The classes continued after Minato left. There wasn't going to be any ninjutsu class today, which was kind of a bummer for me. But apparently, the preparations for the ninjutsu training field aren't going to happen till tomorrow. So, we only had the academic classes, taijutsu class and genjutsu class at the very end.
Taijutsu class was pretty predictable. Just as the shounen troupes go, a few of the older kids tried to corner me and 'teach a lesson'. But one look at Umbra's fangs and they went running another way.
After their failed attempt at bullying me, they took Itachi as their next target. Which was just as stupid as it sounds.
Itachi whopped their asses as quickly as I would've expected. Most of them quickly got out of there realizing that they had no freaking chance of winning against him.
Unfortunately, one of these bullies actually had some backbone. He got up and tried to attack Itachi again, which Itachi dodged easily.
My enhanced perception proved to be useful once again as I noticed the hidden kunai the bully had.
With quick movements I used the 'Body Flicker Technique', moved behind him and grabbed his arm in a deadlock.
"Enough! You should not draw your weapon without thinking about the consequences." I said in a threatening tone. "This is a place where we came to learn, not engage in petty squabbles. If you want to create more problems than you already have then you're going to have a chat with me and Umbra here."
Umbra growled at him threateningly. His eyes darted around us and he realised that everyone on the field was staring at him. After a few seconds of contemplating, he stopped resisting and went back towards his friends. He did give some threat while leaving. But my attention was already elsewhere.
Itachi looked at me with those same calm, steady eyes and asked,"Why did he do that?"
His voice was even, barely a ripple on the surface, but beneath that stillness, I could sense an intense curiosity. It was the kind of question most kids wouldn't ask, and once again, I was reminded that Itachi wasn't like other kids. Not even close.
He had one of the sharpest minds I'd ever encountered; analytical, perceptive, frighteningly mature. And alongside that mind was a heart that still held compassion despite everything he'd seen. Unlike me, Itachi had experienced the horrors of war with his own eyes. Fugaku had taken his four-year-old son to witness the battlefield. I, on the other hand, was back in the village, training with Kaho, ignorant and sheltered.
Maybe I got better training in jutsu during that time, but not in life. Not in pain, sacrifice, or resolve.Itachi had all of that.And it was shaping him into something... different.
Even as a child, his ideals were already forming—solid, unwavering. A will so strong it frightened me sometimes. He was the kind of person who would sacrifice everything he held dear if he believed it would lead to a better world.That was Itachi Uchiha.A boy forced to grow up far too soon, already walking a path most adults would crumble under.
Me? I was too selfish for that kind of idealism.
The greater good? It could go to hell. I wasn't giving up the things I loved. I didn't want to be a hero, and I sure as hell didn't want to carry the world on my back.But still... I respected Itachi.Respected his conviction, his strength, his willingness to do what I never could.
And as he asked me that question, I understood exactly what he meant. He wasn't just asking why the boy attacked him. He was asking why anyone would. Why someone he didn't even know would choose violence. Why kids his age already felt the need to fight each other like enemies. Why conflict had to exist at all.
And unfortunately, I knew the answer.
"Because he's human," I said quietly. "That's what we do."
I paused, then continued, more certain with every word.
"Conflict is part of our nature. It's how we deal with what we lack. We want things—respect, power, control, acknowledgement. And when we feel weak or empty, we lash out. We convince ourselves that taking something from others will fill that hole inside.Those boys? They wanted to feel strong. Powerful. Important. So they picked on someone weaker. But that very need... that craving for validation—that was their weakness."
Itachi didn't say anything, rather he started thinking about what I meant. And for the moment, I felt as if I was invading his personal thinking space. It didn't matter though. I wanted to be friends with him. Not just as a character in an anime, but rather just as a person.
Maybe he can somehow teach me to be selfless somehow and I can teach him to be a bit selfish. I didn't know if that actually was possible or not. But I wanted to take the first step towards it, because Itachi sure as hell will never do that.
"We should train together sometime. We are almost the same age and the youngest in our class. I think...I think it would be better if we both trained together." I spoke up as I died a little on the inside. I felt like a kid on the playground who wanted to be friends with someone because he had no friends.
