Don't Believe a Single Punctuation Mark (3/10)

Chapter 37: Don't Believe a Single Punctuation Mark (310)

So gentle? Retsuo swallowed, thinking, Well, I'm screwed now. I hope he's just as gentle when he beats me up later.

Although Maruboshi Kosuke didn't possess Kage-level strength, he was a true Hexagonal Warrior. He wasn't lacking in either Genjutsu or Taijutsu, but his strongest area was still ninjutsu—the kind with no blind spots at all.

If he had to name a weakness, it would be his age. His Chakra reserves had diminished, and his Taijutsu was no longer what it had been in his prime.

The problem was, beating me up wouldn't use much Chakra.

Someone like you, a Genin, should be dragged into a match against Might Duy, hey! You'd be even more qualified than Might Duy to be called an "Eternal Genin," while I just want to be a genuine Genin...

How was he supposed to fight this? His only chance was to force his way through with Genjutsu.

Retsuo still hadn't lost confidence. In battles across the Shinobi World, intelligence was the most important thing, and he possessed nearly everyone's intelligence.

His weakness was that he knew too few techniques. If he could master thousands of ninjutsu like the Copy Ninja Kakashi, he could unleash the full power of his intelligence advantage.

Still, if he forced his way through with Genjutsu, it wasn't as if he had no chance.

Tenma and Shinji had only learned the Cat Travel Mad God Technique, but Retsuo had learned much more over the past few days. There were the standard Genjutsu of Konoha shinobi, Tree Binding Kill, the standard Sharingan Genjutsu, Demonic Illusion: Binding Prick Technique, the popular Illusionary Clone Technique of Amegakure, and many others.

That wasn't all. Yulong had even taught Retsuo her original Pure Land Garden Technique.

It was an Elite Jonin's signature original ninjutsu, similar to Kakashi's Lightning Cutter. Its difficulty was at least A-rank. Ukyo, as her biological older brother, found this very problematic!

It was only after Retsuo indeed failed to learn it that Uchiha Ukyo shook his bald head and breathed a sigh of relief.

Because Ukyo himself hadn't learned it either...

If Retsuo had learned it, he would have had a very good chance against Maruboshi Kosuke today. The technique had already entered the realm of manipulating Genjutsu space and could be considered a poor man's version of Tsukuyomi's Life. It was far beyond the Binding Prick Technique.

Unfortunately, all his "talent points" had gone into awakening his eyes. He was far inferior to the brothers Uchiha Itachi and Sasuke when it came to learning skills. He understood the principles, but simply couldn't use the technique yet, so he could only memorize the order of the hand seals for now.

Retsuo couldn't help feeling as if his head were going bald. Although he knew all of his opponent's intelligence and possessed a huge advantage in that regard, the gap in raw strength was simply too great. His opponent's Genjutsu wasn't weak either.

Soon, Sarutobi Hiruzen had someone lead them to a training ground. When Retsuo arrived, he saw that Shimura Danzo had already been waiting there.

Danzo was full of vigor today. He stood there arrogantly with his arms folded, accompanied by quite a few masked Root members. It had been a long time!

Retsuo took a look around and saw no white-haired Kakashi. The Root members all had masks covering their faces, making their expressions impossible to see, but their eyes were uniformly sinister. Were they planning to use Maruboshi Kosuke to see all of his abilities?

Then Sarutobi Hiruzen made the final announcement: "The purpose of this test is to see whether Uchiha Retsuo possesses sufficient strength to carry out missions as a Genin. Retsuo must win in order to graduate."

"Retsuo, this isn't meant to make things difficult for you. It's because you're a genius of the Uchiha Clan, which makes you too conspicuous a target. Without sufficient strength, becoming a Genin rashly would make you an easy target for other villages to ambush."

"For example, Shisui, whose situation is similar to yours. After becoming a Genin, he was attacked and ambushed by the Land of Water several times. It was precisely because his strength was extraordinary that he was able to return safely."

"To the village, all of you are precious assets. The village can't let you die for nothing. But every move you make has already entered the intelligence sights of other factions. You must possess absolute strength. This isn't only for your own sake, but also to take responsibility for your teammates. Do you understand?"

