At noon, Houka got up and headed to the Kurama Clan.
Though the Kurama Clan had fallen into decline, it still had quite a few members. Most, however, were Genin or Chunin. Their Genjutsu was passable, but as for everything else... heh.
After entering Kurama Murakumo's home, Houka made his way to the backyard like he knew the place by heart. The horse-faced, gloomy man, Kurama Murakumo, had been waiting for him for some time.
"Kid, you've been studying Genjutsu with me for over two months. Let's see just how much you've learned."
Kurama Murakumo got straight to the point and cast a Genjutsu at him.
The space warped in an instant. Giant green plants sprang up from the ground, and on closer inspection, they turned out to be peas—absurdly huge ones.
Kurama Murakumo's upper body emerged from one of the peas. With a cold laugh, he sent a volley of Shuriken flying.
"Remember, injuries sustained in an illusion are reflected in the real world!"
"This level won't hurt me."
Houka drew a Kunai and deflected the Shuriken. The Chakra inside him sped up and slowed down as he tried to break the illusion.
But more and more giant peas crowded around him, pressing in with wild abandon.
"It's no use. If this is all you've learned, I can only say I'm disappointed, kid!" Kurama Murakumo's Shuriken grew sharper and more unpredictable... Why do you keep throwing them at ***? Are you a pervert?!
Houka was furious. He went straight for the Eight Inner Gates.
"Gate of Opening! Gate of Healing! Open!"
Boom!
As the restraints on his brain were released in an instant, his physical strength was forcibly increased. The Chakra in his body surged like a floodgate had burst, churning into raging waves.
Opening two gates at once immediately made Houka's body feel uncomfortable, sending a sharp warning to his brain.
I can only keep this up for ten seconds at most!
Houka didn't hesitate. He leaped into the air and charged beneath a giant pea in the corner. "Leaf Great Whirlwind!"
"What?" A startled voice came from that spot, even though there was no one there.
"Your Genjutsu doesn't work on me anymore!" Houka silently counted down as he closed in again and kicked.
Thud!
Kurama Murakumo landed awkwardly, as if in a free fall, and the peas in the air vanished as the illusion warped.
"Damn it, you idiot!" Kurama Murakumo scrambled to his feet and pointed at Houka, launching into a furious tirade. "I was testing your Genjutsu, and you used Taijutsu to fight back! Stupid! Imbecile!"
Houka closed the gates, and his body immediately began to ache, pain spreading everywhere.
"Don't give me that sulky look!" Kurama Murakumo roared.
"Um, Teacher Kurama, you've only taught me the theory behind Genjutsu. How am I supposed to turn that theory into Genjutsu and compete with you?" Houka rolled his Byakugan around like a slot machine, trying to endure the pain.
"Do you expect me to teach you the Kurama Clan's Genjutsu? Kid, you're asking for too much!" Kurama Murakumo gritted his teeth. Getting beaten up by a kid was nothing short of humiliating!
What could Houka say? Wasn't this obviously picking on a child?
Kurama Murakumo was still fuming. As soon as his anger flared up, he began reminiscing about the Kurama Clan's glorious past.
Houka thought, This is bad. At this rate, he'll probably reminisce all the way from the Warring States Period to the Second Shinobi World War. I won't get anything done this afternoon. I'd better make a run for it!
"...and then the God of Shinobi, Senju Hashirama, founded Konoha. The Kurama Clan was the first to answer the call and settle in Konoha, providing the village with a large number of Genjutsu Ninjas. Our clan... Hm? Kid, you little bastard—you ran off!"
Kurama Murakumo was so angry his face seemed to grow longer.
After leaving the Kurama Family, Houka went straight to Kage Rock to practice the Rasengan.
Vmmm...
Chakra gathered in his palm and began to spin. The unruly Chakra bobbed up and down in his hand, but a powerful repulsive force emerged, and the Rasengan dissipated before it could take shape.
Houka frowned. He'd been working on the fourth stage of training for quite some time, but had made no progress. To make matters worse, Minato Namikaze had been away on missions for the past two months and hadn't had a spare moment to teach him.
Houka tried seven or eight times in a row, then shook his head helplessly.
"Interesting!"
Suddenly, a voice as cold as a snake came from behind him.
The moment Houka heard it, goosebumps covered his body. He felt as if a venomous snake had its eyes on him and didn't dare move a muscle.
Could it be Orochimaru?
Houka's heart skipped a beat. He turned slightly and saw a handsome man standing not far behind him. His skin was as pale as jade, his eyes narrow as a fox's, and yet he had a pair of golden, snake-like pupils.
Houka's pupils contracted.
What a jinx. It really is Orochimaru.
"Who developed this jutsu?" Orochimaru slowly walked over.
Houka didn't know whether Orochimaru had started experimenting on human subjects at this point, but his instincts told him danger was drawing near, and he couldn't help backing away.
Orochimaru suddenly gave him a strange smile and stuck out his tongue to lick the corner of his eye.
Houka's eyelid twitched. A normal person couldn't even lick the tip of their nose, could they?
Were you Orochimaru or Long-Tongue Maru?!
"Kid!" Orochimaru kept walking.
"I developed it myself!" Houka replied.
"You developed a jutsu yourself? Kid, haven't you had enough of playing around at the Ninja Academy?" Orochimaru sneered. His snake-like eyes widened, and a terrifying killing intent crashed over Houka like a tangible tidal wave. Houka felt like a tiny boat in the deep sea, about to be swallowed at any moment.
Houka gritted his teeth. The Chakra inside him circulated on its own, resisting Orochimaru's terrifying killing intent.
Orochimaru had now entered his prime after experiencing the Second Shinobi World War, especially his battle against Hanzo of the Salamander, the demigod. His strength had soared, and he was improving almost every day. He was already at Jonin level!
"Not bad. You have potential." Orochimaru licked the corner of his mouth, earning three stars on the creepiness scale.
At last, he slowly withdrew his killing intent. "Tell me your name!"
"Uchiha Houka!"
"Heh. So you're a kid from the Uchiha Clan." Orochimaru narrowed his eyes. "How surprising."
"Who are you?" Houka asked, despite already knowing.
"You're not worthy of knowing my name. Ask me again when you've made it to the battlefield."
Orochimaru turned to leave. Just before he went, he glanced back, one snake-like eye fixed on Houka with a faintly mocking smile.
Those goosebumps! They were everywhere!
Houka took a deep breath and gave himself ninety-nine pats on the back to calm down. He left one out in case he got too full of himself.
So what if it was Orochimaru? Was he supposed to be scared?
Give me ten years, and I'll beat you into an earthworm!
Houka rested for a while, then continued practicing the Rasengan. Chakra gathered in his palm, forming a sky-blue sphere. Perhaps it was the shock of meeting Orochimaru, but this time the process went unusually smoothly.
Overjoyed, Houka slammed the Rasengan into a nearby boulder.
Boom!
The black rock was instantly blasted open by the Rasengan, leaving a hole the size of a bowl. Dense cracks spread around it, and chips of stone fell away.
Houka's eyes widened.
"Success!"
Before you continue