Chapter 121: Chapter 119: Genjutsu: Recurring Nightmares
In the next morning, Dan placed a small stack of scrolls on the table in front of Ryu.
"These," Dan began, his voice firm, "are your next step in fuinjutsu. Detection wards, privacy seals, silencing seals, and a few barrier seals of varying types and quality. Everything here is basic but fundamental. And, most importantly, nothing in these scrolls explodes, so you can tinker with them without blowing up the house."
Ryu's eyes widened with excitement as he eagerly reached for the scrolls, but Dan raised a hand in a halting gesture.
"Before you get too excited, let me make one thing clear. Even if you can tinker with it, just do it after you are done with the basics and do it on normal paper."
Ryu nodded earnestly, "Got it. I'll study them before attempting anything. And I will focus on mastering the basics first."
Dan's stern expression softened slightly, though his voice remained firm. "Good. Also, don't forget to focus on the academy curriculum. It's a good thing that you are talented in fuinjutsu and absorbing stuff like a sponge, but other aspects of training are also equally important. And so are the academy basics."
He nodded and reassured Dan, "Okay, I will also focus on the basics taught at the academy."
Dan's stern expression softened slightly. "Good. And one more thing—don't take these out in the open. Keep them in your storage scroll at home and only study them at home. The last thing we need is someone asking questions about why a kid your age is dabbling in fuinjutsu."
Ryu grinned. "Don't worry. I'll keep them safe. Besides, I'm not exactly eager to expose myself. If the word got out, I know it would blow up in my face."
"Speaking of blowing things up," Dan said, "I will teach you about explosive seals later. But for now, I'm holding off. I can't risk you modifying them and turning this house into a crater."
"Do not worry, Grandpa; I will not do anything like that." Ryu replied.
"At least for now," he thought inside.
After breakfast, Ryu headed for the academy. Over the past few weeks, he had realised that his aptitude for fuinjutsu was growing rapidly, even surpassing his skills in ninjutsu and taijutsu. But for now, he had to set aside his enthusiasm for seals and focus on the boring lessons at the academy.
The classroom was abuzz with chatter as Yuuki Kurama, the Genjutsu instructor, entered. He clapped his hands to get the students' attention. "Alright, settle down. I have good news and bad news. The good news is that we've completed the basic genjutsu curriculum for this year."
The class cheered as they wouldn't have to attend this boring class anymore; there were not many with aptitude for genjutsu in the first place.
The class erupted into cheers, but Yuuki raised a hand to silence them. "The bad news is that we still have almost two months left in the semester. We will therefore be delving into some advanced lessons rather than wasting time. We will also do some practicals."
The class sighed in disappointment.
Yuuki ignored the complaints and began explaining the day's lesson. "Today, we'll cover a simple but effective genjutsu technique. It's designed to confuse your opponent's perception by disrupting vision and instilling fear in your opponent. This can be achieved by infusing chakra directly into their body or transmitting it through a medium like hearing or their sight or inserting chakra into them physically or through air."
Ryu raised his hand. "Sensei, could you demonstrate the genjutsu on me?"
The instructor arched an eyebrow. "Are you sure? Most people don't enjoy being on the receiving end of this particular genjutsu."
Ryu nodded confidently. "I'm sure. I want to understand how it works from the inside."
Yuuki shrugged. "Alright, but don't say I didn't warn you."
Before the instructor could begin, he used his Ryu focused on his [Improved Eyesight] and [Peripheral Awareness] and then willed himself to use [Temporary Enhance] on both of them.
- [Temporary Enhance] running [Improved Eyesight] and [Peripheral Awareness]
- [Super Observation] activated
His purpose for this was to analyse, deconstruct, and finally replicate the genjutsu. After working in his [Mind Palace] so many times, he had an idea to improve upon it, but for that he needed a good grasp on basic genjutsu, so he asked the genjutsu instructor for a demonstration.
The instructor formed a series of hand seals and uttered: Genjutsu: Recurring Nightmares
He thought, "Why do they say the name out loud? I know it was a trend in the manga and anime to tell the readers, but why here?"
