Chapter 128: This is True Genjutsu! (Or So He Thinks)
Standing still, Tsukasa let out a heavy sigh.
His gaze fell upon the pool of water before him.
After some thought, he roughly guessed how he'd fallen for the genjutsu.
Besides using direct eye contact to cast genjutsu, the Sharingan actually has a special method: Genjutsu: Reflection.
This is a special technique that only Uchiha clan ninja skilled in genjutsu can cast.
In the original timeline, the future Uchiha Itachi used this technique to imbue genjutsu onto external objects, hypnotizing his enemies. After forming the hand seals, as long as the enemy sees the marked object, they fall under the illusion.
Furthermore, those with deeper skills can even imbue it onto things other than their fingers—such as crows, clones, or even the surrounding environment.
Shin'ya had used this technique, creating a visual overlap between his Sharingan and Tsukasa through the reflection beneath the water's surface.
In that instant, Tsukasa had already fallen for his opponent's genjutsu.
But understanding it was one thing—breaking it was another.
The reason the saying "run away if you encounter an Uchiha in a one-on-one fight" circulated throughout the shinobi world was precisely because of the unbreakable nature of visual genjutsu.
Unlike non-dojutsu genjutsu, which could be broken by disrupting one's own chakra flow, Sharingan genjutsu could only be broken by having someone else disrupt the chakra flow.
For example, the Cloud Village trio that Setsuna Uchiha had encountered when leaving the village—even though they'd seen the danger he was in, they still maintained a two-person formation to support him, precisely to mutually dispel any genjutsu that could fall on them at any moment.
Now, if Tsukasa wanted to reverse the situation, he needed outside help.
And coincidentally, he had a companion.
Soon, Tsukasa's gaze fell on his abdomen.
"Jinchuriki of the Tailed Beasts can become immune to genjutsu by cooperating with their Bijuu. I should count as half a jinchuriki, so..."
Tsukasa's gaze shifted, and he immediately slapped his abdomen, shouting:
"Stupid snake, time to eat!"
As soon as he finished speaking—
"Chirp~?"
Inside his abdomen, hearing its foolish master's call, the little Zero-Tails perked up its head, looking confused. It swung its tail and scratched its head, bewildered.
It wondered what its foolish master was yelling about.
There was no food.
Sensing the unusual chakra movement within his abdomen, Tsukasa raised an eyebrow, thinking there was hope.
He immediately coughed, connecting his chakra, and through it, gently conveyed his thoughts to the little Zero-Tails inside him:
"Little Zero, you're now a mature Tailed Beast."
"You need to learn to act on your own and help your master break this genjutsu. That way, I'll be more motivated to feed you."
"Understand?"
The hole in Zero-Tails' mask blinked, then it raised its little head in shock, looking at this shameless chunk of chakra belonging to its master.
Ever since it had taken up residence in this human's body, apart from that time in the cave, this idiot master had never actively nurtured it even once. Every time it had a need, he would forcibly drain it dry, completely disregarding its feelings!
He was the ultimate scumbag!
And now he actually had the nerve to ask it for chakra?
And expect it to act on its own?
Was this something a decent person would say?
Tsukasa looked at the little Zero-Tails' extremely uncooperative attitude, and three black lines immediately appeared on his forehead.
After hesitating for a moment, he reluctantly held up one finger.
"As long as you do this, I'll take you to tour the medical tent every day!"
Hearing this condition, the four red antennae on the little Zero-Tails' forehead immediately stood up straight.
"Chirp! Chirp?"
"Of course it's true!"
The little Zero-Tails rested its chin on its hand and pondered for a while, then swung its tail and crossed it with its main body, making a '+' shape.
"Chirp!"
Tsukasa's eyes widened instantly, and he shook his head vigorously:
"No! Ten extra times is way too much! And besides, that's a 4! You can't even count!"
Hearing this, the little Zero-Tails was filled with impotent rage, whipping its tail wildly and letting out a very cute and pitiful howl:
"Chirp!"
"Once a day, plus two extra visits—take it or leave it! I don't believe that bastard Shin'ya would actually dare to kill me!"
Tsukasa shook his head resolutely. He still had so many scrolls to study. Where would he find the time to walk around with a Tailed Beast every day?
After some intense bargaining, Tsukasa and the little beast finally settled on a price.
