"Wait—something's off."
The spiky-haired Sand Jonin halted his team's retreat, his eyes glinting with cold suspicion.
His gaze sharpened, as if trying to mimic the Byakugan and peer straight through the Iron Prison Gate, verifying whether the monkey-masked Konoha ninja's "leaked intel" was true—was this all just a Transformation Jutsu bluff?
Seeing the Sand ninja preparing to investigate, Moonlight Yoru panicked internally but kept his composure. With a light chuckle, he smoothly covered:
"Eijiro, you've gotten smarter. Using fake intel for tactical deception now? But it's unnecessary—they'd never believe it."
He deliberately paused ever so slightly on the word "fake."
Sarutobi Eijiro: ???
What tactical deception? Since when was I doing that?!
"That's right—that expression! You're acting so convincing, even I almost believed it," Moonlight Yoru continued, nodding approvingly as if praising Eijiro's "performance." "But it's pointless. A master-level Mechanized Puppet Technique, five hand seals per second, tactical prowess beyond a Jonin's—everything proves this Uchiha Jonin's real capabilities."
He sighed, feigning regret. "With such obvious evidence, how could they possibly fall for your 'fake intel'?"
Behind the Iron Prison Gate, Umino Yoru rubbed his chin, amused. "Heh. Sounds so convincing, I almost believe it myself."
Moonlight Yoru's battlefield adaptability is impressive.
But even with quick thinking, would it work? A Sand Jonin's insight wasn't something ordinary ninja could match.
"Captain!"Shukido flashed a thumbs-up—the Might Guy-style "Youthful Encouragement" gesture.
Clearly, hearing Yoru's exaggerated praise made him puff up with pride.
The Sand ninja hesitated. Moonlight's reasoning did make sense. Their retreating resolve wavered again.
Now they were stuck—advance or retreat?
"This—" The bald Chunin's mind spun into chaos. He could only look to his captain for guidance.
"Ganryu, don't fall for it again!" The spiky Jonin's voice was icy. "This has to be a Transformation Jutsu bluff. Hiding like this? Not the Uchiha's style."
A veteran of countless battles, he'd sensed something off earlier—but the enemy's tempo had kept him off-balance. Now, thinking clearly:
If this guy really seals five hand signs per second, he'd have finished hundreds by now. So where's the jutsu?
"What kind of technique needs hundreds of seals? It's all fake!"
The Sand ninja nearly coughed up blood. They'd been fooled again—and they still didn't even know who they were fighting!
From the moment they'd stepped onto this battlefield, they'd been trapped in a meticulously laid snare. Their opponent had controlled the entire tempo, leading them by the nose into this mess.
If this wasn't an Uchiha Jonin, their initial guess was likely right: a Konoha Jonin specializing in mechanized puppets, weak in elemental ninjutsu and close combat, but a master of tactical deception, Transformation Jutsu, and sensory skills.
And now? This "puppet master" had exhausted most of his explosive tags and tools. This might be their chance to reclaim the mission intel!
The Sand Jonin's analysis was flawless—except for one detail.
Umino Yoru wasn't a Jonin.
"What now?!" Shukido frantically signaled, asking if they should retreat.
Their three-trick arsenal—explosive tags, tools, bluffs—was spent. Their combat power had hit rock bottom.
Yoru shook his head. Wait and see.
Sarutobi Eijiro might be an idiot, but his teammate Moonlight Yoru? Sharp reflexes, solid tactics—reliable.
"Let's see who you really are!"
The puppet-specialist Special Jonin formed seals and unleashed a wind technique.
"Wind Style: Sandstorm Vortex!"
Two spiraling tornadoes, carrying shredding sand, roared toward the Iron Prison Gate from both sides.
But with Sound Wave Radar, Yoru tracked every move. He still controlled the tempo.
"Go!"
Grabbing Shukido, he channeled chakra to his feet and ran straight up the gate, flipping over the top just as the twin storms collided behind it.
BOOM!
Sand and debris exploded—but the two landed safely atop a boulder, untouched.
"A… Konoha patrol Chunin?!"
The Sand ninja stared in disbelief. They recognized that uniform—they'd just slaughtered an entire Konoha patrol squad.
That familiarity made it even more unsettling.
"Another Transformation Jutsu," the spiky Jonin growled. No way this was just some random Chunin.
"Konoha Jonin… when it comes to Transformation Jutsu, I declare you the strongest!"
He scrutinized Yoru but found zero flaws. The disguise was flawless.
"Don't let your guard down! This is another deception!" he barked at his team. **"First, he posed as an Uchiha to make us overestimate him, wasting our chakra and tools. Now, he's pretending to be a weakling to lure us into underestimating him. Don't fall for it!"**
"Yes, Captain!"
The Sand ninja nodded vigorously, praising his brilliance. This was why he was a Jonin—unmatched battlefield insight!
This Konoha ninja was sneaky. Trying to trick them again?
Not happening.