Genjutsu Specialist

A five-meter-wide fireball shot toward the seven Cloud Ninja and the Shadow Clone of their captain, Seigetsu Senju.

The fireball made no distinction between friend and foe, engulfing them all.

The Cloud Ninja cursed the newcomer's ruthlessness. He was even burning his own people.

Boom!

After being hit by the Fire Release, Seigetsu Senju dissolved into white smoke.

Only then did the Cloud Ninja realize the newcomer wasn't ruthless. He'd simply seen through the Shadow Clone.

Two Cloud Ninja couldn't dodge in time and were swallowed by the fireball, burning to death.

The others managed to evade it, then squeezed their eyes shut to shield themselves from its blinding light.

A few seconds later, one of the Cloud Ninja shouted, "The fireball blinded me! There's something wrong with it!"

In Kawadera Uchiha's vision, darkness spread rapidly across the ground, staining every Cloud Ninja black.

The Cloud Ninja were horrified to discover that everything before their eyes had gone pitch-black.

The fireball's heat washed over them, but they couldn't see the orange-red glow that should have filled their vision through their eyelids.

Kunai flew out of the woods one after another.

One Cloud Ninja after another fell, struck in the throat, forehead, and back of the head.

Two Cloud Ninja were luckier. They worked well together, quickly found each other, and disrupted each other's chakra flow, breaking free of the genjutsu.

Kawadera Uchiha immediately leaped into motion.

Stay mobile and look for an opening. Strike while moving. Dodge danger while moving.

As he ran, he glanced back and shouted:

"Captain Seigetsu! Run! I'll hold them off!"

Seeing Kawadera Uchiha arrive and take down so many enemies in an instant, Seigetsu Senju was overwhelmed with excitement. Her almond-shaped eyes brimmed with admiration and gratitude.

When the Cloud Ninja squad captain saw his unit decimated, he first tried to save his men. When that failed, he pursued Kawadera Uchiha instead.

Seigetsu Senju quickly turned and left to catch up with her teammates, Ken Aburame and Kureya Inuzuka.

As she ran, Seigetsu Senju recalled the battle and realized in astonishment that Kawadera Uchiha had used a genjutsu from the Senju Clan: the Bringer-of-Darkness Technique.

She wasn't skilled in genjutsu, but she'd heard Lord Toma Senju explain that the Bringer-of-Darkness Technique had been developed by the Second specifically to counter the Uchiha Clan.

Why would someone from the Uchiha Clan know a genjutsu the Senju Clan had developed to target the Uchiha?

Though the Bringer-of-Darkness Technique was an A-rank jutsu, its effectiveness against the Uchiha Clan made it one of the Senju Clan's most closely guarded secrets, on par with several Forbidden Techniques.

Only Lord Toma Senju, the Second's younger sister, knew the technique in the entire Senju Clan.

There was no way the technique could have been passed on, unless...

Could it be...? Seigetsu Senju suddenly thought of a possibility!

Kagami Uchiha!

The Second's youngest bodyguard, an Uchiha ninja in whom the Second had placed great hopes.

Could Kawadera and Kagami Uchiha have been close, allowing Kawadera to inherit the genjutsu?

Two hours later, Seigetsu Senju and her two teammates entered the Border Fortress Konoha had established along the Land of Fire's border.

A Ninja Hawk launched from the top of the tall wooden tower and flew toward Konoha, carrying word of Kumogakure's surprise attack.

Seigetsu Senju kept watching the woods to the north through her binoculars, hoping that figure would appear again.

The fortress commander came to her side and said, "Captain Seigetsu! We need to retreat at once! The Cloud Ninja main force is on its way!"

"Wait..."

Seigetsu Senju hesitated, wondering whether she should wait another thirty seconds or a full minute.

The fortress commander said urgently, "Captain Seigetsu! He's an Uchiha. He's not worth risking anything for!"

The Uchiha Clan had a terrible reputation in Konoha.

The more extreme and intense an Uchiha's emotions, the stronger they were.

The mild-tempered ones were weak. Having a mild-tempered Uchiha on the team was like having a deadweight.

The strongest Uchiha fell into one of two types.

They were either extremely arrogant and self-important, looking down at people through narrowed eyes or their nostrils.

Or they were utterly deranged and bloodthirsty. For some inexplicable reason, they might suddenly become fanatically murderous. Any Konoha shinobi would feel a chill at the sight of their look—the kind that said they'd kill your entire family without a second thought.

According to the rules of engagement, Seigetsu Senju couldn't waste time. She had to take her people and leave at once, or she'd put her other teammates in danger.

She'd just descended the fortress's watchtower when a figure tumbled from a distant tree branch.

Kawadera Uchiha opened his Sea of Consciousness so Tobirama Senju could hear him, then asked, "Captain, did the intelligence reach the village?"

