Temujin stepped forward, voice trembling as he pleaded with his lord.
"Lord Haido… we don't have to kill him." Temujin's tone shook as he faced Kahiko.
Haido's expression instantly twisted with impatience. He glanced at Temujin with open mockery.
"You really are blind. Standing right in front of the enemy who murdered your parents, and you still understand nothing."
Now that Haido had obtained the Gelel vein, there was no longer any need to maintain his usual facade.
He tore away the last of his disguise, revealing his true, unfiltered ambition.
"To put it bluntly—my ideal nation is one built on domination and fear. I want the world to tremble at my strength."
"This…"
Temujin clutched his head, his composure collapsing.
"What a pitiful child."
Haido raised a hand, the Stone of Gelel embedded on the back of his right hand glowing ominously. A streak of green light shot into Temujin, paralyzing him completely.
At that moment, the Ino–Shika–Chō trio arrived, having followed the disturbances straight to the scene.
"Are these your helpers?" Haido sneered.
He cast a cold glance at Elder Kahiko. The Gelel Stone erupted in a surge of blinding green energy.
Boom!
Power exploded from Haido's body. His robes tore apart as his flesh twisted and mutated, transforming in seconds.
The once gentle face contorted into a monstrous snarl.
Dark-gray skin and hair, eyes glowing crimson like a demon.
Four red, orb-like nodes rose from his back, and thick, dark-red muscle cables bulged across his chest and arms.
"I'll send you all to hell."
Haido grinned, exposing razor-sharp teeth.
The four red orbs behind him shifted into insectoid wings. With a single flick, Haido vanished—and reappeared in front of Akimichi Chōji.
"What—?"
Before Chōji could react, Haido's fist drove into his abdomen like a cannon blast.
Boom!
Chōji flew backward like a rag doll, blood spraying from his mouth as his body crashed and skidded more than twenty meters.
"Chōji!!" Ino screamed.
She thrust her hands forward, her chakra surging.
"Mind Body Switch Technique!"
Her invisible spiritual force shot straight into Haido's consciousness, striking him cleanly.
"Huh!?"
Haido staggered, knees buckling as Ino seized control of his body.
"Well done, Ino!"
Nara Shikamaru rushed to Chōji, quickly pushing a Soldier Pill into his mouth.
As the chakra restored Chōji's strength, Shikamaru exhaled in relief.
But then—
"Shikamaru! Hurry! I—I can't hold him much longer!" Ino's strained voice trembled with urgency.
"Ino, fall back! Leave it to us!"
She had bought them the time they needed.
Shikamaru darted into position, his hands forming seals.
The shadow beneath his feet shot across the ground, extending toward Haido.
The instant Ino released her jutsu, Haido snapped back into control.
"Damn brats. So you do have tricks…"
He prepared to lunge—only to freeze in place.
"What—!?"
Haido's pupils shrank. He turned his gaze toward the pineapple-haired boy controlling him.
Shikamaru's hands tightened.
"Shadow Possession… captured."
Haido's monstrous body stiffened as his movements were forcibly mirrored.
"Chōji!"
"Right!"
The two longtime teammates exchanged a single glance.
Years of cooperation meant they no longer needed any words.
Their next move was already decided.
"Multiplication Technique!"
Akimichi Chōji's already-round body exploded in size, swelling to twice its normal mass. He leapt into the air, limbs retracting into the bloated form. Even his head tucked in, turning him into a massive spinning sphere of flesh.
"Human Boulder!"
The gigantic ball hurtled directly toward Haido. At the same moment, Nara Shikamaru deliberately opened his arms in an exposed stance.
Bound by Shadow Possession, Haido was forced to mirror the same motion, leaving himself completely defenseless.
BOOM!!
With a thunderous impact, the Human Boulder slammed into Haido head-on. The force sent him flying even faster than before, smashing straight through the far ceiling.
His body crashed to the ground, and slabs of debris rained down over him.
"It worked,"
the trio thought in unison, tension finally easing from their shoulders.
But then—
BOOM!
An explosion burst from beneath the rubble.
"Agh… that actually hurt," Haido snarled, twisting out from the debris.
His scaled, mutated body emerged, expression warped into a hideous grin. The sight alone could have belonged in a horror film — Yamanaka Ino's skin crawled, cold sweat running down her back.
Green, mist-like Gelel energy seeped in from the shattered ceiling, pouring into Haido's body.
With sickening cracks, his mutilated arm straightened and regenerated.
Wounds stitched themselves closed almost instantly.
Even his head — which had been twisted full circle — snapped back into place as though nothing had happened.
Elder Kahiko's eyes went wide.
"The power of the Gelel vein… he absorbed it!"
Realizing the danger, he shouted desperately at the Ino–Shika–Chō trio:
"Run! You're no match for him!"
But the three young Konoha shinobi only shook their heads.
"If we run… that's not how Konoha ninja do things," Shikamaru said plainly.
"Shikamaru is right," Ino added.
"We can't let this guy rampage freely," Chōji finished.
Haido had no interest in their resolve — only in killing them.
"What nonsense are you three muttering?" he growled.
He extended his right hand; the Stone of Gelel ignited once more. The surge of energy radiating from Haido made the air itself tremble.
"I'll send you all to hell."
Swoosh!
A green beam tore through the air — a blast none of them had the strength to stop.
For an instant, they felt death closing in.
But then—
A shadow flickered.
A pitch-black silhouette appeared before them as though it had materialized from thin air. The green beam shattered on impact, scattering into harmless fragments of light.
As the smoke cleared, the trio stared wide-eyed at the figure standing protectively in front of them.
"L-Lord Ryoma!?"
Their astonishment echoed through the chamber.