Chapter 214: Mirage

On the other side.

The perception ninja named Liangxiong was half‑crouched on the ground, sweat pouring down his forehead, his hands forming seals as he carefully sensed the enemies inside the stronghold.

His perception ninjutsu works by spreading his chakra into the ground beneath his feet and feeling the enemies' every move through the earth's feedback.

At this moment, to find the hidden genjutsu ninja, he had to focus all his mental energy and spread his perception outward.

But doing so made the enemy's genjutsu affect him all the more.

Even with his companions helping him, he would occasionally fall into the enemy's illusion; if it weren't for his companions constantly monitoring his condition and dispelling the genjutsu for him, he probably wouldn't be able to move normally at this point.

Not only him, but the earth‑hill jonin accompanying him and his assistant were also grim‑faced and extremely cautious.

The enemy's genjutsu skill is terrifyingly profound, almost all‑encompassing; a short exposure is fine, but the longer one stays in the enemy's flute music, the easier it is to fall into their genjutsu.

Found him!

After a long effort, Liangxiong finally sensed something, pointing toward a direction of the stronghold with a confident expression.

The source of the sound's vibration is exactly that direction—there's no mistake!

Apparently afraid his companions wouldn't believe him, he added an extra line.

Everyone, keep an eye on your companions' conditions and be ready to dispel any genjutsu that afflicts them!

While giving those instructions, the earth‑hill jonin took his two companions and headed toward the direction Liangxiong had pointed.

The situation is urgent; the enemy genjutsu ninja's strength exceeds his expectations. If they don't quickly interrupt the enemy's genjutsu, the attacks of their other companions won't go smoothly either.

Oh! Have you found me?

Looking at the three rock‑ninja opposite him, Dong Shilang wasn't particularly surprised that they had located his position.

The deployment of sound‑based genjutsu always requires a sound source. Since they operate in teams, watching each other's backs, finding his location is only a matter of time.

But he certainly won't just sit and wait for death!

Although maintaining the barrier makes large‑scale movement inconvenient for him right now, dealing with these few enemies is still no big problem.

The Uchiha barrier he has set up, unlike the Four Purple Flame Formation or the Four Red Yang Formation, does not immobilize the caster.

Nevertheless, continuously outputting chakra to maintain the barrier is still necessary, which prevents him from fully letting loose his hands and feet.

Even so, he has not completely lost his combat ability.

Phantom Mirage

After putting away the jade‑green flute in his hand, Dong Shilang formed seals with both hands and unleashed the genjutsu he had prepared for a long time.

As his technique took effect, the entire stronghold's appearance changed dramatically.

……

He lifted his head and looked left and right at the surrounding illusion; the earth‑hill jonin's face turned grim.

His gaze swept over the three huge stone statues in the distance, then over the bustling crowds and the extraordinarily lively shops around him.

It was the Leaf Village night market!

Well! Let's play a game of hide‑and‑seek together~

As he spoke, Dong Shilang's figure flickered like a ripple on water and vanished into the endless flow of the crowd, leaving no trace.

Release!

As his own chakra, after being disturbed, returned to normal, the surrounding scenery showed no change, and the three rock‑ninja elite's faces grew cold enough to almost freeze.

It should be a mirage‑like illusion; everything around ought to be fake, but…

Once he had roughly confirmed that he himself wasn't under genjutsu, the earth‑hill jonin already basically figured out the enemy's genjutsu type.

Those sights around them are probably just illusions; they simply can't see through the enemy's genjutsu method for the time being!

Liangxiong… any findings?

After lightly touching the surrounding buildings and feeling their solid‑like texture, the earth‑hill jonin asked the perception ninja for his opinion.

His anti‑genjutsu training focused on the kind that manipulates one's own chakra; for this illusion‑type genjutsu, there isn't really a good counter.

Sorry! I can only sense that the area is flooded with the enemy's chakra; other than that…

Although he didn't say it outright, his meaning goes without saying~

We can't stay here; otherwise… the enemy's genjutsu… couldn't be just a harmless illusion—it must have lethal power!

Liangxiong! From now on, heighten your vigilance and watch for anything approaching us!

Watch for the enemy's position!

Yes…

At this moment, although the enemy had stopped the sound‑based genjutsu, this large‑scale illusion still forced them to respond cautiously.

Otherwise, they would all die!

Be careful!

Just as he took a step forward, the perception ninja spotted something, pointed at the empty space ahead, and let out a loud roar.

In his perception, this spot seemed to harbor some danger source, making his sense go berserk like an alarm.

This feeling of danger… it feels like he just experienced it not long ago…

It's an explosive tag!

In an instant, Liangxiong had already identified the source of danger, causing his face to turn somewhat pale.

One reason is the recent barrage of explosive tags the enemy unleashed, which he simply can't forget; another is that the enemy's use of this method is truly underhanded.

In such an illusion, if the enemy had placed explosive‑tag traps, every blade of grass and tree could become one of their traps.

That would make it hard for this group to even move!

Boom!!

Just as his words fell, a few companions had barely dodged a distance when a familiar explosion sound rang out.

Following it came a flash of fire and thick smoke!

It caused Liangxiong Jonin to recall the recent encounter again~

Hmph~

Turning his head to look, he saw only another companion, who, having dodged the recent explosive tag, seemed to have struck something, and at that moment was rubbing his own back, wearing a pained expression.

This place should still be where we were just now, only concealed by the enemy's Genjutsu; everyone, be careful with your footing!

As the team captain, the Earth Mound Jonin reminded his teammates in a voice, and at the same time looked toward where the explosive tag had just exploded.

This is……

Just with a glance, the Earth Mound Jonin seemed to have discovered something, staring with a look of delight at where the explosive tag had just exploded.

His face was full of delight!