"Kōki, are you willing to study Genjutsu seriously under me?" Yūhi Shinku's face was utterly earnest. He thought highly of Kōki and could not bear to let his talent for Genjutsu go to waste.
Yūhi Shinku's sudden proposal startled Kōki, but after a moment's hesitation, he agreed.
"No problem, Shinku-sensei." He believed a true ninja should develop in all three fields-Ninjutsu, Taijutsu, and Genjutsu. Even if he had to spend more time on Genjutsu now, it would be worth it.
"Good, good, good." Yūhi Shinku said it three times in a row. He truly could not have been more pleased with Kōki.
"Since you've agreed, Kōki, let's begin your formal lessons." Yūhi Shinku already could not wait to teach Kōki everything he knew. At first, he had only approached this as an exchange, but now he was genuinely putting his heart into teaching.
Even if Kōki withdrew the Superhuman Strength Technique, he would continue teaching him.
To Yūhi Shinku now, the Superhuman Strength Technique no longer mattered as much as seeing Kōki's development in Genjutsu. He truly believed Kōki was someone who could bring Genjutsu to greater heights.
Likewise, Kōki could sense the feelings conveyed through Yūhi Shinku's expression and words. His somewhat casual expression turned solemn.
"Kōki, we discussed the upper limits of Genjutsu earlier. Now, do you know its limitations?" Yūhi Shinku was now formally teaching Kōki the fundamentals of Genjutsu. Only by understanding its limitations could he break free of them.
Everything Yūhi Shinku was discussing now was unfamiliar to Kōki, so his expression was both puzzled and attentive.
For his part, Yūhi Shinku could tell from Kōki's expression that he knew nothing of the fundamentals in this area. So he patiently explained them to him.
"Personally, I believe Genjutsu has limitations in three areas."
"First, using Genjutsu tests a ninja's talent-specifically, their use of Yin Release chakra, spiritual energy, and chakra control."
"The use of Yin Release chakra determines a Genjutsu's ceiling, while spiritual energy and chakra control determine its floor."
"As I understand it, the more Yin Release chakra you put into a Genjutsu, together with the appropriate use of spiritual energy and chakra control, the more realistic the technique becomes, and the more powerful the Genjutsu becomes.
"If a ninja can handle all three aspects well, that indicates outstanding talent for Genjutsu, and the Genjutsu they cast will be all the more mysterious and unpredictable."
"But there are too few ninja with talent in these areas. Ordinary ninja generally only meet one or two of these requirements. Although they can still be called Genjutsu ninja, their Genjutsu will always be somewhat lacking in power. Over time, they end up using Genjutsu as a supporting tool."
"Second, ninja with this sort of talent generally also have excellent talent for Ninjutsu. They can simply learn more powerful Ninjutsu without needing to puzzle over Genjutsu. Another regrettable fact is that throughout the entire history of ninja, no truly renowned ninja has specialized primarily in Genjutsu." At this point, Yūhi Shinku gave a bitter smile, his face filled with regret.
He knew Genjutsu still lacked a formidable practitioner whose fame resounded throughout the Shinobi World. An iconic figure who could lead others and give them hope.
Ninjutsu had the Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi as its benchmark, while Taijutsu had Konoha's White Fang and Kumogakure's Third Raikage as its standard-bearers. But when it came to Genjutsu, no one knew of any particularly outstanding figure at its pinnacle.
Even Yūhi Shinku himself had felt lost about the path ahead for Genjutsu before Kōki opened his eyes. This was precisely what made people believe that studying Genjutsu would never amount to much.
These thoughts left Yūhi Shinku feeling dejected, but he composed himself and continued speaking to Kōki. "Third, there's the Uchiha Clan."
"The Uchiha Clan?" Kōki was a little puzzled by this. What did the Uchiha Clan have to do with it?
In response to Kōki's question, Yūhi Shinku explained, "That's right, the Uchiha Clan. As everyone knows, the Uchiha Clan's Sharingan can be considered one of the Shinobi World's finest Kekkei Genkai. The abilities the Sharingan displays cover numerous areas, including powerful abilities such as observation, copying, and hypnosis."
"After awakening their eyes, members of the Uchiha Clan gain extraordinary perception. They can observe the flow of chakra, cast and see through Genjutsu, and copy Taijutsu and Ninjutsu that aren't Kekkei Genkai."
"What's more, once the Sharingan reaches Mitsudomoe, its ability to see through and copy Genjutsu increases, and Genjutsu cast through the Sharingan becomes more powerful. You could say that every Uchiha is a naturally gifted Genjutsu expert."
"This also creates a serious problem: ordinary ninja train painstakingly in Genjutsu, yet still cannot compare to Uchiha ninja with the Sharingan."
"The Uchiha Clan easily negates all the effort ordinary ninja put into Genjutsu. When they think about how the Genjutsu they've worked so hard to master has been easily surpassed by a pair of eyes, they begin to doubt themselves and ultimately abandon the path of Genjutsu."
"I've even heard that there are more advanced eyes beyond the Three-Tomoe Sharingan. Genjutsu cast through those eyes would only inspire even greater despair." Yūhi Shinku could not help sighing. He too felt helpless about this situation, but it was the truth.
Only then did Kōki understand why, despite the many talented ninja throughout Konoha, no powerful Genjutsu ninja had emerged. From now into the future, the only notable Genjutsu ninja in Konoha were Yūhi Shinku and his family.
Then he heard Yūhi Shinku continue.
"But now, I believe things will improve for Genjutsu ninja. Kōki, you have unique ideas and insights about Genjutsu. I believe you can take it to an entirely new level."
Yūhi Shinku had still been somewhat dejected while discussing Genjutsu's limitations, but when he spoke of Kōki, his voice brimmed with hope. He now believed Kōki was different, and he had an inexplicable trust in him.
If someone told him now that a truly renowned Genjutsu master would emerge in the future whose name would resound throughout the Shinobi World, he would say without a doubt that it had to be Kōki.
To be honest, Kōki had not expected Yūhi Shinku to place such high hopes in him, even believing he would become a leading figure in Genjutsu. His main purpose in learning Genjutsu was simply to study Yin Release.
But when Kōki saw Yūhi Shinku's gaze, so full of trust, he hesitated to speak and ultimately could only nod.
"Shinku-sensei, I'll bring Genjutsu to greater heights."
And so, after Kōki nodded, Yūhi Shinku continued explaining the fundamentals and key points of Genjutsu to him, while Kōki soaked up Yūhi Shinku's understanding of Genjutsu like a sponge.
At the same time, he occasionally offered ideas that prompted Yūhi Shinku to reflect on and discuss them.