Chapter 16: The Power of Genjutsu
At that moment, Hyuga Ko felt the same way Uchiha Hiroshi had felt that day. He no longer wanted to continue the fight.
He knew in his heart that regardless of the outcome, he would not be the main character of this story. The boy who had awakened a two-tomoe Sharingan at the age of five had already proven his genius.
Besides, his "mission" was now complete.
Thinking of this, Hyuga Ko's gaze shifted discreetly to the side of the training ground, toward the middle-aged man with the bandaged head.
He was met with a sharp, piercing glare. His heart lurched in fear, and he could only force himself to turn back and face the expressionless Kyosuke.
What he didn't know was that this brief exchange had been noticed by many observant people, including the opponent standing right in front of him.
So, he's the one pulling the strings. That's not surprising, Kyosuke thought, finally understanding the full picture.
After all, the bandaged man, just like his own teacher, held a deep-seated animosity toward the Uchiha clan. And in the original story's Uchiha Clan Downfall, this man had played a significant role.
This man was Shimura Danzō, known for being Konoha's master of manipulation and blame.
However, Kyosuke wasn't too worried about him at the moment. Although the Uchiha clan's power was waning, they were still a force to be reckoned with, not just in Konoha, but in the entire shinobi world. With the backing of such a powerful clan, Kyosuke feared no overt pressure from anyone.
As for any covert schemes, he was confident that his "teacher," the cold and calculating Orochimaru, would help him handle them. After all, Orochimaru and Danzō were currently working very closely together.
Under Danzō's sharp gaze, Hyuga Ko could only prepare to begin the second round of his fight with Kyosuke.
A sense of sorrow began to brew in his chest.
There was a time when people had called him a "genius." But look at him now. How had he fallen so low as to become a mere tool to test another's "caliber"?
Danzō… Hyuga Ko silently gritted his teeth. He had no choice but to follow his orders. It wasn't just him; even the entire Hyuga clan had few who dared to defy Danzō's commands.
As Hyuga Ko wallowed in self-pity, Kyosuke suddenly launched his attack.
But to his surprise, his opponent didn't use his masterful kunai technique, nor did he use the Uchiha's signature ninjutsu. Instead, he simply charged straight at him.
Although he found it strange, Hyuga Ko felt a surge of joy, even excitement. Even if the little brat had a two-tomoe Sharingan, recklessly engaging a Hyuga clan member in close combat was sheer arrogance.
Just as he was preparing to end this meaningless duel once and for all, a sudden shout reached his ears.
"Watch out for genjutsu!!!"
The person who yelled was one of the Hyuga clan ninja.
Hearing the warning, Hyuga Ko, who was about to charge forward, abruptly halted. He forced his chakra to clash within his body, creating the sensation of an external force helping him break free from an illusion. This was a special ability granted by the Byakugan.
Even though he didn't know when he had fallen into a genjutsu, he knew it was better to be safe than sorry.
As the chakra surged through him, the scene before his eyes shattered like glass and vanished. He had successfully broken free from Kyosuke's genjutsu.
When his vision refocused, he saw that Kyosuke was still standing in the same spot. In the illusion, the one charging at him hadn't been Kyosuke at all, but a massive fireball over a meter in diameter.
If it hadn't been for his clansman's timely warning, he would have already run headfirst into the fireball. Fortunately, except for a few special cases, time in genjutsu usually flows much faster than in reality, which gave him a chance to dodge.
BOOM!
As expected, Hyuga Ko dodged the Great Fireball. The Hyuga clansman who had shouted the warning breathed a sigh of relief.
But then, he felt an astonishing killing intent envelop him. He quickly looked up and located its source.
Aside from a few furious Uchiha clan members... it was the ice-cold face of Orochimaru.
The Hyuga ninja trembled, fearfully lowering his head and retreating back into the crowd of his clan.
The Hyuga team leader shot him a fierce glare before turning to Orochimaru and bowing slightly, offering an apology.
Orochimaru emotionlessly withdrew his staggering killing intent and turned his gaze back to the two opponents on the field.
Hyuga Ko, after clumsily dodging Kyosuke's ninjutsu, was preparing to readjust his strategy.
Unfortunately for him, Kyosuke wasn't going to give him another chance.
After a few simple hand seals, a cluster of smaller, but equally deadly, flames shot toward the rising Hyuga Ko.
Fire Release: Phoenix Sage Fire Technique.
And that wasn't all. While controlling the trajectory of the Phoenix Sage Fire with his chakra, Kyosuke pulled out another handful of shuriken and hurled them at his opponent.
In an instant, the outmatched Hyuga Ko was surrounded by Kyosuke's overwhelming onslaught of attacks.
"Damn it! Don't underestimate me!!!" Hyuga Ko roared. Suddenly, chakra erupted from every tenketsu point on his body, and he began to spin rapidly.
"Eight Trigrams Palms Revolving Heaven!"
As expected of a ninja chosen by Danzō as a pawn. Even without the exaggerated talent of a "main character" from the story, he had been trained from a young age and had mastered the secret technique, Revolving Heaven, at the Chunin level.
As a cloud of dust and smoke rose, Kyosuke's attack, which should have been a decisive blow, was completely blocked by the Revolving Heaven.
Just as Hyuga Ko stopped spinning, he heard a faint crack from the ground beneath his feet.
A sense of dread filled him, and he prepared to dodge. But after his massive burst of chakra, his movements were sluggish.
In that single moment of weakness, a pair of hands shot out from the ground and grabbed his ankles.
The world spun around him, and he and Kyosuke completely switched positions.
When the smoke cleared, only Kyosuke was left standing, holding a kunai with a calm expression. As for Hyuga Ko, his entire body was buried in the earth, with only his head exposed.
And with that, the rather spectacular battle came to an end.
Kyosuke looked at the still-dizzy Hyuga Ko and smiled. He then turned to face his clansmen and raised his right hand high above his head.
In an instant, an astonishing roar of cheers erupted from the Uchiha clan's position.