one more time."

Yamanaka Daito gritted his teeth.

"In your dreams."

The Mangekyō pattern slowly rotated.

Yamanaka Daito felt as though an invisible hand had seized his mind, and unbearable pain erupted from the depths of his consciousness.

He lasted less than three breaths.

"Stop!"

"I'll do it!"

Lie Yang withdrew his ocular power.

Yamanaka Daito panted for a long time before struggling to raise his hands and form seals.

"Mind Body Switch Technique!"

The unfamiliar will invaded Lie Yang's spiritual domain once again.

The source of his mind received direct stimulation.

Countless thoughts instantly converged.

That familiar boiling sensation appeared once more, clearer than it had been the first time.

Lie Yang did not expel him.

He deliberately restrained his will, allowing the invading force to continue touching the deepest part of his mind.

A life-or-death crisis was merely an external force that brought the mind into intense focus.

But the Mind Body Switch Technique could directly bypass the body and senses, shaking the source of the mind.

As long as he repeated this process, he could stabilize this insight and find the true location of the second genetic shackle.

Lie Yang closed his eyes, allowing the unfamiliar will to continuously stimulate the source of his mind and lay the foundation for breaking through the Second-Stage Gene Lock.