"Master, I think this brat is just playing you."

For the first time in a while, Wangliang spoke up to fan the flames, his black, expressionless face betraying nothing.

"We're having a family conversation here, outsider. Mind shutting up?"

Gin picked his nose and shot back in his usual irritating tone.

Wangliang's fists clenched. Why were Indra's descendants getting harder and harder to handle? Not like Uchiha Yao, who was so easy to manipulate.

"You were behind Xiao Guang turning into… that, weren't you?!"

Before Wangliang could reply, Gin turned his glare on him. There was no way that girl's bizarre state wasn't his handiwork.

"Heh heh, you guess—"

Wangliang started to dodge the question—

"Yes! It was me!"

—only for his own master to interrupt, spilling the beans first.

Hey hey hey! I just eased up on the mind control a little and this old man starts spilling everything!

"I ordered Wangliang to control Wuming. I didn't expect her power to be so weakened after being sealed, that even you could defeat her."

I didn't! I just released her dark side for a bit — I didn't have time to control her fully!

"Well-played. That yandere act was top-notch."

Hearing Yao's own confession, Gin smirked and gave him a sarcastic little red heart of approval.

"Enough stalling. A-Yin, that jutsu you used against Wuming — it must have drained all your chakra, didn't it?"

Yao, thinking Gin was just stalling to recover, cut to the chase and tore away his "little scheme."

"Hehe… nothing escapes your eyes. Yeah, I'm basically empty now, with just a teeny bit left."

Pretending panic, Gin put on a very convincing act of looking flustered and weak.

"No matter. A-Yin, step back. I'll deal with them."

Tajima stepped forward, shielding Gin behind him, his tone steady and calm.

"I'm sorry, A-Yin… this is my fault…"

Even Xiao Guang, naive as she was, tugged on his sleeve apologetically.

Gin didn't know whether to laugh or cry. His act was so convincing, even his own teammates bought it before the enemy did.

Shu shu shu!

Tajima flicked several fast-spinning shuriken at Yao and Wangliang.

"They're not dodging?"

Seeing them just stand there, Tajima's brows furrowed.

"Wangliang. The clan head underestimates us."

Yao straightened his hunched back slightly, giving the black figure beside him a glance.

Wangliang understood instantly and sank into the shadows on the ground.

The shuriken stopped dead in mid-air as if frozen, and a strange, black-and-white old man emerged silently from the darkness.

"Who the hell is that?"

Tajima glared coldly at the eerie newcomer.

"This is Wangliang's true form — a ghostly assassin,"

Yao said smugly, slipping into typical villain exposition mode.

Watching from the side, Gin rubbed his chin thoughtfully. This "old jailer" seemed to be the real ocular jutsu construct, while the mud form… well, everyone knew what that really was.

Tajima activated his Sharingan, warily tracking the cold, sinister aura of the jailer.

Kyahahaha…

The jailer chuckled, then melted back into the shadows.

Tajima drew his long blade, eyes spinning rapidly as he scanned for the target — nothing.

"You looking for something?"

A raspy voice whispered right behind him. Tajima whipped around with a slash, hitting nothing.

Kyahahaha…

This time, the voice came from below.

He looked down — the old jailer's head was sticking out of his shadow, eyes full of mockery. Another slash, another miss.

Tajima leapt back to put some distance between them, frowning as he analyzed the ability.

"If I'm right, this thing moves through shadows."

A slight smile formed on his face. In just a few moves, he'd already pieced most of it together.

"Not bad, clan head," Yao said approvingly, his face showing a faint trace of pride.

"Teacher taught me well," Tajima replied coldly to his former mentor.

"But even if you know Wangliang's ability, how will you break it?"

Yao's eyes glinted with curiosity at his once-excellent student.

"Teacher, the first thing I learned as clan head…"

Tajima shook his head slightly, his tone full of pride, making Yao frown deeper.

What was he saying? But before he could think it through, Tajima rushed straight past Wangliang and came at him.

"Teacher—times have changed!"

With that, Tajima's Sharingan spun, pouring his vast ocular power into a genjutsu straight at Yao.

Caught off guard, Yao's eyes glazed over and he fell silent.

It seemed almost too easy. Tajima couldn't help but feel a little uneasy — how could Yao collapse this quickly?

"Uncle, behind you!"

Gin, who had been sharing snacks with Xiao Guang on the sidelines, finally called out.

"You're still too green, my dear student…"

A cold, skeletal hand clamped down on Tajima's shoulder from behind.

That voice — it came from behind, yet it was clearly Yao's.

Alarm bells blared in Tajima's mind. How could Yao be behind him if he was trapped in a genjutsu?

The hand's weight was crushing, locking him in place.

Behind him, the old jailer's gray eyes now glowed black, his withered face showing a trace of humanity as he spoke with Yao's voice:"Tajima, your arrogance still hasn't changed."

A dark, twisted energy seeped into Tajima through the hand on his shoulder, filling his mind with violent impulses, his vision clouding as his crimson eyes darkened with a thin black haze.

"You won't control me…!"

Feeling his will slipping, Tajima roared, pouring chakra into his eyes. In one of them, the three tomoe spun faster and faster, merging into a brand-new pattern.

"You call this mind control? You're a rookie at this!"

(End of Chapter)

[Check Out My P@treon For +20 Extra Chapters On All My Fanfics!!][[email protected]/euridome][Thank You For Your Support!]