Chapter Two: Mastering Genjutsu – The Right Approach (Part 1)

Konoha Ninja School.

"Hey Kenji, Obito, Guy, I found out the details of the graduation exam."

"Rin, how did you find out?"

At this moment, Nakamura, Obito, and Guy were joined by Nozomu Rin. She seemed to be the only female student willing to be part of their trio.

At this point, anyone observant should understand that, indeed, Kenji Nakamura was mingling with Obito and Guy to ward off unwanted attention from girls. Despite his own popularity, being associated with these two oddballs provided him a relatively peaceful school life.

"Rin, what's the content of the exam?" Obito asked immediately, revealing that his confidence in the graduation exam might not be as strong as he claimed.

"It's combat. The exam content is combat. Graduation rankings are determined by combat performance. Teachers will judge whether a student passes based on their performance in actual combat," Rin explained.

"So, it means that doing well in a fight doesn't necessarily guarantee graduation, and losing a battle doesn't necessarily mean you won't graduate," Kenji deduced after a moment of thought.

"Exactly," Rin confirmed.

Meanwhile, the dynamic duo of Obito and Guy were excited. Combat assessment essentially meant Guy had a good chance of passing. As for Obito, compared to actual combat, he was less proficient in theoretical exams.

"Kenji, what did you mean by what you said to Rin?" Obito questioned after a while. The concept of judging qualification based on combat performance was lost on him.

"I meant that even if you win, it doesn't guarantee graduation, and even if you lose, you might still pass. It's all about how you perform in the battles," Kenji explained, drawing from his experience during the war. This kind of testing was much more realistic in times of conflict.

"Ahh..." Obito and Guy suddenly seemed to grasp the concept.

"Students of Group One, gather at Training Ground Eight immediately!" At that moment, a teacher from the Ninja School called out to their direction.

Aizawa, 35 years old, a teacher at the Ninja School, a Chunin. Surviving as a ninja during the war to reach his age was akin to a high-age pregnant woman delivering without complications. Aizawa was probably the class supervisor of Kenji's group.

Kenji and his friends followed Aizawa towards Training Ground Eight.

As expected, the assessment was indeed combat.

Training Ground Eight wasn't far from the Ninja School, and the group of thirty students arrived there quickly.

Aizawa, as a teacher, completely ignored the students' opinions. He didn't even give them any time to prepare and directly announced the pairings for the first round of combat.

Kenji nodded slightly as he observed the combatants of the first round. Their levels were quite decent.

During wartime, due to differences in the education at the Ninja School and the external environment, the growth rates of ninjas varied. For instance, Sasuke Uchiha, who hadn't awakened his Sharingan, was undoubtedly a low-ranking student at the school. However, he managed to become a Chunin at the age of eleven. In peacetime, students of the same age hadn't even graduated from the Ninja School yet.

Pair after pair stepped into the combat area. Soon, it was Kenji's turn.

"Match six: Kenji Nakamura vs. Kurenai Yūhi."

Upon hearing his name, Kenji didn't hesitate. He confidently entered the training area.

Genjutsu—a method of mental attack. It used the practitioner's powerful mental intent, combined with subtle actions, sounds, images, drugs, or objects, to induce a state of mental confusion in the target, creating various illusions in their consciousness.

Kenji was intrigued by ninja like Kurenai Yūhi who specialized in genjutsu. He hadn't encountered a genjutsu user in his practical classes at the Ninja School. This battle would allow him to see if his abilities could counter genjutsu.

If he couldn't even handle basic genjutsu, he'd have to be careful when dealing with the Uchiha's Sharingan in the future.

"Rin, who do you think will win?" Obito, standing near Rin, asked. He seemed quite interested in Kenji's battle.

As for why he positioned himself next to Rin, well, you can guess.

"Probably Kenji," Rin replied with confidence, though she left a part unsaid.

If Kenji doesn't forfeit, that is.

To be fair, Kenji often forfeited in combat training classes, citing a lack of chakra. Despite excelling in theoretical classes, he remained in the middle rankings due to his consistent forfeitures in practical classes, taijutsu, and shurikenjutsu.

However, Rin needn't worry this time. Firstly, it was the graduation exam, so not participating wasn't an option if he wanted to graduate. Secondly, Kenji was genuinely curious if his techniques could counter a genjutsu user.

"I don't know," Rin replied uncertainly. Kenji had forfeited so many times in practical classes that it was impossible to count.

If he could borrow just a tenth of Guy's enthusiasm...

Rin couldn't help but imagine a watermelon-headed Kenji, which sent a shiver down her spine involuntarily. Well, Kenji was fine the way he was; he didn't need to learn anything from Guy, especially in terms of fashion.

"Battle begin!"

As the voice of the Chunin instructor echoed, everyone's attention turned to the training ground.

Then, to the astonishment of Kurenai Yūhi and the spectators, Kenji closed his eyes as soon as the battle began.

"Hey, what are you doing? Are you even going to fight?" Kurenai Yūhi, baffled by his opponent's actions, raised her voice.

"I'm preparing for the fight. Closing my eyes is the first step," Kenji responded with a tone of indifference, his usual half-dead demeanor in full display.

Kurenai Yūhi nearly exploded in anger. The first step was closing his eyes? Was this guy belittling her?

Feeling irked, she gritted her teeth and asked, "What do you mean by closing your eyes? How can you fight with your eyes closed?"

"Oh, that? Although I shouldn't be giving away strategy to my opponent, I'll explain. You're a genjutsu user, right? Closing my eyes is a countermeasure against your genjutsu." Kenji's tone was matter-of-fact, as if saying, "Since you asked sincerely, I'll kindly tell you."