[Ding, temporary mission issued. Temporary Mission 1: Break the Genjutsu. Experience: 1000] [Temporary Mission 2: Upgrade Eye Power. Experience: 1500]
The system's notification jolted Ryosuke awake.
He felt a searing pain in both eyes.
He couldn't help covering them with his hands.
"Die!" The strange Cloud Ninja had grown three heads and six arms. He lunged at Ryosuke, Kunai in hand.
Ryosuke suddenly raised his head. The Cloud Ninja's body shuddered, then turned into a cloud of black mist and vanished.
"So that's how it is."
The surroundings changed again before Ryosuke's eyes.
He saw more than a dozen images of the Cloud Ninja around him, all holding the same pose as they performed a jutsu.
The Cloud Ninja's real body was sitting beneath a tree, his face drenched in sweat.
Ryosuke lowered his head and looked at his hands.
At last, he understood what had happened.
The Cloud Ninja's Genjutsu was extremely advanced. It had even interfered with Ryosuke's judgment.
He had made Ryosuke believe he'd awakened the Sharingan and used jutsu and skills.
But in reality, Ryosuke hadn't done anything, which was why he hadn't been able to break the Genjutsu.
If not for the sudden caw of a crow, which made him look up and see the blood moon in the sky,
Ryosuke might still have been trapped in the Genjutsu.
The Genjutsu's failure had backfired on the Cloud Ninja. He spat out a mouthful of blood, then staggered to his feet, leaning against the tree trunk.
"The Sharingan really is incredible. Even a two-Tomoe Sharingan can break my secret technique. I accept my defeat completely."
The Cloud Ninja's face was pale as he spoke.
Ryosuke walked over to him. "Show me that jutsu again, and I'll spare your comrade."
As he spoke, he tossed the Kunai in his hand toward a tree. A scream rang out moments later.
"Do you think I'll believe you?" the Cloud Ninja asked with a bitter smile.
"You don't have to believe me. But you can believe in the Uchiha," Ryosuke said calmly.
"Quite right. The Uchiha Clan certainly deserves that trust."
When he finished speaking, he slowly began forming Hand Seals.
Ryosuke activated his Sharingan and committed every one of the man's Hand Seals to memory.
Maybe this Genjutsu couldn't compare to Itachi's Tsukuyomi or Shisui's Kotoamatsukami, but Ryosuke didn't know whether his own Sharingan would possess any advanced Genjutsu.
Besides, it never hurt to have more skills.
Ryosuke tried it himself, and a cubic space appeared in his hands.
"What's this jutsu called?"
"Lotus Shadow."
Ryosuke nodded. "You can go in peace. I won't hurt your comrade."
With that, he finished off the Cloud Ninja with his Kunai.
A smile still lingered at the corner of the man's mouth, as if he was satisfied with this outcome.
[Ding, congratulations to the host for killing an enemy. Randomly plundered one ninjutsu: Ninjutsu: Lotus Shadow]
Damn, it gave me a duplicate. What a loss.
Hearing the system's notification, Ryosuke couldn't help complaining.
But he didn't climb the tree to kill the injured Cloud Ninja. Instead, he turned and left.
Soon, he ran into Shisui, Sanhe, and Miyuki, who was still holding the little girl.
"Did you take care of all the enemies? You sure know how to take advantage of things," Sanhe said unhappily.
In his opinion, finishing off the already injured ninja would have been easy.
"Ryosuke is amazing. We couldn't have done it without you," Miyuki said, wearing her usual insincere smile.
"Now that it's over, let's head back."
Shisui glanced behind Ryosuke but said nothing.
He'd clearly noticed the injured Cloud Ninja, but hadn't brought it up in front of Ryosuke.
"Are we just going back? Shouldn't we check the other villages nearby? What if there are more Cloud Ninja around?"
Ryosuke couldn't help asking.
They'd only been out for a day and a half. Who knew when their next mission would come?
He was satisfied with what he'd gained this time, but they could have gotten even more.
Shisui patted Ryosuke on the shoulder. "Let the other teams handle the rest. We can't carry everything on our shoulders. Besides, Lord Hokage may have other missions for us."
Sanhe and Miyuki said nothing, but they clearly agreed with Shisui.
This mission had shown them what real ninja combat was like, and they badly needed some rest.
Seeing this, Ryosuke had no choice but to nod.
The four of them took another half a day to return to the village.
The Hokage's Office.
The Third Hokage puffed on his pipe as he read the mission report Shisui had handed him. He didn't say a word for a long time.
"Did he fall asleep?"
"Maybe. The Hokage's pretty old."
Sanhe and Miyuki whispered to each other. It was their second time meeting the Third Hokage in person.
The first had been when they received their Forehead Protectors.
"Ahem."
The Third Hokage seemed to have heard them and cleared his throat awkwardly.
"Shisui, you did very well on this mission. You can take the next week to rest. Here's your reward."
The Third Hokage opened a drawer and took out four cloth pouches.
Sanhe picked one up first and immediately opened it.
"Whoa, that's really two thousand! We're rich! Lord Hokage, we don't need to rest. Give us more missions!"
Miyuki took the remaining pouches and handed them to Shisui and Ryosuke.
Shisui then gave his share to Ryosuke.
"Ryosuke did the most this time. Think of it as your teacher's reward to you."
"Teacher, you're playing favorites! We worked hard too!" Sanhe complained.
"Sanhe, Teacher Shisui isn't playing favorites. Ryosuke deserves it."
Ryosuke didn't refuse. Instead, he said to Sanhe, "Don't forget, you still owe me for that bento."
"Huh? You still remember that?" Sanhe jumped up in surprise.
Ryosuke and the others soon left the Hokage's Office.
Shisui, however, stayed behind.
"Shisui, what do you think of Ryosuke?" The Third Hokage stood and looked out at Konoha before suddenly asking.
"Lord Hokage, I'm not sure what you mean." A flicker of surprise crossed Shisui's eyes.
"I mean, do you think Ryosuke has the Will of Fire?" the Third Hokage continued.
"I can't say for sure about the Will of Fire yet, but Ryosuke is undoubtedly a genius. He may even be more talented than I am. Given time, he'll surely become one of the village's important guardians," Shisui said earnestly.
The Third Hokage nodded without replying.
On the street outside, Sanhe was chasing Ryosuke and demanding that he treat everyone, while Miyuki tried to mediate between them.
It looked like a harmonious scene, but it clashed with the mood throughout the rest of the village. Passersby gave them a wide berth.
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