Creation of Form from Nothingness

By Hitomi's reckoning, she should have charged straight in with a forceful Heavenly Spin Sword Dance.

But trading Chakra like that would put her at too great a disadvantage.

The slowly flying Great Fireball Technique was easy enough to dodge, and Chiri's Fire Release did not seem particularly remarkable.

Unlike Mimi's Crimson Great Jade Technique, which could automatically track and seek out its target.

She had no choice but to neutralize it.

But why was an inexplicable sense of unease lingering in her heart?

What was wrong?

The gasps around her seemed to confirm that something was amiss.

Hitomi did not think there was anything surprising about a mere Great Fireball Technique.

As she thought, Hitomi moved. When the fireball drew close, she smoothly and neatly sidestepped. The scorching flames flew past her, posing no threat at all.

Just as expected, it could not hit anyone.

However, in the blind spot behind the fireball, Chiri's figure had vanished completely!

When!?

When she launched the Great Fireball Technique!?

But how had she fooled the Byakugan?

Before she could think further, another strange sensation sent chills down Hinata Hitomi's spine.

The Great Fireball had no heat!

Or rather, a chill had silently pressed against Hinata Hitomi's neck.

It was the touch of a blade!

She was inside the Great Fireball!

That was impossible!

Even the Great Fireball she cast herself could injure her!

But if it was not a Great Fireball, then what was it?

"It's genjutsu!" The Uchiha and Hyuga present all opened their eyes, staring without blinking.

"It isn't simple genjutsu!" Uzumaki Mito said gravely. "This child is an Uchiha with a completely different style from Madara!"

Even the Nine-Tails within her had failed to notice and warn her.

So the question was, when had she been affected? When had she fallen under genjutsu without realizing it?

And judging from the scene, its range was extremely broad.

In the arena, the situation had shifted. It had entered Chiri's maai.

Using the Great Fireball to conceal herself, she had successfully closed in while Hinata Hitomi let her guard down.

Though Chiri herself had said that her swordsmanship was inferior to Hinata Hitomi's.

Hinata Hitomi did not dare underestimate Chiri's swordsmanship.

Hitomi knew that, in terms of the finesse and precision of taijutsu, she was inferior to Chiri.

Otherwise, she would not have locked herself into the maai most favorable to her from the very beginning.

She would not have given Chiri any opportunity.

When Chiri had charged forward with Centipede Dance, she would not have chosen to directly use Heavenly Spin Sword Dance.

It was only because, in a dangerous close-quarters fight...

She might lose!

She suddenly threw back her head, avoiding Chiri's ambushing slash. Twisting her foot, she was just about to unleash Heavenly Spin Sword Dance when Chiri had already crashed fully into Hinata's embrace.

Chiri raised a hand, stopping Hinata Hitomi from activating Heavenly Spin Sword Dance.

This bastard!

Secret Sword! Iris!

The Chakra points throughout her body opened in an instant, Chakra erupting around her. Dense, sword-shaped spikes bloomed in a single instant!

In that instant, Chiri was struck directly!

Did she win!?

Under the Byakugan's gaze, the Chiri in her arms shattered, and one dazzling blue butterfly after another fluttered away.

What!?

Hinata Hitomi was utterly bewildered.

The spectators were equally bewildered.

At that moment, as though she had come dancing out of a dream, Chiri's figure gradually appeared behind Hinata Hitomi, a sharp sword lightly resting against Hitomi's neck.

Was that fake?

Or was it real?

"It's over," Chiri said softly.

With her head lowered, Hinata Hitomi said nothing.

Yet both just now and now, the sensations had felt real.

So she had been completely unable to tell truth from falsehood.

"No."

"Only this time is over."

Hitomi spoke quietly.

Beneath the face hidden by her flowing hair, tears like severed pearls flashed past.

It had ended for no apparent reason.

The spectators felt somewhat unsatisfied.

Those with poorer eyesight thought Hinata Hitomi could have kept trying.

Or rather, they simply felt that Hinata Hitomi had made a bigger spectacle, and her technique looked more dazzling, so naturally, she ought to have been stronger.

But in reality...

"Uchiha Chiri is simply too formidable." Wearing an expression of admiration for the younger generation, the Third Hokage looked at the crystal ball and sighed. "Without breaking that technique, there was no chance of victory at all."

Even he, far from the scene, had been deceived by Chiri's genjutsu.

That wasn't normal. It wasn't possible!

Chiri's Chakra could not possibly have crossed such a distance and placed the Third Hokage under a genjutsu.

In fact, that was indeed the case. The Third Hokage was only now beginning to grasp what had happened.

"How did you deceive my eyes?"

Hinata Hitomi asked softly.

"You can't rely too much on those eyes, you know. The same goes for my eyes," Chiri said, sharing her experience.

"You have to think with your heart."

But she couldn't make sense of it at all.

"In the world of genjutsu, the five senses—even one's thoughts—can be easily deceived."

"Your genjutsu isn't normal!" Hinata Hitomi said with certainty.

