Nice timing.
Facing the onrushing Fang Over Fang and the blade cutting toward him, Yuhi Shinku showed no sign of panic. His hands flowed through a set of seals he knew best—this was a technique uniquely his own.
Confronted by Inuzuka Tsubaki and Uchiha Ran's combined assault, Shinku calmly activated his signature jutsu—
Phantom Flash Body Flicker.
His figure blurred and vanished like light scattering through glass, leaving behind a lifelike afterimage—so real it was indistinguishable from the original.
This was no ordinary Body Flicker.
Phantom Flash Body Flicker was a special movement technique that fused genjutsu with high-speed displacement. Unlike standard shunshin, it left behind a highly realistic illusionary clone. And the most dangerous part—
The moment an enemy struck that "clone," they would be dragged straight into a genjutsu world constructed by Yuhi Shinku himself.
At the exact instant Tsubaki's Fang Over Fang and Ran's blade connected—
They had already fallen into the illusion.
A trace of cunning flashed through Shinku's eyes. His real body stood calmly at a distance, chakra gathering steadily in his hands. With a single thought, he had already slipped away like lightning, leaving behind nothing but a mirror image.
The world before Tsubaki and Ran suddenly changed.
Everything blurred, as though reality itself had been washed away. Only the three of them remained clear.
They were now inside Shinku's genjutsu.
In this illusionary world, time seemed frozen.
Ran's blade hung mid-swing.
Tsubaki's Fang Over Fang was suspended at the moment of release.
Then—time resumed.
They continued their attacks as if nothing were wrong.
In the real world, Shinku looked at the two who stood motionless and smiled faintly.
"You did well," he announced calmly. "But this round is mine. You still have a long way to go."
Inside the illusion, however, Tsubaki had already calmed herself. Her attack missed, and she immediately began observing her surroundings, eyes sharp, fighting spirit rising.
"Ran, Shinno," she called out, "let's coordinate and go again!"
At the same time, a glint flashed through Ran's eyes.
So this is it…
The moment he entered the illusion, he had already noticed something was wrong. Inwardly, he felt a flicker of admiration—using a clone as the trigger point for genjutsu was genuinely dangerous. If one wasn't careful, getting caught was inevitable.
Well… this test is actually pretty simple, Ran thought lazily.
I'll play along with Teacher Shinku this time.
"Are you still going to continue?" Shinku asked, turning his gaze toward Shinno, who had yet to move.
"No need, Sensei," Shinno replied honestly. "Seeing the two of them still trapped in your genjutsu, I already know we've lost. A shame—I didn't even get to see your real techniques."
"Alright then," Shinku said. "We'll end the test here."
As he spoke, he released the genjutsu.
The illusion shattered.
Reality snapped back into place.
In the illusionary world, Tsubaki and Ran watched Shinku's figure fade away—then, in the blink of an eye, they were back in the real training ground.
"…Wait," Tsubaki said blankly. "So that whole fight just now… was inside a genjutsu?"
This was completely different from before. In all their previous spars, Shinku had never used genjutsu like this—and neither of them had even realized when they'd been caught.
"Teacher's genjutsu is terrifying," Tsubaki muttered. "I really shouldn't have fallen for it. My attack method didn't involve eye contact… there was no reason to—"
She stopped mid-sentence.
Ran nodded slightly and said, "I get it now. Sensei—it was that strange clone, wasn't it?"
"…That moment?" Tsubaki's eyes widened. "I didn't notice at all. I thought you had simply dodged! You linked the illusion world and reality seamlessly!"
"Your reaction was very sharp, Ran," Shinku said with a nod. "That's exactly when you were caught."
"So amazing!" the three students exclaimed almost in unison.
Ran, however, was already thinking ahead.
If this were a real life-and-death battle, he thought calmly, I'd activate Life Is But a Dream immediately—override his five senses and let him experience just how terrifying a true illusion world can be.
"Your coordination was good," Shinku continued, offering his evaluation. "Shinno's Wind Release: Great Breakthrough could be combined with Ran's Great Fireball Technique. As for Tsubaki—your Fang Over Fang is too straightforward. Try optimizing it to make it harder to defend against."
Then Shinku paused, turning to Ran.
"Ran, may I ask you something?"
"Of course, Sensei," Ran replied.
"Have you awakened the Sharingan?" Shinku asked seriously. "This affects our team's combat planning."
"…Sorry, Teacher Shinku," Ran said apologetically. "I haven't awakened it yet."
"No need to apologize," Shinku said calmly. "Not having the Sharingan isn't a problem. Your genjutsu and swordsmanship are already solid. Improve your ninjutsu a bit more, and you'll be a qualified chūnin. Honestly… it's hard to believe someone with your strength only just graduated."
He couldn't help but sigh.
Ran's combat ability—especially his genjutsu and swordsmanship—was already at chūnin level. And yet he'd remained in the academy until thirteen.
"Well… my strength only started improving last year," Ran admitted sheepishly, scratching his head. "And my theoretical knowledge still isn't great."
"Ran, you really exceeded our expectations," Tsubaki said happily as she walked over and slapped his shoulder. "I thought you were still the same as four years ago—barely improving. Turns out your combat ability is probably on par with Shinno now!"
"Yeah," Shinno added. "I still remember when Obito surpassed you and you became the dead last. He graduated early, and I thought you'd stay in the academy forever."
"…Ah—sorry," Shinno said suddenly, realizing what he'd said. "I didn't mean it like that."
"It's fine," Ran said with a smile, walking over and slinging an arm around Shinno's shoulder. "I thought I'd never graduate either. Maybe I just had a sudden breakthrough last year."
He laughed lightly.
"From now on, we're teammates."
"Alright, alright," Shinku said, clapping his hands. "That's enough. It's time for Team Shinku to take on a mission. Let's go—off to see the Third Hokage."
He turned and started walking toward the Hokage Tower.
"This is Ran's first mission with the team, and he probably hasn't seen blood yet. Let's take a bandit-clearing mission."
From behind him came three hurried voices:
"Sensei—wait for us!"
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