c112: A Battle of Wits and Courage with the Air
Seeing that the two were about to come to blows over a trivial provocation, Yuhi Kurenai and the others quickly stepped in to mediate, directing their efforts mostly at Asuma.
Because Uchiha Gen's side wasn't worried at all. Anyone could see Asuma was at a clear disadvantage, and even Ebisu his loyal follower was secretly concerned for him.
However, Asuma, in his typical stubbornness, had already made up his mind to fight. No matter how earnestly the three tried to persuade him, he refused to listen.
Left with no other option, they turned to Uchiha Gen, urging him not to take things too far.
Gen smiled faintly and said, "Don't worry, it's just a friendly match."
"Ninjas spar to expose their flaws, learn from others, and grow stronger, it's part of our way."
Seeing that both parties were resolute and not backing down, the three could only give up.
The five of them left Yuhi Kurenai's house and headed to Training Ground 9 nearby, a standard field bordered by tall evergreen trees. Even though it was autumn, the ground was still green and lush. The sun shone brightly, the air was cool perfect weather for a spar.
Uchiha Gen and Sarutobi Asuma stood facing each other in the open area, while Kurenai, Yugao, and Ebisu took their place under the shade of the trees.
"Hong, how long do you think Asuma will last?" whispered Yugao, holding onto Kurenai's arm.
"Hard to say," Kurenai replied with a subtle shake of her head.
"Haven't you fought alongside the captain back on the Kirigakure frontlines?"
"You must have some idea of what he's capable of."
"I do, but Gen always hides his true strength. Every battle I saw him in... he never got serious. His skills are bottomless."
Ebisu, standing nearby, felt a subtle twitch of annoyance.
Though he wasn't optimistic about Asuma winning either, wasn't this a bit too exaggerated? As if he was stronger than the Hokage...
In the field, both Gen and Asuma formed the seal of confrontation.
Asuma drew his signature trench knives, imbued them with chakra.standard for his fighting style even as a genin, taught by his father Sarutobi Hiruzen and reinforced at the Academy.
Gen calmly unsheathed the Kusanagi blade from his waist, activated his fully matured Sharingan three tomoe spinning and sighed inwardly.
Could it be that no one in the Sarutobi clan taught Asuma how to fight a Sharingan user?
In canon, even seasoned jōnin like Asuma and Kurenai were unprepared when they confronted Uchiha Itachi. It was Kakashi who explained that one should avoid making direct eye contact with the Sharingan.
Even Maito Gai, known for his taijutsu-only fighting style, avoided eye contact and focused on predicting movement by watching footwork.
The breeze rustled, and a green leaf floated between them. Gen's eyes sharpened.
Perfect timing. He immediately cast a genjutsu.
**One-Leaf Blinding Illusion an original B-rank genjutsu.
This wasn't part of the Uchiha clan's standard illusion library, nor was it listed among Konoha's formal jutsu. Inspired by the "One Leaf Blinds the Eye" technique from the Shūshan mythos and the Kasumi no Jutsu used by Shi Lan in Qin Shi Mingyue, it used subtle visual misdirection to mask his real movements.
Unlike the D-rank Kasumi no Jutsu, which only summoned a shadowy illusion easily broken, this was a pupil-based illusion precise, deceptive, and dangerously efficient. It could both hide the user and create an illusionary clone that mimicked the user's taijutsu exactly but was invulnerable.
After casting the genjutsu, Gen silently used the Body Flicker Technique to relocate to the shade beside the others. But in Asuma's eyes, Gen was still standing ready in the field.
"Huh? Not fighting?" Ebisu asked, puzzled as Gen suddenly retreated from the field.
"It's already over," Gen said coolly.
With a soft click, he twirled the Kusanagi blade in one hand, sheathed it, crossed his arms, and leaned lazily against the tree trunk.
Ebisu: "???"
Meanwhile, seeing Gen not taking the offensive, Asuma seized the opportunity and charged forward.
To him, the duel had only just begun. But in truth, he was trapped in an illusion. He engaged in what looked like a fierce hand-to-hand fight with "Gen," showcasing impressive moves and agility.
To the observers, however, Asuma was just flailing and striking at thin air.
"Asuma's caught in an illusion," Yugao murmured. "At this rate, he'll exhaust himself."
Kurenai nodded quietly. Even though she had anticipated the outcome, she hadn't expected Asuma a chūnin—to fall for a genjutsu so quickly.
"Just what kind of genjutsu is this?"
"It's incredible," Ebisu said in awe.
"A self-developed B-rank genjutsu," Gen replied calmly.
He didn't elaborate further. He wasn't one of those shinobi who liked narrating their techniques mid-fight.
Hearing this, Yugao looked at Gen with a touch of admiration in her eyes.
"Didn't anyone in the Sarutobi clan tell Asuma not to meet the Sharingan head-on?" she asked.
"You're not supposed to make eye contact when fighting a Sharingan user?" Ebisu blinked.
"It depends. If it's just a basic Sharingan or the user isn't trained in genjutsu, you can manage."
"But if it's someone like Gen, who specializes in illusions, it's extremely risky. You won't even know when you're caught."
"But how do you know which Uchiha are genjutsu specialists?"
"Easy try and find out."
Ebisu: "..."
"I'm not joking. That's how we learn."
"Even if a Uchiha isn't skilled in genjutsu, the Sharingan still gives them visual precision and the ability to copy ninjutsu and taijutsu."
"Against opponents of equal strength, it's a huge advantage."
"I envy your clan's kekkei genkai," Ebisu said, a bit sourly. Kurenai and Yugao both silently agreed.
"Then work harder," Gen shrugged.
"But hard work won't give me Sharingan."
"No, but maybe if you marry into the clan and have kids... they might awaken it."
Ebisu: "...Excuse me?"
Was Gen seriously saying he should dedicate his life to marrying into the Uchiha?
But then again... the Uchiha women were known for their looks, pride, and power.
Tempting.
"Hong, Xiyan, how about dinner at my place tonight?"
"It's been a while. I'll cook something good."
Kurenai and Yugao remembered the delicious hotpot Gen made during their last visit. Their stomachs growled involuntarily. They glanced at each other and nodded in agreement.
With a man who could cook like that, was it even a question?
"Ebisu, go break the illusion. Asuma's running on fumes."
Although Asuma had realized he was under genjutsu, even chakra disruption and pain stimulation hadn't worked. The strength gap was simply too great.
With Gen's current genjutsu prowess, he was already among the top three in Konoha even if the village didn't officially recognize it.
"Got it."
Ebisu ran over, waited for the right moment, and injected chakra to forcibly disrupt Asuma's chakra flow. A negative and a positive cancelled out the standard genjutsu release.
Asuma blinked, the illusion shattered. He looked around, confused, and then with a flushed face stormed off without even completing the seal of reconciliation.
Ebisu sighed and followed.
They couldn't waste the effort spent stoking that fire.
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