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Ximen Zhen had always been deeply interested in genjutsu.
However, he knew that without the Sharingan, he could never go far on the path of genjutsu mastery.
So instead of aiming to become a genjutsu expert, his goal was to research how not to be controlled by genjutsu masters.
In fact, breaking genjutsu wasn't that difficult.
Unless it was a particularly special genjutsu, like Tsukuyomi or Kotoamatsukami, most genjutsu could be broken using one of two methods:
First, by calming the chakra within the body that has been disrupted by the genjutsu. This can be done either by the user themselves or with the help of a comrade.
Second, by relying on strong willpower or intense physical pain to force the brain to recognize that it's under an illusion.
Unfortunately, Ximen Zhen aimed to resist genjutsu at the level of Tsukuyomi, and even then, he wanted to avoid losing control.
Or at the very least, once he was caught, he wanted to become aware of it quickly and break free from the illusion.
That meant he needed to devise a way to instinctively detect genjutsu and dispel it even when he was alone and caught off guard.
Clearly, this was no easy task—if everyone could do that, genjutsu would have disappeared from the ninja world long ago.
But Ximen Zhen already had a few ideas and two existing examples to draw from.
The first: Jinchūriki can rely on their tailed beasts to help them break free from genjutsu.
The second: Deidara, in order to counter Itachi's genjutsu, came up with a rather clever trick.
Deidara would concentrate chakra into his left eye and cover it with his hair, creating a difference in the images seen by his left and right eyes—a fact unknown to anyone but himself.
So, if a genjutsu user unknowingly cast an illusion, Deidara would be able to detect discrepancies in what he saw and realize he was under genjutsu.
Using these two cases as inspiration, Ximen Zhen came up with his own approach.
First, like Deidara, he needed to always have something in his field of vision that no one else knew existed—something to use as a reference point.
If he were to fall into genjutsu and that reference point disappeared, he would immediately realize he was being affected.
And Ximen Zhen happened to have exactly that kind of reference point: the system's message display box!
This display box stayed in place at all times, under all circumstances.
Based on his simulation experience, even when Yamanaka Inoichi used mind-reading techniques on him, he was still unaware of the system's existence. This meant no genjutsu user could possibly recreate it inside Ximen Zhen's illusion.
With this constant reference in place, the next step was to either rely on himself to dispel the genjutsu upon noticing its disappearance—or better yet, to create a mechanism that could automatically dispel the illusion.
That required something within Ximen Zhen's body that could actively help him restore his chakra flow.
Ordinary ninjas didn't have this ability—Jinchūriki relied on their tailed beasts. But what could Ximen Zhen use?
The answer was already carved into his chest: the Yin Seal!
Ximen Zhen could fine-tune the Yin Seal by adding conditional triggers.
For instance, if there were certain changes in his chakra that signaled the onset of genjutsu, the Yin Seal could release stored chakra to restore balance and dispel the illusion.
To achieve this, Ximen Zhen would need to repeatedly test what kind of internal disturbances occurred when under genjutsu, and adjust the Yin Seal accordingly to match those signatures.
It was similar to gathering training data for an AI simulation.
This, in fact, was one of the main reasons Ximen Zhen joined Team 8.
Although Kurenai's genjutsu crumbled easily in front of the Sharingan, her innate talent was undeniable—she had a genjutsu stat of 10, the highest among the eight ninja attributes. It was just unfortunate that she lacked a powerful bloodline to push her further.
So, Ximen Zhen's next step was clear: he would ask Kurenai to both teach and cast genjutsu on him, so he could continually collect data and refine his Yin Seal.
This was a long-term project—one that would take years. And without becoming her subordinate, Ximen Zhen doubted Kurenai would go out of her way to help him so diligently.
Luckily, he had already written all of this into the simulation during his last guided session. All that remained was to see whether Kurenai would agree.
[Kurenai gave it only a moment's thought before agreeing, but she demanded that you learn genjutsu step by step. You immediately understood the subtext—she wasn't going to teach you unconditionally.]
Ximen Zhen was already prepared for that.
Kurenai's entire strength was built on genjutsu. As a jōnin and his superior, she had no reason to pour all her knowledge into him for free.
But that was only the present. Ximen Zhen believed that one day, her opinion of him would change.
[Under Kurenai's guidance, you began genjutsu training and recorded the internal chakra disturbances caused by it. You then started modifying the Yin Seal. At the same time, you continued helping Hinata strengthen her body and took charge of team meals.]
[With your multitasking approach, you quickly became close with everyone. Even Kiba and Shino began to discuss training with you, recognizing that among the genin, you were undoubtedly the strongest.]
[Now confident in your abilities, you began sharing your ninjutsu experiences. Before long, in the eyes of both Shino and Kiba, you had become the true leader of the team.]
[In your downtime between missions, you also made time to deepen your relationship with Tenten. Since you were now a ninja and had already published several novels, you had the time and money to dedicate yourself fully to her. Your bond grew rapidly.]
[Before long, the Chūnin Exams began. Whether or not you could participate became a serious concern for Kurenai—after all, it wasn't proper for a four-person team to enter the exams.]
Ximen Zhen was a little surprised reading this. He only now realized that he was supposed to be participating in the Chūnin Exams too.
He figured he'd probably be disqualified… but just as he thought that, Hinata chose to sacrifice herself.
[Hinata volunteered to withdraw from the Chūnin Exams and gave her spot to you. What surprised you even more was that both the Hyuga clan and Kurenai approved of her decision. While Hinata was relieved, she also realized that she had been completely abandoned.]
Ximen Zhen scratched his head… and realized there wasn't much he could do for her.
This time, the simulation was centered on Tenten—not Hinata. Otherwise, he would've definitely tried to fix Hinata's personality.
As things stood, he could only do his best to compensate her and help her grow stronger.
Sure enough, the simulated version of himself thought the same.
[Because she had been entirely discarded, Hinata now enjoyed complete freedom. She was no longer restricted in her movements and spent much more time with you. With that burden lifted, she started eating full meals and eagerly looked forward to your massages.]
[You noticed that Hinata's strength had improved significantly, though you weren't sure exactly how much. Meanwhile, Kurenai registered you, Kiba, and Shino for the Chūnin Exams. Around the same time, the Sand Village's ninja arrived in Konoha.]
(End of Chapter)