"I guess the words also act like handsigns and help in easy visualisation of technique from the memory."
- Hand-seal Analysis: Initiated
- External chakra found in the amygdala region of the brain and slowly influencing other regions.
- External chakra now affecting hippocampus and occipital lobe
- Occipital lobe now affecting vision processing.
- Visual data in the brain is now compromised.
- Data gathered, calculating countermeasures
His subconscious was attempting to protect itself out of instinct. A perfectly natural response from a strong mind.
"Don't," Ryu thought, trying to influence his instincts to not resist the genjutsu but analyse it for now.
The entire procedure was recorded and dissected into its constituent parts. from the way chakra got into his body and the ways it impacted certain areas of his brain. From his extensive knowledge of human anatomy, he could theoretically plan more than one way to defend against this kind of attack, but he had other plans right now to defend.
The genjutsu took hold, and Ryu's surroundings began to shift. Nightmare and his reality are mixing together. It was like a part of his brain was thinking he was asleep and the other part was feeding nightmares. The classroom dissolved into a massacre scene. His classmates appeared as lifeless corpses slumped over their desks, their hollow eyes staring into nothingness.
- Nightmares and actual vision are superimposed as one.
The instructor's form twisted into a half-decomposed figure, his flesh rotting and falling away to reveal bone. He grinned at Ryu, his voice distorted. "How's the view? Do you like it?"
Ryu glanced down at his own hands and saw that they, too, were decayed, the flesh peeling away to expose muscle and bone. He flexed his fingers experimentally, noting the eerie realism of the illusion. Despite the grotesque imagery, he remained calm.
"The view?" Ryu said, tilting his head as if considering. "It's better than I expected. I like it."
Yuuki blinked, momentarily thrown off by the unexpected response. "You... like it?" the instructor repeated, clearly taken aback. "This genjutsu is called Recurring Nightmare, and you find it appealing."
Ryu shrugged. "Sure. It's creative. A bit cliché, maybe, but effective."
The instructor's surprise was evident. Most students would have been screaming or crying by now, but Ryu seemed entirely unfazed. "How are you not terrified?" Yuuki asked, his voice tinged with disbelief.
Ryu looked at him and thought, "I hope this will not embarrass him. I need to come up with a good answer."
"My grasp on reality is too strong," he said. 'And death doesn't scare me, as I have already died once. Well, almost."
The room fell silent, the weight of his words hanging in the air.
One of his classmates, Kenji Uchiha, scoffed. "Everyone's scared of dying," he said in a dismissive tone.
Ruy said, "Maybe, but I don't know. Last time I was dying, I had a smile on my face, and believe me when I say, when Mr. End will come for me again, I will greet him like an old friend." Ryu said.
Kenji stated, "We will discuss that in the upcoming class. Today's sparring day, after all. Be ready to meet your old friend."
Ryu didn't rise to the bait, simply smiling and turning back to the instructor. His calm demeanour only seemed to infuriate Kenji further. But a few kids were thinking about what he said.
Saya asked Ryu, "How can someone smile at their own death?"
Ryu said, "Those who have the 'Will of the D' do."
"What D?" Many said in unison.
Ryu cleared his throat and clarified, "I mean, those who die without regrets, they do."
Yuuki ended the genjutsu, his expression thoughtful. The genjutsu was active all this time when he was talking to everyone in the class. "Maybe he really isn't afraid of death," he murmured to himself.
The class ended with Ryu experiencing what he wanted and Kenji looking for a fight in the next class.
Next were Taijutsu lessons and sparring sessions. Kenji Uchiha's smug face was telling Ryu what was bound to happen soon. Ryu sighed, already anticipating the confrontation.
"Why do I feel like I'm about to be part of some Uchiha drama again?" he muttered under his breath.
One of his friends, Noboru Nara, chuckled and replied, "Because you probably are. You've got a knack for pissing off people who take themselves too seriously."
Ryu smirked. "It's a gift."
"More like a pain in the ass," Noboru Nara replied.
With a sigh, Ryu remarked, "You are not wrong, brother."
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