The Genjutsu Devil of Konoha

"Come on, show me, how did you do it!" The boy sounded hyperactive.

Seijuro would not say much.

"Throw this kunai with all the strength you have, and then throw the second one with as little as possible." Seijuro was having his time here.

Nawaki nodded his head. While the civilian kids were busy with their test, he took a kunai and tossed it at the target with all he had... he missed.

Badly.

Takeshi could be heard suppressing a laugh.

"That was just a fluke... yeah..."

Seijuro didn't bother saying much. Nawaki then threw the second one with as little force as possible—he surprisingly hit the board.

Hm.

Seijuro would begin slightly correcting his form.

"When you throw it, do not flick your forearm. Make sure it stays straight so that your throw is as accurate as possible." Seijuro corrected his form and then had him do the gesture once more.

As Nawaki threw the kunai, this time it hit dead center.

The boy's eyes seemed to widen. Seijuro lazily went back to his spot—he had other stuff to do.

"I hit dead center?..." The boy seemed puzzled.

"It's nothing really. It's all in the technique. Your form was horrible."

Touché, his form was ass.

Though before the boy could say anything, the instructor began speaking.

"Well then, little prodigies," he said, voice carrying through the clearing, "it's time to show us if your hands are good for more than just throwing toys. One bonus round—demonstrate a jutsu of your choosing. If it's impressive, it might just boost your ranking."

Immediate excitement and cockiness exploded through the group like wildfire.

Nawaki stepped up like he was walking onto a movie set.

"Prepare yourselves for the technique of the next Hokage!" he declared, striking a dramatic pose before weaving through his flashy hand seals again.

Tiger

Shadow Clone Technique

The boy created like three clones of himself, yet two of those clones looked... like they had been inbred.

The sheer flashiness of an A-rank technique left an impression. Some of the students gasped. Kaito and Takeshi just rolled their eyes.

"Pfft," Kaito scoffed, brushing invisible dust off his shoulders. "Let a real shinobi show you how it's done."

He stepped forward, weaving seals in swift, practiced motions.

Horse → Tiger

Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu!

A decent-sized fireball surged forward and scorched the target dummy. Takeshi stepped up after, performing the same jutsu, his fireball slightly smaller but more refined in shape. The two boys high-fived afterward, grinning like they'd just won a war.

"The Uchiha Clan dominates in every area," Kaito muttered smugly to Takeshi.

He says it as if the current top one wasn't a Kurama.

The Hyuga brothers were next. No words, no boasting—they simply stepped forward, moved through the Gale Palm Technique in unison, and sent sharp bursts of compressed wind toward the targets. Elegant and effective.

Yes... Seijuro was noting down every technique he saw. He was sure he could do them right now, though his chakra was a bit low, so maybe later.

Minato stepped forward quietly, face calm but uncertain. "I... I haven't learned any jutsu yet."

Well, that was to be expected. Most civilians didn't have the honor of knowing a technique. Bet even Seijuro didn't know a jutsu (not Genjutsu) before like three days ago.

But Renji simply nodded. "Noted. We'll see how you perform in combat."

And then... Seijuro stepped forward.

He brushed back a strand of hair and looked up at Renji.

"I'll cast a simple Genjutsu."

Kaito scoffed. "Genjutsu? What's that gonna do?"

The other students just stood and watched. Some seemed disinterested.

They wanted to see cool jutsu, not this.

"Go on."

He nodded his head and went through the hand seals.

Horse → Tiger

Takeshi recognized those seals.

Weren't they the—?

"Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu!"

Seijuro blew out what seemed to be a fireball at the wall. The heat coming from the flames could be felt by everyone—it even had some people sweating.

Yet as the fire hit the nearby wall... no burn mark could be seen.

"Tch, you're making this technique look weak. If it was my fireball, it would have burned a hole in the wall," Kaito bragged.

Yet the Hyuga brothers were not so easily fooled. Seijuro said he was going to perform a Genjutsu, but he did a Fireball Jutsu?

"Well that's simple. I simply did not cast the Fireball Jutsu."

As Seijuro's words went through their minds, what the hell did he mean he didn't cast the Fireball Jutsu? They could see the flames... right there?

"KAI!" ×10

As ten people smart enough to realize it did so, they instantly disrupted their own chakra.

As they did, reality around them cracked, and as they looked at Seijuro, he had simply blown a bunch of dust in the air...

Oh.

But it felt so real.

"I apologize if my Genjutsu is a bit sloppy. I do not have full control over them," he said humbly.

The fuck did he mean by that? He fooled them.

Yet to people with a brain cell, they got it—he could fool kids with his Genjutsu, but not shinobi.

"Great effort. You may go back in line," Renji said, his face still being as emotionless as always.

A Kurama Clan member being good with Genjutsu was not that new. This kid, however, seemed to be way too busted with those powers.

He then made his list for the fights.

"Match One: Nawaki Senju vs. Takeshi Uchiha."

Nawaki let out a sharp breath. "Heh, finally. Time to shut that smug Uchiha mouth."

Takeshi scoffed, spinning a kunai before flicking it into a nearby stump. "Let's see if a fake Hokage can even throw a punch."

"Match Two: Seijuro Kurama vs. Kaito Uchiha."

A quiet tension gripped the field. Seijuro tilted his head ever so slightly, his calm eyes locking onto Kaito, who tensed in response.

Kaito's lips curled into a smirk. "Let's see if that weird Genjutsu crap works in a real fight."

Seijuro blinked. "Hm? I didn't say I'd need it."

"Match Three: Minato Namikaze vs. Tama Aburame."

Minato's posture was relaxed, if a bit reserved. Tama, silent as always, adjusted his collar and nodded once. This was a fight between mystery and mystery.

"Match Four: Hizashi Hyuga vs. Sadao Inuzuka."

Sadao cracked his knuckles. "Let's see how well those fancy eyes handle claws."

Hizashi gave a short bow, Byakugan not yet activated, but the air around him was still sharp with resolve.

"Match Five: Mikoto Uchiha vs. Hiashi Hyuga."

Now that got some attention.

Two elite clans. Two proud prodigies.