The Sand ninja who had fallen asleep was completely trapped in the illusion—the Genjutsu of Reincarnation. No matter how loudly the others shouted or tried to rouse him, he couldn't be awakened. Orochimaru, ever skeptical, took matters into his own hands. He tried everything: snake venom, stimulants, even obscure secret techniques. But none worked.
Standing nearby, Fenghuo craned his neck to watch, excitement gleaming in his eyes.
"Looks like this layered Genjutsu works better than expected."
Orochimaru narrowed his eyes with a rare look of solemnity.
"He didn't even activate his Sharingan… so how is he casting such a Genjutsu?"
Hatake Sakumo tried his hand as well, but after some time, he gave up and turned to Orochimaru.
"Let Kaiichi take a look."
Orochimaru clicked his tongue but nodded begrudgingly.
"Fenghuo, go get some rest."
Later, Hatake Sakumo and Orochimaru brought the unconscious shinobi to the Hokage's office. Jiraiya, Tsunade, and several others gathered, all attempting to wake him, but their efforts proved useless.
Finally, Yamanaka Kaiichi stepped forward, using the Yamanaka clan's signature technique—Shinranshin no Jutsu, the Mind Body Transmission Technique—to project his consciousness into the target's mind.
After a while, Kaiichi opened his eyes and nodded solemnly.
"It's exactly the same illusion world that Fenghuo described earlier. A recursive Genjutsu loop—several illusions interconnected like a ring."
He went on.
"From the inside, it looks like an ideal world. Perhaps a peaceful one, created by Fenghuo himself. Considering the chaos of the ninja world and that his parents died on the battlefield, it's not strange that he'd long for peace."
Hatake Sakumo chuckled.
"Then there's nothing to worry about. Fenghuo called it his new Genjutsu: Reincarnation. Since he didn't activate his Sharingan, it obviously isn't Izanami."
Minato Namikaze smiled.
"Fenghuo's always been brilliant. In recent years, he's developed Rasengan and Chidori—both incredible techniques. It's no surprise he could create a combined illusion like this."
Yuhi Kurenai's father, Yuhi Shinku, nodded thoughtfully.
"Indeed. His illusion techniques show great promise. I've guided him a bit, but he has a knack for combining existing illusions in novel ways."
Hiruzen Sarutobi exhaled in relief.
"Seems we were overthinking things."
Orochimaru, however, remained quiet, his expression darkening. Despite his silence, the evidence was undeniable.
"Haiichi," Sarutobi asked again, "is there any way to wake this rebel up?"
Kaiichi hesitated before replying,
"This technique is still immature, but it shows immense potential. The illusions are looped—when one is broken, it transitions seamlessly into the next. It's a closed circuit, a Genjutsu of Reincarnation. Unless the subject finds a flaw in the illusion world, escaping is nearly impossible."
He added,
"Each illusion is a self-contained world—some resembling the Warring States era, others filled with strange metal structures, fast-moving iron beasts, and flying iron birds. They seem fantastical, but disturbingly plausible. The illusion preys on doubt. If the subject cannot fully reject the illusion from their heart, they'll eventually lose all self-awareness and be consumed by the world of Reincarnation."
Hatake Sakumo crossed his arms.
"But there's a flaw. The technique seems to only take full effect if the target is already exhausted or asleep."
Sarutobi chuckled.
"A flaw is just room for improvement. Looks like we'll be adding another technique to the Sealed Scroll."
The Scroll of Seals contained many powerful and forbidden techniques: Hashirama's Wood Release, Tobirama's Flying Thunder God, the Shadow Clone Jutsu, even techniques acquired from other villages. Having Reincarnation added meant it was now considered a Konoha-exclusive secret—one that only Fenghuo could use unless granted explicit permission by the Hokage.
Orochimaru's eyes narrowed, the image of Fenghuo performing the seals burned into his memory. A faint smile played at his lips.
Back in his underground laboratory, Orochimaru seized a fatigued five-year-old test subject from his "research materials." Under her terrified eyes, he cast the Genjutsu of Reincarnation.
The girl fell asleep immediately—but woke up within half a day.
"…What happened?" Orochimaru's expression shifted.
"Did I misremember the seal sequence?"
He repeated the process with other test subjects. Failure. Again and again.
"He's lying! This Genjutsu doesn't work the way he described!" Orochimaru's fury erupted, killing intent radiating wildly.
"No… there's no way he tricked me under Sakumo's and my nose. The illusions must be genuine… but how the hell did he connect them?"
Even Sarutobi Hiruzen tried to replicate it—and failed.
He called Yuhi Shinku to test it. Still, failure.
Sarutobi's mood soured, and he called Kaiichi again.
Kaiichi explained,
"The essence of Reincarnation isn't in the seals—it's in the creation of the illusion worlds. Each one Fenghuo created reflects an uncanny realism. Without that world-building ability—without vision—you can't replicate the effect. Even with the hand seals, you can't perform Reincarnation unless you can create and link fully-formed, convincing realities."
Hiruzen sighed, then smiled wistfully.
"I see. Youth breeds imagination… and we're all too old."
Then he turned serious.
"Shinku, tell Fenghuo this: use Reincarnation with caution. And if he wishes to further improve it, go to Sakumo for guidance—and never use it on innocent people."
"I understand, Hokage-sama."
Later that day…
After Fenghuo was discharged from the hospital, Obito—who'd been waiting impatiently—dragged him out to celebrate.
Obito, Rin, Asuma, and Kurenai had all just graduated from the Academy. They wanted to party days ago, but Kurenai insisted they wait for Fenghuo to recover.
At the yakiniku restaurant, Obito devoured meat like a starving wolf.
"This meal's on me! Eat as much as you want!"
Immediately afterward, he leaned toward Fenghuo and whispered,
"Hey… lend me some money real quick?"
Fenghuo stared blankly.
"You're treating… with my money?"
Obito snorted,
"Aren't we friends? You're loaded anyway."
"You're shameless."
What could he do? It's Obito.
Fenghuo grumbled and slipped some coins under the table.
"Remember to pay me back."
"Yeah, yeah. I'm starting missions soon! I'll be rich!"
After the meal, Fenghuo returned home and locked himself in his room. He closed his eyes, and when they opened again, the three tomoe Sharingan spun slowly into view.
"Whew… it evolved successfully."
He could feel it clearly—the enhanced pupil strength coursing through his eyes.
Each evolution of the Sharingan brought a leap in ocular power. If he ever broke through to the Mangekyō, not only would his pupil strength soar, but he'd gain unique Mangekyō abilities as well.
He was hopeful—but cautious.
"It nearly killed me just going from double tomoe to three… if it happens again, I might not survive it."
With a sigh, he muttered,
"Whatever. One step at a time."
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