Yuhi Shinku tried several more times, unwilling to believe it, but the result never changed. With Taijutsu alone, he truly could not take down Kawaki Aoba.
What if he used the genjutsu he was best at?
But having lost his eyes, Aoba was naturally immune to all visual genjutsu. The Chakra pouring out of him at every moment also protected him from other kinds of genjutsu interference.
And even if a genjutsu succeeded, whether it would work on someone like Kawaki Aoba, who did not rely on his eyes to fight, remained uncertain.
After puppet masters, the Shinobi World now had another type of ninja who countered genjutsu users.
Yuhi Shinku's mouth twitched. He suddenly realized that he might no longer be able to take down the student before him.
The same was true for Kawaki Aoba. In a head-on fight, none of his attacks could so much as touch Yuhi Shinku's clothes.
For a while, the match fell into a bizarre stalemate. Neither could win... which was rather awkward.
"Ahem." After confirming several more times that he really could not take down his student, Yuhi Shinku could only cough to hide his embarrassment.
"That's enough, Aoba. I have a rough idea of your strength now. If you drink those two miraculous potions and use the two Taijutsu techniques you created, an ordinary Chunin definitely won't be your match. As for a Jonin, you'd only be able to hurt one with a surprise attack.
"But Aoba, it's always better to rely on your own strength. How many of those miraculous potions do you have, anyway?"
Kawaki Aoba quietly raised a hand. "Teacher Shinku, that potion is a solution I make from Military Ration Pills. As long as I have enough pills, I can keep making it.
"And unlike Military Ration Pills, the potion I make has absolutely no side effects, apart from making you feel bloated if you drink too much.
"So I have a suggestion. Our squad could change its entire fighting style. With this potion, we wouldn't have to worry about running out of Chakra or stamina. We could use the Shadow Clone Technique and other high-consumption ninjutsu without holding back."
At those words,
Yuhi Shinku looked at Kawaki Aoba thoughtfully.
Yuhi Kurenai's face lit up. Of everyone in the squad, she had the least Chakra.
As for Sarutobi Asuma, he nearly jumped for joy.
"Aoba, are you saying we can use the Military Ration Pill potion you make too?" Sarutobi Asuma asked excitedly.
Kawaki Aoba smiled and nodded. "Of course. You're my dearest friends. How could I have something good and not share it with you?"
Sarutobi Asuma thought nothing of it, but Yuhi Kurenai, standing beside him, blushed bright red. Even Teacher Shinku's gaze turned unfriendly.
Soon, however, Kawaki Aoba made another move. He took several medium-sized bottles of blue potion from his ninja pouch.
After giving Asuma and Yuhi Kurenai one bottle each, Kawaki Aoba handed all the rest to Yuhi Shinku.
Then Kawaki Aoba spoke again. "Teacher Shinku, I've come up with an idea for another ninjutsu. These potions are the key to it, but I don't have the time to develop it myself. I'll have to ask you to help me."
At that, all three members of the squad turned to look at him.
They could hardly help it. Kawaki Aoba had established himself as a genius at developing ninjutsu. From the hand-seal-free White Lightning and Binding Rope to his modified Body Flicker Technique, and the techniques he had used to kill that Elite Jonin—Shave and Finger Pistol—he had developed them all "single-handedly."
Now Kawaki Aoba was saying he had an idea for yet another technique. How could they not be shocked?
Looking at the pile of blue bottles in his arms, Yuhi Shinku already had a guess about the new technique. Still, he asked Kawaki Aoba, "An idea for a new technique? Tell me about it, Aoba. If it's possible, I'll do my best to help."
"It's like this, Teacher Shinku. Drinking these potions produces so much Chakra that some of it spills out of the body. That's a terrible waste. So I was wondering whether we could make use of that escaping Chakra.
"Could we control it and turn it into something like clothing around our bodies? It could make us more resistant to attacks while also increasing the power of our ninjutsu and Taijutsu..."
Just as Yuhi Shinku had expected, the technique Kawaki Aoba described was something like a Tailed Beast Cloak.
What Yuhi Shinku could not understand was how Kawaki Aoba, who had never even encountered a Tailed Beast, had thought of such a technique.
Was this what it meant to be a genius?
At that moment, Yuhi Shinku felt inadequate even as his teacher.
He even wondered whether Kawaki Aoba had brought it up this way to help him save face.
After all, as Yuhi Shinku saw it, developing something like a Tailed Beast Cloak would hardly be difficult once a person had enough Chakra.
An unfounded assumption could be a dangerous thing.
Kawaki Aoba had left the development of this technique to Yuhi Shinku simply because he had no time. Starting tomorrow, he would be learning the Bringer-of-Darkness Technique.
It was an A-rank genjutsu in terms of learning difficulty. With his actual talent, mastering it would be hard.
Yuhi Shinku then promised, with mixed feelings, that he would develop the technique. Before leaving, Kawaki Aoba gave them several dozen more medium-sized bottles of blue potion.
After all, besides Yuhi Shinku needing to develop the Chakra Cloak, the other two also had to get used to fighting with those bursts of Chakra.
Kawaki Aoba also told Yuhi Shinku and Sarutobi Asuma that he needed large quantities of Military Ration Pills to make the solution, and that they had to keep it secret.
Both readily agreed.
Yuhi Shinku already regarded Kawaki Aoba as his future son-in-law, and likewise considered the potion something that belonged to his future family.
Sarutobi Asuma, meanwhile, saw it as a secret belonging to their squad alone. As for money, while Sarutobi Biwako was still alive, he could have as much pocket money as he wanted.
"Here we go again. I knew those people wouldn't leave me alone." Life was hard, and Aoba sighed.
Before he even reached his front door, Kawaki Aoba's Observation Haki picked up someone watching him from the shadows. The watcher was unlucky: he had exposed himself as soon as he began his assignment.
Without a doubt, the watcher was from the Hyuga Clan. They had noticed Kawaki Aoba as soon as he entered the village, so it was no surprise that they had sent someone to keep an eye on him.
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