Konoha Ninja Academy. Lunch Break.
As soon as the bell rang, Sasuke bolted from the classroom.
He stood guard outside Masahiko's office for quite a while before the door finally opened. Hyūga Neji stepped out. The two locked eyes, both momentarily stunned, before exchanging slight bows and stepping aside to let the other pass.
A moment later, a voice drifted from inside.
"What are you two doing standing there?"
Masahiko looked at them with genuine curiosity. Without waiting for an answer, he grabbed Sasuke by the shoulder. "Let's go."
Whoosh!
With a Body Flicker, the two vanished from the open-air corridor. By the time Neji focused his eyes again, Masahiko had already transported Sasuke all the way to the school gate.
'So fast...' Neji sighed inwardly, a bitter pang of regret settling in his chest. He hated that he had been born a year too early. If only he were a year younger, he would undoubtedly be in Masahiko's class, and he wouldn't have to go through all this trouble just to get guidance.
Neji walked silently downstairs. As he reached the ground floor, he spotted Hinata standing not far away. Their eyes met.
Neji let out a cold sneer and walked straight toward her. Hinata, looking terrified, instinctively took a few steps back.
"Young miss," Neji said, his voice dripping with disdain. "If you care so much about that dead last, why not simply go and tell him directly?"
"I... you..." Hinata's eyes darted around in panic, her face flushing a deep crimson. She couldn't form a coherent sentence.
Neji held his head high, his expression frosty. "If I were you, I wouldn't waste time on such thoughts... Do you really think someone like you—who is disregarded now and destined to become a member of the Branch Family—has the authority to make such choices?"
Hinata's flushed face slowly drained of color until she was pale. She opened her mouth to speak, but no words came. Neji offered only another cold smirk before turning his back on her and walking out of the school.
Outside the Academy. A small training field.
Masahiko spoke in a calm, detached tone. "I am not particularly skilled at Genjutsu. My illusions cannot compare to the likes of Shisui or Itachi, but the underlying principles remain similar..."
He didn't waste time with excessive theory. He simply raised his hands in a stance. "Come at me."
"Yes!"
Sasuke attacked immediately, sprinting toward Masahiko at full speed. He knew that with his current ability, there was absolutely no chance of actually hurting Yagyū Masahiko, so he didn't hold back a single ounce of strength.
He thrust his kunai forward with lethal intent—
'Empty?'
Sasuke realized instantly that he had been deceived. He tried to shift his footing, but found his wrist already seized in an iron grip. turning his head to stare, he finally noticed the faint mist lingering in the air. The figure in the mist seemed to suffer from a strange displacement.
It was Genjutsu.
And it was a Genjutsu cast without hand seals!
'So strong!' Sasuke thought, his eyes wide with shock. 'He calls this not being skilled?'
Masahiko remained unperturbed. "When dealing with a Genjutsu master, what your eyes see is not necessarily the truth. You cannot rely overly on your vision."
"Then what should I do?" Sasuke asked, confused.
"Until you possess visual prowess that rivals theirs, you must learn to ignore the enemy's hands and eyes. Counterattack using your sensory perception, hearing, and Taijutsu instincts." Masahiko smiled faintly. "This is a method I stole from someone else, actually. The only flaw is that it cannot break auditory Genjutsu."
"Please train me, Sensei!"
"We'll take it step by step. For the initial phase, I'll teach you a method you can practice at home."
As he spoke, Masahiko's figure abruptly vanished.
In the blink of an eye, a thick tree branch was severed from above. Before it hit the ground, it had been slashed into several shorter segments.
'Such fast Kenjutsu!' Envy and admiration flooded Sasuke's eyes. His face practically screamed, I want to learn that.
Masahiko couldn't help but chuckle. "If you can master the technique I'm about to teach you, I will teach you Kenjutsu."
"Thank you, Sensei!" Sasuke was overjoyed.
