The name Shinku Yuhi sounded somewhat familiar… alright, more than familiar. Barring any surprises, he should have a daughter named Kurenai Yuhi.
You could trace the clan's lineage just from the names—father and daughter sharing a color theme (Shinku meaning Crimson, Kurenai meaning Crimson/Deep Red), with each generation getting progressively lighter. In that sense, you could even bestow upon Kurenai a rather resonant title… the Tarnished.
Knowing his name meant knowing his origins, and knowing his origins meant knowing what kind of attacks he'd employ. Habara braced himself.
This wasn't the time for idle chat; they weren't here for a stroll down main street. After a brief exchange, the conversation ceased.
It was time to get down to business.
Battles between Jonin weren't always flashy, but they were invariably perilous. Shinku Yuhi's hand speed certainly lived up to his Jonin rank… actually, most Jonin probably had hand speed befitting their rank, perhaps with the sole exception of Habara himself… In any case, within the blink of an eye, Shinku completed his seals.
Based on the 'Yuhi' surname and his characteristic red eyes, Shinku Yuhi was undoubtedly a genjutsu specialist. And now, he had silently cast his first illusion—Demonic Illusion: Tree Binding Death!
The name itself sounded quite fantastical, not quite fitting standard ninjutsu naming conventions, but its power was undeniable.
Shinku's figure vanished from Habara's sight. Simultaneously, a tree sprouted rapidly beneath Habara's feet. A thick trunk shot up in seconds, its chaotic branches and vines instantly binding his body tightly.
The "Tree Binding Death" genjutsu was developed during the era when the First Hokage's power awed the shinobi world. Or rather, it was precisely because the First Hokage's strength defied imagination that some genjutsu users were inspired to create such techniques. Beyond the standard genjutsu effects of restricting movement and invading the mind, the visual manifestation of being bound by a tree carried potent psychological intimidation.
Simply put, some ninja might mistake this genjutsu for Wood Release. Back then, the entire ninja world practically had PTSD regarding the First Hokage, so some less discerning ninja might even confuse Tree Binding Death with Deep Forest Emergence.
Both jutsu names contain the character for "tree" (木); they're so similar—it's perfectly reasonable for someone to mix them up, right?
Unfortunately, now, years after the First Hokage's passing, Wood Release no longer held the same terrifying prestige. This genjutsu, which borrowed the tiger's might, was now reduced to merely its illusory function.
Seeing himself ensnared by the genjutsu, Habara even tried struggling for a moment. He found that no matter how much force he exerted, he couldn't break free from the vines constricting him… Of course he couldn't; they weren't real.
He had to admit, the sense of immersion from the genjutsu was incredibly strong. From a purely subjective tactile perspective, Habara genuinely felt like he was getting up close and personal with a tree.
Fortunately, his body had already begun reacting to the genjutsu before his conscious mind caught up. The detection mechanism of his Technique of Six Rens sensed the chaotic flow of chakra within him. As the seal released, a massive surge of natural energy rushed into Habara's chakra pathways like unchained hounds, instantly purging the disordered chakra and restoring order to his system.
Fearing the control effects of genjutsu, Habara had configured the illusion-breaking program to be quite potent… While no longer uncontrollably violent like in the very beginning, it was still intense.
Acting purely on instinct, the chakra forcefully expelled by Habara was instantly converted into Wind, Lightning, and Earth natures—a characteristic of his body—and released in a rather explosive manner.
In that instant, Habara's surroundings crackled with sparks and lightning, the outpouring of energy creating a blinding flash of light pollution.
Because his body's reaction was so violent, Habara essentially broke the genjutsu the moment it took hold. He then saw Shinku Yuhi charging towards him.
If an ordinary ninja released chakra like that, even if they broke the genjutsu, they'd likely be incapable of fighting afterwards. Most ninja simply didn't have that much chakra to spare. Habara, however, wasn't lacking in chakra. Forget what just happened; even releasing 'one card's worth' of chakra was practically no different than letting out a fart.
Shinku Yuhi's close-combat skills were definitely superior to his daughter's would be later; genjutsu specialists couldn't only rely on illusions. He sensed the intense burst of chakra from Habara, saw faint red markings climb Habara's skin before rapidly receding. Yet, instead of hesitating, Shinku became even more resolute, drawing a short sword and thrusting it towards Habara.
This wasn't Shinku suddenly becoming vicious. Rather, this face-to-face encounter made him starkly aware of the power gap between them. In this situation, there was no need for him to hold back, because…
His killing move couldn't possibly kill Habara anyway. This actually removed the psychological pressure from the fight; he could just give it his all.
The pressure, ironically, shifted to Habara. They were both Jonin from the same village. Shinku couldn't inflict lethal damage, but Habara could potentially send him packing permanently. So, Habara was the one who needed to be careful.
Shinku seemed to be saying, "Go on, kill me if you can," while Habara really couldn't kill the guy. Why resort to killing in a friendly match? Just to quote some cliché like, "Don't worry, I'll take care of your wife"?
Having broken the genjutsu, Habara faced the incoming short sword. He bent his right arm, forming his fingers into a claw, and unhesitatingly slammed his palm against the sharp blade.
Clang!
Under the violent impact, the sharp, thin blade instantly shattered into fragments that scattered across the ground.
Habara pressed forward, practically stepping into Shinku's personal space, his hand, now gleaming with a dark metallic luster, seizing the man's wrist.
"Excluding certain special genjutsu, the effectiveness of standard illusions heavily depends on the difference in chakra strength between the two parties. As long as one has a method to break the illusion, the one with stronger chakra naturally won't be controlled by the weaker one's genjutsu… That's how it works, right?"
Genjutsu, even high-level ones, varied in power. There were many difficult-to-break illusions, like the unique genjutsu of the Mangekyo Sharingan or the First Hokage's Bringer-of-Darkness Technique. But the genjutsu Shinku Yuhi used definitely didn't fall into that category.
Furthermore, Habara now had a firm grip on one of Shinku's hands. In this situation, Shinku couldn't cast any more jutsu.
If this were a real battlefield, unable to break free, Shinku would undoubtedly sever his own hand without hesitation. But now…
Shinku looked at his captured wrist, then back at Habara's face.
Er, perhaps there was no need to be that drastic?