Illusion Talent Fragment

The setting sun stretched the shadows across the training ground.

Hyuga Xiao leaned against an old locust tree, resting with his eyes closed. Within the Byakugan's field of vision, chakra flowing throughout the entire Leaf Village formed a dense web—several especially bright clusters of chakra were moving around in the direction of the Main House estate, likely Hiashi and several elders discussing matters; over at the Ninja Academy, the children had just been dismissed, and scattered points of light were dispersing in all directions.

The footsteps were very light.

But Xiao still opened his eyes.

Kurenai Yuhi stood three meters away, both hands clutching the hem of her clothes. Excitement from the end of the assessment still lingered in those red eyes she had inherited from her mother, but there was even more cautious probing in them. She wore a pale purple short-sleeved shirt, faded from too many washes, and a medical bandage was stuck to her arm—the abrasion left behind during that morning's assessment.

"Senior."

Kurenai bowed deeply, her forehead nearly touching her knees.

"Thank you."

Xiao did not answer immediately. He remained leaning against the tree, his calm gaze sweeping over the girl's slightly trembling shoulders. Two sparrows pecked at grass seeds in the bushes at the edge of the training ground. Farther away, two genin were practicing shuriken throws, the sound of metal striking wooden targets drifting over intermittently.

"What are you thanking me for?" Xiao finally asked, his voice faint. "You passed the assessment yourself."

"But..." Kurenai straightened up, her cheeks flushing slightly. "That note—"

"What note?"

Xiao cut her off, the corner of his mouth lifting into the faintest curve. Sunlight filtered through gaps in the leaves, casting mottled shadows across his face. No emotion could be seen in those pure white eyes.

Kurenai froze.

She opened her mouth as though she wanted to say something, then swallowed the words back down. Confusion flashed through her red eyes, followed by realization, until it became an even more complicated emotion—she seemed to understand something, yet also seemed to understand even less.

"I..." Kurenai lowered her head, staring at the worn tips of her shoes. "I just feel that... without your earlier guidance, Senior, I definitely couldn't have done it."

That much was true.

[Ding!]

[The fate node "Graduation Assessment Humiliation" for target "Kurenai Yuhi" has been completely changed.]

[Destiny Points +50.]

[Special reward obtained: Illusion Talent Fragment (1/10).]

[Description: Collect ten fragments to activate basic illusion abilities. Current fragment has automatically fused.]

A cool sensation surged in through his brow.

It was not the warm feeling of chakra flowing through his body. It was more like someone had poured a handful of icy spring water into his brain. Xiao could clearly feel that the range of his spiritual perception had expanded—not the Byakugan's visual penetration of chakra and physical objects, but a vague grasp of the surrounding "emotional field."

Kurenai's tension, gratitude, and faint unease at that moment were like ripples spreading over water. He could "feel" them.

He was not seeing them. He was feeling them.

Interesting.

Xiao maintained his calm expression, but his mind rapidly analyzed this new ability. The essence of illusion techniques was chakra interfering with the target's spiritual world. The key to resisting illusions, aside from chakra control, lay more in the strength and stability of one's own spiritual power. This fragment had clearly enhanced the latter.

He did not know any illusion techniques yet, but at the very least, against genin-level illusion attacks, he should be able to force his way through with brute strength.

"You worked hard yourself."

Xiao repeated the words. This time, there was a trace of sincerity in his tone. He stood up straight and brushed grass clippings from the hem of his kimono. "Uchiha Aoki's old injury is at the third chakra node on his left shoulder. That information is public in the medical unit's records. The fact that you thought of using a localized illusion together with taijutsu to strike that weak point proves you have a tactical mind."

Kurenai's eyes lit up.

"Really?"

"Really." Xiao paused, then added, "But don't take such risks next time. If his Sharingan had awakened early, even if it only had one tomoe, your illusion would have backfired."

"I'll remember." Kurenai nodded hard.

Then she fell silent.

The shuriken throwing on the training ground stopped. The two genin seemed to have finished their practice and packed up to leave. In the distance came the sound of a Ninja Academy teacher scolding students, too muffled to make out clearly across half the field. The sun sank another notch, and the locust tree's shadow completely enveloped the two of them.