Masahiko took a rope and tied the wooden segments up, suspending them in a cluster. Then, he closed his eyes.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Masahiko struck the suspended logs. They flew outward, then swung back, colliding and crisscrossing in chaotic, unpredictable trajectories. Masahiko's fists became a blur of afterimages, accurately and rapidly striking every single rebounding log without looking.
He had practiced this countless times in the System's training space, so it was second nature to him. But in Sasuke's eyes, he looked like a god.
A moment later, Masahiko flared his chakra, perfectly freezing the swinging logs in place.
"That is essentially the desired effect. In the beginning, you can fill bags with sand or soil to replace the wooden logs; it'll hurt less when they hit you. Take it one step at a time..." Masahiko said with a smile.
Sasuke nodded vigorously. "Yes!"
"Go ahead and try."
"Right!"
While Sasuke immersed himself in the practice, Masahiko walked out of the grove and looked up toward the canopy. "Which senior is watching?"
An old man dropped down from the tree. He carried a large wok on his back and was adorned with various odd-looking tools. He didn't look like a proper ninja at all.
The old man explained hurriedly, "My name is Maruboshi Kosuke. I am a Genin. Lord Hokage sent me here."
"Is there something wrong?" Masahiko feigned ignorance.
Maruboshi Kosuke patted his left leg. "I lost this leg during the war and modified a prosthetic for myself later on. I heard that you possess superior prosthetic technology?"
"May I take a look?" Masahiko asked.
"Of course!" Kosuke didn't hide anything. After so many years, he was used to the disability and felt no taboo about it.
Masahiko took the prosthetic limb and examined it briefly. The old man's craftsmanship was simple: he had stuffed the interior with explosive tags and other volatile materials, while the core of the leg concealed a sword.
It was a rather dangerous limb...
Masahiko measured the dimensions with his hand, then took out a pen and paper to jot down notes. "Do you need hidden weapons or claw blades installed?"
"You can install those too?" Kosuke scratched his head, dumbfounded. "I had no idea!"
"I'll make the adjustments as I see fit, then."
"Good, good. I'm sorry to trouble you," Kosuke bowed deeply.
Masahiko quickly stepped aside to avoid the bow. "I have heard of your name, sir. There is no need for such formalities..."
"Haha, I am just a useless old man," Kosuke replied with a humble laugh.
Just as they were exchanging pleasantries, a violent surge of chakra erupted from the distance.
BOOM!
The chakra was powerful and carried a suffocating, ominous aura.
Masahiko and Maruboshi Kosuke's expressions sharpened instantly. "What happened?"
"Senior, I'll go check it out. Please look after Sasuke."
"Understood." Kosuke agreed immediately, disregarding his rank as a Genin.
Masahiko vanished from his spot.
'That direction... it's the Ninja Academy!'
'What exactly is going on?'
Masahiko frowned as he sped through the village. 'Could it be...'
'Ido?'
But even if it were the monster inside Yakumo, surely it wouldn't possess such a massive, bizarre chakra signature?
He accelerated.
Soon, he arrived back at the Academy. The school was in chaos.
Flames, lightning, and torrents of water ravaged the grounds. Below, children were fleeing in panic, terror etched onto their faces.
Masahiko sensed the source of the chakra and flickered away again.
Moments later, standing just outside the epicenter of the turmoil, Masahiko drew a sharp breath.
The area was a chaotic mix of various forces, resembling a disordered dimension. The power radiating from within definitely belonged to Yakumo. But at the same time, it was laced with the aura of other powers.
Upon landing, Masahiko immediately created two Shadow Clones. One rushed down to evacuate the students, while the other headed straight for the source of the chaos.
His main body leaped to a high vantage point. "Where is the escort?" he shouted.
"Masahiko-sama!"
An Anbu operative materialized from the shadows.
"What happened?"
"We aren't sure. She was resting, so I couldn't follow too closely. Suddenly, a bizarre chakra signature appeared, and then... she just went berserk!"