Chapter 98: Iwagakure Kunoichi – Haitsuchi
When casting the jutsu, I'll shout its name out loud on purpose.
Anyone who doesn't understand will think it's genjutsu and attempt to break it by disrupting their chakra flow—that's when they'll fall into the trap, unable to dispel the Sensory Deprivation Technique.
Although the chakra used in the Darkness Technique is of genjutsu type and theoretically susceptible to chakra disruption, the underlying mechanism is different. Simply disturbing the flow of chakra isn't enough to undo its effect on severing neural signals.
That's because their operational principles differ fundamentally.
Traditional genjutsu, which disrupts perception, works like a reflection of the moon in water. The illusion remains stable only while the "surface" is undisturbed.
Once a ripple forms, the illusion distorts and becomes recognizable.
Disrupting your own chakra flow is like creating a ripple on that surface—it breaks the illusion's disturbance and ends the genjutsu.
But the Darkness Technique is different—it's like a thin layer of water muffling sound, blocking the transmission of sensory signals.
Disturbing chakra flow is like creating ripples in that water curtain.
But it doesn't break the barrier.
As long as the curtain holds, the signal remains blocked.
Thus, someone under the Darkness Technique can't break it just by disrupting their chakra.
They would need to do what the two rogue ninjas did: trigger a powerful chakra burst within their body to forcefully break the barrier and reestablish the severed sensory pathways.
But triggering a chakra burst inside the brain is no small matter—especially considering how delicate and dangerous the brain is. One wrong move, and you end up like those two.
Those two rogue ninjas were done for.
Even if alive, they'd be in pain. After draining them of their chakra, Li Yao casually crushed their skulls and sent them off to the Pure Land.
Squish squish...
Li Yao turned abruptly, startled by the sound. The fat man on the bed had surprisingly recovered his strength and was groaning again, making Li Yao… rather uncomfortable.
He glanced down and suddenly realized—his body wasn't as boyish as he thought. It already possessed some of a man's desires and impulses.
Squelch!
A Black Iron Chain shot from Li Yao's palm, piercing through the fat man and the woman beneath him. The vile noises stopped instantly.
Retracting the chain, Li Yao considered the experiment complete—there was no reason to let them live.
He headed to the fourth floor, which was entirely a kitchen. It bustled with people—civilians under genjutsu chakra, preparing food for him.
Roast chicken, rice balls, sushi, oden, ramen, grilled meat…
Everything was being cooked with order and precision.
Li Yao sat by a window on a wooden chair, gazing into the night as he waited for his meal.
"Hm..."
He suddenly frowned. Earlier, he had sensed a group of ninja approaching—likely a squad.
"Have I been discovered?"
He wondered, but made no move to flee.
Among them, only one adult kunoichi had chakra levels close to jōnin. The other three were clearly fresh genin—no threat.
"Perfect. I can test the new genjutsu."
A flash of anticipation crossed his eyes, and a cruel smile tugged at his lips as he waited for the Iwagakure squad to arrive.
"Stop."
Five hundred meters away, on a rooftop, a woman in a form-fitting red-brown robe with striking curves sniffed the air. Her rounded nose twitched slightly, and her face changed subtly. She crouched and signaled the team to halt.
One of the three kids behind her—a black-haired boy wearing goggles—asked, "What's wrong, Haitsuchi-sensei?"
Haitsuchi, the kunoichi in question, was an Iwagakure jōnin and the instructor for the three freshly graduated genin.
Frowning, she sniffed again. "There's a scent of blood."
From the direction of the large building ahead, a strong stench wafted through the air—someone had definitely died there.
She immediately formed hand seals and summoned an Earth Clone to scout, then turned to her students: "Get ready. There may be enemy shinobi here."
"Enemy shinobi?!"
"Yes, Haitsuchi-sensei!"
The three rookie genin, wide-eyed and eager, responded with visible excitement.
They had been doing harmless D-rank missions for weeks—they were dying to face a real ninja.
They didn't yet understand that a shinobi's job could be deadly.
Haitsuchi, on the other hand, remained tense and wary.
This was wartime—anything could happen.
This mission had supposedly been about helping a man find his wife—no ninja involvement.
But when she discovered today that the wife had likely been taken by the city's wealthiest man, Haitsuchi immediately realized they'd been tricked.
Everyone in the city knew that wealthy man had two rogue ninjas protecting him.
No way the client didn't know his wife had been taken there.
He had simply lured the village into intervening on his behalf.
This was a B-rank mission, not a D-rank.
Frustrated, Haitsuchi didn't blame the man—but she definitely blamed the fat noble who stole someone's wife.
She had planned to confront him tonight.
But even before reaching the building, the thick scent of blood made it clear—something had already gone down.
Whether it was the noble killing someone or being killed himself, she didn't know.
Either way, caution was the only wise option—she had three students to protect.
"So cautious!"
Back in the building, Li Yao sensed the kunoichi sending a clone and wasn't entirely surprised.
This era of shinobi warfare was about gathering intel faster than your opponent—and fighting smarter, not just harder.
Clones were an excellent tool for recon.
Crash!
The glass shattered. Wearing his Black Iron Feather Cloak and propelled by two chains, Li Yao flew directly past the Earth Clone—straight for the kunoichi 500 meters away.
"Earth Style: Earth Dragon Bullet!"
Haitsuchi reacted instantly, forming hand seals. A dragon's head burst from the slanted rooftop, launching football-sized clumps of earth toward him.
Boom boom... Li Yao responded with a flick of his wrists—two lightning-infused Black Iron Chains smashed the earthen projectiles midair.
"Run!"
Seeing the chains, Haitsuchi's pupils contracted. She turned and shouted to her students, "Go to the rendezvous point!"
She had heard of Li Yao from her father.
Though the whole "immortality" claim was dubious, Li Yao's ability to escape from both the Third Hokage and Uzumaki Mito was acknowledged by all.
Especially his black sealing chains—no one doubted their power. Iwagakure wanted them badly, but with the war ongoing, they hadn't had the resources to pursue him.
Who would've thought she'd be the one to run into him in the Land of Earth?
Knowing the danger, Haitsuchi ordered her students to retreat—only alone could she deal with Li Yao.
But the three genin didn't know how dangerous Li Yao truly was. There was no way they'd abandon their teacher. They began forming hand seals to cast their own Earth techniques to help.
Seeing this, Haitsuchi shook her head. Still too young.
"Earth Style—" She began forming seals to raise an Earth Wall and block Li Yao.
Too late.
Li Yao had already entered within fifty meters.
Other genjutsu users might struggle at this distance. But not Li Yao—with absolute control over chakra, it was effortless.
"Genjutsu – Sensory Deprivation Technique!" he shouted, clapping his hands.
In truth, his genjutsu chakra had already infiltrated Haitsuchi, wrapping around her brain and severing every signal path from her sensory cells.
Instantly, her world went dark.
Sight, sound, smell, touch—every physical sensation vanished.
Only her mind remained conscious.
She had clearly heard Li Yao's words:
"Genjutsu – Sensory Deprivation Technique."
(END CHAPTER)
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