"What a powerful combo. Looks like all three top students were hiding their strength."
Perched in a tree, Aburame Shino muttered to himself, watching the dust cloud rise from the clearing and forest.
He didn't dawdle, sending swarms of insects to exploit the dust's cover, aiming to snatch the bells from Kurenai Yuhi's waist unnoticed.
But Hinata had already stirred the grass, alerting the snake.
As Team 8's Jonin instructor, specializing in sensory skills, Kurenai's perception was sharp.
Jolted by Hinata's combo, she'd activated her senses the moment the dust engulfed her.
Izayoi, Hinata, and Shino's positions—and the approaching insects—were all detected.
Poof!
A balloon-popping sound echoed through the dust.
As it cleared, only a log swarmed by insects lay on the ground.
Substitution Technique!
Team 8 wasn't surprised.
Hinata, temple veins bulging with her Byakugan active, scanned the area. Her black-and-white vision exposed Shino hiding in a tree, Kurenai slipping into the woods under white smoke's cover, and Izayoi, already a blur, charging toward Kurenai.
Watching Izayoi confront Kurenai and launch an attack, Hinata's Byakugan caught something, her lips curving slightly.
She pulled out a cloth, nodded toward Shino's direction, and vanished.
The buzz of insects followed close behind.
In another part of the forest, clanging metal rang out.
Zooming in, a boy and woman, barely differing in height, gripped kunai backward, locked in a blade fight.
Aiming for Kurenai's vital points, Izayoi's kunai stabbed, slashed, and swiped.
His speed and decisiveness forced even Kurenai into pure defense.
At first, her vast combat experience kept her calm.
But soon, her eyes widened, face paling as if witnessing something unbelievable.
"How is that possible?!"
She gasped aloud.
Izayoi, knowing why she was shocked, smirked.
The next second, poof—he dissolved into white smoke.
Simultaneously, three shouts echoed around the forest.
"Fire Release: Majestic Dragon Flame Technique!"
Orange-red flames, like a sunset, enveloped Kurenai.
Three fire dragons, each four meters long, roared from a triangular formation.
Too late for a Body Flicker, and Genjutsu useless, Kurenai formed seals swiftly, shouting, "Water Release: Water Formation Wall!"
A torrent spilled from her mouth, spinning with her to meet the dragons.
Explosions and sizzling followed, white mist billowing outward.
"Cough, cough…"
The mist spread widely, reaching the clearing.
Kurenai burst out, coughing from the haze.
Suddenly, she froze, realizing something.
A moment later, a familiar sound hit her ears.
Jingle, jingle…
The clear chime of bells drew closer.
A breeze cleared the mist, revealing Team 8 emerging from the woods.
Izayoi, in the center, dangled the bells lightly, smiling at Kurenai. "Kurenai-sensei, we passed, right?"
"Impressive. I was on guard, yet you still got the bells."
Glancing at the pristine Team 8, then at her disheveled self, Kurenai felt a twinge of embarrassment but was mostly delighted.
She grinned, unstinting in her praise. "Strong skills, great tactics. Your sensei lost."
"No… ninja battles are about intel."
Izayoi shook his head, smiling. "We got the bells so easily because you shared your specialty, and you didn't know enough about us. In a life-or-death fight, it wouldn't be this smooth. We just took advantage of your leniency."
Hinata and Shino, a step behind, stared at Izayoi, stunned, their thoughts diverging.
Izayoi-kun's words are so smooth, Hinata thought.
You can talk like that? Is this… flattery? Shino wondered.
Kurenai blinked, her smile brightening, eyes warm with fondness for Izayoi.
"Smooth talker!"
Her embarrassment eased, Kurenai regained her confident swagger, patting Izayoi's shoulder and pulling Hinata close. "Come on, to celebrate Team 8's formation, sensei's treating you to a feast."
Walking down a wooded path to Central Street, Kurenai eyed Izayoi curiously. "How did your Shadow Clone break my Genjutsu in combat?"
The academy taught Genjutsu disruption: disturb your Chakra flow.
Easy in theory, brutal in practice.
Mid-fight, disrupting Chakra was nearly impossible.
It required deliberate Chakra manipulation, often needing seals.
Kurenai's shock wasn't just that Izayoi's clone fought her, or that his real self and clones had ambushed.
It was that his clone ignored her Genjutsu entirely.
"Trade secret, Kurenai-sensei."
Izayoi pressed a finger to his lips, grinning. "Ninja battles are about intel. Secrets make a man more charming."
He winked at Hinata, making her blush and dip her head.
"You're hardly a man—just a kid."
Kurenai rolled her eyes. "Say that when you're twenty and can drink with me."
She didn't press further.
But inwardly, she rated Izayoi far above Hinata and Shino, both clan heirs.
Massive Chakra, potent Fire Release, mature demeanor, and ninja instincts…
Now she understood why he'd dominated clans to claim top student.
To her teasing, Izayoi just smiled.
He wouldn't reveal that he ignored her Genjutsu not just because of his strong Yin Release Chakra, but because he could manipulate it without seals.
He was Genjutsu's natural enemy.
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