“Genjutsu, simply put, is a technique that uses chakra to disrupt the enemy’s five senses, thereby trapping them in an illusion.” Shinku Yuhi began his lecture, his tone exceptionally serious.
The five senses referred to sight, hearing, smell, taste, and touch.
In Genjutsu, sight was the primary target.
The most classic visual Genjutsu was undoubtedly the Sharingan.
In the shinobi world, there was a universal rule: when fighting an Uchiha, never look into their eyes.
Because one look and you’d explode…
oh wait, scratch that, you’d fall into a Genjutsu.
“If two Genjutsu-specialized shinobi clash, the victory is determined by Yin Release prowess—which means spiritual energy.” Shinku looked at Hanekawa and said, “Your spiritual energy is naturally more powerful, making you a perfect fit for Genjutsu.” “What about mine?” Kurenai couldn’t help but ask.
“Yours is also much stronger than your peers.” Shinku paused, omitting the second half of his thought.
If Kurenai’s talent for Genjutsu was rated at six thousand, Hanekawa’s was easily over ten thousand.
But that didn’t mean her talent was lacking.
In fact, before meeting Hanekawa, Kurenai possessed the strongest Genjutsu affinity he had ever seen—Uchiha clan members notwithstanding.
The Uchiha didn’t care about innate Genjutsu talent; the moment they opened their eyes, they just automatically had it.
“Alright, enough talk.
Let’s try a hands-on demonstration.” Shinku clapped his hands.
“We’ll start with the most basic Genjutsu: Haze Clone Technique.” The Haze Clone Technique was a D-Rank jutsu in terms of learning difficulty.
Its effect was summoning eerie black silhouettes to intimidate the enemy.
These black phantoms moved slowly and lacked any actual offensive power, but their greatest strength was that they would multiply when attacked.
It functioned somewhat like a specialized version of the Clone Technique.
“Watch closely, and learn well.” Shinku deliberately slowed down his hand signs.
Within moments, a humanoid black shadow manifested from behind the sofa.
It was pitch black all over, radiating a cold, eerie aura.
Having been prepared beforehand, Hanekawa and Kurenai naturally weren’t startled.
This jutsu was clearly meant for sneak attacks.
“Your turn.” Shinku deactivated the jutsu, looking at them expectantly.
Back in the day, it had taken him a full day to learn this technique.
But given Hanekawa and Kurenai’s superior talent, they might master it in half a day.
Shinku blinked, suddenly freezing in place.
Right in front of Hanekawa, a humanoid black shadow abruptly materialized out of thin air.
For a split second, Shinku felt as though he himself had been caught in a Genjutsu.
This speed completely blew past his highest expectations.
“Damn it!” Kurenai stared at the empty space in front of her, a look of bitter frustration washing over her face.
Her raw talent truly couldn’t compare to Hanekawa’s.
However, she quickly shook off her disappointment and tried several times in succession, finally managing to successfully cast the Haze Clone Technique.
Though, the black shadow she summoned lacked a humanoid shape, looking more like some bizarre, distorted anomaly.
“Kurenai, your talent is indeed superior to mine back in the day,” Shinku said, looking thoroughly comforted.
But Kurenai didn’t feel happy at all.
Comparison breeds despair; contrasted against Hanekawa, she was still miles behind.
“Shinku-ojisan, can you teach me a second Genjutsu?” Hanekawa asked, focused entirely on the new trait that had just manifested.
“Even though you’ve successfully cast the Haze Clone Technique, you aren’t truly proficient yet,” Shinku said gravely.
“Practice for two days, and then I will teach you a new one.
Remember, haste makes waste.” “Shinku-ojisan, look.” Hanekawa clapped his hands together, and a humanoid black shadow instantly snapped into existence.
“Th-This…
how is this possible?!” Shinku’s eyes widened to the size of saucers.
“…” Kurenai was entirely speechless.
In such a short window, he hadn’t just learned the jutsu—he had completely mastered it?
