Naruto: Kurotsuchi Mayuri

"Come on, Shisui! This time, I won't fall for your tricks so easily!" Anko shouted in the middle of the forest as they sparred once again.

Shisui let out a sigh, somewhat helpless.

Though Anko sounded confident, her actions were notably cautious. Unlike Kagetsu, she couldn't rely solely on her senses and intent to fight against the Sharingan with her eyes closed.

However, after several setbacks, she had gradually developed her own style for handling the Sharingan in battle.

Her approach was simple: avoid looking directly into Shisui's eyes! Instead, she lowered her gaze and focused on observing his body and footwork, using these cues to predict his attack direction and methods.

While this solution seemed straightforward, actually putting it into practice was challenging.

After so many bouts with Shisui over the past few days, she had only just become somewhat proficient with this method.

"Water Style: Water Collision Wave!"

Anko was the first to form hand signs, then unleashed a rushing stream of water from her mouth. The powerful surge of water struck the ground, forming a large crater before spreading out in all directions.

"Using the water's surface as a mirror to broaden her field of vision? Anko's starting to use her head, I see."

From a towering tree at the edge of the clearing, Orochimaru observed the scene, immediately discerning Anko's intentions and strategy.

"I think she's trapping herself," said Kagetsu, standing next to Orochimaru, with a wry smile.

"Oh?" Orochimaru's curiosity was piqued by Kagetsu's remark.

With the war looming and the expectation of being deployed to the front lines at any moment, Orochimaru had come to see how capable Anko and the others were.

To Orochimaru, Anko's strategy was commendable. Even though Shisui's Sharingan was only at the three-tomoe stage, his ocular power was stronger than that of most Uchiha.

Based on his knowledge of Anko, if she dared to face the Sharingan head-on, the battle could be over in an instant.

The fight had already reached an intense state from the very beginning.

Anko didn't passively wait for an attack. As soon as the duel began, she launched an offensive against Shisui.

With the area now transformed into a small lake, Anko twisted her foot on the water's surface, propelling herself forward like an arrow.

As Anko sprinted, two walls of water erupted on either side of her, concealing her figure perfectly.

From their elevated positions, both Orochimaru and Kagetsu observed that the walls of water raised by Anko had now encircled Shisui completely.

The visibility of both sides was limited.

Yet everyone present, including Shisui himself, understood that although neither side could see each other clearly, Anko, as the instigator of this tactic, held the advantage.

Suddenly, a water serpent shot out from the depths, lunging at Shisui just as he leapt high into the air.

"Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!"

Mid-air, Shisui swiftly formed hand signs. Before he started to descend, he filled his chest with air, bringing his fingers to his lips, and unleashed a scorching fireball directly at the attacking water serpent.

Sizzle!

Fire and water clashed, creating a thick mist that spread in all directions.

As Shisui fell through the air, his Sharingan spun rapidly. Spotting something, he flipped backwards and performed a series of intricate evasive maneuvers.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!

Kunai sliced through the mist, barely missing Shisui. It was as if he'd foreseen the trajectory and angles of the kunai, evading them mid-air with movements that resembled an elegant dance.

"The Sharingan's perception is truly remarkable! And the Uchiha's kunai-throwing skills are indeed eye-opening. Anko's timing and angles were excellent—what a pity," Orochimaru remarked, a gleam in his eye. From this exchange, he had already noted the growth of both Anko and Shisui.

With abilities like these, they might not be guaranteed survival on the battlefield, but their chances of making it out alive were certainly higher than those of the ordinary shinobi, who would often become mere casualties in war.

Finally, Shisui's feet touched down on the water's surface.

Just as he stabilized himself, a fierce ripple surged beneath him, accompanied by a pale fist that appeared out of nowhere, aiming right for his face.

Only almost hitting him, though. Even with the water's surface roiling wildly from Anko's intentional stomping, and the suddenness of her attack, Shisui's Sharingan still caught it all.

Before even landing, his Sharingan had detected the ripples and disturbances in the water. Anko's tactic was clever.

She was using Water Release to reshape the battlefield.

A water wall blocked their line of sight.

The water snake launched an attack, forcing him to dodge and counter.

Kunai, mist, close-range attacks.

Everything followed the strategy of blocking the line of sight!

Shisui believed that even if he didn't jump up when attacked by the water snake, and didn't use Fire Style to retaliate, but instead moved to the side and responded in another way, Anko should have had a countermeasure prepared in her mind.

The intense sparring between the two recently had served not only to help them become more familiar with each other's abilities, but also to gather valuable intelligence.

Anko's tactics were excellent and flawlessly executed.

But unfortunately, she was up against the Sharingan!

When facing Anko, Shisui didn't even use his full power.

A punch grazed Shisui's nose in the air. A kunai was thrown from Anko's blind spot, precisely striking her body.

Thud!

A sudden explosion of smoke erupted where Anko's body had been in Shisui's vision.

Snake Binding!

An excited shout rang out behind Shisui. One snake after another shot up from the water's surface, wrapping tightly around Shisui's body, not letting any water seep through.

"I got you!"

A kunai extended from behind, pressing against Shisui's neck.

Crack!

In Anko's shocked eyes, Shisui's body, bound by the snakes, suddenly transformed into a swarm of crows that burst out of the snake mass, soaring into the air.

In mid-air, the crows reformed into the upper half of Shisui's body.

Genjutsu? 

Impossible! I didn't even look into your eyes! Anko couldn't believe it. She had followed through with every step perfectly, but why was she still caught in a genjutsu in the end?

Genjutsu can be cast in ways other than just eye contact—through movement, sound, touch, or even some special genjutsu creations. It's just that visual genjutsu, activated through eye contact, is the easiest to fall for. Shisui, floating in the air, looked down at Anko.

Damn! As soon as Anko cursed, she felt her body uncontrollably bound to a wooden frame.

The next moment, she experienced excruciating pain, as if she were being cut with thousands of knives. Though it was just a genjutsu, the pain felt incredibly real.

Is that crow a creation of Yin Release?

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