And that was quite literally what was happening, which just made it all the more embarrassing.
In response Itachi just gave a non-enthusiastic, "Okay, sure."
Before I could embarrass myself further by saying anything, someone shouted.
"The teacher said to group up according to how we sat in the classroom." The boy called Itachi.
Itachi just gave a nod to them and went towards where they were gather.
I purged my short term memory of this emabarassing encounter and tried meeting up with those two I was sitting wih.
What were their names again?
Shit. I forgot to even ask their names.
'And you say that I'm the one who needs to work on his social skills.' Umbra.
I swear he was giving me a 'wolf smirk' right now.
'Oh, shut up.'
I asked for their names this time as I met them. So, the ones who sat beside me were Aoi and Riku. They were both nice people. We practised together for some time and they were okay, I guess. Nothing special. None of them even wanted to be a combat ninja, so I doubt that I'll ever see them again.
We all moved towards our classroom after half an hour of basic taijutsu practice.
Kurenai was already standing there, with her arms folded behind her back and her red eyes scanning the students. The students quickly moved back to their seats not wanting to annoy their teacher any further.
After a minute, she started.
"Today's topic is Genjutsu. Some of you may think that genjutsu is about making your opponent see something that isn't there. And while that's technically true, it's also an oversimplification. Genjutsu isn't just illusion, it's manipulation. Of what?" She asked as if she wanted an answer from the class.
"The senses." One of the students replied.
Kurenai gave a small nod. "Correct. But not completely. Genjutsu manipulates the target's chakra, specifically the chakra flow in their brain, to alter their perception of reality."
She walked to the blackboard and drew a rough outline of a head, a brain, and a chakra network diagram inside it.
"Genjutsu attacks the chakra system directly. You don't throw it at someone—you feed it into them. A successful Genjutsu needs to be subtle. Quiet. Almost… gentle."
She turned back to us. "That's why Genjutsu is not usually a first move. It's a second. A setup. The best Genjutsu users don't just cast illusions. They control narratives. They make you believe what they want you to believe."
Then she raised a finger. "But the illusion is only half the battle. The other half—" she snapped her fingers, "is keeping them in it. And for that, your control over chakra flow needs to be precise, not powerful."
Kurenai walked slowly down the aisle between desks. "Let me give you an example. I'll use a genjutsu on you that'll trap you in your fear. I'll only use it for a couple of seconds to let you know how it feels to be in a genjutsu. You'll not be harmed by this. For this to work you need to look into my eyes."
With quick movements, she performed the hand signs.
I felt a specific chakra flow towards my brain quickly. My vision was changing and the scenes were changing, but before any of that could happen, I forcibly disrupted the flow of chakra in my brain. I obviously knew how to use Kai. It was one of the techniques that I've mastered just after I learned how to control my chakra.
Anyone that has ever seen Naruto knows how dangerous genjutsu can be.
Still, experiencing genjutsu for the first time was quite enlightening. I could practically feel how the chakra invaded my brain. I could already picture how it worked.
Kurenai had already dispelled the jutsu and started teaching the class about Kai. But I found myself being distracted as a certain someone was staring daggers at me. A certain bully who gave me a few empty threats just half an hour ago.
On a whim, I started weaving the hand signs that Kurenai had used just a few minutes ago. A snake sign followed by a rat. I made eye contact with the boy and activated my jutsu.
For a moment, there were no reaction apparent on his face, which was quite normal considering the fact that it was really hard to do a jutsu after seeing once. Specially without any Dojutsu to help me.
I was ready to stop suppling chakra when all of a sudden terror crossed through the boy's eyes and he screamed. He prepared to bang his head on the table as if he was going to split his head open.
But before his head could touch the table, Kurenai appeared instantly beside him and knocked him out before he could hurt himself.
The class had pin drop silence as everyone tried figuring out what the hell had happened. Which also included me, by the way.
I still wasn't sure what the hell had happened, but all I found was Kurenai staring intensely at me with her red eyes. Anger clearly evident in her face.
"Rei. What the hell did you just do?"