"Understood!" Retsuo thought, Of course I understand. But do those "other factions" you're talking about include Root? Are you sure it's appropriate to say all this with such righteous conviction?

Tenma and Shinji weren't nearly as quick-witted. Only now did they understand that graduating early alongside Retsuo meant bearing risks that people their age shouldn't have to endure. The two exchanged glances, each understanding the other's thoughts.

"Is there anything else you want to say?"

"Yes, Third Grandpa. Why did you find a Genin grandpa who's even older than you to be my opponent?"

Retsuo questioned him in a child's tone, perfectly capturing the chūnibyō attitude.

Sarutobi Hiruzen immediately burst into happy laughter. "Don't assume Kosuke is ordinary. Among Konoha's Genin, his strength is second to none. I originally wanted to find a shinobi from the Kurama Clan to be your test opponent, but after the Third Shinobi World War, the Kurama Clan's numbers dwindled. They have Chūnin and Jōnin now, but no Genin. See? The village takes you seriously enough, doesn't it?"

You really know how to stink up the place, hey!

The Kurama Clan and the Uchiha Clan were completely different. As one of Konoha's only two Genjutsu clans, the Kurama Clan had a low ceiling but a high floor. Even those who hadn't become shinobi could unleash their ultimate moves, and they were ultimate moves on the level of "Genjutsu space."

It would have been strange if this clan had flourished. And you actually thought of sending a member of the Kurama Clan into battle—who would've thought of that?

Seeing Retsuo's constipated expression, Shisui couldn't help wanting to laugh.

He had personally witnessed Maruboshi Kosuke's strength.

To further develop his original Body Flicker Technique, the Third Hokage had specifically sent him to seek Maruboshi Kosuke's guidance. His opponent possessed a Body Flicker sword technique called Konoha Style: Willow. By incorporating Genjutsu into it, the swordsmanship produced the effect of Body Flicker, which had greatly inspired him.

And that was merely one of Maruboshi Kosuke's less remarkable abilities. Shisui had been thrilled at the time. As expected, shinobi took pride in being unknown—he had never even heard of such an Elite Jonin!

Then someone told him that Maruboshi Kosuke was a Genin...

What was more, after checking the shinobi register and mission records, he really was a Genin. Shisui had truly broadened his horizons!

At that moment, Maruboshi Kosuke stood in the middle of the field without hurrying to speak. Instead, he took out a strip of burlap and tied it over his eyes.

Sarutobi Hiruzen asked in confusion, "Wait, Kosuke, what are you doing?"

Kosuke replied, "Me? I'm afraid of the Uchiha Clan's Genjutsu abilities, so I might as well cover my eyes. This should do the trick."

"What? But isn't Genjutsu one of your strongest specialties? I remember you have a set of Konoha Style Swordsmanship that works together with the Genjutsu you developed yourself. Its practical combat effect is extremely powerful."

"Haha, Hiruzen, how can you reveal my intelligence to my opponent?" Maruboshi Kosuke laughed heartily. "In front of the Uchiha Clan, I wouldn't dare call my Genjutsu powerful."

Retsuo continued to bleed internally. Is he really not going to give me even the slightest chance?

He put on a magnanimous expression. "Grandpa, I haven't awakened my Sharingan yet. You don't need to go this far."

"You're Retsuo, right?" Maruboshi Kosuke gradually grew serious. "I've been a Genin for nearly fifty years. Do you know how I've managed to survive until now?"

"By relying on your... obviously having Jōnin strength but only accepting Genin missions?"

"You're not wrong, but what I rely on is never believing what my opponents say. I don't believe even a single punctuation mark."

Retsuo was speechless. Wasn't this grandpa supposed to be kind and amiable? Why is he targeting me?

Wait! He suddenly thought of something. This old man has an unusual relationship with Tobirama Senju!

Who was Tobirama Senju? Konoha's number-one Uchiha hater.

Maruboshi Kosuke's goodwill might not extend to anyone with the surname Uchiha.

(One chapter per hour, this is the third update)