Kurenai took a deep breath.

As if gathering the greatest courage of her life.

"Senior."

Her voice was quiet, but she enunciated every word clearly.

"Can I... learn illusion techniques from you?"

Xiao's movements stopped.

He turned his head and, for the first time, scrutinized the eight-year-old girl before him seriously. Kurenai's hair gleamed dark red beneath the setting sun. In the eyes she had inherited from her mother was an almost stubborn determination. Her fingers were tightly twisted together, her knuckles faintly white from the force.

"Why come to me?" Xiao asked. "The Hyuga Clan is known for taijutsu and the Byakugan. Everyone in the Leaf Village knows that we don't use illusion techniques."

"But you understand them."

Kurenai raised her head, her gaze meeting his directly.

"You understand how to break illusions, how to exploit their weaknesses, how to integrate illusions into real combat—when you guided me this morning, the things you said weren't even taught by our class's illusion teacher."

Xiao did not answer immediately.

He walked to the wooden fence at the edge of the training ground and placed a hand on the rough wood. The grain left a distinct texture beneath his fingertips. The evening breeze brought the chill unique to dusk and the scent of cooking smoke from afar.

The system gave no prompt.

That meant Kurenai's request had not been part of the original "fate node." It was an unforeseen variable created by his interference.

A good thing, but also trouble.

"Kurenai Yuhi." Xiao turned around, his back to the setting sun. His face was hidden in shadow, with only the Byakugan glimmering faintly. "Do you know how your parents died?"

Kurenai's body stiffened.

"I... My father was a jonin, and my mother was a chunin. During the Third Shinobi World War..." Her voice grew softer and softer. "They died in the line of duty."

"Mhm. Died in the line of duty." Xiao repeated the phrase, his tone as calm as if he were discussing the weather. "Then do you know why two ninja skilled in illusion techniques died at the hands of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist from Hidden Mist?"

Kurenai abruptly looked up.

"How do you know that, Senior—"

"Because the mission records are public." Xiao interrupted her. "Once you become a chunin, you'll have the authority to access them. Your parents' mission was to 'delay Hidden Mist's pursuing force' and buy time for the Leaf Village's main force to retreat. They trapped three of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen with illusions and held out for seventeen minutes."

He paused.

"Then the other four beheaded them from behind."

Kurenai's breathing became rapid. Her eyes reddened, but she bit her lip and did not let the tears fall.

"Illusion techniques are powerful, but they have limits." Xiao's voice remained calm, even cruel. "When you devote all your attention to weaving dreams, the blade in reality is already at your throat. Your parents made two mistakes—first, they underestimated the number of enemies; second, they overestimated their allies' support."

"But..."

"There are no buts." Xiao walked up to Kurenai and looked down at her. "You want to learn illusion techniques? Fine. But what I'll teach you isn't how to make people dream. It's how to plunge a kunai into their hearts while they're dreaming."

Kurenai stared blankly at him.

After a long while, she wiped her eyes hard.

"I'll learn."

"It will be hard."

"I'm not afraid."

"You might die."

"Even then..." Kurenai choked for a moment, but quickly became resolute again. "Even then, it's better than being unable to do anything and helplessly watching the people important to me die before my eyes."

Xiao stared at her for a long time.

Long enough for the sun to sink completely below the horizon, for the streetlamps along the edge of the training ground to light up one by one, their dim yellow halos spreading through the night.

"Five tomorrow morning," he finally said. "Training Ground Three. Bring enough soldier pills and bandages. Be even one second late, and don't bother coming."

"Yes!"

Kurenai practically jumped as she bowed.

Xiao said nothing more and turned to leave. His steps were steady, the hem of his kimono swaying gently in the night breeze. As he left the training ground, he tilted his head slightly. Within the Byakugan's field of vision, Kurenai was still standing where she had been, bowing once more toward the direction he had left.

Then the girl crouched down and buried her face in her knees.

Her shoulders trembled softly.

Xiao withdrew his gaze and continued onward. The izakayas along both sides of the street were beginning to liven up, the aroma of grilled fish mingling with the scent of sake. Several drunken chunin passed by with their arms around each other's shoulders, loudly shouting about that day's mission payment.

