The two began their studies inside the Hokage building. Since it was late at night, Kurenai Yuhi soon couldn't resist her drowsiness and fell asleep.
Anya, however, was full of enthusiasm and started practicing. [Genjutsu] works by messing with an enemy's five senses, trapping them in illusions. However, mastering this technique is extremely difficult—just like Puppet Technique, it requires talent. In the anime, very few ninjas truly mastered this art, usually relying on it as a supplementary method.
A skilled genjutsu user can even manipulate the flow of chakra within an opponent's brain at will. Just like when Anya faced Red earlier—if the two ever fought, Anya wouldn't stand a chance.
After a night of practice, Anya glanced at the still-sleeping Kurenai Yuhi and used the same trick *she'd* used on Kakashi to wake her up, grinning mischievously as he said, "Lazybones, the sun's already hitting your butt! Time to get up!"
Kurenai Yuhi opened her hazy red eyes and glared at him in annoyance, clearly not having had enough sleep.
Anya pulled out a candy from his pocket and offered it forward, "Here, have it. It's really sweet."
Kurenai Yuhi swallowed slightly but didn't reach for it. Instead, she stubbornly said, "Tsk, I don't want anything from you."
Still smiling, Anya replied, "This isn't just any treat—it's a token of appreciation from a student to their teacher. You stayed up late teaching me genjutsu yesterday, so it's only fair."
These overly affectionate words immediately turned Kurenai Yuhi's face red. Blushing, she quietly accepted the candy and murmured, "Well, I was only teaching you casually anyway. I'm glad you could learn it."
"Didn't you sleep well? Rest your head on my shoulder for a while. I'll carry you outside for breakfast."
Saying that, Anya immediately squatted down facing away from her by the bed, gesturing for Kurenai Yuhi to climb on.
Kurenai Yuhi had never experienced something like this before. From her memory, all she had ever seen was her father's busy figure. Nobody had ever carried her like this. She froze for a moment, not knowing what to do.
Softening his tone, Anya said, "It's okay. You're not afraid I'll find you too heavy, are you?"
"W-Who said I'm heavy? Carry me then!" Kurenai Yuhi reached her arms around Anya's neck.
Anya grabbed her thighs and playfully spun around in place, making Kurenai Yuhi let out a small shriek. He whooped, darted toward the door like a gust of wind, and shouted, "Alright! We're off!"
Noticing how uncharacteristically quiet Kurenai Yuhi was on his back, Anya smirked inwardly. Hmph, just a little girl. If he could handle someone as strong as Tsunade, handling someone this small would be a piece of cake.
Sure enough, after finishing breakfast, Kurenai Yuhi carelessly brought Anya back home to continue teaching him genjutsu.
Anya asked curiously, "Hmm, do you normally come home during the day? Then why did you sleep in the Hokage building last night?"
Upon hearing that, Kurenai Yuhi's face slightly flushed again and she irritably replied, "That's none of your business."
Suddenly realizing, Anya teased, "You wouldn't happen to get a little uneasy being alone in the dark, do you?"
Kurenai Yuhi looked somewhat sad, which was unusual for her as she didn't respond at all.
"Well," Anya suggested, "What if I stay with you tonight? Then you won't have to run back and forth."
"You?"
"Kurenai Yuhi asked in confusion, 'Don't you need to go home?'
Anya replied carelessly, 'I live alone. It doesn't matter whether I go back or not.'
'How could you live completely alone?'
'My parents are dead. They died on the battlefield.'
'Ahh!' Kurenai Yuhi gasped and covered her mouth with shock, then wore an apologetic expression on her face as she reached out to comfort Anya.
Anya immediately grabbed her small hand and said, 'So, please work hard, Teacher Kurenai! I must study diligently to acquire skills. When I go to the battlefield in the future, I'll need some ability to protect myself.'
Kurenai Yuhi, feeling flustered yet somewhat approving, replied in a reassuring tone, "Don't worry, I'll definitely teach you well."
Poor Kurenai Yuhi had no idea she'd already fallen right into this little rascal's trap.
Kurenai Yuhi then walked into her father's room and brought out a pile of books and scrolls. With confidence, she said, 'These are all the materials on [Genjutsu] that my father compiled. Let's go through them together.'
Before long, the room fell silent, broken only by the soft rustle of pages turning under their hands.
Shinku Yuhi was truly a master of illusions. His notes filled these books and were even more precious than mere descriptions of techniques. Especially valuable were his theories and conjectures about certain [Genjutsu], which opened an entirely new door for Anya.
Of course, what left the deepest impression were the three methods of dispelling [Genjutsu] described within:
The first method was the simplest—disrupting chakra flow within one's own body to break free from illusionary techniques.
The second method was used when encountering particularly difficult or high-level [Genjutsu]—only by having someone else disrupt your chakra flow could you escape.
The third method represented an extremely rare level of mastery—as recorded in Shinku's book, it involved separating body and spirit. Even if one's consciousness fell into a [Genjutsu Space], the physical body could still sense danger or hostility from its surroundings and launch attacks accordingly. Shinku called this capability "instinct."
So far, only The Legend of the White Fang had achieved this third stage of mastery. This was because he once tested White Fang using a [Genjutsu Space] technique, successfully pulling him inside. The attempt worked, but White Fang's body remained freely mobile. With a single sword strike, Shinku had no choice but to flee for his life.
When Anya read this passage, his appreciation deepened further for White Fang's insistence on practicing [Sword Art]. So that was his intention—wanting Anya himself to reach this level of mastery. Unfortunately...
Anya understood his own shortcomings too well. His mind wasn't pure enough, always distracted by multiple desires. He wanted everything good he saw. Just like how he pursued [Spirit Transformation Technique] previously, now coming to learn [Genjutsu] exactly followed the same pattern—both times driven purely by admiration for their impressive power. He never stopped to think that if he truly mastered [Swordsmanship], one slash would be enough to render any jutsu useless.
'Should I keep studying or not?' Anya momentarily felt troubled.
Noticing Anya's expression, Kurenai Yuhi couldn't help asking, 'What's wrong? Don't you understand something?'
Since I've come this far, I guess I'll just keep going for now.
Looking pitifully at Kurenai Yuhi, Anya said, 'It's too difficult. I can't learn it.'
Kurenai Yuhi smiled and replied, 'My father once said that very few ninja possess innate talent for [Genjutsu]. Since you're just starting out, it's totally normal for a beginner like you not to get it right away. I myself started learning from childhood before I could finally grasp the basics.'
Anya suggested with a grin, "How about we play a little game? You use the [Genjutsu], and I'll Release it."
Kurenai's heart skipped a beat at these words. Excitedly bouncing up and down, she said, "Okay! Okay!"
She had studied [Genjutsu] for so long, and finally, someone wanted to put it to the test—it felt like someone had truly read her innermost thoughts. It was like a person who had spent years mastering dragon-slaying techniques finally encountering a real dragon—bursting with exhilaration and anticipation.
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~ Every 50 Powerstones = **4 Bonus Chapters** on the weekend!