Correct Countermeasures Against Genjutsu Users (Part 1)

"Hagoromo-kun, Obito, Kai, I found out what the Graduation Exam will cover."

"Rin, how did you find out?"

At that moment, Nohara Rin walked over as well. She was probably the only girl willing to get close to the little trio of an idiot and a Bowl Cut.

Seeing this, smart people should have understood. That was right—Kamishiro Hagoromo hanging around with Obito and Kai effectively shielded him from girls bothering him. Yes, although he himself was quite popular, because he was always with those two oddballs, his school life had remained relatively peaceful.

"Rin, what's on the exam?" Obito immediately asked. Clearly, he was not actually as confident about the Graduation Exam as he claimed to be.

"Combat. The Graduation Exam will be combat. Graduation rankings will be decided by combat results, and the teachers will judge whether someone passes based on their performance in battle."

"So as long as you perform well in a fight, even losing doesn't necessarily mean you won't graduate?" Hagoromo reached that conclusion after giving it some thought.

"That's right," Rin said with certainty.

The Dead Last Duo beside them immediately came alive. Might Guy was thrilled; if the test was combat, it basically meant he could pass. As for Obito, that was simple too—compared to combat, he was definitely worse at written tests and the like.

"Um... Hagoromo, what exactly did you and Rin mean just now?"

After being happy for a while, Obito asked again. What did it mean to judge whether someone passed based on their performance in actual combat? Dead Last could not comprehend it.

"It means that even if you win, you might not necessarily graduate smoothly—you could still fail. And even if you lose, that doesn't necessarily mean you'll be kept at the Ninja Academy. As long as you perform well in battle, you can still pass," Hagoromo said. He felt this deeply as well. During wartime, this kind of examination was far more practical.

"Oh~~"

Obito and Kai immediately put on looks of sudden realization.

"First Class, listen up! Gather at the Eighth Training Ground immediately!" At that moment, one of the Ninja Academy teachers shouted in Hagoromo's direction.

Aizawa Ayumu, thirty-five years old, Ninja Academy teacher, Chunin. For a ninja to survive to his age during wartime—not only alive, but with all his limbs intact—the odds were basically equivalent to a sixty-year-old woman safely giving birth... He was probably Hagoromo's class homeroom teacher.

Hagoromo and the others followed the teacher toward the Eighth Training Ground.

Sure enough, the examination was combat.

The Eighth Training Ground was not far from the Ninja Academy. Before long, all thirty students of First Class had arrived.

Amid the students' complaints, Aizawa-sensei announced that the Graduation Exam would consist of combat.

It could not be helped. Compared to demonstrating a few ninjutsu techniques or completing a written test, most people disliked actual combat more.

Aizawa-sensei completely ignored the students' opinions. He did not even give them time to prepare before directly announcing the first match.

Hagoromo watched the two nameless students facing off and silently nodded. Their standards were fairly decent.

During wartime, because Ninja Academy education and the outside environment differed, ninja grew at different rates. For example, Uchiha Obito, before awakening his Sharingan, was unquestionably Dead Last at the academy. Yet he could still become a Chunin at age eleven, while in peacetime, eleven-year-old students had not even graduated from the Ninja Academy.

Match after match passed, and soon it was Hagoromo's turn.

"Sixth match, Kamishiro Hagoromo versus Yuhi Kurenai!"

Upon hearing his name, Hagoromo did not hesitate in the slightest and was the first to enter the Training Ground.

Genjutsu was a form of mental attack. Through powerful spiritual intent and seemingly casual yet covert movements, sounds, images, drugs, or objects, it caused an opponent to enter a mentally dazed state and experience all kinds of illusions within their consciousness.

Hagoromo was very interested in Genjutsu-type ninja like Yuhi Kurenai. He had never encountered a Genjutsu-type opponent during the Ninja Academy's practical combat classes, so in this battle, he could test whether his abilities worked against Genjutsu.

If he could not even deal with ordinary Genjutsu, then he would have to be careful when facing the Uchiha Sharingan in the future.

"Rin, who do you think will win?" Obito asked beside Rin, seemingly very concerned about Hagoromo.

As for what purpose he had in getting close to Rin, take a guess.

"Hagoromo, probably," Rin answered with certainty, though there was another half of her answer she did not say aloud.

That was, if Hagoromo did not forfeit.

After all, during regular practical combat classes, Hagoromo often forfeited on the grounds that he lacked chakra...

Hagoromo's theory grades were outstanding, so why had his overall class ranking always remained in the middle? The reason was simple. In all kinds of practical combat, taijutsu, and Shuriken classes, he frequently forfeited, always finding all sorts of excuses that convinced the teachers.

Of course, Rin did not actually need to worry. Hagoromo definitely would not forfeit this time. First, this was the Graduation Exam. If he forfeited without doing anything, he definitely would not graduate. Second, he was truly curious whether his techniques would work on a Genjutsu-type ninja.

"No way. I think Yuhi Kurenai will win. Her overall grades are much better than Hagoromo's. That guy has no drive at all," Obito argued. Why had he not taken the side of his close friend Hagoromo? It was simple—Rin speaking up for Hagoromo probably made him a little unhappy. Perhaps even he had not realized it.

"Who knows..." Nohara Rin could not be blamed for being so uncertain. There had simply been too many precedents of Kamishiro Hagoromo forfeiting during practical combat classes—too many to count.

If only one-tenth of Might Guy's drive could be given to Hagoromo...

Rin could not help imagining a watermelon-shaped head covering Hagoromo's head. Then she involuntarily shuddered. Yes, Hagoromo was fine as he was. He absolutely did not need to learn from Might Guy, especially when it came to fashion.

"Begin!"

As the Chunin teacher's voice fell, everyone's gaze turned toward the Training Ground.

Then, to Yuhi Kurenai's and all the spectators' astonishment, Hagoromo actually closed his eyes after the battle began.

"Hey! What do you mean by that? Do you even want to fight?" Yuhi Kurenai shouted, unable to understand what her opponent was trying to do.

"Am I not preparing to fight right now? Closing my eyes is the first step." Hagoromo still spoke in that listless tone, with a half-dead attitude.

Yuhi Kurenai was nearly furious enough to drop dead. Closing his eyes was the first step? Was this guy, who always forfeited in all kinds of classes, looking down on her?

She could not help becoming somewhat annoyed. Gritting her teeth, she said, "How are you supposed to fight with your eyes closed?"

"Oh, that? Although I shouldn't reveal information to an opponent, I'll explain it to you anyway. You're a Genjutsu-type ninja, right? Closing my eyes is to deal with your Genjutsu." Hagoromo spoke in a tone that said, since you asked so sincerely, I'll mercifully tell you.