Genjutsu

The blinding flash from the explosion lasted half a second, too intense to look at directly. Both Senju brothers' expressions changed.

Almost instinctively, Hashirama stepped forward, gathering strength in his right hand to use Wood Release to intercept it or create a barrier. But Tobirama caught his wrist.

"Wait!" Tobirama made a calm assessment. "Don't act rashly yet."

When the smoke cleared, Utsusemi stood unharmed where she had been. Limitless, which required no Hand Seals, had protected her.

Though it lasted only seven brief seconds, that was enough to provide a perfect defense against a deadly threat.

Tobirama released his brother's wrist and said approvingly, "She doesn't adapt well enough, but her means of self-preservation are certainly reliable."

As it turned out, his assessment was completely accurate.

"Her Chakra control really is unstable..." Hashirama mused. "She has great difficulty mastering Ninjutsu outside of Flower Release. Perhaps... Utsusemi should turn to Genjutsu?"

"Let me try." Hashirama formed Hand Seals and cast an ordinary Genjutsu.

Utsusemi tensed, preparing to face the Genjutsu with her full attention.

"Did it work?" Hashirama asked softly, gazing into her blue eyes, clear as a lake.

"Did you cast it?" Utsusemi asked almost at the same time.

The two stared at each other in surprise, then tilted their heads in unison.

"It seems..." Hashirama couldn't help chuckling. "I was too confident."

"Brother, leave it to me." Tobirama stepped forward and formed Hand Seals, unleashing a tide of Genjutsu.

The Water Mirror Labyrinth, the Bringer-of-Darkness Technique, and even a newly developed composite Genjutsu all descended upon her.

They all vanished without a trace.

Whatever the Genjutsu, before Utsusemi's Tenseigan, it vanished in an instant like mist beneath the sun.

Hashirama Senju shook his head with a wry smile. "What an astonishing talent."

Utsusemi looked at the Genjutsu traps the Senju brothers had carefully laid with the same indifferent gaze she might have given a wooden post.

But this talent also came with a peculiar limitation.

Not only was Utsusemi immune to all Genjutsu, she was also unable to use any. She couldn't even perform the most basic Transformation Technique.

"Incredible..." Hashirama stroked his chin, his eyes shining with curiosity. "I've never seen a constitution like this."

"How strange." Tobirama folded his arms, his sharp red eyes fixed on Utsusemi. "In theory, someone immune to Genjutsu should be able to use it too."

Utsusemi's eyes were like perfect mirrors, able to reflect all Genjutsu, yet she was unable to use any herself.

This peculiar phenomenon left the two of them more perplexed than ever. Even the Senju's records contained no mention of such a constitution.

Is this what the Tenseigan she mentioned can do? Tobirama keenly sensed that Utsusemi was hiding something.

But as a seasoned ninja who had faced countless life-and-death situations, he understood the importance of keeping a trump card in reserve.

In the world of ninja, those with secrets often lived longer.

Even more alarming was her casual claim that she had mastered Yin-Yang Release and possessed "the power to split the moon and make the stars fall for her."

Although Tobirama scoffed at the exaggerated description, the test data showed that something terrifying lay hidden within her Chakra.

The instruments showed that her Chakra density far exceeded that of an ordinary person, and its energy fluctuations followed a pattern never seen before.

This supreme talent slid into an absurd dark comedy when training turned to the most basic area of Taijutsu.

"Watch closely. A straight punch!" Hashirama focused, lowered his center of gravity, and planted his feet, driving his right fist straight out like a cannonball!

The movement was fierce and swift, carrying tremendous force. The compressed air gave a short, explosive crack.

This was basic Taijutsu, passed down through generations of the Senju and refined through countless repetitions.

The Tenseigan clearly reflected the path of the force. Utsusemi carefully imitated him, raising her arm and trying to engage her muscles.

But the next moment, her joints moved out of sync, like rusty gears.

Her fist, which should have gone straight forward, veered strangely halfway through and barely struck the edge of the wooden training dummy.

"Roll to the left!" Tobirama's voice remained icy, but resignation flashed through the red eyes beneath his silver hair.

Holding a clipboard, he used a Kunai to make three clear marks on the ground.

"Now, jump to mark one, roll to mark two, and stop at mark three!"

"Tobirama, don't be too hard on her." Hashirama patted his younger brother's shoulder gently. "Utsusemi has only just started training."

Watching Utsusemi's somewhat clumsy movements, he said seriously, "Brother, if she can't even perform the basic movements properly, how..."

Before Tobirama could finish, Utsusemi's performance had already answered him.

Utsusemi tried to jump, but it was as though she had stepped on an invisible banana peel.

Her body suddenly slipped forward, and after a desperately awkward stumble, she sprawled on the ground.

"Are you all right?" Hashirama hurried forward, only for Tobirama to stop him.

"Let her do it herself." Though Tobirama said that, his grip on the clipboard tightened without him realizing it.

Utsusemi finally managed to get up, but when she tried the jump-and-roll combination again, things went even worse.

The Chakra she used in her legs burst forth like a wild ass that had been untethered!

With a muffled boom, she really did turn into a human cannonball, rolling away with a shriek of tearing air.

"Careful!" Hashirama reacted quickly, using the Body Flicker Technique to reach Utsusemi's landing point and catch her securely.

"Don't rush. Take your time." Holding her like a startled cat with its fur on end, he comforted her softly. "Taijutsu takes a long time to cultivate. It can't be mastered overnight."

He set Utsusemi down and turned to his younger brother. "Let's test her strength first. A different approach might work better."

"As you wish." Tobirama sighed and put away his clipboard. "We can't be lax with the strength test either. We have to follow the standards strictly."

"Wh... why?" Hashirama watched Utsusemi easily lift the weighted stone used for the strength test.

As she swung it up and down, the lines of her arms remained smooth, without the slightest tremor.

Yet when she tried that textbook basic straight punch again, her movements were twisted and stiff.

"Huh?" Hashirama's thick brows knitted tightly, his expression as perplexed as if he were pondering a philosophical question.

"Boom... crack!" When Utsusemi's side kick, thrown off course by her shifting center of gravity, struck the training post, the hardwood post bound with iron hoops broke in two with a grating crack.