Naruto: Forbidden Arts and an Immortal Agenda

Genjutsu worked best when cast unexpectedly.

Yet now, Aozora already knew that Kagenbi would inevitably use genjutsu.

With his final move already exposed, how could he still surprise the opponent?

Huu—

A gust of autumn wind blew through, lifting the leaves scattered on the ground.

The swirling leaves danced in the air, blocking the eye contact between the two men.

The next moment, Aozora noticed the leaves swirling in a strange, rhythmic dance as they circled around him.

Aozora gently shook his head. Too obvious.

Without forming any hand seals, he spoke casually, "Release!"

His chakra surged through the pathways to break genjutsu, and immediately the scene before his eyes dissolved into fragments.

The leaves vanished, but what appeared before Aozora wasn't Kagenbi—it was a flurry of feathers drifting down like snowflakes.

The illusory feathers caused not even a hint of drowsiness in Aozora. The scene shifted again.

Suddenly it was shimmering bubbles under sunlight, colorful and dazzling.

Then it transformed into blossoms falling from the sky, beautiful yet melancholic.

...

Although these scenes were mesmerizing, none of them caused Aozora to lose focus for even a second.

In what felt like a single breath, Aozora seemed to experience the shifting of seasons and countless transformations.

Though this sequence felt prolonged, it had all occurred in only an instant.

Aozora opened his eyes again and saw Kagenbi standing before him, his bloodshot eyes holding two spinning tomoe.

Kagenbi naturally knew ordinary genjutsu held no meaning against the Uchiha.

Therefore, those earlier techniques were merely meant to buy himself time. Of course, if they could cause Aozora to let his guard down, that would be better.

As expected, the layered illusions centered around Kasumi's Shadow Binding Technique had been ineffective.

[Kakei Jō: Spiked Pole Binding!]

Kagenbi decided to finish with his strongest genjutsu technique.

Against the Sharingan, normal genjutsu was too easily countered. Only the illusionary power of another Sharingan could stand a chance.

The moment their gazes locked, Aozora's vision flickered, and suddenly he found himself in a space filled with blood-colored clouds.

Above was no sky, below was no earth.

Four massive rusted nails abruptly pierced out from the void toward Aozora's limbs.

Aozora's five senses remained fully intact, but his body refused to obey him.

For the first time, a flicker of surprise crossed Aozora's steady gaze—but not fear.

Kagenbi possessed extraordinary spiritual energy and mastery of genjutsu; managing to perform the Spiked Pole Binding Technique with just Two-Tomoe Sharingan was astonishing indeed.

Aozora widened his eyes with surprise, though he himself also only possessed a Two-Tomoe Sharingan.

He blinked—once.

Blood surged into his pupil as three tomoe began rapidly spinning.

The power of the Sharingan twisted and distorted the blood-red hell around him, and once again, Aozora stood on the windy training ground.

"Three Tomoe?!"

The illusion shattered. Chakra within Kagenbi's body went wild, but he ignored it, letting it surge uncontrollably.

He stared intently at Aozora's stunning crimson eyes, shock flooding his heart.

No one in the entire history of the Uchiha Clan had awakened the Three Tomoe before the age of twelve.

Startled, Genya stared wide-eyed. He remembered that Aozora hadn't even activated his Sharingan earlier—if he had, there would've been no way for his taijutsu to go unnoticed.

Shuichi kept his usual emotionless face, but inside, shock was crashing over him like a storm.

In just one month, Aozora had not only rapidly improved in taijutsu, but also awakened the Three Tomoe Sharingan.

And himself? He had only just mastered Hidden Strike and slightly improved his swordplay. And he actually felt happy about it—he was truly ignorant.

Seeing Kagenbi lose his composure, Aozora comforted him, "You managed to use Kakei Jō: Spiked Pole Binding with your Two-Tomoe Sharingan! Your proficiency in genjutsu is extremely high!"

Although he had broken through it easily, it was mainly due to the suppression power of his Sharingan and his stronger spiritual energy—or rather, dōjutsu strength—compared to Kagenbi's.

In terms of pure genjutsu ability, Aozora couldn't match Kagenbi.

