Chapter 9 — Genjutsu Nullification
After successfully submitting the mission at the Hokage Tower, the chūnin who had led the team distributed the reward among the three genin according to their shares, then announced the temporary squad disbanded.
As expected—if it weren't for completing higher-rank missions to earn ninja points in exchange for new techniques, teaming up for missions was actually less profitable than picking up trash by the river alone…
Looking at the two thousand ryō in his hand, Tetsuya couldn't help but grumble inwardly.
Fortunately, the kunai and shuriken he had thrown could still be used after washing off the bear's blood. Otherwise, this meager reward wouldn't even cover the cost of new ninja tools.
Just as Tetsuya stepped out of the Hokage Tower, eager to leave, a fragrant breeze greeted him. A slender figure blocked his path, her gaze moving up and down as she sized him up.
Tetsuya recognized her at a glance. She was one of the few female jōnin in Konoha, and one who had risen through mastery of genjutsu—the leader of Team 8, Kurenai Yūhi.
"Jōnin Yūhi, may I ask what this is about?"
Feeling puzzled, Tetsuya spoke first.
He had already deactivated his Sharingan. Could Kurenai possibly see through him anyway?
"I heard you have a decent talent for genjutsu?"
Kurenai studied the boy before her but found nothing particularly special. However, since Kakashi-senpai had personally recommended him, she felt obligated to give him face and at least test him.
As the leader of Team 8, Kurenai had been somewhat frustrated. Though her three students were undeniably talented, they all came from prominent ninja clans in Konoha, each with their own inherited secret techniques and predetermined paths laid out by their elders. There was little she could truly teach them, and none to inherit her genjutsu. More often than not, she felt like a guardian rather than a teacher.
With Kakashi's rare recommendation, her interest had been piqued—thus leading to this moment.
"Perhaps. After all, I've only learned one genjutsu in total."
Tetsuya shrugged, neither confirming nor denying.
"Follow me."
With that, Kurenai leapt onto a nearby rooftop and sped off without waiting to see if he would keep up.
After a brief hesitation, Tetsuya followed.
On the surface, he had no connection to the Uchiha clan. As long as he didn't voluntarily expose his Sharingan, who would know his secret?
Soon, they arrived at a training ground. Three figures were already there, sweating from practice—three members of Team 8 and part of Konoha's Rookie Twelve: Aburame Shino, Inuzuka Kiba, and Hyūga Hinata.
"Kurenai-sensei!"
The three greeted her, then turned their attention to Tetsuya.
"Kiba, this is Genin Tetsuya from the class above yours. How about you two have a match?"
Kurenai's gaze swept over her students before settling on Kiba.
"Sure, Kurenai-sensei!"
Kiba grinned eagerly. Beside him, his ninken Akamaru barked and bared his teeth at Tetsuya.
"Jōnin Yūhi must be joking. How could I possibly be a match for a clan ninja? I concede."
To everyone's surprise, Tetsuya frowned slightly, then immediately admitted defeat. After giving Kurenai a slight bow, he turned and walked out of the training ground.
If he could openly activate his Sharingan, then at this stage—when the Rookie Twelve were still immature—it wouldn't be impossible to spar.
But how could he expose his Sharingan for the sake of a simple match? Without its enhancement, relying only on the Three Basic Techniques and a single foundational genjutsu to defeat Inuzuka Kiba would be difficult—and meaningless.
For Tetsuya, until he gained sufficient power to protect himself, it was wiser to lie low. With the Miracle invoker's extraordinary characteristic and his knowledge of the Naruto plot, he would sooner or later reach heights comparable to the Ōtsutsuki clan. There was no need to attract unnecessary attention.
Fearful before battle?
Kurenai narrowed her eyes slightly. Just as Tetsuya was about to step out of the training ground, her hands rapidly formed seals, and her figure vanished.
Genjutsu: Tree Binding Death!
A sapling suddenly burst from the ground, growing rapidly. Within a single breath, it reached two or three meters in height. Thick vines, as thick as arms, sprouted from the trunk and lashed toward Tetsuya.
Just as seven or eight vines were about to wrap around his body, the Miracle invoker's extraordinary characteristic dormant within Tetsuya's heart stirred faintly. A small, inconspicuous bubble inside his crystal heart suddenly burst.
In the next instant, the illusory tree twisted and vanished into nothingness. Kurenai reappeared where she had been standing, her gaze toward Tetsuya filled with disbelief.
The ever-observant Hinata noticed Kurenai's hand tremble two or three times in quick succession—clearly, the sudden collapse of her genjutsu had caused a slight chakra backlash.
"There's about half an hour until sunset. If you can learn the genjutsu recorded in this scroll before then, I'll accept you as my disciple."
Unaware of what had just transpired, Tetsuya was nearly at the exit when his vision blurred and Kurenai suddenly stood before him, blocking the way. She produced a ninjutsu scroll and handed it over.
This again?
If he could freeload a technique, Tetsuya certainly wouldn't refuse. As for becoming a disciple—that could be decided later.
"Sensei, is there something special about him? He actually nullified your genjutsu."
Seeing Tetsuya sit down and begin reading the scroll, Shino, who usually had the least presence, suddenly spoke up.
"I once heard from my father that he encountered an enemy like that before. No matter what genjutsu was cast, it had no effect. In the end, that enemy was burned to death by Fire Release. But even my father couldn't determine whether it was a kekkei genkai or a special constitution."
As Kurenai explained to her students, her eyes remained fixed on Tetsuya.
Genjutsu nullification alone didn't prove he would become a good genjutsu ninja—unless he also showed talent in learning it.
As the sun gradually sank, disappointment slowly appeared on Kurenai's face. Just as she was about to look away, she saw Tetsuya close the scroll and rise to his feet.
Forming the hand seals of Sheep, Snake, and Tiger, a puff of white smoke rose beside him. When it cleared, an identical clone stood there.
"Isn't that just the basic Clone Technique?"
Tetsuya's actions had drawn everyone's attention. Seeing only an ordinary clone, Kiba muttered in disappointment.
"Kiba, go break his clone."
However, a trace of delight flashed in Kurenai's eyes as she turned to Kiba.
"Got it!"
Kiba leapt forward in a few bounds, appearing above the clone and bringing his fist down onto its face.
Bang!
The clone dispersed into white smoke. But strangely, the smoke did not dissipate. Instead, it seemed drawn toward Kiba, instantly engulfing him.
"Hahaha! Why aren't you kneeling to greet the Hokage?"
When the smoke cleared, Kiba stood there laughing loudly, suddenly shouting something inexplicable.
"Kiba-kun has fallen under a genjutsu—when did it happen?"
Without a sound, Hinata activated her Byakugan and immediately noticed the clear disturbance in Kiba's chakra flow.
"This is one of my family's inherited genjutsu. It appears to be an ordinary Clone Technique, but if the enemy breaks it, they'll fall into an illusion without realizing it."
A faint smile curved at Kurenai's lips, clearly extremely satisfied with Tetsuya's aptitude for genjutsu.
Thank you, Kakashi-senpai, for bringing me such a fine successor in genjutsu.