Chiba Shun immediately grew wary.
Hiruzen Sarutobi hadn't written that detail into the genjutsu scroll at all, which meant one thing—he had deliberately tried to mislead the Cloud ninja. If this illusion had been tampered with in such a subtle way, then what about the rest of them?
He shoved the thought aside for the moment and tested the technique on several genin again and again. Only after repeated attempts did he gradually get the hang of that B-rank genjutsu.
Then he moved on to the second illusion.
But after being tricked once already, Chiba Shun no longer trusted anything so easily. This time, before he even tested it, he carefully broke down the logic of the technique.
The second illusion worked very differently from the first.
This genjutsu created the sensation of being bound in place, as if invisible restraints had wrapped around the victim's limbs and body. Under its effect, the target would struggle desperately, but in reality they were only fighting against themselves in a clumsy, meaningless panic.
And in the end, they could only watch helplessly as the enemy closed in and killed them.
After analyzing it as thoroughly as he could, Chiba Shun tested it on a few genin. This time, the success rate was much higher than the previous illusion.
But he quickly discovered the flaw the scroll had deliberately failed to mention.
If the target's soul strength exceeded the caster's, then breaking free from the illusion became much easier.
Chiba Shun's lips twitched.
He no longer had the slightest doubt. Hiruzen Sarutobi had absolutely omitted that detail on purpose.
After forcing all the genin into the illusion one by one, Chiba Shun rubbed his aching temples and looked toward Nishida Yuichi. "Senior, can I come back in a few days? I'm too mentally drained today."
Yuichi Nishida nodded. "Of course."
After resting for several days, Chiba Shun returned to the prison and began testing the third B-rank genjutsu.
This one was the strangest of the lot.
It was a genjutsu that directly seized control of the target's body.
Its principle was simple to describe and terrifying to experience. The illusion prevented the victim's soul from issuing commands to their own body, while the caster took control instead.
The target's vision remained normal. They could still see the world around them clearly. They could still understand what was happening.
And that was what made it so cruel.
They had to watch, fully conscious, as their own body moved against their will and carried out the enemy's orders.
For example, turning around and killing their own allies.
But this illusion shared the same fatal weakness as the second.
It only worked on people whose soul strength was lower than the caster's.
And not just a little lower.
If Chiba Shun wanted to force someone to murder their own companions, then the gap in soul power had to be wide enough that resistance was impossible.
As for the fourth B-rank genjutsu, it was supposed to be the most powerful of the lot.
Chiba Shun tried it over and over, but no matter what he did, he failed.
In the end, he arrived at a bleak conclusion.
This genjutsu might have been tampered with from the start. The training method written inside the scroll was likely flawed.
The Third Raikage didn't understand genjutsu, so naturally he hadn't noticed anything wrong.
Chiba Shun couldn't help laughing several times in disbelief. "I actually got played by Hiruzen Sarutobi's little trick."
Standing beside him, Nishida Yuichi frowned. "What happened?"
Chiba Shun gave him a brief explanation, and even Yuichi Nishida was left speechless.
At last Chiba Shun exhaled and said, "I need to report this to the Raikage. I won't be training today."
Yuichi Nishida nodded. "Come back whenever you want to continue."
Chiba Shun thanked him and left at once.
***
A short while later, Chiba Shun was standing inside the Raikage's office.
After hearing the whole story, the Third Raikage's face darkened. He felt like he'd been taken for a fool by Hiruzen Sarutobi.
He smashed the desk first.
Then he immediately sent someone to the mission office to revoke the B-rank genjutsu from the village's available collection.
Watching that reaction, Chiba Shun had been wondering how to tactfully bring up the fact that he had already wasted money on one of the B-rank illusions.
But before he could even speak, the Third Raikage suddenly said, "Then look at that A-rank genjutsu too. See if there's anything wrong with it."
Chiba Shun blinked.
And for one brief, shining instant, Hiruzen Sarutobi did not seem nearly so hateful.
Naturally, there was no way he was about to admit that he had originally planned to exchange for that very A-rank genjutsu himself. So he simply stood there quietly and waited.
The Third Raikage did not bother going to the mission office. Instead, he directly took out the scroll Hiruzen Sarutobi had handed over during the earlier exchange.
Chiba Shun accepted it and read through it carefully.
Then he raised his head. "The principles behind this A-rank genjutsu are much more complicated than those B-rank illusions. I don't fully understand it yet. I'll need to test it first."
The Third Raikage waved a hand, granting him permission to copy the technique and take it away.
Chiba Shun copied it as fast as he could, then left the office without wasting another second.
The first thing he did after leaving the Raikage Building was head straight to the mission office and exchange his S-rank mission for cash.
Immediately.
He was afraid the Third Raikage might suddenly realize what he was doing if he waited too long.
So Chiba Shun accepted the full one million ryo into his ninja tool pouch on the spot.
Perfect timing.
He had already burned through all of his money training those B-rank and C-rank genjutsu. He'd been thinking about whether to take on a few missions or shamelessly borrow money from Aoki Yuu again.
Now, he didn't need to do either.
Patting the pouch at his waist, Chiba Shun felt that life was finally smiling on him again.
Of course, he still had to learn the A-rank illusion.
Its name was Demonic Illusion: Tree Binding Death.
Once the technique took hold, the victim would believe they had been bound by Wood Release. Then the caster would emerge from a tree within the illusion and kill them.
Compared to the B-rank genjutsu, which focused more on deception or control, this A-rank illusion combined both. It deceived, restrained, and killed.