Time seemed to stand still in this chakra-linked mental space. The man and the Tailed Beast discussed for what felt like forever, but only a second had passed outside.
And in that one second—the situation suddenly changed!
Outside, Tsukasa stood by the pool, staring blankly as if in a daze—like a fish on a chopping board, ready to be slaughtered.
However, the next second, a violent and intense black chakra suddenly surged from his body.
A gust of wind rose from the ground around his feet, growing larger and stronger, lifting Tsukasa's black outer robe high and revealing his muscular abdomen.
A dark pattern resembling a serpent eating its own tail appeared on his stomach, creaking and rotating on its own.
Shin'ya, who was maintaining the genjutsu, instantly changed his expression.
He stared in disbelief at the brat before him.
His genjutsu had clearly worked, and the boy was alone, without any help.
But now another power suddenly surged within the boy's body. If it continued, his genjutsu might be broken!
Shin'ya frowned, gritted his teeth, and his gaze gradually turned ferocious.
"Abilities in the genjutsu world can be faked with consciousness!"
"This must be this brat's scheme!"
"He couldn't possibly be this strong!"
To uphold his dignity as a senior, Shin'ya immediately stood up, his gaze turning hostile toward Tsukasa.
Even crippling him wouldn't kill him—it would still serve as a proper lesson to an arrogant junior!
With a flick of his wrist, a kunai landed in his hand.
Shin'ya leaped down from the rock, splashed through the water, and charged toward Tsukasa.
However, Tsukasa, standing blankly before the pool, subtly smiled.
His battle instinct kicked in, and he immediately sensed hostile intent rushing toward him.
And this was the moment Tsukasa had been waiting for!
Without systematic training, Tsukasa didn't even know how to properly dispel genjutsu, so how could the Zero-Tails, who knew even less, possibly do it?
Making the Zero-Tails stir was merely to create the illusion that he could break the genjutsu, forcing Shin'ya to act.
And once the other party harbored hostility toward him and moved to attack, he would fall into Tsukasa's trap!
At this moment: Genjutsu VS Deception!
Tsukasa dared to claim that his method was the true illusion—as ethereal as a mirage!
In the genjutsu world, Tsukasa closed his eyes, ignoring his distorted senses.
He raised his foot, kicked a stone, then bit down hard on it, flipped backward, and sprang to the ground with his hands supporting him.
Using his hands as his feet, his mouth as his right hand, his feet as his other hand and waist, and a stone as the Kusanagi sword—he completely distorted the laws of physics.
He ran toward the sky with his hands supporting him on the air, then gritted his teeth and swung the stone at a white cloud above!
He hadn't figured out where the real enemy was yet, but that didn't matter. This was enough!
In the real world, as Tsukasa closed his eyes in the genjutsu world and acted solely on instinct—
Tsukasa, standing by the pool, suddenly moved.
He drew the Kusanagi sword from his waist, twisted his feet and leaped high into the air, dodging Shin'ya's thrust in mid-air.
He braced himself on the ground to stop his momentum, wielded the sword in a backhand grip, and charged forward with explosive speed.
He kicked the kunai out of Shin'ya's hand, then struck his jaw with a palm strike, causing Shin'ya's head to snap back sharply, followed by a scorpion tail kick that sent him flying into the air!
Immediately after, Tsukasa leaped high into the air, following closely behind with a spinning slash!
The longsword tore through the air, and amidst Shin'ya's astonished and incredulous gaze, Tsukasa reversed the sword, swinging it with the blunt side!
One strike—and Shin'ya crashed to the ground!
CLANG!
The genjutsu shattered like broken glass.
Tsukasa landed gracefully, his Sharingan spinning as he looked down at the defeated jonin.
Shin'ya lay on the ground, gasping for breath, his eyes wide with shock and disbelief.
He had been utterly defeated—powerless to retaliate against someone he'd thought was just an arrogant kid.
The counterattack had been overwhelming.
Through the experience of actual combat and pushing himself to the limit, Tsukasa felt something click in his mind. The principles of genjutsu—how to cast it, how to layer it, how to make it believable—suddenly became clearer.
He'd gained insight into advanced Sharingan genjutsu techniques.
His understanding had deepened significantly.
And most importantly, he'd survived another deadly encounter—another layer of tempered steel forged in his heart.
End of Chapter 128
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