Chapter 57 : Nakahito Kishibe!!

"Where did he go?"

The ninja who had been following Genya felt a moment of confusion. Suddenly, the little figure that was supposed to be under the streetlight had disappeared.

He rubbed his eyes.

He looked carefully again, but still didn't see that small silhouette.

Maybe it's just too dark at night, and I missed him. He must have turned into another alley.

With that thought, he took a few steps forward, trying to get a clearer view.

He had been assigned by the Third Hokage to keep an eye on this person, and he had another task: to assess Genya's current abilities.

But after checking the nearby alleys, he still couldn't find that small figure.

A sense of anxiety began to rise in his heart.

Originally, he thought this was just a little kid, and he didn't take the surveillance job too seriously, given he was a Chunin. But how could someone just disappear like that?

"Where did he go?" the ninja asked anxiously.

"Are you looking for me?" A young voice suddenly came from the side.

The ninja turned his head, looking in the direction of the voice.

And then—

He found himself staring into a pair of Dual Pupil Sharingan. Two tomoe in those eyes gradually grew larger, spinning.

In the end—

The ninja's expression slowly became vacant.

"Finally controlled him. But that really drained my mental energy!" Genya let out a sigh of relief, looking at the now-dazed Chunin.

Since awakening the second tomoe of his Dual Pupil Sharingan, he had gained the ability to use genjutsu. It had taken some effort just now to control this Chunin.

With his current skill, he could only hypnotize someone, and it required direct eye contact to activate. Fortunately, as more tomoe appeared in his eyes, his genjutsu abilities would become stronger.

At a certain level of mastery, he might even be able to counter any genjutsu.

"Who are you?" Genya asked in a calm, childish voice as he looked at the dazed ninja.

But to the ninja, the question felt like a thunderclap, causing him to struggle internally, hesitating over whether he should answer.

After just two breaths of hesitation, the ninja's expression turned wooden. "I am Anbu, Nakahito Kishibe."

"Why are you watching me?" Asking for the name was just a way to test him. This was the real question; Genya wanted to know who had ordered the surveillance.

Nakahito's face twitched slightly, then became stiff again. "I was ordered by the Third Hokage to monitor you and, if possible, to observe your abilities."

The Third Hokage, huh?

Genya furrowed his brow. It must have been his actions earlier today that caught the Hokage's attention, prompting him to send someone to watch him.

However—

Sarutobi Hiruzen probably thought he was just a weakling and didn't assign a particularly skilled person to the task. Instead, he sent a fairly average Chunin.

It was precisely because this ninja wasn't very competent that Genya felt comfortable testing his genjutsu abilities on him.

"Did you discover anything?" Genya pondered for a moment before continuing to ask.

"I didn't find anything. I just noticed that you disappeared earlier!" Nakahito Kishibe replied, his face filled with confusion, though his tone remained dull.

"No, I didn't disappear earlier. I just tripped over a rock. You will think I'm a weakling and report it to the Third Hokage!" Genya stared at the expressionless Nakahito Kishibe, carefully guiding him to follow his line of thinking.

He knew he couldn't afford to reveal his abilities yet. After all, he was still under the control of Konoha. If his powers were exposed, it wouldn't just be the Third Hokage he had to worry about; Danzo would also fixate on him, trying to dig out his eyes.

He had to become stronger, strong enough to contend with Konoha's shinobi and ensure his safety.

For now, he needed to lay low.

Nakahito Kishibe listened to Genya, repeating dully, "Genya didn't disappear. He just tripped over a rock. He's a weakling. Genya didn't disappear. He just tripped over a rock. He's a weakling."

With each repetition, Nakahito Kishibe's previously blank expression grew more resolute.

"From now on, whenever you see me under the light, you will snap back to normal and firmly believe that I'm just a weakling, not worth your attention," Genya instructed him again.

Nakahito Kishibe nodded. "When I see Genya under the light again, I will return to normal, and I will..."

Watching Nakahito Kishibe's expression, Genya confirmed his plan was set and began walking forward.

However, when he stepped into a patch of light, the previously dull-eyed Nakahito Kishibe suddenly seemed to return to his senses upon spotting Genya's small figure.

"What happened to me? Why was I so out of it just now?" A trace of confusion flickered in Nakahito Kishibe's eyes. He vaguely remembered noticing Genya's disappearance and then searching for him.

No, Genya had just fallen. He hadn't seen him earlier because the spot was dimly lit.

Realizing this, Nakahito Kishibe glanced back at Genya, a look of disdain crossing his face. "I thought training with Might Guy would make him stronger, but it turns out he's just a weakling. Heh, the Third Hokage was worried for nothing. How could a freak who's been shunned since birth ever grow stronger? That Yamanaka boy is just trash, a complete waste of space. Even Genya, at such a young age, is a bit stronger than him."

"As for those records, it must've been Uchiha Kinya's idea."

With these thoughts swirling in his mind, Nakahito Kishibe's expression turned even more disdainful, especially when he looked at Genya.

Since it was just Genya alone now, he didn't bother hiding behind any buildings. Instead, he kept a distance of a few dozen meters, trailing behind Genya, neither too close nor too far.

Suddenly!

Genya seemed to sense something and turned to look back.

As he did, the figure lurking behind instinctively moved closer to the wall, hiding in the shadows of the night. Confident in his concealment, he was sure that Genya wouldn't notice him.

And sure enough, Genya just glanced back briefly before turning away, apparently unaware of his presence.

Kishibe didn't pay much mind and continued to follow.

"Heh... looks like my genjutsu hypnosis worked. This guy is leaning against the wall so casually, thinking I can't see him?" A smile crept onto Genya's lips.

It wasn't because he felt underestimated, but because his genjutsu hypnosis had actually succeeded.

For now, his hypnosis and genjutsu were still basic. After all, he had only just awakened the second tomoe. But as more tomoe appeared, his mental and genjutsu abilities would continue to grow stronger.

He wondered if he would eventually reach a level like Shisui's Kotoamatsukami, where he could change a person's thoughts just by drawing them into a genjutsu.

Imagining the potential of his future powers, Genya leisurely made his way back home.

Meanwhile, Kishibe continued to keep watch from the side. Seeing nothing else of interest, he eventually lay down on a nearby rooftop for a nap.

And so, the days passed, one after another.

Then, one day, news reached him that a group from the Hidden Cloud Village had arrived in Konoha, apparently for negotiations.

Since the end of the Third Shinobi War, Konoha had frequently clashed with both the Hidden Cloud and the Hidden Stone villages. This time, the visit was supposedly aimed at fostering peaceful development between the two villages.

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