(6th of July, year 55 AK)
Yuta was sitting while leaning his back against the tree and looking at the small lake in the middle of the remote training grounds where he usually trains.
He was deep in thought about how exactly he was going to win against Hikari...
'I have a new genjutsu that I only started to develop recently, the spying one, but it isn't of the combat type. I need something completely new, huh, what could I come up with?'
'Genjutsu are primarily used to alter senses, usually the sight and hearing, mostly to entrap and confuse the target. But both of my genjutsu are not like that. The Shadow Cloak is an unorthodox type genjutsu that doesn't alter any senses whatsoever, it alters the recognition and comprehension, making the target to unable to recognize and comprehend a certain objects or elements, forcing their minds to dismiss those objects and ignore them.'
'By now I fully understand that I only was able to develop something so uncommon and unorthodox because Shisui was helping me and guiding my jutsu development, if not for that, then I would've been stumbling in the dark for who knows how long before finally finding the right path to do these things.'
'As for my Shadow Chains, it is a forceful type genjutsu, very advanced stuff that requires serious genjutsu skills, chakra control and a lot of chakra. From all I know, only ninjas starting from the rank of a Jonin that specialize in genjutsu are developing something like this. The illusory element of it – the black chains, is just there as a restricting element that helps to convince the mind of a target that the body is firmly restricted. The jutsu could work without any illusions, but it would be much weaker and less potent without it.'
'Even now this jutsu is way beyond my paygrade. Mastering this jutsu would be considered a good achievement even for the veteran Chunins. It's my strongest move and I really don't want to reveal it to the public, it would make using it more difficult for me in the future when everyone knows about it.'
'Although Hikari already knows about it, I had used it a few times in her presence, we are a team after all... But knowing is one thing, and countering it is another matter entirely.'
'Well then, what kind of a new genjutsu do I want to develop then? It should be something that is effective against fast taijutsu specialist type ninjas like Hikari...'
'Maybe something of a more conventional type of a genjutsu that relies on illusions? I'm still not very skilled in such stuff since my two genjutsu techniques are focused on other areas, and that is not a good thing for the genjutsu specialist I want to be. It's like calling myself a software developer when all I know is how to use a one specific tool and nothing else, this won't do.'
With the general idea slowly forming in his mind, Yuta remembered how convenient it was to work on a new jutsu inside his mindscape, so he adjusted his posture and sat more comfortably as he closed his eyes and with a single thought he entered his mindscape.
Yuta found himself sitting cross-legged on the water surface. After a minute or two of observing the water surface of the River of Time, that basically became a habit of his whenever he enters his mindscape, Yuta, with much clearer and calmer mind devoid of any emotion, returned to his calculations about his new desired genjutsu.
'I do need to develop a genjutsu of a more conventional type that works with illusions and alters the senses. It will not only serve the purpose of surprising Hikari with it and winning the match against her without the use of the Shadow Chains, but it'll also serve another purpose in helping me to develop my genjutsu skills up to par in the area of working with illusions and senses-altering, the area I'm least skilled in.'
'What kind of illusion, and which senses I'm targeting with my new genjutsu? For senses it is obvious, it should be sight and hearing, the usual package. But for the illusion itself? Something to counter fast taijutsu specialists... I need an illusion that would not be too overcomplex and overcomplicated, something that I could cast fast, even faster than the Shadow Cloak, or I might not be able to use it in time when I need it.'
'It doesn't need to be long-lasting. In a fast-paced combat against a taijutsu specialist I don't need it to last very long, I just need it to last enough for me to be able to make a decisive finishing blow. So, I can cut corners on the duration of the jutsu and make it use less chakra in the process, making it more subtle and less noticeable by the chakra sensitive targets in turn.'
'Simple, fast, short-lasting, chakra-efficient. Something like that I would be able to cast repeatedly, one cast after another. A jutsu like that, I could probably layer it one on top of another with the right timings much easier than with my Shadow Cloak, another benefit and another area to consider.'
'Okay, the general direction is very promising already, let's think what I could fit into those parameters to use it during the fight against someone like Hikari.'
'She would try to close the distance quickly. She will be already quite close by the moment I'll cast my first jutsu, so the illusion should be effective at a close range against the fast taijutsu user... Maybe something like invisibility? No, it won't be effective. If I erase Hikari's ability to see and hear me, it sure will grant me some advantage, but there still would be other senses and tracks that she could use to pinpoint my location. And it is too obvious of a giveaway of a genjutsu being used.'
