"How do you view... Tobirama Senju?" Tohka Senju's voice remained steady.
The question made Tsunade beside her tense up again in an instant, her palms growing sweaty.
Tohka Senju and Second Tobirama Senju had disagreed over politics. After Tobirama took office, he reclaimed the power that had originally belonged to Tohka.
Later, Tobirama even disbanded the Senju Clan. The two could be said to have old grievances between them.
Yusuke keenly sensed that when the name was mentioned, the mental space formed by the surrounding genjutsu rippled ever so slightly.
Under the genjutsu's influence, Yusuke followed his own understanding and judgment and spoke slowly. "Second was a very capable politician and leader."
At those words, Tohka Senju's brow furrowed almost imperceptibly, and the air around them seemed to grow a few degrees colder.
Tsunade's heart raced faster. This is bad, this is bad. Grandma Tohka has old grievances with Second Grandpa.
Yusuke continued, "He was committed to eliminating the divisions between the village's clans and promoting integration among the shinobi clans."
"From the perspective of the village's long-term development, many of his policies and ideas were remarkably far-sighted."
Though his words were an objective assessment, they sounded especially grating to Tohka Senju, given her own experience of being sidelined.
Sure enough, after hearing him out, Tohka Senju's brow had drawn tightly together.
The expression that had softened slightly after his answers to the first two questions was once again shrouded in frost.
"I'm in trouble." Tsunade swallowed. She decided to come up with any excuse she could and make a run for it with Yusuke.
She was afraid that if they were even a moment too slow, Yusuke would be on the receiving end of Tohka Senju's elbow.
"But then again..." Just as Tsunade was fidgeting and trying to interrupt, Yusuke's voice rang out again.
"It's a shame that Second passed away too soon. Many of his ideas weren't fully implemented, and he also left behind some thorny problems."
"Of those, the most serious was probably how the Uchiha Clan was handled."
Tohka Senju's furrowed brow relaxed slightly, and the cold air surrounding her seemed to dissipate a little.
She glanced at Tsunade, who was sitting restlessly beside her. Tsunade was giving her an ingratiating smile, her two pairs of little tiger teeth gleaming.
Tohka Senju gave a quiet snort, grudgingly accepting Yusuke's answer as imperfect, but at least not too irritating.
She cleared her throat softly. The sound rang in Yusuke's ears like the tolling of a great bell.
Yusuke's eyes instantly cleared. The experience just then had been like a brief daydream, but he clearly remembered what he had said.
I really was walking back and forth on the edge of danger. He swallowed, but kept his expression calm.
"Not bad." Tohka Senju's voice was still cool, but held a little less scrutiny.
"For little Tsunade's sake, I'll let you pass, brat."
At that, Tsunade immediately breathed a sigh of relief, her face blooming into a bright smile.
She scooted over to Tohka Senju. "Thank you, Grandma Tohka! I knew you were the best!"
Tohka Senju shook her head helplessly, then looked at Yusuke, her tone growing more solemn.
"I can teach you, but I have one condition: from now on, you must help Tsunade in Konoha."
She didn't spell everything out, but none of the three present were fools. They knew what she meant.
That meant becoming Tsunade's right-hand man, helping her reclaim the Hokage Position and revive the Senju Clan.
She was making an investment in Yusuke.
"Yes, Sensei," Yusuke replied respectfully. "I'll keep that in mind."
Although Tsunade disliked politics, she said nothing and instead congratulated him. "That's wonderful, Yusuke! Grandma Tohka is the pinnacle of genjutsu in our Konoha."
"You have to study hard!"
Tohka Senju had grown shrewd with age. How could she not know what Tsunade was up to?
"You little brat, you haven't even married yet, and already you're turning your elbow outward?"
Tohka Senju teased her, though her eyes held a hint of affection. "All right, you're not needed here. Go home for now."
"This old woman doesn't like having outsiders watching while she teaches."
Tsunade blushed and gave Tohka Senju a sweet smile. "I know, Grandma Tohka. I'll leave Yusuke in your hands!"
"I'll come back later."
With that, she left the room with a spring in her step.
Once Tsunade had left, only Yusuke and Tohka Senju remained in the room, and the atmosphere seemed to grow serious again.
Tohka Senju gestured for Yusuke to sit. She poured two cups of tea unhurriedly and pushed one across to him.
"Since I'm going to teach you genjutsu, I'll first give you a clear understanding of its levels. Genjutsu can be roughly divided into four ranks."
"The first rank is the most basic. It can only confuse an enemy for an instant, creating an opening or disrupting their Hand Seals. Any shinobi with a little experience can easily break such genjutsu by disrupting the flow of their own chakra."
"The second rank is considerably more advanced. The illusion created by the caster is more realistic, and the victim can become immersed in it without realizing. Without outside interference, it's extremely difficult to break free on one's own. Usually, a teammate must disrupt the victim's chakra flow by sending chakra in from the outside to dispel it."
Yusuke nodded. That matched the effects of most powerful genjutsu he knew.
"The third rank involves deep hypnosis on a mental level."
A glint flashed in Tohka Senju's eyes. "The caster can plant a 'suggestion' in the enemy's chakra network."
"Even if their chakra is disrupted the first time, it will unconsciously flow along the path dictated by the genjutsu, plunging them back into the illusion. That's multiple-layered genjutsu, and it's extremely difficult to guard against."
Yusuke felt a chill in his heart. This kind of genjutsu was like a parasite burrowing into the bone—terrifying.
"As for the fourth rank, it touches the very limits of Yin Release, using spiritual energy to affect reality, create things from nothing, and construct a virtual world that's almost real."
"The Kekkei Genkai of the Kurama Clan is the foremost example of this path. Sadly, their numbers are few, and the clan has fallen into decline."
Yusuke couldn't help asking, "Sensei, what rank have you... reached?"
Tohka Senju lifted her teacup and took a small sip. She didn't answer, merely giving Yusuke a casual glance.
He knew better than to press her. Still, he raised his assessment of his new teacher's strength by several levels.
"All right, that's enough theory for now."
Tohka Senju set down her teacup. "Your file says you're good at genjutsu. Tell me what difficulties you've run into while studying it."
Yusuke keenly picked up on one phrase: "your file." That meant the file Tsunade had shown him last night had most likely come from her.
Given that the Senju Clan has disappeared, no wonder Sensei is confident she can help Tsunade claim the Hokage Position.
That's good, too. This background really can help me escape Shimura Danzō's clutches.
The Senju Clan of today isn't someone Shimura Danzō can afford to mess with.
Tohka Senju saw him thinking and silently nodded. He really is quick-witted.
From only a few words and the other person's expression, they both knew that he knew what she wanted him to know.
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