Kakashi: You...
Who exactly should Shinju ask to teach him? Even Kakashi couldn't come up with an answer.
Objectively speaking, judging by Shinju's current strength, he had already surpassed most jonin!
And the kid was still hiding Wood Release!
Just from that one time he used Wood Release and turned the entire village green, Kakashi could tell—Shinju's Wood Release was most likely terrifyingly strong.
Which made finding him a teacher an incredibly difficult problem.
His best teacher might just be his own curiosity.
After a long hesitation, Kakashi finally said slowly,
"You… you're quick-witted. When you have time, try experimenting and studying genjutsu on your own."
"???" Shinju blinked.
But soon, he understood.
The three core arts of a shinobi: ninjutsu, taijutsu, genjutsu.
He already had considerable strength in both ninjutsu and taijutsu.
Genjutsu, however—ever since crossing into the Naruto world, he had never touched it.
It seemed worth looking into!
"Thank you for the guidance, Kakashi-sensei!"
Shinju nodded happily. But as he thought about it more, something felt off.
"Wait… so I don't actually get a teacher?"
"As for genjutsu... you can always go ask Kurenai-sensei next door. She's pretty skilled in that area! ❛‿˂̵✧"
And just like that, Kakashi tossed Shinju off onto someone else.
Shinju didn't mind much and started researching genjutsu on his own.
As for the rest of the team:
Sasuke, whose chakra affinity matched Kakashi's, was taught by Kakashi personally.
Naruto, meanwhile, had been handed over to Ebisu-sensei.
Yes—that Ebisu, Konohamaru's personal tutor.
...
Two or three days passed in a blink.
That day, Naruto went to find Kakashi, saying he wanted to change teachers.
"Naruto, you can't just swap teachers whenever you feel like it. Besides, Ebisu-sensei is an elite jonin—his teaching methods are far more effective than mine for you."
Knowing Naruto's reckless nature, Kakashi explained patiently.
"But what he teaches isn't as good as what Shinju explains… and that guy..."
Naruto trailed off halfway.
Because deep down, he could tell Ebisu had a prejudice against him. That cold, disdainful look, sharp as a knife, made Naruto feel sick to his stomach.
Ebisu had been shaken when Shinju appeared, and his attitude toward the so-called dead last had softened a bit.
But habits built over more than ten years weren't easy to erase. That scorn and suspicion in his tone and gaze were practically etched into his bones.
Hearing Naruto's words gave Kakashi a headache.
Honestly, it was all Shinju's fault.
That guy was too good at teaching—he could pinpoint the root of a problem in a few words and help students grasp it almost instantly through practice.
Compared to a genius teacher like that, every other teacher in Konoha seemed dim.
"Naruto… you just want to train alongside Shinju, don't you?"
Kakashi cut straight to the point.
Naruto nodded without hesitation. "Yeah! I learn way more with him. And he promised to teach me the Rasengan! Even Konohamaru's little brat knows it—if I don't, it's way too embarrassing…"
"But Shinju has his own things to do. He's busy. If you train with him, you'll only get in his way," Kakashi said helplessly.
Ever since he told Shinju to explore genjutsu on his own two days ago, Shinju hadn't shown up once.
Kakashi was secretly pleased—clearly, genjutsu had stumped the boy.
It made sense. Genjutsu worked by using chakra to disrupt the enemy's five senses, twisting their chakra flow and trapping them in illusion.
Executing it was extremely difficult.
And Shinju had never studied it before.
Jumping in without a foundation? Impossible.
"Shinju's busy? (꒪⌓꒪)"
Naruto's face went blank.
After all, he lived in the same house with Shinju… even shared the same bed.
"That's weird though… the past few days he's just been spacing out. Doesn't seem that busy to me…"
"You don't understand. Genjutsu training is extremely hard—it drains your mind. For Shinju to figure it out, he needs tons of time. So don't bother him."
Kakashi spoke with a wise, mysterious air.
...
Meanwhile.
At Training Ground 8.
Shino and Kiba were sparring in taijutsu.
Hinata had her Byakugan activated, focusing on improving its abilities.
Leaning against a tree, Kurenai watched her vibrant, energetic students with a smile.
"Kiba! Go all out! Shino's last match in a month will pit him against many powerful opponents. You need to push him so he can adapt early!"
"Got it, sensei—I'm already trying my best!"
Sweat poured down Kiba's face.
Beside him, Akamaru barked anxiously.
The Inuzuka clan were born with sharper senses than most. Each member was also given a ninken as a child, forging a lifelong bond.
Akamaru was Kiba's partner.
Now, Kiba signaled him to join the fight.
"Woof!"
The little white pup barked excitedly and bounded to Kiba's side.
At the same time, Kiba crossed his hands and formed a simple seal.
"Beast Clone Jutsu!"
"Whoosh!"
Akamaru's running form shifted, transforming into a human identical to Kiba, landing on his back.
"Shino, better watch out—Akamaru's clone is about as strong as I am!"
Just before attacking, Kiba gave a friendly warning.
But Shino, shades hiding his eyes, stayed as calm and aloof as ever. He raised his hand and motioned casually. "Bring it on."
The next moment—
"Buzz—"
A tide of black insects poured out from Shino's sleeves and collar!
They formed a barrier in front of him, ready to withstand Kiba and Akamaru's assault.
The battle was about to erupt—
When suddenly, Shinju walked into the training ground, lost in thought.
"Shinju? What's he doing here?"
Kiba paused in confusion.
Hinata quickly stepped forward, worried. "Shinju-kun is on Naruto-kun's team… could something have happened to Naruto-kun?"
"...┐(´-｀)┌..." Shinju was speechless.
Hinata really never stopped worrying about Naruto.
That kid was blessed.
"It's nothing. I came to see Kurenai-sensei to talk about genjutsu."
Only then did Hinata relax. She pointed eagerly toward Kurenai under the tree.
"That's sensei right there. She's an expert in genjutsu. Whatever you need, just ask her."
Little did she know—yet another teacher was about to be 'troubled' by Shinju!
----------------
For each review +1 Chapter
Pls Drop some Power Stones
+100 chapters and support me on Patreon(.)com/Jixo