In the lowest level of the underground prison, Shigeo had already slain every guard. He raised an eyebrow at the sight of Hyūga Hikari and Hyūga Nami locked in the cells—no longer wearing their bridal gowns, their faces clean of makeup but still sporting tangled women's hairstyles.
The two looked utterly miserable. When they saw him, their expressions twisted with despair.
"Shigeo, thank the gods you came! If you'd been any later, we'd have been turned into test subjects!" Hikari cried, tears streaming down her face. "You know what they were planning to do to us? Ugh…"
She broke down sobbing.
Beside her, Nami's cheeks turned scarlet as he lowered his head, too embarrassed to speak.
Shigeo frowned in confusion, then glanced toward the adjacent cell holding a group of brides. He smirked.
"Don't tell me these Orchid Sect freaks were trying to make you two marry them? That's quite the look you've got."
The reaction was immediate—Hikari's eyes widened as she nodded rapidly.
"Yes! How did you know?! You're amazing! They actually forced us to marry those eleven brides in the opposite cell! Said if we didn't give them eleven children within a year, they'd dissect us tonight! Isn't that insane?!"
Hearing that, Shigeo couldn't help but laugh heartily. The bitterness from witnessing the sect's experiments faded for a moment.
"So that's their new plan, huh? They failed to clone the Byakugan, so now they're trying the… natural method. At least this part of their evil science sounds festive."
Apparently, after years of failure, the sect had decided to force Hyūga captives to breed new Byakugan users.
He turned toward the row of cages and called out playfully,
"So, ladies—would you be willing to marry my two brothers here?"
At once, every woman burst into tears.
Then, from a nearby cell, two familiar voices rang out.
"Hey! Over here! A-Mo! It's us!"
Shigeo looked over—Hisuisei and Liuli were standing there, their faces bright with forced smiles.
"We didn't think you'd actually find this place!" Hisuisei said with a nervous laugh.
He raised an eyebrow. "Do you two know what the biggest sin in a field mission is?"
Both women froze, immediately lowering their heads.
"Disunity… internal conflict," they muttered in unison.
"Good. At least you still remember."
With a flick of his hand, several beams of light sliced through the air. The locks on the cells melted away.
"From this point on, you'll fight with everything you've got. If you slack off again, I'll deal with you myself later."
The warning was meant for Hisuisei and Liuli, the only two Blue Gate (Lanxiangmen) members present.
The other captured members of the organization—already rescued earlier—rested safely within Shigeo's dimensional space, recovering. Within half an hour, they'd be battle-ready.
"Yes!" Hisuisei said quickly. "We were wrong before. From now on, we'll follow your lead completely!"
Liuli nodded repeatedly, guilt in her eyes.
"We're sorry, truly. We won't act rashly again."
If they had ever doubted him before, those doubts were gone now. Though this "A-Mo" technically ranked below them in the organization, his sheer power made such hierarchy meaningless. How else could one man infiltrate a fortress this deep?
They began their retreat. Hikari, Nami, Hisuisei, and Liuli covered the rear, while the rescued brides and captured kunoichi moved through the middle. Shigeo led from the front.
He hadn't hidden everyone in his dimensional space. No—he wanted to make a statement.
He wanted the Orchid Sect's master to see him taking away the very people they needed most.
Only then would the enemy show themselves.
According to the shrine maiden's memories, the sect's mysterious leader always wore a black cloak, spoke with a disguised voice, and never revealed gender or face. Yet since taking control, that person had transformed the Orchid Sect into a cult of blood and madness—murder, kidnapping, human experiments, false rituals—all orchestrated under their command.
Whatever the sect had once stood for was long gone.
As Shigeo led the group toward the exit, dozens of Orchid Sect disciples appeared at the dungeon gate.
A gust of chakra-laced wind roared through the corridor.
"Fūton: Senpū Ranbu! (Wind Release: Thousand Blades Gale!)"
The oncoming force shredded everything in its path. When the light faded, only corpses remained.
They advanced again. Each time they moved forward, Shigeo sealed the tunnel behind them, ensuring no one could pursue.
Wave after wave of enemies charged. Some were high-level jōnin enhanced by stimulants that boosted their speed and power severalfold—but they were nothing before Shigeo's might.
Jiton (Magnet Release), Hyōton (Ice Release), Bakuton (Explosion Release), Suiton: Teppō no Jutsu (Water Gun Technique)—
Each technique tore through them with unstoppable force.
A few elites managed to hold out for a minute or two at most before collapsing into bloody heaps.
For beyond his bloodline techniques, Shigeo still possessed the Sharingan, Sennin Mode, and even the Mangekyō Sharingan.
No one here could possibly withstand that.
Behind him, Hisuisei and Liuli stared in awe.
"Is there really someone this strong in our organization?" Liuli murmured. "His power… it's beyond even the Grandmaster's!"
Hisuisei nodded, eyes wide. "I know. He's using techniques I've never even seen before."
Hikari overheard them, puffed up with pride.
"Of course! Do you even know who that is? That's my brother-in-arms!"
He thumped his chest proudly.
Not long before, Shigeo had rescued another Hyūga captive—one missing for half a year. The man was crippled but alive.
They pushed forward. After another violent clash and a collapsing corridor, Shigeo stopped abruptly.
"I'll leave a clone here. Wait for me. I'm going to find the last Hyūga."
"Do you think he's still alive?" Hikari asked quietly.
Shigeo didn't answer. His expression said everything.
He vanished into the shadows ahead.
(End of Chapter)
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