Seeing Tsubaki's "Fang to Fang" and the slash of Ran's blade coming straight at him, Shinku Yuhi didn't flinch. Calmly, he formed a sequence of hand seals—his signature secret jutsu, one of his proudest creations.
Facing the combined assault of Tsubaki and Ran, Shinku activated his special technique: Phantom Flash Step. In an instant, his body blurred and vanished, leaving behind a lifelike illusionary clone.
"Phantom Flash Step!"
This unique jutsu, a fusion of genjutsu and the flash step, was Shinku's trademark move. Unlike ordinary flash steps, it leaves a highly realistic illusionary clone behind. Even more remarkably, anyone who attacks the clone is trapped within the genjutsu world Shinku has crafted. In other words, the moment Tsubaki's Fang to Fang and Ran's blade struck, they were already pulled into Shinku's illusion.
A sly glint appeared in Shinku's crimson eyes. He stood poised, channeling mysterious energy, and with a flicker as swift as lightning, he disappeared—leaving a clone so lifelike it was as if his reflection had sprung from a mirror.
Suddenly, the scenery before Tsubaki and Ran shifted. The real world blurred around them, leaving only the three of them clear. They were now inside the illusory realm of Shinku Yuhi.
Time itself seemed suspended. The scene froze precisely at the moment Ran swung his sword and Tsubaki launched Fang to Fang—their attacks suspended in midair. Then time resumed, and the strikes continued as if nothing had happened.
Shinku smiled faintly, observing the frozen Tsubaki and Ran in the real world. "Not bad… but I win. You'll need to try harder."
Inside the genjutsu, Tsubaki's mind raced. Her first strike missed, but she immediately assessed her surroundings, drawing a deep breath as her fighting spirit surged. "Ran, Niino, let's coordinate and go again!"
Ran's sharp eyes flickered. The moment he entered the illusion, he sensed the trap—but he also couldn't help admiring Shinku's ingenuity. Using a clone to trigger genjutsu? One careless misstep, and it would have caught them completely.
"Well, this test is straightforward enough," Ran murmured. "Let's see how well we can coordinate with Teacher Shinku."
"Still continuing?" Shinku asked Niino, who had yet to make a move.
"No need, sensei. Seeing them trapped in your genjutsu world, I know we have no chance. It's a shame I didn't get to see your full jutsu in action," Niino replied, gazing at the two frozen students.
"Alright, then. This test ends simply," Shinku said, releasing the genjutsu. The illusion shattered, reality snapped back into place. Tsubaki and Ran blinked, returning to the real world, watching as Shinku's figure gradually faded into the distance.
"When… was I actually fighting sensei inside his genjutsu world?" Tsubaki murmured, confused. This was unlike anything before—previous battles with Shinku had never involved genjutsu. And she had no idea when she had even fallen for it.
"Sensei's genjutsu is incredible… I shouldn't have been caught. My attacks had no reason to trigger it. I wasn't looking directly at him…" Ran paused, realization dawning. "Ah… so it was that strange clone!"
"Oh! That was it! I didn't realize at all. I thought he had dodged our attacks! But he seamlessly merged the illusion world with reality!" Tsubaki exclaimed in awe.
"Your reactions are sharp, Ran. That's exactly when you were caught," Shinku commented.
"Unbelievable!" The three students exclaimed together.
Ran's mind raced. If they were to engage in a life-or-death duel with Shinku, he could use Fleeting Dream of Life to manipulate Shinku's five senses, forcing him to experience the full horror of the illusion.
Shinku offered feedback, his voice calm yet authoritative: "Your attacks have potential, but there's room to improve. Niino's Wind Style: Great Breakthrough can combine with Ran's Fireball Jutsu. Tsubaki, your Fang to Fang is too straightforward—optimize it to make your moves harder to predict."
"Ran, may I ask you something?" Shinku's tone shifted slightly.
"Of course, sensei. Ask anything," Ran replied respectfully.
"Have you awakened your Sharingan yet? It's crucial for our team's battle strategy."
"Sorry, Teacher Shinku, I haven't activated it," Ran said apologetically.
"No need to apologize. Not using the Sharingan isn't a problem. Your genjutsu and swordsmanship are excellent. Just improve your ninjutsu, and you'll be fully capable as a Chunin! I find it remarkable that someone with your skill only graduates now." Shinku's admiration was clear—Ran's abilities were already Chunin-level, yet he had only graduated at thirteen.
"Ah… Teacher Shinku, my skills only really started improving last year, and my theoretical knowledge isn't perfect yet," Ran admitted, scratching his head in embarrassment.
"Ran, your abilities surpass our expectations. I thought you hadn't improved much over the past four years. To think your combat level is now on par with Niino!" Tsubaki said, beaming, patting Ran's shoulder.
"Yes, Ran. Remember when you were surpassed by Obito and were at the bottom? I thought you'd be stuck in the academy forever!"
"Ah, sorry! I didn't mean to bring that up!" Niino said apologetically, realizing his words.
"It's fine, Niino. I thought I wouldn't graduate either—maybe I just finally had a breakthrough a year ago!" Ran said with a smile, clasping Niino's shoulder.
"Haha, from now on, we're teammates," Niino grinned.
"Alright, alright! Our Shinku squad should head out on a mission. Let's report to the Third Hokage. Ran just joined the team, so he probably hasn't seen blood in combat yet. Let's send you on a mountain bandit suppression mission!" Shinku said, leading the way toward the Hokage building.
Behind him, the three students called out in unison: "Sensei, wait for us! We're coming!"