Genjutsu Rebound

Minato carefully examined the Grass Ninja and confirmed that they were dead. He nodded at once. "The commotion from our fight was too great. A lot of people will probably come running this way."

"We can't stay here. It's not that we're afraid of them, but now isn't the time to cause trouble." The Qingyun Squad immediately left.

Not long after Qingyun and the others had gone, a group arrived at the spot where the Grass Ninja had been.

"Three bodies. Judging by the traces of the fight, it must have been that guy. Don't forget our mission."

"We have to kill him!" said the speaker, who wore a cat-faced mask. He addressed the several Anbu around him.

As Qingyun hurried along, he suddenly sneezed.

"Strange. I shouldn't be able to catch a cold." Qingyun activated his Byakugan and surveyed the surroundings.

The Byakugan's observational vision was superior to the Sharingan's. Combined with Qingyun's own sensory abilities, it let him see dangers within several kilometers.

"It seems someone's catching up from behind. They're pretty fast, too. How interesting. Let's pick up the pace!" Qingyun said at once.

Minato and Yoshihime both agreed. They trusted Qingyun without question.

"I'll set some Explosive Tags to slow them down a little." Minato volunteered. He caught up soon after, without wasting much time.

But this time, Qingyun showed no kindness to the "Minato" in front of him. His Chakra Enhanced Strength surged, and one punch sent Minato flying.

"Qingyun, why?" Yoshihime asked, unable to believe he would attack his own comrade.

"This guy isn't Minato," Qingyun said.

With his sensory abilities, Qingyun could naturally detect the subtle differences between the Minato before him and the real one.

Someone unfamiliar with Minato might not have thought those differences important, but to Qingyun, they stood out clearly.

"How did you figure me out?" the enemy asked bluntly, no longer bothering to hide his identity.

Qingyun replied, "The real Minato wouldn't be that weak."

He was telling the truth. Qingyun had taught Minato Armament Haki before. If he had attacked the real Minato, Minato would have used Armament Haki or the Body Flicker Technique to dodge.

But when Qingyun suddenly attacked this man, he barely had time to react. His first instinct was to defend himself with both hands. That wasn't like Minato at all.

"Even with the Transformation Technique, it's difficult to truly impersonate someone. People's habits are hard to mimic." Qingyun spoke with calm assurance.

"I'm guessing Minato was caught while setting the traps, so you're the advance team from your squad?" Qingyun asked, watching the man before him.

"Haha! No wonder the Third Hokage thinks so highly of you! You're incredibly observant, and you've got a powerful punch. But you're still going to die here today," the ninja said.

Poof! The ninja dispelled his Transformation Technique.

He wore a ninja uniform, had black hair, and wore an Anbu mask, but there was something about him that set him apart from an ordinary ninja.

He seemed like a killing machine, a machine without a trace of emotion.

"I see. You're from Root. Did Danzo send you to kill me?" Qingyun asked.

"You talk too much. You're going to die here today."

"I know you're good at Taijutsu, and you learned your ninjutsu from the Third Hokage. But you don't seem to have achieved anything with genjutsu."

"Unfortunately for you, my genjutsu is among the best in Root! I can invade another person's mind and use their own brain to kill them!"

"Genjutsu: Hell Viewing Technique!"

Qingyun had expected his opponent to use some powerful genjutsu, but he hadn't expected him to use the Hell Viewing Technique.

It was a basic genjutsu. Everyone who fell under it saw something different, as their innermost fears took shape.

But the enemy had forgotten that Qingyun's spiritual strength was formidable. He had the Three-Tomoe Sharingan, along with a lifelong buff: Genjutsu Rebound.

Qingyun pretended to be in agony and immediately collapsed to the ground. Yoshihime also appeared to have fallen under the genjutsu.

"So this is Qingyun, the genius of Konoha and the entire Shinobi World? What a joke. He couldn't even last a minute under my genjutsu!" The Root ninja sneered, clearly looking down on Qingyun.

But the next moment, he was stunned. He saw himself being tortured for information—and the one torturing him was Danzo.

Yes, Danzo was the Root ninja's greatest fear. He never imagined he would be tortured by him again and again.

"What's going on?!"

"Is this real, or a dream?!"

"Could I be under a genjutsu? No, that's impossible! I was the one who put that brat Qingyun under a genjutsu! Could he have reflected my genjutsu back at me?!"

The Root ninja let out a pained howl, while Yoshihime broke free of the genjutsu.

"What's wrong with him?" Yoshihime asked.

"He's trapped in his own genjutsu, tormented by his own fears. He'll probably break down before long. He's no longer a threat to us."

"Come on! Let's go see how Minato's doing!"

Qingyun and Yoshihime immediately went to look for Minato.

With his Byakugan and sensory abilities, Qingyun found Minato in an instant. Several ninjas had surrounded him.

"There are more than two enemies, which means at least one whole squad has joined forces with the squad of the genjutsu user from earlier," Qingyun said. "We may be up against five ninjas."

Now that Qingyun knew the genjutsu ninja had come from Root, it naturally meant the other five ninjas were from Root as well.

"They're all from Root, and they may be as strong as jōnin. Yoshihime, be careful," Qingyun warned.

"Don't worry. I'm the heir to Wood Release, after all." Training had made Yoshihime much stronger. She was at least as strong as a jōnin now.

Qingyun quickly reached Minato. Minato had been caught in a fierce battle, but was using Armament Haki and the Body Flicker Technique to fight for his life.

"Minato! Move!"

Qingyun arrived at the crucial moment. He formed Hand Seals and shouted, "Fire Release: Majestic Destroyer Flame!"

The technique was incredibly powerful and covered a wide area. A blazing inferno surged straight toward the enemies.

Minato used the Body Flicker Technique to rush over to Qingyun.

"Sorry, Qingyun. I meant to set traps, but they caught up with me anyway." Minato apologized at once. Qingyun didn't take it to heart.