Arriving beneath the thick walls of the fortress, Mamoru's eyes narrowed slightly, his deep black pupils suddenly transforming into a cold, blue.
"Four layers of Earth Style Wall? And even a Hardening Technique applied." He clicked his tongue lightly, his tone mocking. "Are they building a turtle shell?"
Although the Six Eyes had instantly analyzed the entire structure of the wall, he couldn't help but complain inwardly, 'Why do the ninjas I meet in this world all love playing with mud so much?'
Hearing this, Yuya snapped his head toward Mamoru beside him, a look of shock and suspicion flashing in his eyes.
To see through all the Ninjutsu applied to the wall with just a single glance, was that the ability of those blue eyes?
He couldn't help but think of the legendary Uchiha clan's Sharingan, and a hint of envy rose in his heart.
Truly an enviable Kekkei Genkai.
Yuya stepped forward and asked in a low voice, "Can you break it?"
The corner of Mamoru's lips curled into a cold arc, and a hint of disdain flashed in his eyes. "Who do you think you're talking to?"
His voice carried an innate arrogance. "Defenses of this level are vulnerable in my eyes."
"Vulnerable, huh..." Yuya lowered his head with a bitter smile, unconsciously repeating the words in a voice so soft it was barely audible.
Miki, who had just approached, happened to hear Mamoru's words clearly, and his spirit was momentarily dazed.
Such a tone, seemingly casual yet extremely arrogant, was something he had only heard from ninjas of the level of the Konoha Sannin.
By now, the Chunin who understood the situation had gradually gathered around, everyone's gaze focused on Mamoru.
The air was thick with tension, and some people unconsciously held their breath.
They saw Mamoru slowly raise his right hand, fingers spread wide. The air around the wall suddenly began to distort unnaturally, as if space itself were wailing.
A ball of light with an extremely distorted shape suddenly adhered to the wall's surface, devouring the surrounding light and forming a heart-pounding, dark vortex.
Boom!
There was no deafening explosion, only a dull roar, as if the earth's innards were being torn apart.
The wall instantly collapsed under the terrifying gravitational force. Before the flying wood and stone debris could scatter, they were sucked into the blue glow, forming a massive, deep blue vortex.
As Mamoru's arm snapped upward, Blue, which had gathered countless pieces of wreckage, tore a savage gap right through the thick wall from bottom to top.
And it wasn't over, the blue orb soaring into the sky traced a dangerous parabola and crashed heavily into the depths of the fortress.
Another loud boom followed, and even the ground trembled.
Terrified screams and panicked footsteps sounded from the direction of the fortress.
Amidst the swirling dust, everyone was too stunned to react, standing frozen as they witnessed this destructive power that went beyond imagination.
"Follow me!"
Miki was the first to snap back to his senses, shouting loudly as he took the lead and charged toward the gap.
The rest of the ninjas finally woke as if from a dream, shouting as they followed his steps, surging into the interior of the fortress like a tide.
Inside the fortress, the firelight flickered.
Several rows of braziers were placed in a scattered fashion. The dim yellow halo not only dispelled the deep darkness but also brought a bit of thin warmth to this cold night.
Four figures stood sparsely guarding under the wall—standing, squatting, or sitting in various postures, though their expressions hid a similar alertness.
"Gobta, why did it suddenly go quiet outside?" A clear-faced young man couldn't help but speak up, his voice sounding particularly clear in the silence.
The middle-aged man called Gobta looked just like an old farmer who had worked in the fields all year round, no one could tell he was actually a ninja.
He glanced at the young man and spoke coldly, "I don't know. But don't let your guard down. This is a critical period. If we mess up boss's big plans, neither you nor I can afford the responsibility."
The young man guessed persistently, "Could it be that the group outside... has already engaged with boss and the others?"
"No." Gobta said decisively, "Yako hasn't sent me a signal yet."
"Then it's too strange that it's so quiet outside... Sigh, forget it, I won't think about it."
The young man shook his head as if to shake off his unease and turned to shout at another group of people not far away, "Hey—someone bring me some wine!"
"Samaru!" Gobta's eyebrows shot up as he shouted sternly, "What time is it, and you're still thinking about drinking?"
"I-I'm just having a craving. Just one sip, okay?" Samaru immediately put on a flattering smile and pleaded with his hands pressed together.
At this moment, a man with two streaks of red paint on his cheeks jumped down from the watchtower and walked toward the four people under the wall.
"Gobta, just let him be."
After the painted man approached, he put a hand on Samaru's shoulder and said jokingly, "When this is over, just tell Yako and let him deal with this kid."
"No, no, no! I won't drink! I won't drink, okay!" Samaru suddenly let out a series of strange cries, his whole face wrinkling up. "D-don't ever mention me in front of Yako. Just thinking about him... ugh..."
As he spoke, he actually started dry-heaving, covering his butt with one hand and his mouth with the other, looking both ridiculous and wretched.
"Isn't your reaction a bit too much?" The painted man raised an eyebrow in surprise. "I used to see you and Yako together all the time, looking quite close."
"Inseparable? That was worse than death." Samaru gritted his teeth, a twisted bitter smile on his face. "That bastard always used his disgusting Genjutsu to control me. When I woke up... woke up..."
He didn't know how to continue for a moment, then said loudly, "Anyway, I can't avoid him fast enough, so how could I possibly approach him voluntarily? Didn't you see that I'd rather stay up on the mountain than go down? As long as Yako is at the base at the foot of the mountain, I won't set foot in there even if I die."
"Hey, it's not that bad. Even if Yako is a bit disgusting, he's still..."
Before the painted man could finish, he was interrupted by a muffled voice.
"Samaru isn't lying." A young man with a fairly decent face sitting in the corner looked up, suppressed anger in his eyes. "That disgusting thing... does indeed abuse Genjutsu."
"Eh?! Benta, even you...?" Samaru's eyes widened as he looked over in disbelief.
"..."
The youth called Benta didn't answer. He just breathed heavily, veins bulging on his temples, as if recalling some unbearable humiliation, his whole face slightly contorted with anger.
Seeing him like this, Samaru opened his mouth but ultimately said nothing.