Chapter 419

Shortly after Sakura left, still clinging to her last shred of hope, Konoha's shinobi came knocking on Yoichi's door.

Ninjutsu was ineffective against the surreal abilities of Eida and Daemon. Even Sasuke's Rinnegan couldn't resist, and Naruto had fallen prey to Eida's charm. Faced with this predicament, the Five Great Shinobi Villages realized they needed a solution beyond traditional shinobi methods—so they turned to Yoichi.

Though they had temporarily ceased hostilities with Eida and Daemon, the Five Great Villages were still keen on eliminating them.

The ability to charm everyone—regardless of gender—was an overwhelming threat. The fact that Eida and Daemon had been part of Kara only made it worse. Even if they claimed to have no loyalty to Kara, the possibility of Jigen manipulating them in the future was a risk the Five Great Nations couldn't afford.

"…So, we wanted to ask if you have a way to break Naruto and Sasuke free from their condition. Please, Yoichi-san, we're counting on you!"

Shikamaru bowed deeply to Yoichi. Though he was always wary of Yoichi's true intentions, at this moment, he had no choice but to seek his help.

The Five Kage had already been temporarily stripped of their authority. Leadership had fallen to their second-in-commands—the only ones not affected by Eida's charm.

There was no other way. Even Naruto and Sasuke, despite their immense chakra, were struggling to resist. Other leaders had already succumbed entirely.

"What an incredible ability. It sounds even more oppressive than Isshiki's. It's practically on the same level as the Otsutsuki's powers."

Yoichi stroked his chin, pretending to be troubled. After a brief moment of thought, he spoke.

"Let me meet them first. No investigation, no solution. But if we're talking about charm abilities, then it's likely linked to the mind. Luckily, Onmyoji specialize in mental techniques."

"Yoichi, are you sure? Maybe you shouldn't go," Ino interjected anxiously before he could finish.

"If even Naruto and Sasuke fell for it, what if you—"

"Relax, I'm confident in my mental defenses," Yoichi reassured her with a smile.

Shikamaru, watching Ino's reaction, sighed inwardly. So, she and Sai really did split up.

Most people had suspected as much, but neither Ino nor Sai had ever openly confirmed it. During the last battle, Sai had also fallen victim to Eida's ability, but Ino hadn't shown the slightest concern for him. That spoke volumes.

After Yoichi reassured Ino, Shikamaru led him toward the place where Eida and Daemon were being kept. Ino, however, did not accompany them. She was well aware that Eida's ability worked on everyone.

...

Outside a luxurious villa, Shikamaru stopped and gestured.

"They're inside. We have shinobi stationed around the perimeter, but apart from those observing from a distance, the others are likely already Eida's captives."

"So, they're basically her personal guards now. What a ridiculous ability."

Yoichi sighed internally. His Kamui clone had already scoured Kara's base and even captured Amado, but Jigen's dimension still concealed Shibai Otsutsuki's corpse.

If he wanted Shibai's body, he'd need to force Isshiki to hand it over. Otherwise, extracting those abilities wouldn't be easy.

Killing Isshiki would turn his body to dust, rendering it useless.

"Alright, I'm heading in."

With that, Yoichi stepped into the villa.

As he passed a few Konoha shinobi, they barely acknowledged him before returning to their dazed, lovestruck expressions—all their thoughts consumed by Eida.

Reaching the living room, Yoichi finally saw Eida and Daemon. Naruto stood near a window in the distance, visibly struggling to maintain control over the situation.

"You've brought someone new. Is this your last resort?"

Eida's right eye shifted, revealing a unique pattern—her Senrigan.

Upon activating it, she peered into Yoichi's past.

"You've hidden yourself well," she remarked coolly.

The moment she spoke, Yoichi narrowed his eyes. She can see the past…?

A murderous intent briefly flickered in his mind.

'Ino, can Shikamaru hear me right now?'