"I can't tell you that. It's a girl's secret, you know."

Chiri sheathed her sword, still looking as though she had strength to spare.

Hinata Hitomi, on the other hand, looked rather disheveled, drenched in sweat from the intense exertion. After sheathing her sword, she said, "Next time, I won't lose so easily."

"You're welcome anytime."

"Hmph, I've already thought of a way to deal with that move."

"Really?" Chiri looked a little surprised.

"I'm not telling you!" She wasn't bluffing; she truly had a plan. Next time, no matter what tricks Chiri used, Hinata Hitomi would not give her another chance. She would directly blast her with a Heavenly Spin Sword Dance.

It was clumsy, but practical.

The rhythm of the fight would be dragged into a straightforward battle of attrition.

As long as she was cautious enough, no matter what demons or monsters she faced, she would simply blast them with a Heavenly Spin Sword Dance.

"The winner is Uchiha Chiri!"

The proctor announced.

Chiri and Hitomi left the arena.

But the commotion caused by their duel had not yet subsided.

The Hyuga ninja were questioning their lives, wondering whether they should abandon their fists and take up the sword instead.

Everyone had witnessed the power of Hinata Hitomi's swordsmanship. Its principle was fundamentally the Gentle Fist, except it had abandoned the gentle method of striking acupuncture points in favor of more direct and immediately effective slashes.

Its power had not diminished; instead, it had increased.

After all, compared to making an opponent lose control of their Chakra and thus lose their fighting ability...

Simply cutting them down was much more convenient.

Meanwhile, the Uchiha ninja were troubled by Chiri's genjutsu.

That woman wasn't normal!

But they couldn't put their finger on what exactly was wrong with it!

More than one Three Tomoe Pattern had tried to reflect Chiri's genjutsu.

But the reflection had failed.

That was the most abnormal part.

They could not even reflect the genjutsu of a little girl who had not opened even one Sharingan. It was simply too humiliating to speak of.

The Uchihas looked at one another.

For a moment, none of them knew what to say.

Mimi was also frowning in thought, feeling as though she had grasped the key point.

But she could not pinpoint where it was.

Forget it. She would just ask her directly.

"What was that technique?" Mimi asked.

Without hesitation, Chiri smiled. "Just a little trick. It's a nature transformation of Yin Release~"

"A nature transformation of Yin Release?"

Chiri leaned close and whispered into Mimi's ear.

Mimi praised, "Just as expected of you!"

"It has to stay secret, okay? It won't be impressive anymore if I tell everyone~"

"What a terrifying little Uchiha." Off to the side, a frail old man sitting in a wheelchair said, "Yin Release creates reality from nothing!"

He looked even weaker than Elder Shion.

At least Elder Shion could still walk with a Walking Stick.

"Grandfather, what does that mean?" asked the sickly-looking beautiful young man beside the old man.

The old man stroked his beloved grandson's head and said, "Creation of Form from Nothingness is the ultimate genjutsu of our Kurama Clan. It creates reality within illusion."

"Doesn't that mean...!" Kurama Sachi cried out.

"Not yet, but she is already very close," the Kurama Elder said. "A genjutsu that creates false illusions within reality, unlike ordinary genjutsu."

To be honest, Kurama Sachi did not understand.

"Sachi, the contents of genjutsu only occur within the genjutsu space—in other words, inside the brain. They do not exist in reality."

"That little Uchiha moved genjutsu into reality. With a few tricks to deceive the five senses, she created a false genjutsu that seemed real."

"It cannot be dispelled, reflected, or avoided, because you were never caught in genjutsu in the first place. Your own Chakra was never interfered with. What you see is real, yet false; truth and falsehood are entirely under her control."

"What terrifying talent!"

"Once explained, it sounds trivial, but it is incredibly troublesome!"

Indeed, the most important thing was that this kind of genjutsu lacked destructive power, since it was false.

But that did not mean it was not deadly.

"The basic Three Body Technique's Clone Technique was the true nature of that little Uchiha's genjutsu!"

Because it was merely an illusion.

Not ordinary genjutsu.

What the hell could Uchiha eyes reflect?

As for why the Byakugan could not see through it, that spoke of just how lifelike Chiri's technique was.

The principle was simple: she reproduced everything the Byakugan could see—Chakra and chakra pathways—in full.

And how did she hide herself?

She hid within the falsehood.

At the start, she concealed herself within the Great Fireball Technique as she approached.

The massive amount of illusory Chakra hidden within the Great Fireball Technique created visual interference, disrupting Hinata Hitomi's vision.

Afterward, her true body followed the Great Fireball Technique around to the rear while the clone drew attention.

By the time others saw Chiri emerge from nothingness, cloaked in the colors of her surroundings—

Hinata Hitomi could no longer distinguish truth from falsehood.

Because it looked no different from the real thing.

The subtle timing gap had been perfectly controlled.

And touch was even simpler. Even an illusion was a tangible object formed from transformed Chakra, possessing mass.