Breaking Genjutsu by Brute Force

"Then I'm counting on you!"

Kazan asked his Shadow Clones to repair the damaged house.

"Yeah, yeah, we know!"

"We really are a handful!"

"Why didn't we study harder in our last life? We could've become great engineers!"

"We're not doing so badly. At least we can work as renovators."

The Shadow Clones stood around making jokes at their own expense.

Kazan rolled his eyes and went back into Shinku Yuhi's house.

By then, Kurenai Yuhi was grilling meat with her mother.

"Kazan, you're back. The meat will take a while, so hang on. If you're hungry, I have some snacks here."

They were dried persimmons. Kazan really was hungry, so he tore open the package and tipped the whole lot into his mouth.

His cheeks bulged like a hamster's.

How the hell can he eat that much?

And Kurenai! Dad bought those for you and your mom!

His precious daughter was already giving him grief.

"Ahem. Let's begin. Kurenai, you can listen too."

Seventy percent of Shinku Yuhi's abilities came from genjutsu. Sooner or later, he would teach his daughter his techniques.

"Mm-hmm."

Once they were ready, Shinku Yuhi began. "Before we start, I want to know how much you understand about genjutsu."

"It's a form of ninjutsu that interferes with an opponent's five senses to create illusions. By manipulating the flow of chakra through the nerves, it attacks the mind."

Kazan had always studied genjutsu diligently.

"Good. That's the principle behind genjutsu. But you also need to understand how it reaches its target."

Sight, hearing, touch...

Most known techniques were delivered through one of those three senses.

"Take the Uchiha Clan's Sharingan. Their Kekkei Genkai lets them draw an opponent into a genjutsu through eye contact without the opponent noticing."

"They say Madara Uchiha needed only a single glance to trap an opponent in a deep genjutsu."

"If you meet an opponent like that, your only option is to avoid eye contact. But the Uchiha are a Shinobi Clan of Konoha, so we needn't worry about that."

"Then there's hearing. Think of a lullaby. I once had the good fortune to speak with Lord Jiraiya. Mount Myōboku, one of the Three Great Sage Lands, has a genjutsu transmitted through sound. It's almost impossible to avoid..."

At that point, Kurenai raised her hand.

"Kurenai, what is it?"

"What should we do if we encounter a genjutsu transmitted through sound?"

"Good question."

Shinku Yuhi wasn't sure what made it good, but praise came first.

"There are only two ways to avoid being caught by an auditory genjutsu. The first is to shut out sound completely."

"How could anyone do that...?"

"Exactly. An ordinary ninja can't shut off their hearing. That leaves the second method: defeat the opponent quickly, before they complete the genjutsu."

Genjutsu transmitted through sound had one obvious weakness.

It took time!

Most techniques of that kind used music or other sounds to draw the target, little by little, into a hypnotic state.

"Of course, those are Secret Techniques used by the sages of Mount Myōboku. Against ordinary techniques, we can fight back by disrupting our own chakra. That's also how we dispel most genjutsu."

"What about genjutsu transmitted through touch?"

"Touch-based genjutsu... To be honest, I've only heard of it. I've never seen it myself."

On that subject, Kazan knew more than Shinku Yuhi.

The Uchiha's ultimate genjutsu, Izanami, was a touch-based technique.

The user repeatedly made physical contact and recorded the opponent's actions, ultimately trapping the enemy in an endless loop.

"That covers the basics of genjutsu. We don't have much time, Kazan, so be ready."

With the Chunin Ninja Exams approaching, Shinku Yuhi and Kazan had little time left.

He intended to teach Kazan how to face genjutsu in the simplest, roughest way possible.

He would use genjutsu on Kazan and let him experience it firsthand.

"Get ready, Kazan!"

Genjutsu: Falling Cherry Blossom Mirage Technique!

He had told Kazan to get ready, but he hadn't actually given him any time.

The instant the words left his mouth, Shinku Yuhi cast the genjutsu.

Kazan sensed danger. Before he could work out what was happening, his mind grew hazy.

He vaguely heard Shinku Yuhi telling him to disrupt his chakra and break the genjutsu.

Kazan tried to do as he was told.

Outside the illusion, Shinku Yuhi watched Kazan lapse into a stupor and nodded to himself.

Now he needs to try dispelling it.

He hadn't put Kazan into a deep sleep. This was a lesson, not a battle.

Even so, Shinku Yuhi had cast it himself. The technique was naturally formidable.

He estimated it would take Kazan a while to find the trick. At worst, Kazan might fail, and Shinku Yuhi would have to release the technique himself.

The next second...

Shinku Yuhi's pupils contracted sharply. An enormous amount of chakra was gathering inside Kazan, ready to erupt at any moment.

"Kurenai, get away from Kazan!"

Too late!

Shinku Yuhi's teaching method was simple and rough. Kazan's way of learning was even simpler and rougher.

Rather than carefully disrupt his chakra to break the genjutsu, he sent it raging through his body, blasting Shinku Yuhi's technique apart in one go.

Boom!

Chakra erupted like a volcano, shaking the surroundings. It swept up Kurenai, who was standing nearby, and hurled her away.

Shinku Yuhi darted forward and caught her.

Crack!

Beneath Kazan's feet, the courtyard's stone path shattered on the spot.

"How is that possible? That much chakra..."

Shinku Yuhi could hardly believe it. Kazan's chakra reserves dwarfed even his own, and he was a Jonin.

"Phew."

Kazan opened his eyes and saw Shinku Yuhi staring at him as though he'd seen a ghost.

"What's wrong? Did I scare you by breaking the genjutsu so fast?" Kazan said smugly.

Shinku Yuhi froze, then snapped in anger. "You idiot!"

He truly was furious.

It wasn't just that his daughter had been thrown through the air and nearly injured. Kazan's method of breaking the genjutsu had been far too reckless.

"Do you have any idea what you just did?"

Unleashing chakra to smash through an opponent's genjutsu was certainly simple and convenient, but almost no one in the world did it.

Why?

Because flesh and blood couldn't withstand chakra erupting inside the body. It could cause serious harm.

Once or twice might be fine, but keep doing it and the damage would become permanent.