It was vicious. Efficient. Lethal.
And what truly made Chiba Shun's heart stir was the fact that once the illusion succeeded, the caster could see the scene from the victim's point of view.
In other words, from another angle, this genjutsu could be used to gather intelligence.
It truly deserved its status as an A-rank illusion.
Its effect was absurdly powerful.
At that thought, another possibility flashed across Chiba Shun's mind.
Could the Yamanaka clan's secret techniques operate on a similar principle? Was that how they searched through the minds of others?
Of course, with Chiba Shun's current level in genjutsu—or more accurately, his current level in Yin Release—it was impossible for him to analyze the Yamanaka clan's secret arts.
He spent several days carefully studying the A-rank illusion.
In the end, he concluded that the genjutsu itself was genuine.
Hiruzen Sarutobi had not falsified it.
But that was where the good news ended.
This technique was monstrously difficult.
To cast it, Chiba Shun had to distort the environment so naturally that the victim would never realize they had entered an illusion. The moment they sensed something wrong, they could disrupt their own chakra and break out.
And to construct an illusionary world that convincing required terrifying mental strength.
With Chiba Shun's current abilities, he could only make two or three serious attempts per day. Even then, every attempt ended in failure long before the illusion was complete.
But that wasn't what broke him.
What truly crushed Chiba Shun's spirits was what he discovered a month later.
After one full month of A-rank genjutsu training, he finally realized something bitter.
For the time being, he simply could not learn Demonic Illusion: Tree Binding Death.
He already understood the core concepts behind it.
That wasn't the problem.
The problem was that his Yin Release level wasn't high enough.
That was the conclusion he had reached after countless failed attempts.
Yin Release clearly had levels, just like everything else.
He didn't know how those levels were classified, but he knew with absolute certainty that his own was too low.
Chiba Shun felt like his heart was bleeding.
With his current Jonin-level strength, B-rank genjutsu would not significantly raise his combat power. Only an A-rank illusion would truly matter.
But he couldn't learn one.
Which meant all the time, effort, and money he had poured into genjutsu had, for the moment, gone straight into a pit.
***
Left with no better choice, Chiba Shun returned to the Raikage's office and honestly reported his findings.
The Third Raikage frowned as he listened. After a while, he said, "So the problem isn't with the illusion itself. It's just that the person using it needs to have a higher level of skill?"
Chiba Shun nodded weakly. "Yes. This was definitely another one of Hiruzen Sarutobi's tricks."
Then, still clinging to a thread of hope, he asked, "Raikage-sama, does the village have any method for training Yin Release?"
The Third Raikage shook his head at once. "Of course not. If I'd known, I should've demanded Konoha's Yin Release training method when we made the exchange."
He paused, then added, "Based on your own judgment, what kind of Yin Release level is needed to learn that illusion? Or at least... how many people in the village do you think might have the talent to use it?"
Chiba Shun thought for a long time before answering. "I can't explain it precisely. But I think it would be very difficult for an ordinary Jonin to use it."
"Elite Jonin might have a chance."
Then, after a pause, he added seriously, "Raikage-sama, you could probably do it too. Your Yin Release level should absolutely be high enough."
The Third Raikage waved that aside without hesitation.
How could he possibly waste time training in Yin Release?
Then he suddenly fixed his eyes on Chiba Shun. "Do you have any way to get more ninjutsu out of Konoha? This time, add the Yin Release training method to the list."
Chiba Shun's heart jolted.
This was exactly what he needed.
If he couldn't get the method for cultivating Yin Release, then his investment in genjutsu might truly end up wasted.
A normal person would have found the problem nearly impossible.
But Chiba Shun was different.
Getting information out of Hiruzen Sarutobi would be difficult.
Danzo, though...
Danzo had always been much easier to tempt.
And much more generous.
After thinking for a long while, Chiba Shun finally said, "Raikage-sama, I have an idea."
Then he carefully laid out his plan in full.
After hearing it, the Third Raikage looked at him with that strange expression again.
As expected, training Chiba Shun into Yotsuki Ai's future right-hand man had been the right choice.
In the Third Raikage's eyes, this boy was practically the future Danzo of Kumogakure.
Of course, even if Chiba Shun had come up with a direction, he couldn't put it into action immediately. For now, all he could do was continue using genjutsu little by little and clumsily improve his Yin Release through repeated practice.
Besides illusions, his chakra sensing technique was also related to Yin Release. That meant he could keep training that side of things as well.
One day, while Chiba Shun was training at the Ninja Academy as usual, a little girl suddenly ran up to him.
"Shun-sensei, I want to train with you."
As she spoke, she pulled out twelve explosive tags.
Chiba Shun froze.
The one standing in front of him was Yugito.
Back when he had first met her, he had not even been a Jonin yet. At the time, he had actually considered taking her as a disciple to raise his own standing in the village.
But now that he had already entered the sights of the village's top brass, there was no real need for him to go out of his way to claim Yugito as an apprentice.
So after that first meeting at her home, Chiba Shun had never deliberately tried to get close to her again.
He had never expected her to come to him on her own.
Yugito had remembered him because his name had been spreading through the village for a long time now. Everyone knew that Chiba Shun had gone around pestering people for ninjutsu training while carrying a dozen explosive tags as gifts.
The whole thing had become a joke among the middle and upper ranks of the village.
But after that, Chiba Shun had left the village, and Yugito had not been able to find him.
Now that she had finally spotted him at the Ninja Academy, she had immediately come over.
Her intention was obvious.
She wanted Chiba Shun to teach her.