Kagenbi simply shook his head dispiritedly.

"I lost."

Defeated by a twelve-year-old junior in his strongest domain, he had no face to make excuses, nor would he try to.

After saying that, Kagenbi stepped back and went aside to talk with his younger brother affectionately.

Shuichi took the initiative to step forward. "Aozora, you being team leader is the best choice. I have absolutely no objection. However——"

He paused here and drew his long blade.

"I really want to fight you at full strength once!"

After hearing these words, Aozora nodded seriously.

It wasn't only Shuichi who wanted to fight Aozora; Aozora also wanted to test Shuichi's skills.

When Fugaku first appointed Shuichi as squad leader in the office, Aozora already knew that Genya and Kagenbi weren't that strong to begin with.

Therefore, he could stand still and take Genya's taijutsu head-on, or let Kagenbi weave his genjutsu without interference, thus establishing his image as a genius.

But facing Shuichi, he knew he couldn't keep pretending. Or rather, he could only pretend after the fight.

Shuichi no longer radiated sharp, aggressive aura, yet he had become even more dangerous.

"Aozora, here I come!"

As soon as he spoke, Shuichi transformed into a gust of wind rushing toward Aozora.

His charge lacked the impact force of Genya's assault, but his figure swayed left and right as he advanced, creating an illusion of three or four Shuichis attacking simultaneously.

Under his Three Tomoe Sharingan vision, Aozora could naturally distinguish the real body, yet he still retreated.

Shuichi's movements were too fast, the frequency of his changes too rapid; Aozora couldn't guarantee accuracy.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

Without any flourish, shuriken flew straightforwardly toward Shuichi.

There were various elaborate shuriken throwing techniques recorded in the scroll Shisui gave him, but Aozora hadn't learned any of them.

In his opinion, shuriken only needed to serve their purpose of impeding the enemy.

As for actual injuries or kills, that's not what you rely on shuriken for.

Peng! Peng! Peng! Peng!

Effortlessly deflecting the shuriken, Shuichi's forward momentum slowed slightly from the interruption.

Not letting the gap widen, he surged with chakra and shot forward like a streak of black lightning.

This time, Shuichi moved extremely fast, but Aozora smiled.

Just how fast?

The shortest distance between two points is a straight line.

Shuichi charged straight along a direct path!

Whoosh!

Following a brief, subtle sound of air slicing, a carefully prepared kunai shot from Aozora's sleeve, transforming into a dark streak across the sky.

[Yu Qi] was the skill Aozora used most frequently, and over time, he had grown increasingly skilled with it. His speed and strength in kunai throwing now far exceeded his earlier capabilities.

Watching that kunai slice through the air, the Genya and Kagenbi brothers instinctively held their breath, eyes locked on its path.

[Ninja Tool Throwing] was a skill the Uchiha took great pride in. Though they hadn't specialized in it, compared to other ninja, they were still quite proficient at it.

The moment Aozora threw that kunai, both of them felt deeply shaken.

If they were the ones facing that attack, they would probably end up panicking, scrambling to escape in disarray, possibly even getting injured or killed.

But Shuichi already knew just how powerful Aozora's kunai techniques could be.

As he charged forward, he activated his Sharingan, focusing completely and preparing himself carefully.

The kunai's flight path became crystal clear to Shuichi.

He drew his blade—a flash of blinding white light.

In the past, when Shuichi unsheathed his sword, both man and steel shone equally bright.

Now, though, the sword's radiance eclipsed even his presence.

Clang!

The black energy surged forward to meet the white light, and for a brief moment, sparks erupted midair.

The kunai shattered into two pieces, flying off in opposite directions.

Shuichi pushed off the ground again, rushing forward once more.

Aozora, meanwhile, kicked lightly off the ground and shot backward in a swift retreat.

<><><><><><><><>

Thank you for reading! Your support will keep me updating!

~ Every 50 Powerstones = **4 Bonus Chapters** this weekend!

<><><><><><><><>

~ 100+ Advanced Chapters Available on Patreon!

~ More *Free* Chapters and Books Available on Patreon!

patreon.com/Tansnovel

<><><><><><><><>