'When I was only starting my genjutsu practice and was thinking about my first original genjutsu technique, I was also thinking about the invisibility, but Shisui back then said that something like that is highly unpractical.'
'It was because of multiple reasons. First, a genjutsu like that would be instantly recognized for what it is by any ninja, and would be dispelled right away. A genjutsu needs to fool the target for long enough for it to be effective, and this is not it. And second is that such a genjutsu is not very effective against ninjas, since ninjas are always very perceptive to the environment and the tiny details in it, it is a matter of survival for any ninja after all. And a genjutsu that makes the user invisible to the target is not very effective, since ninjas would pick up on other tiny clues in the area and on the other senses as well, and still will be able to pinpoint the user's location anyway.'
'A genjutsu only could do so much, it can't alter all the senses of the target all at once, and even if by some seriously overpowered skill someone manages to alter all senses of a target - making such a complex and all-encompassing illusion, it would probably cost an enormous amount of chakra and I can't even begin to imagine how hard it would be to craft such a realistic and detailed illusion so the target won't suspect a thing.'
'Maybe Madara is capable of something like that, or the future Shisui and Itachi, but definitely not me.'
'Even after all this time, my mind still gravitates towards the idea of the invisibility genjutsu... Maybe in the future, when my genjutsu skills and chakra capacity increases by an entire order of magnitude, maybe then I would be able to develop something like that, that would also be functional and useful, but clearly not now...'
'Well then, I need something misleading, something that will confuse Hikari, or any other fast taijutsu specialist that comes too close for my comfort. Something that would hinder the taijustu specialist that is actively engaging me. Not an invisibility, but what then?'
...
'Maybe something like a complete shut-down of the sense of sight? Like with that Tobirama's genjutsu he had developed against Uchihas, the Bringer of Darkness? It sounds nice, but will it be effective? I remember Hiruzen was still able to counterattack the First and Second, as well as Orochimaru even while his sight was being shut down, after all, his hearing and other senses were still operating as normal at that point.'
'Not ideal, hard to pull off, allows the target to continue attacking by relying on other senses, will be instantly recognized as a genjutsu, could be quickly dispelled since it would be a subtle type genjutsu, not forceful. If I make it forceful type, hard to dispel, it would require too much chakra, it would be too complex to cast quickly, also defeats the purpose of developing the conventional skills of working with illusions.'
'I have to scratch this idea, maybe I'll return back to it in the future.'
'I need something with illusions. How about creating a bunch of clones? I'm already using simple clones quite often to confuse and fool my opponents, so it would be only logical to develop something similar but better. Something like the Clone jutsu, but leagues above it in every way.'
'I could create a bunch of clones with this jutsu, they would look real and they would be able to produce sounds as well, and it won't be similar the Clone jutsu. I could do much more with a jutsu like that than the Clone jutsu would ever allow me to. I should be able to easily disrupt the attack of the engaging taijutsu specialist, and I'll do it fast enough and it would be very effective at a close range too.'
'It will be somewhat of a reference to the Shisui's signature jutsu, after all he uses clones in his jutsu as well, although my clones won't be as overpowered as his, but neither do they have to be. A distraction and a confusion of a ninja that is engaging me in a close combat, that is all I need. It will buy me enough time for the finishing blow. And with the fast casting I could also layer the jutsu more easily and consistently, maybe I could even sustain it this way without letting my opponent to dispel it completely, if I time my re-cast perfectly with my opponent dispelling it.'
'I could incorporate a distraction inside this genjutsu as well, by making my clones appear and walk from my own position, as if I were to suddenly multiply, so I could imitate one of my clones and walk out like they do, so my opponent wouldn't know where the real me is.'
'With the altering of the senses I could hide the signs that could give away my clones, like the footprints on the ground and such, as long as it is within the senses of sight and hearing, I could do a lot in that area, although it won't be perfect and I wouldn't be able to hide everything, but I could work with that when I'll get there.'
...
'There is only one major problem with this new jutsu idea besides the tons of time I would probably need to develop it and to master, and that is... How do I even name this jutsu? Going along with my naming convention for my original genjutsu, I couldn't possibly name it Shadow Clones, could I?'
...
--- AN ---
No, really, how do I name it?
And yes, I know, you don't have to tell me, but if you still absolutely need to, feel free to post "holly yapper" in the comments, if you must...
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