The next second, a shard of ice crystallized in the air. A ninja wearing a mask leaped from it, kunai in hand, swinging it fiercely toward Hinata's neck!
Feng An saw the scene he feared most. His eyes widened in terror as he shouted, "No!!!"
Hinata felt confused. "Why is Feng An spinning…?"
The ninja removed the mask. The flawless face beneath was unmistakable to Feng An. It was Haku. He tilted his head and smiled. "Feng An, I love you."
"!!!"
On the verge of a mental breakdown, Feng An's vision went black, and he immediately fainted. The illusion abruptly ended, and he lay stiffly on the ground.
"Feng An!"
Hearing his cry, everyone stopped their training and rushed over. Hinata, arriving first, quickly activated her Byakugan to check his condition. "Kurenai-sensei, what happened to Feng An?" she asked anxiously.
Kurenai Yūhi gently patted her shoulder. "Don't worry. He'll wake up soon."
Sure enough, not long after, Feng An awoke. His face was pale. He scanned his surroundings blankly before his gaze cleared. It seems I fell into a genjutsu. That was terrifying as hell.
"Feng An, you're awake?" Hinata looked down at him, his head resting on her lap, her expression a mix of shyness and concern.
"Mm." He looked up, seeing only Hinata's face in his field of vision. His body trembled violently as the genjutsu's scenes replayed in his mind. He gasped, quickly sitting up from her lap.
When he was first reincarnated, he had entertained fantasies of conquering all the beautiful women in this world—becoming a homelander who could do as he pleased. Later, he realized it wasn't realistic and buried those thoughts deep. He never expected Kurenai's genjutsu would trigger a full-blown harem battle royale.
But even if I did, gentle and kind Hinata wouldn't really treat me like that, would she? The image of a yandere-like Hinata made his scalp tingle. This only strengthened his resolve that Hinata was his safe harbor.
He slowly reached out and held her small hand. Hinata shyly lowered her head but didn't pull away this time, allowing him to hold it.
"That was just a basic mind-attack genjutsu. You were immersed for so long. What did you see?" Kurenai was curious. What terrifying scene could engross this brat for so long? Most people broke free in an instant, yet he was trapped for several seconds.
"Do you really want to know? It's very scary, Kurenai-sensei."
Kurenai nodded. He's just a brat. How could his inner fears scare me?
Feng An gestured for her to lean closer and whispered into her ear, "I saw… Kurenai-sensei in a swimsuit." After saying that, he quickly grabbed Hinata's hand and ran off with her.
Hinata, pulled along by him, was completely flustered. She could only lower her head and follow.
Kurenai was stunned for a moment, then her expression shifted. She never imagined he'd say such a thing. "Stop, you brat! What kind of garbage is filling your head at such a young age?!"
She leaped into the trees, chasing after Feng An. As she pursued him, she grew increasingly surprised. Whenever she sped up, Feng An ahead also accelerated. She, a jōnin, couldn't keep up with his pace—and he was even pulling Hinata along!
Yesterday, she judged his speed to be above chūnin level; today, it surpassed her own. It was truly terrifying. If she had a Byakugan, she would see the flow of chakra within Feng An's body at that moment.
Feng An used lightning-style chakra to stimulate his leg cells, greatly increasing his movement speed. He was inspired by the Third Raikage's techniques and had taught himself. His chakra control was still insufficient; he could only activate his legs for speed and couldn't achieve the full-body cell activation the Third Raikage used to push physical limits.
Kurenai tapped her own head. Wait, I'm a genjutsu specialist. Why am I competing with him in speed?
"Hoo-hoo." Feng An looked back and found Kurenai was no longer chasing. "Did she give up?"
"Demonic Illusion: Tree Binding Death."
Just as he muttered to himself, a thick tree suddenly erupted from the ground where he was about to land. Feng An was greatly alarmed. He knew instantly he had fallen into Kurenai's genjutsu.
The tree lifted him up. Before he could steady himself, several thick branches extended from the trunk and firmly bound him to it.
"Are you still running? It's one thing to run, but you even dragged Hinata along." Kurenai emerged from within the tree trunk, landing before him, and gave him a sidelong glance.
Hinata, panting heavily nearby, heard this and lowered her head, secretly peeking at Feng An. Oh right, why did Feng An drag me along? Was it subconscious, or…? Her face turned even redder. She covered it with her hands and ran to hide behind a tree.
"But everything I said was true," Feng An said helplessly, spreading his hands. He took a step forward. The illusory tree behind him instantly dissipated.
Kurenai's eyebrows twitched slightly. "How did you break it?"
"It just broke like that," Feng An said with a smile.
The first time, with the Demonic Illusion: Hell Viewing Technique, he hadn't realized he was under a genjutsu, which was why he was so immersed. This time, Kurenai's Demonic Illusion: Tree Binding Death had a distinctive binding effect. Compared to mind-attack genjutsu, this type of binding illusion is easier to dispel. One only needs to disrupt their internal chakra flow or use pain stimulation to break it.
The Hell Viewing Technique definitely wasn't hard to break—he had subconsciously wanted to stay in it!
"You're a truly unfathomable brat." Kurenai couldn't figure out if he had any genuine talent for genjutsu. He was immersed in the most basic Hell Viewing Technique for so long, yet he easily dispelled her signature move. However, she had held back. If an enemy were caught, she would have struck to kill the moment she emerged from the trunk.
"Kurenai-sensei, can you teach me genjutsu now?" Feng An had yet to master ninjutsu related to two of his seven chakra natures: Yin Release and Yang Release. The most direct application of Yin Release chakra was genjutsu.
Genjutsu was highly practical in combat. He had considered exploring it himself, but without a Sharingan, it was like a blind man trying to describe an elephant. Now, with Kurenai Yūhi, a renowned genjutsu master, learning one more skill couldn't hurt. The Chunin Exams were approaching, and more techniques would better protect himself and Hinata.
Kurenai smiled. "If a student is eager to learn, is there any reason for a teacher to refuse? But genjutsu involves a special nature transformation. It's quite different from conventional ninjutsu." She pulled out a small scroll and handed it to Feng An.
Feng An took the scroll, which was only the size of his forearm. Upon opening it, he saw two techniques recorded: the Haze Clone Technique and the Demonic Illusion: Hell Viewing Technique.
He looked puzzled. "Why are there only two techniques? And they're only D-rank."
Kurenai walked ahead, calmly saying, "Don't underestimate those two D-rank techniques. You'll find it hard to grasp the basics in a week."
"What if I master both within a week?"
Kurenai smiled. "I'll give you two weeks. If you can master one, not only will I teach you more advanced genjutsu, but I'll even recommend you to the Hokage for the Anbu. No problem."
As someone with extremely high genjutsu talent herself, it had taken Kurenai a full month to master the simplest D-rank genjutsu. A genin who had never been exposed to genjutsu, boasting about mastering it in a week? She didn't disbelieve him; she thought it was simply impossible.
*****
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