Ding~

Illusions.

As one of the less prominent skills in a ninja's arsenal, illusions had rarely appeared on the front lines.

Or rather, because of the Uchiha Clan and its Sharingan bloodline, illusions had long been regarded as supporting skills for special ocular techniques. As a result, aside from Ninshu practitioners with special bloodlines, few ninjas built their combat styles around them.

Besides, illusions were no easier to learn than other elemental ninjutsu, and the methods for breaking them were relatively standardized.

This meant that if an illusion technique someone had devoted great effort to mastering couldn't kill its target in one hit, it could often be dispelled with ease by multiple enemies!

...Even the supposedly harmless Great Fireball, a kind-hearted ninjutsu that had never killed anyone, could at least make a bit of noise and put on a light show!

From that perspective, rather than spending a great deal of effort creating an illusion, it was more worthwhile to invest the same amount of chakra in a damaging ninjutsu.

—But even with all their limitations, illusions still hadn't shaken Soji's resolve to learn new skills!

It wasn't that Soji was convinced he had exceptional talent and would make a name for himself in the art of illusions... It was just that, after seeing Teacher Motochika's demonstration firsthand, the boy's understanding of illusions had changed fundamentally.

He realized that what he needed wasn't a weapon on the level of Infinite Tsukuyomi, Izanagi, Izanami, or Kotoamatsukami.

Instead, ordinary illusions that seemed unimpressive but were versatile and relatively easy to learn could complement his current combat style, built around Accio, and unleash unexpected power!

Soji knew exactly what he wanted to learn. He asked Teacher Motochika how to use a series of D-rank illusions, including Demonic Illusion: Hell Viewing Technique, Demonic Illusion: False Surroundings Technique, and Demonic Illusion: Temple of Nirvana. Then he tried each one in turn, testing how well these new skills suited him.

This approach to learning was clearly unusual. And from the perspective of a jonin in charge of a squad, Nara Motonari, who was well versed in illusions, had plenty of reservations about the boy's scattershot approach.

"Learning any technique requires a gradual approach. Trying to swallow too much at once will probably get you half the results for twice the effort."

In Motonari's personal experience, the best way to learn illusions was to master one technique first, then apply what you'd learned to expand your knowledge.

But surprisingly, Soji, who had always respected his teachers, didn't heed his teacher's earnest advice this time...

The boy knew full well that his ultimate goal wasn't to master a particular low-level illusion. He wanted to extract useful elements from the effects of different techniques and work them into his current skill set, centered on "Rain Woman's Heart."

To do that, he didn't need to become completely proficient in "Demonic Illusion: Hell Viewing Technique" or vividly conjure images of his enemies' deepest fears. Nor did he need to master "Demonic Illusion: Temple of Nirvana" to the point where he could instantly create a convincing illusion of another world.

What Soji needed to do was take the emotional manipulation from "Demonic Illusion: Hell Viewing Technique," make use of the visual misdirection behind "Demonic Illusion: Temple of Nirvana," and combine these traits to enhance his existing attacks, maximizing his strengths and compensating for his weaknesses.

Therefore, rather than focus on mastering any one ninjutsu, he cared more about grasping the underlying "basic principles" shared by these low-level illusions and adapting them to suit his own style.

For Soji, who excelled at logical deduction, this process was actually more time-efficient than painstakingly mastering each individual illusion.

What surprised him, though, was that a decision originally made through pure rational thought had produced unexpected results on the second day of putting it into practice!

—The cheat that had gone silent since giving him instructions for Accio on his eleventh birthday suddenly changed.

It seemed to sense what the boy wanted. After nearly a year of silence, it had given him another great gift!

A plump Scottish Round-Faced Fat Chicken, holding an envelope in its beak, flew through his mind.

A letter emblazoned with the crests of Hogwarts' Four Houses then opened by itself!

But compared to the admission letter he'd received a year ago, this one contained much more information.

Dear Mr. Yamada Soji,

We are pleased to inform you that the new term begins today. Enclosed is a list of available spells. We hope you study diligently and successfully complete your coursework.

Energy purity: E

Unlocked spells:

Accio √

Confundus Charm √

You could water a flower and it wouldn't bloom, then plant a willow without meaning to and watch it grow.

Over the past year, Soji had spent considerable effort trying to unlock more spells through his cheat and bolster his strength, but nothing had gone his way.

Who would have thought that things would take a turn just as he was about to give up on the cheat?

The newly unlocked Confundus Charm couldn't directly harm anyone, but as a support spell that affected its targets' judgment and perception, it was remarkably similar to the illusions Soji had recently been studying!

And unlike traditional ninjutsu, which required careful study to master, the effects of spells provided by the cheat depended almost entirely on energy purity.

That gave Soji a chance to overtake everyone on the bend!

He no longer needed to fully understand the underlying principles of the entry-level illusions he'd just learned from Teacher Motochika.

Instead, he could use these mature ninjutsu models, refined over generations of ninjas, as a framework, then fill in their core with the Confundus Charm. This would effectively combine supporting illusions with combat-oriented ninjutsu!

Of course...

Once he had more time, the boy would develop a set of compatible techniques for his newly acquired Confundus Charm, just as he had for Accio, and make the most of its effects.

For now, this crude patchwork was only a stopgap, with no consideration for future development.

But that was exactly what gave the new technique a rough, wild appeal—the practical, ramshackle handiwork of a greenskin mechanic. In no time at all, it had transformed the original "Rain Woman's Heart" beyond recognition...

—Fortunately, the results showed that the power of the bloodline secret technique had indeed increased tremendously!

But the versatility Soji had hoped for when he first began studying illusions hadn't improved. If anything, the problem had become even more serious.

So when the boy privately showed his improved secret technique to Teacher Motochika, even Nara Commander, his instructor, couldn't make heads or tails of it...

"Have I lost my memory, or am I getting old and senile..." Teacher Motochika put his left hand on his hip and scratched his head with his right, falling into self-doubt on the spot. "What exactly did I teach you yesterday?"

Unable to reveal the truth, Soji could only dodge the question and dance around the details.

"Although the result looks completely different, the new technique is still fundamentally a modified ninjutsu, rebuilt from two D-rank illusions, Demonic Illusion: Hell Viewing Technique and Demonic Illusion: Temple of Nirvana. Its underlying logic hasn't been overturned..."

"...What kind of nonsense are you spouting?" Nara Motonari covered his face with one hand, both amused and exasperated.

He'd stake his reputation as a jonin on it! The new thing his student had tinkered together had no closer relation to Demonic Illusion: Hell Viewing Technique than ham had to ham sausage...

"Just tell me what happened."

"...All right. Actually, yesterday I decided the existing techniques weren't quite suitable, so I made a few small changes in private." Soji shaped his right hand into a seven and used it to vividly demonstrate just how much he'd altered the original technique.

"How much did you change?"

"Just a little."

"How much, exactly..."

"Really, just a little."

"..."

Teacher Motochika stared at him in silence, displeased that his student was treating him like a fool.

And for the first time, the boy felt the trouble that came with having a cheat...