Kurenai's eyes fixed on Yuichi.
And Yuichi, calm as ever, looked back at her.
A kunoichi skilled in illusions—well-known in the original records of Konoha, though she rarely appeared in the later stories. As a Jōnin of the Leaf, her strength was without doubt.
But still—
Unfortunately, she was not of the Uchiha clan.
Illusion, at its core, was the art of disrupting chakra within the opponent's body. Disturbing its flow in the brain to bend perception and force hallucinations.
But Yuichi already knew from the Chūnin Exams… illusions had no effect on him at all.
To shake his chakra was simply impossible.
He bent down, hand slipping to the pouch strapped near his leg, drawing a kunai. He intended to end this test quickly.
Kurenai watched him with a smile and spoke first.
"It seems you've never been taught genjutsu, have you?"
"Ah," Yuichi replied casually. "My instructor died before he could teach me."
"…I see." Her smile faltered.
A memory surfaced. During the last Sand attack, a Jōnin named Kazuki had died. His body wasn't even recovered—only his Leaf forehead protector had been found.
Her gaze softened. No wonder this boy's eyes carried a maturity so far beyond his years.
He was still a child, but there was already a quiet weight behind his expression.
"After the test," Kurenai said gently, "if you don't mind, come to me. I'll guide you in learning some illusions. Even if you don't specialize in them, a basic understanding can only make you stronger."
Yuichi blinked, slightly surprised by her kindness. Then he nodded.
"Alright. Thank you, Teacher Kurenai."
Her lips curved into a small, genuine smile at the word "teacher." If he was already calling her that, she couldn't possibly fail to teach him real skills.
"…But for now," she asked softly, "what will you do? Do you even know how to break free from an illusion?"
To be honest, Yuichi didn't. But what need was there to break free from something that couldn't affect him in the first place?
He shook his head honestly.
Kurenai sighed, pity in her voice. "Then you can't possibly defeat me."
Yuichi's smile didn't fade. He said nothing, but the faint curve of his lips carried an edge of quiet defiance.
Her brows furrowed. He's underestimating me.
Since she had already resolved to guide him later, his attitude stung. It was almost as if he looked down on her—as if she was only a "female ninja."
You'll suffer for that arrogance. Don't underestimate the shinobi of Konoha. Especially not one who has mastered genjutsu.
Her chakra flared as she weaved a quick illusion.
In an instant, Yuichi felt a faint disturbance—a prickling sensation, like the bite of an ant. But before it could even register, it faded away.
Kurenai finished her casting, but Yuichi's eyes were still clear, sharp, untouched.
She froze. Doubt flickered across her face.
My genjutsu… failed?
Impossible.
In the crowd, whispers spread.
"Wait… didn't she just cast it?"
"She did, but… nothing happened…"
"No effect? How?!"
Before the murmurs could settle, a kunai whistled through the rain-soaked air toward her.
Kurenai instantly drew her own blade, deflecting it with a sharp clang. Her eyes narrowed as she studied Yuichi.
Could it be… my illusions don't work on him at all?
"Impossible!" she muttered. "No shinobi can be immune to illusions!"
She snapped into another, stronger genjutsu. Yet Yuichi didn't even react—he simply flung a flurry of five, six kunai in rapid succession.
Kurenai twisted and darted aside, blocking some, dodging others. But her mind was no longer steady.
What is going on?
Decades of knowledge, of study, of training—shaken in an instant.
Her genjutsu simply didn't work.
Is it a special bloodline? A hidden technique? Some unique resistance?
"Enough!" Shikaku's voice cut sharply through the air, halting the test. He strode forward, his expression unusually grave.
Even Kakashi and Guy stared in disbelief. For a moment, it was as though they were looking at something out of a nightmare.
A shinobi immune to illusions—this was even more shocking than Yuichi's victories over them.
All eyes turned to Shikaku, silently begging for an explanation.
He studied Yuichi carefully, searching for anything unusual, but found nothing. At last, his gaze shifted toward Hiashi.
"Hiashi-sama?"
Hiashi understood at once. Rising to his feet, his tone calm and measured, he said, "We have truly discovered something remarkable today."
"Why can he ignore Kurenai's illusions?" Shikaku pressed.
Hiashi's answer was steady. "Because his chakra is too vast."
A murmur rippled through the crowd.
"…What?"
"Because his chakra is… too big?"
"That's… possible?"
Hiashi continued, his voice unwavering. "I used Byakugan. When the genjutsu attacked, Yuichi's chakra didn't change at all. The illusion had no effect. At most, there was a negligible disturbance—like an ant striking an elephant."
"Tell me—can an ant hope to move an elephant?"
The shinobi fell silent, eyes wide.
Yuichi hadn't resisted the illusion. He simply hadn't noticed it—because compared to his overwhelming reserves of chakra, its effect was less than nothing.
How much chakra does this boy have?
He was only twelve. Yet his reserves dwarfed the illusions of one of Konoha's finest specialists.
Even Shikaku found himself at a loss for words.
If genjutsu could not touch him, then in the entire shinobi world, there might be no more than a handful who could challenge him in that field at all.
This test was meaningless to continue.
Shikaku turned back toward Yuichi.
Today's performance had shattered every expectation.
And even for him—the strategist of Konoha—it was beyond comprehension.