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To verify whether the exploit existed, Ryūsei once again created a shadow clone.
This time, the clone's chakra was only two-thirds of Haku's.
Watching Haku eat a soldier pill, Ryūsei said, "Continue fighting my shadow clone. This time, you can use your Kekkei Genkai and ninjutsu."
"Yes."
Haku nodded obediently as usual.
Soon, the already cool night air grew even colder.
"Ice Release: Demonic Mirroring Ice Crystals!"
Right from the start, Haku unleashed his Ice Release secret technique, creating numerous ice mirrors that surrounded Ryūsei's shadow clone.
"Water Release: Hidden Mist Technique!"
The clone, with less chakra than Haku, also conjured a thick white mist, obscuring Haku's vision.
Then, beneath the mask, the clone's eyes flashed with a dazzling red light.
Red powder also appeared within the mist.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
The sound of projectiles cutting through the air echoed continuously in the fog.
Haku, hidden within the ice mirrors, seemed to perceive something in the mist and kept throwing senbon in rapid succession.
Each time he attacked, he would shift positions by moving between the mirrors.
Watching the battle from outside with his Red Eyes, Ryūsei couldn't help but smirk.
"Who would've thought the illusionary ability of the Red Eyes, combined with genjutsu, would produce such an effect?"
From Ryūsei's perspective, Haku was repeatedly attacking the ground with his senbon, switching positions each time.
The ground was already littered with needles.
Meanwhile, Ryūsei's shadow clone remained stationary, forming hand signs to create a Spiral Water Vortex.
This was the view from both Ryūsei and his clone's perspective.
But in Haku's eyes, after twenty defeats, he had finally gained the upper hand.
He was relentlessly pressuring Ryūsei's clone with his senbon, forcing it to dodge continuously. However, the clone's Body Flicker was so fast that none of the senbon hit.
Moreover, fearing that Ryūsei might lose face and take his frustration out on Zabuza, Haku deliberately held back. He didn't unleash his full power by manifesting his image in every mirror to execute a Thousand Flying Water Needles of Death, an all-encompassing attack.
Clearly, Haku had no idea he was already trapped in an illusion.
Genjutsu targets the five senses, using Yin Release chakra to invade the brain through sensory input, manipulating the victim's neural pathways to induce hallucinations.
Thus, there are many types of genjutsu—visual, auditory, olfactory, etc.
However, most genjutsu require direct eye contact to take effect.
The Hidden Mist Technique was one of the jutsu designed to counter such illusions.
Haku never expected that Ryūsei's shadow clone could cast genjutsu on him within the mist.
This was a flash of inspiration from Ryūsei.
The red powder was a product of the Red Eyes' Yin Release chakra.
Since it was Yin Release chakra and could create illusions even more effective than the Transparency Technique, couldn't it also be used for genjutsu?
Haku's current state proved it was possible!
"Water Release: Spiral Water Vortex!"
By now, the shadow clone had completed the technique and hurled it toward Haku, who had just repositioned himself.
Crack! Crack! Crack!
In an instant, the sound of shattering glass filled the air.
Haku, hidden within the mirrors, and all the surrounding ice mirrors were violently sucked into the raging vortex.
Trapped inside, Haku spun uncontrollably like clothes in a washing machine, unable to move.
The vortex's eye scraped against the ground, carving a deep trench and sucking in rocks and dirt, dealing both physical and magical damage.
BOOM!
When the vortex exploded, Haku's body crashed to the ground.
Covered in wounds and unconscious, he looked nearly dead—except for the faint chakra flow Ryūsei's Red Eyes could still detect in his veins.
Flash!
The moment Haku hit the ground, a brilliant red light erupted from his body.
A crimson beam shot out, forming a floating orb of light beside him.
Seeing this, Ryūsei was overjoyed.
The game system did have an exploit!
Shadow clones, though mere copies, were still a B-rank ninjutsu—a mass of chakra separated from Ryūsei's body.
This chakra allowed Ryūsei to disguise his strength as weaker than the opponent, tricking the system's judgment into granting a "Victory Against Higher-Level Opponent" rating, thereby increasing the drop rate of rare items.
The Shadow Clone Technique truly was a god-tier skill!
'Tobirama Senju, you… truly were a great man!'
As the red orb automatically flew into Ryūsei's body, he ordered his shadow clone to heal Haku while he checked the three orbs in his Inventory.
[Inventory: Water Release: Water Prison Technique (White)]
[Inventory: One-Handed Seals (Blue)]
[Inventory: Kekkei Genkai: Ice Release (Red)]
The white orb from Zabuza contained the Water Prison Technique, which he had used to trap Kakashi.
The blue and red orbs from Haku were the prizes Ryūsei had been after—One-Handed Seals and Ice Release.
By fusing these, Ryūsei would not only gain the ability to weave hand signs with one hand (catching enemies off guard) but also unlock Wind-nature chakra and powerful Wind Release transformations.
Without hesitation, Ryūsei absorbed them.
As the three beams merged into his body, the Kekkei Genkai section of his status panel updated with "Ice Release."
Simultaneously, he felt a new power awaken within him.
Perhaps due to his Sage Body's growth or his balanced Yin-Yang chakra, both his Red Eyes and now Ice Release had fully awakened upon fusion, despite neither being higher-level than the Sharingan.
Recalling the hand signs and chakra flow Haku had used, Ryūsei slowly formed a one-handed seal, his chakra instantly circulating through his meridians in response.
"Ice Release…"
Ryūsei murmured, "Ice Wall Technique!"
In an instant, the moisture in the air rapidly condensed, forming three thick ice walls that encased him protectively.
Staring at the conjured barriers, Ryūsei mused,
"So this is an elemental Kekkei Genkai? It requires hand signs to channel chakra, then shape and nature transformation—far more complex than the Sharingan or Red Eyes. But with sufficient chakra and precise control, I can create all kinds of ice constructs, dealing both physical and elemental damage. I wonder if the temperature can be lowered further? I'll have to experiment with that later. If I can achieve extreme sub-zero temperatures, this Kekkei Genkai's potential and versatility will skyrocket."
Having developed the Spiral Water Vortex, the self-created Water Blade: Severing Wave, and now combining Red Eye powder with genjutsu, Ryūsei was beginning to take pride as an innovator.
He no longer sought to merely replicate others' techniques—he wanted to forge his own.
Meanwhile, the shadow clone had finished healing Haku.
Confirming that Haku was no longer in critical condition, Ryūsei dispelled the clone and vanished with a Body Flicker.
True to his word, he did not betray his promise by killing Zabuza or Haku.
For someone as kind-hearted as Haku, Ryūsei held genuine respect.
Haku and Kimimaro were the epitome of loyalty.
Had Ryūsei met them before Zabuza or Orochimaru, he would have trained them to become his right-hand men.
But there were no "what-ifs."
As devoted hounds, they would only ever acknowledge one master.