The genjutsu took hold.
Genma immediately felt his body sending an overwhelming sense of drowsiness to his consciousness.
His body was telling his brain, telling his mind, that it had to go to sleep at once.
At that moment, Genma's chakra flow was in disarray.
That was because Uchiha Enjin's genjutsu had altered his body's self-perception.
To do that, the genjutsu first had to get through the target's chakra defenses. That was why the target's chakra flow had to be disrupted first.
To break a genjutsu, however, all one had to do was restore the flow of chakra. One could then use one's own chakra to regain control of the body and dispel the foreign chakra's influence.
That was the fundamental principle behind dispelling genjutsu.
But the instant Genma realized he was under a genjutsu, his powerful will effortlessly reclaimed control of the chakra roiling within him.
The genjutsu was dispelled in less than a second.
Then Genma immediately turned the tables and cast a genjutsu on Uchiha Enjin.
Demonic Illusion: Spider Binding!
Thud!
Uchiha Enjin, who was less than five meters from Genma, suddenly lost control of his body. With a thud, he slammed into the ground, slid forward, and came to a stop in front of Genma.
Even now, Uchiha Enjin's eyes were open, filled with disbelief.
"A genjutsu... I actually fell for his Binding Technique!"
"How is that possible?"
Uchiha Enjin was stunned.
He hurriedly tried to dispel the genjutsu, but his body wouldn't move at all.
The Sharingan was useless!
Uchiha Enjin could feel his Sharingan's visual prowess being suppressed by the other boy's genjutsu!
He almost wondered if he had fallen for a genjutsu within a genjutsu.
Otherwise, how could something so ridiculous have happened?
He was an Uchiha who had awakened the Sharingan, even if he had only one tomoe.
They were both Genin. Even the Kurama Clan in its heyday couldn't claim to suppress an Uchiha with the Sharingan awakened.
Seeing that his Sharingan couldn't break the genjutsu, Uchiha Enjin tried to bite his tongue to dispel it, only to realize at once that he couldn't even move his tongue.
"Damn it, how can his genjutsu feel no weaker than a three-tomoe Sharingan?"
Uchiha Enjin was practically going mad.
On the viewing platform, Shiranui Genma, Ebisu, Yuhi Kurenai, and the others all stared with wide eyes.
"That's the genjutsu!"
Sarutobi Asuma shouted, sounding excited.
He'd been taken out by that genjutsu three days ago, too.
Back then, he'd been terribly embarrassed and had thought it was because he'd let his guard down.
Now even an Uchiha with the Sharingan awakened had been taken out in an instant.
So he wasn't just hopelessly weak after all!
Uchiha Obito's eyes widened. "You've got to be kidding!"
"Big brother Enjin awakened the Sharingan!"
Kakashi snorted. "So stop going on about the Sharingan all the time."
"Awakening the Sharingan doesn't guarantee victory!"
Uchiha Obito was left speechless.
Inside the monitoring room,
Namikaze Minato was also quite shocked. "He actually suppressed the Sharingan!"
Hatake Sakumo wasn't surprised at all. "When it comes to talent, Genma is more gifted in Yin Release than in Yang Release or Lightning Release."
"He developed this Binding Technique himself."
"Even I would have a hard time dispelling it by myself in a short time if I were caught in it."
Minato now had a clear sense of Genma's strength. "At this level, his genjutsu is no weaker than the Uchiha's three-tomoe Sharingan!"
Sarutobi Hiruzen was just as surprised.
Sakumo's praise of Genma hadn't given him a clear picture before, but now, after watching this fight, he could tell that once the boy grew up, he would become a genjutsu master capable of matching the Uchiha.
He might even surpass Yuhi Shinku, who was currently one of Konoha's few Jonin specializing in genjutsu outside the Uchiha Clan.
As for the Kurama Clan, it had fallen into decline. Chunin were common enough, but they hadn't managed to raise a single Jonin in many years.
Thinking again of the boy's father, Yu Fenglan, Hiruzen said at once, "Sakumo, make sure you train this boy well."
"Once he becomes a Chunin, let him choose a genjutsu to study from the village!"
Sakumo was quietly pleased for his student and immediately nodded. "Yes. I'll tell him that the Third and the village are investing in his training!"
Hiruzen nodded, in high spirits.
On the field,
The examiner, too, looked on in surprise. It took him a good while to announce Genma as the winner.
Once the genjutsu was dispelled, Uchiha Enjin climbed to his feet and looked at Genma with a complicated expression. "You're strong!"
"But that doesn't mean the Sharingan is inferior to you. I only just awakened it, and my skill is still lacking."
Genma couldn't help laughing to himself, then nodded seriously. "That's true. Across the entire Ninja World, the Sharingan's genjutsu is the strongest."
He wasn't just saying that to be polite.
Even a three-tomoe Sharingan's genjutsu could overwhelm the abilities of most people.
As for the Mangekyo, there was no need to mention it. Anyone specializing in genjutsu could make even a Kage-level shinobi kneel.
Of course, it also depended on the person.
The Sharingan was powerful, but the people who wielded it were even more formidable!
After exchanging a few polite words, Genma leaped away.
The matches continued.
Then Ebisu, Kakashi, Yuhi Kurenai, Sarutobi Asuma, and the others took their turns.
Kakashi's opponent was Might Guy.
Even without using Lightning Release, Kakashi still won.
Sarutobi Asuma's opponent was Shiranui Genma. He won!
Once everyone had fought a round, the second round began right away.
"Hatake Kakashi versus Kazekaze Genma!"
Genma was up first.
He landed on the ground and smiled at Kakashi across from him. "Kakashi, let's see how much you've improved."
Kakashi met his challenge head-on. "I won't hold back. Be careful!"
Examiner Hisato Yuto was now on full alert.
These two kids couldn't be treated like ordinary Genin, or even Chunin.
"Begin!"
Examiner Hisato Yuto gave the signal.
Kakashi immediately tossed a smoke bomb.
Thud!
Smoke billowed up, blocking both their lines of sight.
Kakashi swiftly formed hand seals. "Chidori!"
As electricity crackled against the air, the Chidori shrieked. Dense Lightning Release chakra gathered around Kakashi's right hand, enveloping his fist like a ball of lightning as dazzling arcs of electricity radiated outward.
Examiner Hisato Yuto couldn't help staring. "What powerful chakra! Lightning Release at this level... No wonder he's the son of the White Fang of Konoha!"
Inside the monitoring room, Sarutobi Hiruzen raised an eyebrow. "That Lightning Release... Sakumo, did Kakashi develop that technique himself?"
Hatake Sakumo nodded. "Yes. It's called Chidori."
Namikaze Minato said, "It's already an A-rank technique in terms of difficulty. But it still has a flaw: the speed is so great that the user can't see the opponent's movements clearly."
"Given how close they are, and how sharp Genma's instincts for ninjutsu are, he should know about that flaw, right?"
A smile appeared at the corner of Sakumo's mouth. "Kakashi taught the technique to Genma. To solve its flaw, Genma went on to develop Lightning Flicker."
"Kakashi also learned Lightning Flicker from Genma, but he's only had a short time to practice it. For now, he's probably nowhere near as good as Genma."
As both a teacher and a father, Sakumo was gratified that his son and student could support each other so closely.
It would help them go further along the paths ahead.
Hiruzen listened with approval. He liked seeing bonds like that.
Minato analyzed, "He knows the technique's flaw has been exposed, yet he's using it right from the start. It seems he wants to avoid Genma's genjutsu."
As they spoke, the smoke dissipated. Kakashi launched a fierce assault, his figure flashing as bolts of lightning blasted charred marks into the ground.
Before you continue