Whether a shinobi was truly proficient with a jutsu depended on its casting speed and execution.
Hanekawa’s second cast was significantly faster than his first, essentially hitting the absolute limit of the Haze Clone Technique’s activation speed.
The reality, of course, was that he had a system cheat.
[E-Rank Ninjutsu Trait: Haze Clone Technique.] [Trigger Condition: Successfully execute the corresponding ninjutsu.] [Effect: The jutsu automatically achieves proficient-level mastery.] [Note: Possesses a single synthesis pathway.
Combine three E-Rank Genjutsu traits to synthesize D-Rank Trait: ‘Genjutsu Genin’.] The moment the trait was secured, a massive surge of muscle memory and theoretical insights flooded Hanekawa’s mind, making it feel as though he had trained the technique thousands of times already.
“Your talent is even more monstrous than I imagined!” Shinku said excitedly, finally snapping out of his daze.
The shinobi world hadn’t produced a prominent, standalone Genjutsu powerhouse in a long time, primarily because the overwhelming reputation of the Uchiha’s Sharingan had completely overshadowed everyone else.
But now, Hanekawa gave him hope that a new era was on the horizon.
As his mentor, the Yuhi name would skyrocket in renown—they might even establish themselves as a true prominent clan.
“…” Hanekawa looked at his mentor’s ecstatic expression and remained silent.
What was he supposed to say?
I’m taking my talents to the Yuhi household?
“I’ll teach you the second Genjutsu right now,” Shinku said, taking a deep breath to steady his emotions.
“Demonic Illusion: Hell Viewing Technique.” Hanekawa’s eyes brightened.
This particular illusion was quite famous in the original series, utilized by the likes of Orochimaru and Kakashi Hatake.
Although its learning difficulty was still rated as D-Rank, its psychological impact vastly outclassed the Haze Clone Technique.
It forced the target to witness their darkest, most deep-seated fears, striking directly at their psyche.
The moment Hanekawa executed it once, the new trait successfully registered.
[E-Rank Ninjutsu Trait: Demonic Illusion: Hell Viewing Technique.] [Trigger Condition: Successfully execute the corresponding ninjutsu.] [Effect: The jutsu automatically achieves proficient-level mastery.] [Note: Possesses a single synthesis pathway.
Combine three E-Rank Genjutsu traits to synthesize D-Rank Trait: ‘Genjutsu Genin’.] Hanekawa let out a heavy breath.
With his current meager chakra reserves, casting three distinct techniques in succession had pretty much drained him dry.
This was precisely why the Academy initially restricted students to the basic Three Academy Jutsu.
But Hanekawa didn’t stop, urging Shinku to teach him a third technique immediately.
After all, he was right on the cusp of synthesizing a brand-new trait.
Stopping halfway now would be no different than having an action movie buffer right at the climax—it completely ruined the ritual.
Shinku had already been thoroughly won over by his talent.
Seeing that the boy still had a shred of energy left, he readily agreed.
[E-Rank Ninjutsu Trait: Genjutsu: Three Severe Cherries.] [Trigger Condition: Successfully execute the corresponding ninjutsu.] [Effect: The jutsu automatically achieves proficient-level mastery.] [Note: Possesses a single synthesis pathway.
Combine three E-Rank Genjutsu traits to synthesize D-Rank Trait: ‘Genjutsu Genin’.] Genjutsu: Three Severe Cherries trapped the target in a vision of swirling flower petals, masking the user’s actual physical strike.
In terms of sheer psychological potency, it was inferior to the Hell Viewing Technique, serving primarily as a visual distraction.
His chakra completely exhausted, Hanekawa sat down on the floor to rest.
He had managed to grind these out so quickly because, talent aside, these three specific techniques carried remarkably low entry barriers.
Kurenai witnessed the entire absurd sequence.
After a long silence, a wry, accepting smile finally crossed her face.
This guy was a prodigy among prodigies.
How was she supposed to win?
It turned out she was just an ordinary person after all.