"Warden! Should we stop the prisoners’ yard time and send them all back to their cells?"
A senior guard asked Zhenshan Bao for instructions.
"No need. Transferring that many prisoners at once is bound to create chaos, and some might take the opportunity to slip away. Here’s what we’ll do: order all prisoners in the yard to squat in place. Assign two squads to keep an eye on them. If anyone dares to stand up, execute them on the spot!"
Zhenshan Bao’s voice was cold and commanding.
"Squat? They probably can’t hold that position for long," the guard hesitated.
"Good point. Then let them lie down. They can even sprawl out if they want. Just make sure they understand—stand up, and they die."
Zhenshan Bao waved his hand dismissively.
"And keep an eye on Yamada Shuji, that spoiled brat. He must not leave our line of sight. If he escapes, you’ll answer to me with your head!"
Zhenshan Bao added sternly.
"Understood! If any special circumstances arise, do we have permission to execute on the spot?"
"Permission granted," Zhenshan Bao replied without hesitation. He turned and walked into the warden’s office, picking up the red hotline phone.
"Get me the Command Center..."
"Whoooop! Whoooop! Whoooop!"
The piercing sound of the alarm echoed throughout the Abyss Prison. Prisoners lounging in the yard froze in confusion, looking around, unsure of what was happening.
The exact same words escaped the lips of two men at the same time—Yamada Shuji and Aotu Tailuo. Their eyes locked, each filled with surprise. Yamada Shuji, clutching the pocket of Aotu Tailuo’s pants, turned pale with shock. Both men shared the same thought.
At that moment, two squads of fully armed guards stormed onto the yard. Each guard wore combat gear and carried a ninja blade, their presence radiating lethal intent.
"Everyone, hands on your heads, lie flat on the ground! Anyone who dares to stand will be executed on the spot!"
One of the guards barked, brandishing his Damascus ninja blade.
The prisoners didn’t dare hesitate. One by one, they got down on the ground, hands over their heads. The guards’ tone left no room for negotiation—if they said they’d kill, they meant it.
Aotu Tailuo, however, lay down on his back with his legs crossed, adopting a relaxed posture that allowed him to observe the entire Abyss Prison. The guards didn’t seem to mind his unorthodox position; as long as he wasn’t standing, it was fine.
"Aotu Tailuo! I’ll have you know, my brother is coming to save me any minute now. The humiliation you’ve caused me, the pain you’ve inflicted—I’ll pay it back a hundredfold, a thousandfold, no, ten thousandfold! I’ll rip out your ribs and boil them into soup. I’ll find ten strong men to—"
Yamada Shuji’s venomous muttering was abruptly cut off by a sharp slap from Aotu Tailuo.
"Blabbering on and on—so noisy! You deserved that."
Yamada Shuji’s face flushed bright red with anger.
"You dare hit me at a time ?! I’ll kill you!"
Aotu Tailuo glanced at him disdainfully and pulled the pocket of his pants slightly outward.
"Did I tell you to let go? Hold it."
"You!" Yamada Shuji’s eyes widened in fury.
"I know someone’s coming to rescue you. But do you believe me when I say I can make sure they fail?"
Smack! Another slap landed on Yamada Shuji’s face.
"Didn’t you hear me? Hold it!"
Yamada Shuji glared at Aotu Tailuo with hatred but reluctantly grabbed the pocket once more.
"Kid, I’m saving your life, you know that?" Aotu Tailuo shot him a sidelong glance before turning his focus back to the cliff walls of the Abyss.
Prison breaks are a highly technical form of military operation. After all, in any country, prisons are among the most fortified structures. You’ve probably heard of many escape attempts, some even successful, but rarely do you hear of a successful prison break-in.
Yamada Ryosuke, determined to rescue his younger brother, had spared no expense. He hired nearly a thousand nameless assassins from Mr. Tezuka and meticulously planned every detail of the operation.
Let’s pause to explain the term "nameless assassins." As the name suggests, these killers have no names, no families, and no pasts. They are a terrifying force cultivated by underground bounty networks. Most of them are rogue ninjas or ronin forced into anonymity by various circumstances. Professionally trained in assassination, they are known for their unwavering loyalty to money—once a contract is accepted, they won’t stop until the job is done.
Yamada Ryosuke’s plan had two parts.
The first involved sending three carefully selected ninjas disguised as officials from Sunagakure’s Ministry of Justice. Their mission was to infiltrate the Abyss Prison under the pretense of prisoner interrogation. Their goal wasn’t to directly rescue Yamada Shuji but to either kidnap or assassinate Warden Zhenshan Bao, thereby crippling the prison’s command structure.
The second part was a direct assault. A frontal attack was out of the question—let’s not even talk about the three massive iron gates at the prison’s entrance. Without Kage-level jutsu or hundreds of explosive tags, you wouldn’t even scratch the paint.
Instead, Yamada Ryosuke chose a unique approach: rapid rope descent.
Countless black ropes suddenly unfurled from the cliffs surrounding the Abyss. Shadows swarmed down the ropes at lightning speed.
"Yes!" Yamada Shuji whispered excitedly, his face lighting up with hope.
"Hmm, not a bad idea," Aotu Tailuo muttered, observing the scene. "Bypassing most of the obstacles and closing the distance to the target quickly. But..."
He glanced at Yamada Shuji.
"It won’t be that easy."
Before he could finish his sentence, the guards below wheeled out dozens of massive ballistae. In an instant, a rain of arrows filled the sky, hurtling toward the descending assassins. Screams echoed as bodies were pinned to the cliffside, fell into the abyss, or dragged others down with them.
By the time the surviving assassins reached the ground, less than a third remained. And waiting for them were fully armed guards, ready for battle.
Before the assassins could even steady themselves, they were met with a storm of kunai, shuriken, and a barrage of jutsu.
The assassins, now trapped at the bottom of the abyss, had no room to retreat. With no choice but to fight, they launched a desperate counterattack. But the guards, with their overwhelming numbers and superior positioning, quickly gained the upper hand. The assassins’ struggle was futile.
"Nine o’clock? Nope. Ten o’clock? Nope. Eleven o’clock? Still nope. Twelve o’clock? Wait... isn’t that the main gate?"
Aotu Tailuo scanned the prison’s defenses, his eyes narrowing in surprise.
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