The Genjutsu Ninja

Ryosuke charged into the forest. Guided by the experience his clone had gained, he reached the place where the two Cloud Ninjas were.

One of them was badly injured and had essentially lost the ability to fight.

The other, however, was quite formidable. He had already taken out one of Ryosuke's clones, but in doing so, he had let Ryosuke record one of his jutsu.

"So he's a genjutsu-type ninja. That's pretty rare."

Ryosuke leaped onto a tree opposite him and spoke from above.

His clone had lost mainly because of its limited chakra. It hadn't been able to use many jutsu.

"Kid, you actually came back? Aren't you afraid of dying?"

"Huh? The Sharingan. I see."

The Cloud Ninja set his companion down beneath a tree, then stood and looked at Ryosuke.

Ryosuke said nothing. He swiftly formed hand seals with both hands, then threw a Shuriken.

The Shuriken split into three in midair, then the three became nine. Soon, they formed a dense, relentless barrage.

It was the Shadow Clone Shuriken Technique, one of Konoha's signature jutsu.

The man snorted, then supported his companion as he leaped away several times, vanishing into the forest.

But though he was fast, the attacks behind him kept coming without pause.

"Damn Sharingan. If I don't take that kid out, he'll just wear me down. Sanshi, rest here. I'll be back soon."

The genjutsu ninja hid his companion high up in a large tree, then leaped down in another direction.

"Uchiha brat, I'll show you what I can do."

As soon as he finished speaking, several shadows began splitting off from his body, flying in every direction with him at the center.

They looked a lot like clones, but the Shuriken passed right through them.

Ryosuke followed the man at an unhurried pace and happened to witness the scene.

[System: Detected B-rank jutsu, Ninja Art: Thousand-Fold Illusion. Recorded.]

"So it really is genjutsu. My Sharingan couldn't see through it. I'll have to find a chance to upgrade it."

Ryosuke hadn't expected to run into a high-level genjutsu specialist on his very first mission.

As soon as he finished speaking, the surroundings changed.

The forest vanished, and walls of earth rose from the ground all around him.

Ryosuke landed on the ground as well.

He walked up to a wall and touched it. "It's so realistic. It even feels solid."

Even though he knew it was genjutsu, it still gave Ryosuke a bit of a shock.

He kept walking and soon realized he was in a maze.

But Ryosuke didn't wander around aimlessly.

He knew that since this was the other man's genjutsu, the maze had no real exit.

The man must have had another trick up his sleeve.

Sure enough.

One by one, the genjutsu ninja's shadows appeared on the surrounding walls.

They held Kunai and lunged at Ryosuke.

Ryosuke dodged the first two, then took them out with his Kunai.

The two shadows fell to the ground, then merged into it.

At the same time, two more shadows appeared on the surrounding walls.

"Is this never going to end?"

"Uchiha brat, let's see how long you can hold out."

The Cloud Ninja's voice echoed through the maze.

"What a hassle. I only wanted to see what tricks you had, but it turns out you're nothing special."

Ryosuke took out the shadows around him as he spoke in a mocking tone.

"What did you say? You're about to die, and you're still mouthing off? Is that what Konoha's ninjas are like?"

The Cloud Ninja had obviously been provoked.

This time, Ryosuke didn't answer. Instead, he activated his Pesquisa skill.

His Sharingan couldn't see through the other man's genjutsu, but his template skill could.

Sure enough, the genjutsu scenery around him turned into a thin layer of mist.

The genjutsu ninja was at its outermost edge, crouching on the ground with one hand touching his forehead.

"I hope I hit the jackpot again this time. Lightning Release: Rampage."

Arcs of electricity instantly crackled over Ryosuke's body.

"Sonido!"

The lightning flashed, and Ryosuke vanished from where he stood.

"What?"

The Cloud Ninja suddenly lost sight of Ryosuke and jumped in alarm.

Then he felt a chill at his neck. A Kunai was already pressed against it.

"Who are you, really?"

Sweat trickled down the Cloud Ninja's face.

He had fought members of the Uchiha Clan before and knew full well how a high-level Sharingan could counter his genjutsu.

But this child in front of him had only a two-Tomoe Sharingan, and yet his jutsu still hadn't worked.

He simply couldn't understand it.

He had only meant it as a muttered remark, but Ryosuke replied, "If you use that genjutsu again, I might be able to tell you."

The system hadn't recorded this man's genjutsu, which left Ryosuke a little disappointed.

"What?"

The Cloud Ninja thought he must have misheard.

Ryosuke patiently repeated himself.

The man immediately laughed. "Uchiha brat, don't think I don't know what you're after. It's no secret that the Sharingan can copy other people's jutsu. You want to get your hands on mine, don't you?"

Ryosuke said nothing. He only pressed the Kunai harder, even drawing a line of blood.

The Cloud Ninja furrowed his brow and thought for a moment before finally giving in. "You can't copy my genjutsu, but if you want to see it, I can show you."

With that, he swiftly formed hand seals. Before long, a black cube appeared in his hand.

Ryosuke froze. The system hadn't given him any notification.

What was going on?

Was he still trapped in the other man's genjutsu?

How was that possible?

He slapped himself. He felt no pain.

Damn it, he'd been fooled.

The other man's genjutsu was that powerful.

Ryosuke's mind raced.

When had he fallen under it? Why hadn't his Pesquisa skill worked?

The last time he'd heard a system notification, it had said that the man's jutsu had been recorded.

That meant he'd been caught sometime after that.

"Looks like you've figured it out, but it's too late. You can't do anything now. Your Sharingan is mine. Even with only two Tomoe, it'll be enough."

The Cloud Ninja's head turned a hundred and eighty degrees, and he looked at Ryosuke from an eerie angle.

"Fire Style: Phoenix Sage Fire!"

Ryosuke immediately used the jutsu.

But the flames passed right through the Cloud Ninja's body. The man was completely unharmed.

And in Ryosuke's eyes, the Cloud Ninja looked solid, not like an illusion.

What was going on? What was this genjutsu?

Just as Ryosuke was beginning to panic,

a crow cawed above him.

He looked up. There was no crow, only a crimson moon.

When its light fell on Ryosuke's Sharingan, a strange change took place.