Everything was as usual.

But Xiao knew that some things had already changed.

By the time he returned to the Hyuga Clan Grounds, night had completely fallen. The alleys in the Branch House residential district were narrow, and the streetlamps were spaced far apart, leaving most places shrouded in darkness. When Xiao reached the entrance of his small courtyard, his footsteps paused.

A locust leaf was wedged in the crack of the door.

It was the mark he had left before going out—if anyone had entered, the leaf would have fallen.

The leaf was still there now, but it had shifted by roughly two millimeters.

Xiao pushed open the door.

The stone lantern in the courtyard was lit. It was a chakra lamp that activated automatically, though its light was dim. He entered the house, pulled the door shut behind him, and activated the Byakugan without lighting a lamp.

Everything in the room appeared clearly in his black-and-white vision.

Someone had touched the scrolls on the bookshelf. They had tried to restore them to their original positions, but their angles differed slightly. There was an extremely faint indentation along the edge of the tatami, not made by his footprint. A trace of fresh oil clung to the window latch—someone had opened it from outside with a special tool, then closed it again.

Xiao walked to the bookshelf and pulled out the most inconspicuous book, Leaf Village Herbal Compendium.

He opened it to page three hundred and twenty-seven.

The three strands of hair tucked inside were still there, but their order had changed.

Someone had thoroughly searched this room, and they were highly skilled. This was not something an ordinary Branch House ninja could manage.

Xiao closed the book and returned it to its place.

He went to the window, wiped the trace of oil with a finger, and brought it to his nose. There was a faint scent of pine oil mixed with some kind of metal lubricant—the kind commonly used by ANBU.

So he was being watched after all.

Was it because he had saved Hinata, or because he had approached Kurenai Yuhi? Or both?

Xiao sat in the darkness with his back against the wall. Moonlight filtered through the paper window, spreading a pale patch across the floor. He closed his eyes and began reviewing everything that had happened that day.

Kurenai's request to become his student was unexpected, but it was also an opportunity.

If he could nurture Kurenai, she would become his "eyes" in the field of illusion techniques in the future. Although the Yuhi Clan had declined, its inheritance in illusion techniques remained. Once Kurenai came of age, she should have the right to inherit those secret technique scrolls.

More importantly—Kurenai was a war orphan, with no clan ties and a clean background. Once enough bonds had been established, someone like her would be more loyal than those born into great clans.

Of course, that was assuming she lived to adulthood.

Xiao opened his eyes, his pupils giving off a faint white glow in the darkness.

Starting tomorrow, he would have to adjust the training plan. Kurenai's constitution was weak, so he needed to strengthen her physical fitness and chakra control first. As for illusion techniques, they would start with the most basic hypnosis, paired with taijutsu sneak attacks—just as he had said today, illusion techniques were not meant to make people dream. They were meant to create an opportunity for a killing blow.

As for ANBU's surveillance...

A cold curve lifted at the corner of Xiao's mouth.

Let them watch.

Let them watch a "loyal" Branch House boy guide a war orphan out of "gratitude," watch him "work hard" to cultivate the Leaf Village's next generation of fighting strength.

What a fine performance.

Outside the window, the moon rose to its zenith, its cold light spilling across the courtyard. Xiao stood up, walked to the well in the courtyard, drew a bucket of cold water, and poured it over his head.

The icy water streamed over his skin, washing away the last trace of fatigue.

He raised his head and looked toward the Main House estate.

The lights there were still bright.

What was Hiashi doing now? Listening to the elders report on the clan's affairs for the day, or studying in his office how to control the Branch House more effectively? Or perhaps calculating how to "sell" Hinata for a good price in exchange for greater benefits for the Main House?

Xiao wiped the water from his face and turned back toward the house.

Before closing the door, he glanced once more at the shifted locust leaf.

He would have to use a different mark tomorrow.

And he needed to find a way to acquire some counter-surveillance techniques. He could not openly set up a barrier yet, but some discreet little measures should not arouse suspicion.

After all, it was only natural for a Branch House boy who was "grateful" to the Main House and "enthusiastic" about helping his companions to be a little cautious, wasn't it?

The door closed softly.

The night swallowed the last trace of light.