Mamoru couldn't help but wonder, if Genjutsu didn't work on him, what other means would Kurenai use to deal with him?
"It seems the first lesson of your Genin career will have to be moved up." Kurenai's expression became serious, her previously lazy gaze turning sharp as a knife.
Her pride as a Jonin initially kept her from going all out, but she had changed her mind. She had to use her strength to make this overconfident student understand the true weight of a Jonin.
"I'd be most grateful for that."
Mamoru's legs bent slightly, his arms spread out in a unique combat stance, the fighting spirit in his eyes growing more intense.
The air seemed to freeze and even the sound of the river flowing vanished at this moment.
In the next instant, Mamoru's body lunged forward. His toes lightly tapped the gravel of the riverbank, and he shot out like a cheetah tearing through the frozen air, kicking up a trail of fine sand behind him.
Almost at the same moment he moved, Kurenai seemed to have anticipated it. Her long hair traced an arc in the wind as she nimbly retreated three steps, simultaneously reaching into her ninja tool pouch to pull out three Kunai. With a series of swift hand movements, the Kunai whistled through the air.
Swish! Swish! Swish!
Mamoru didn't dodge. He casually waved his right hand to the side.
Blue!
An invisible gravitational field distorted the air. The three Kunai seemed to be seized by an invisible hand, their trajectories suddenly veering off to bury themselves into the gravel bank on the right with a series of clatters.
He raised his hand again, aiming at Kurenai's retreating figure. A pale blue orb of light whistled out, but it only passed through the afterimage she left behind. The orb slammed into a pile of rocks on the riverbank with a muffled "thump," compressing the stones into a dense sphere about a meter in diameter as dust trickled down.
'As expected, she's on a completely different level than the Shadow Clone I just fought.' Mamoru clicked his tongue.
A Jonin's speed far exceeded his estimates. It would be difficult for Blue to lock onto a high-speed target.
'In that case, I'll have to do this.'
His mind raced as his feet didn't stop moving. When he raised his hand again, a pale blue orb of light quietly appeared beside Kurenai, following her like a shadow.
"This is..."
Kurenai keenly sensed something was wrong, her brows furrowing slightly. As the orb grew brighter, her rapid movement suddenly stalled, as if she were being pulled by an invisible hand.
Without hesitation, she pulled out an explosive tag and threw it at the orb. However, before the paper could touch the sphere, it was torn to shreds in mid-air. The exploding flames turned into a streak of light and were completely swallowed, the blue orb briefly glowing red.
"What!?"
A look of alarm flashed in Kurenai's eyes as she finally realized the danger contained within that soft-looking orb.
Mamoru continued to increase the output of Blue. Kurenai's movements were affected by the gravity, visibly slowing down. Seizing the opportunity, he used teleportation to suddenly appear in front of her, his fist aiming straight for her face.
Faced with the surprise attack, Kurenai remained calm despite her shock. She leaned back, and an explosive tag was precisely shot from between her fingers toward Mamoru's feet. Almost the instant the tag left her hand, she used the momentum to perform a series of backflips.
Boom!
Flames soared into the sky, and gravel was swept into the surroundings.
Amidst the fire and gravel, Mamoru's figure soared upward. A heavy downward kick descended from the air, accompanied by a sharp whistling sound. However, when this fierce attack struck Kurenai's body, it dissolved into a flurry of cherry blossom petals. A brilliant rain of cherry blossoms suddenly swirled around, the blurred floral shadows obscuring vision as a faint fragrance filled the air.
"I told you, this kind of Genjutsu doesn't work on me."
Mamoru stood firm and brushed away the petals before him. The petals he touched felt realistically soft.
However, in the next second, the brilliant cherry blossom rain suddenly collapsed, like a candle flame blown out by an invisible wind.
Kurenai's figure appeared not far away, her hands still in a seal, a look of disbelief flashing in her eyes.
Without a moment's hesitation, Mamoru pushed off the ground, leaving a trail of shallow pits on the riverbank as gravel splattered under his feet.
'What on earth is going on?'
For the first time, Kurenai doubted her own Genjutsu, but the current situation left her no time for second-guessing. She quickly formed more hand seals.
The moment the seals were completed, two translucent images appeared beside her out of thin air, moving slowly as they approached Mamoru from both sides.
"Too slow."
Mamoru raised his right hand and released two Blue in succession, which accurately struck the two images.
The moment the two images dissipated, they exploded. However, under the influence of Blue, they formed two shocking fire vortexes that scorched the surrounding air until it distorted.
Kurenai didn't even have time to be stunned as the distance between them continued to close. She could even see her own reflection in Mamoru's sunglasses.
This time, however, she didn't choose to avoid him. She pulled out a Kunai, its tip tracing a silver arc as she resolutely met Mamoru's charge.
"Now this is getting interesting!" Mamoru laughed out loud at the sight.
He pushed off, leaping upward as he delivered a 'Leaf Whirlwind' sweep.
Kurenai ducked under the sweep, her Kunai stabbing toward Mamoru's back at a strange angle. However, the tip of the blade stopped an inch from his skin, unable to advance further, as if it had stabbed into an invisible void.
"This is..." Kurenai showed her shock for the second time.
Mamoru immediately turned to counterattack. His fist pierced through Kurenai's body, but the figure dissolved into cherry blossom petals.
Simultaneously, two indistinguishable Kurenais appeared from the left and right. Their Kunai wove an airtight offensive, the glinting blades forming a net that blocked all of Mamoru's paths of retreat.
Kurenai's real body and clone cooperated flawlessly. With agile movements and the swirling petals, Kunai attacked from every tricky angle. Even with the protection of Infinity, Mamoru was temporarily unable to do anything to her. The gap in experience was fully revealed at this moment.
He was perfectly aware that without the Six Eyes and Limitless, he would probably only be slightly stronger than Sasuke.
Challenging a Jonin? That would be nothing more than a pipe dream.