'Yes, he can. Yoichi, are you alright?'

'I'm fine. And I think I know how to break the charm.'

'That fast? Yoichi-san, what's the method?'

Shikamaru's voice, transmitted through Ino's mind-body communication jutsu, was laced with urgency. He was desperate to free Naruto and the others.

'Simple. Just kill her. Once she's dead, her ability will fade over time.'

"Kill… her? It's that easy?"

Shikamaru blurted out his shock, momentarily forgetting himself.

Eida had, of course, been watching him with her Senrigan. The moment Shikamaru spoke, she knew what they were planning.

"So, you plan to kill me? Do you really think you can pull it off? Just one Onmyoji?"

Shikamaru immediately realized his mistake, but before he could react, Daemon's face twisted with fury.

"You bastards never intended to honor the truce! You lied!"

Daemon shot up from the couch and charged at Yoichi, intent on eliminating him.

"Stop, Daemon!"

"Nope. Naruto-kun, why don't you just sit this one out?"

Before Naruto could intervene, Eida's voice rang out.

Naruto hesitated, his face contorted in conflict. That brief moment of hesitation cost him his chance to block Daemon.

But Yoichi didn't need Naruto's protection.

Daemon lunged at him, but Yoichi had already decided how to deal with him.

BOOM!

Yoichi's head exploded.

However, instead of blood and gore, golden embers burst forth, scattering through the room.

Daemon's ability had been triggered at the last moment, reflecting the killing intent Yoichi had for him.

Yet, losing a head didn't mean death for Yoichi. His body remained upright, intercepting Daemon's kick with one arm while the other transformed into a flaming blade—stabbing straight into Daemon's chest.

"What?!"

Naruto and Eida were both stunned. They couldn't believe what they were witnessing.

Even without a head, Yoichi was still fighting.

"What the hell is going on?!"

Daemon was just as confused. But his ability had already activated once—it couldn't reflect another attack immediately.

The flaming blade plunged into Daemon's chest.

"Dammit…!"

Daemon tried to retaliate, but pain and intense heat overwhelmed him.

It was Golden Emperor Flame, an otherworldly fire that devoured internal energy like chakra and ki. Daemon's body burned in golden flames, reducing him to charred remains within seconds.

As Daemon perished, Yoichi's head reformed, as if nothing had happened.

"Well, that's one down."

Casually tossing aside Daemon's remains, Yoichi turned to Eida.

She stood frozen, her eyes wide with disbelief. She didn't want to accept that Daemon was dead. In her mind, he was supposed to be untouchable. Even Jigen hadn't been able to harm him.

"Now it's your turn," Yoichi said, stepping toward her.

Naruto quickly moved to block him.

"Wait, Yoichi! We agreed to a ceasefire!"

"Hokage-dono, you're still under her charm. If you can resist, then leave immediately."

"Naruto-kun, he's trying to kill me! Please, stop him!"

Naruto hesitated, then clenched his fists and said, "We gave our word for a truce. We have to honor it."

Watching this, Shikamaru gritted his teeth. "Damn it, Naruto's fallen too deep."

Meanwhile, Eida took the opportunity to fly away.

BOOM!

Yoichi exploded into countless fire sparks, flooding the room.

"Run, Eida!"

Naruto summoned golden chakra arms to block the flames, but some still slipped through.

Before Eida could escape, the golden flames engulfed her.

"No…!"

BOOM!

In seconds, she was reduced to ash.

Naruto, enraged, turned to Yoichi.

"You… You killed her!"

"Calm down, Hokage-dono. You're still under her influence, but it will fade."

Yoichi's voice carried a subtle hypnotic effect, slowly pacifying Naruto.

After a moment, Naruto exhaled deeply.

"S-sorry, Yoichi-san. I… lost myself for a moment."

Shikamaru, arriving moments later, looked at Yoichi with newfound wariness.

He killed them so easily… Just how strong is he?

(End of Chapter)

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