The Bringer-of-Darkness Technique was incredibly powerful. Using it, Kawadera Uchiha had taken care of the remaining Cloud Ninja.

He'd also been wounded, with two cuts from a Ninja Blade.

Seigetsu Senju's opinion of Kawadera Uchiha had completely changed. Even now, with his chakra exhausted and his body weak, he was still thinking about the village's safety.

"It did! The Ninja Hawk delivered the message!"

Kawadera Uchiha smiled with relief.

Tobirama Senju's voice rang out in his Sea of Consciousness.

"Good. I'm awarding you your mission reward now... Your actions got the intelligence back at least two hours earlier than it otherwise would have. That could save two or three more border outposts in the Land of Fire.

"Besides that, you killed quite a few Cloud Ninja.

"The number of enemy shinobi killed is also one of the evaluation criteria.

"I've studied my current state and discovered that I can do more than teach you knowledge and jutsu. I can also enhance your spiritual energy.

"For completing an A-rank mission, I'm granting you one Mind Awakening."

As expected of a master of Forbidden Techniques, he couldn't stop researching, even now.

Mind Awakening?

What was that?

A shiver passed through his soul, leaving Kawadera Uchiha utterly stunned.

His vision blurred. It felt as if a stream of fresh water had poured into his soul, strengthening it.

As long as his physical energy stayed the same, his chakra reserves couldn't grow. But improving his soul and spiritual energy was important too.

With stronger spiritual energy, his Sharingan and genjutsu would grow stronger as well.

"Keep protecting Konoha. I'll assess your performance and give you more mission rewards..."

The voice in his Sea of Consciousness fell silent.

Just as Kawadera Uchiha wondered how much he'd improved, a panel suddenly appeared before his eyes.

[Uchiha Kawadera's Eight Ninja Stats:

Nin-6.4, Tai-6.2, Gen-7.9, Int-6.9;

Str-3.7, Spd-5.8, Sta-6.7, Hand seals-6.7.

Overall rating-50.3]

Then [Gen] flickered, changing from 7.9 to 8.0!

His other stats hadn't changed. After Mind Awakening, his genjutsu had immediately gained 0.1.

His overall rating was 50.4, about the same as the Chunin Ninja Exams proctors in Shippuden, Mitaraishi Anko and Gekko Hayate. They were both around 50.

Based on his Eight Ninja Stats, Kawadera determined that his talent for genjutsu was stronger than his talent for ninjutsu, while his ninjutsu talent far outstripped his taijutsu talent.

With an 8.0 in genjutsu, he could be considered a Special Jonin specializing in genjutsu.

As for ninjutsu, his ninjutsu was 6.4, his stamina 6.7, and his hand seals 6.7, putting him at the level of an elite Chunin.

His taijutsu was a bit of a weakness.

His taijutsu was 6.2 and his speed was 5.8, even with the boost from his two-tomoe Sharingan. His strength was only 3.7.

Still, he didn't need to worry too much about taijutsu. If he could get Tobirama Senju's Strength of a Hundred Technique, everything would work out.

Chakra was formed by mixing physical and spiritual energy in equal proportions. After his spiritual energy increased, he had more of it than his physical energy could match.

Once he improved his constitution in the future, his chakra reserves would increase too.

Seigetsu Senju gave Kawadera Uchiha a soldier pill, treated his wounds, then supported him as they retreated farther into the Land of Fire.

After they'd been traveling for a long time, Kawadera Uchiha realized that Seigetsu Senju had been supporting him the whole way without showing any sign of fatigue.

As expected of a Special Jonin from the Senju Clan. Her stamina was admirable.

When the others couldn't keep up with the forced march, Seigetsu Senju set Kawadera Uchiha down.

She asked quietly, "Kawadera, how are you related to Lord Kagami?"

Kawadera Uchiha had no idea Seigetsu Senju had connected Tobirama Senju to Kagami Uchiha and then to his own inheritance. He answered honestly, "Lord Kagami is my cousin."

He wasn't lying. Kagami Uchiha really was his first cousin, and they shared a grandfather.

"I knew it," Seigetsu Senju said. "Kawadera, that genjutsu you used—the one that wasn't the Sharingan—was the Bringer-of-Darkness Technique from the Senju Clan, wasn't it?"

Kawadera Uchiha needed to establish himself as someone willing to burn everything for Konoha, so he could get good things from Tobirama Senju. He readily admitted it. "Yes."

Seigetsu Senju asked, "Where did you learn that technique?"

To complete the mission to rescue Nawaki and obtain a Forbidden Technique, he needed to find a foothold within the Senju Clan.

The straightforward Seigetsu Senju was a good person to start with.

"Captain Seigetsu, can you keep this a secret for me?"