The scramble for allegiances among Konoha's clans gradually settled.
The entire village recognized a new fact: the Namikaze household was now Konoha's sole center of power.
The Namikaze estate returned to its usual calm.
Late that morning, a special guest arrived.
She wore a standard-issue jōnin vest, had long black waves of hair, and eyes like rubies.
Konoha's foremost genjutsu specialist—jōnin Kurenai.
Kushina, who was in the courtyard coaching Naruto, went to receive her.
"Kurenai, what brings you by?" Kushina smiled. They were kunoichi of the same era and on good terms.
Kurenai bowed slightly and offered a gift.
"Senior Kushina, I came specifically to pay my respects," she said, voice clear and pleasant. "I heard about the Cloud affair. Hinata has been preselected as my future student. The Namikaze protected her. As her teacher-to-be, I ought to come thank you in person."
It was courteous and well-reasoned.
"A small matter—no need to be so formal." Kushina waved it off and motioned for her to sit. "Speaking of which, please take good care of that child Hinata from now on."
"That's my duty," Kurenai nodded. Then her gaze drifted around the courtyard, as if searching for someone.
Kushina, sharp as ever, read her at a glance.
"Looking for Shinju?"
Caught out, a faint blush touched Kurenai's cheeks, but she admitted it frankly.
"Yes, Senior Kushina. The stories about Lord Shinju have ballooned into myth these last few days. I'm curious—what sort of prodigy could earn such regard from both the Fourth and yourself?"
Her tone was full of curiosity and the professional scrutiny of a master in her field.
She didn't fully believe the miracles being whispered through the village. More likely, she thought, Namikaze Shinju possessed some special talents in particular domains—and the household had simply polished the legend.
"A prodigy?" Kushina smiled and shook her head. "Kurenai, you'll soon see—'prodigy' isn't enough to describe him."
She didn't explain further, just called toward the house: "Shinju, we have a guest."
A moment later, Shinju stepped out.
He saw Kurenai, gave a polite nod, and sat quietly at Kushina's side.
Kurenai's eyes went to the boy at once.
Ordinary.
That was her first impression.
No kingly, world-crushing aura like the rumors claimed, no outward radiance like Naruto's. He just sat there—calm, a touch precocious—like the neighbor's well-mannered boy.
But when she met Shinju's gaze, that impression inverted in an instant.
What kind of eyes were these?
Calm. Deep. Carrying a wisdom far beyond his years. Under that look, Kurenai felt as if she'd been seen through to the marrow.
Her heart tightened. She put away the faintest trace of condescension.
"Lord Shinju, hello. I'm Kurenai," she said first.
"Hello, Kurenai-sensei," Shinju replied evenly. "Mother's spoken of you—Konoha's strongest genjutsu specialist."
Praise from a child like that felt strange. Kurenai forced herself to stay modest. "Hardly. I've only spent more time in that field than most."
Their chat flowed easily.
Kushina and Kurenai drifted over kunoichi topics. Shinju listened at the side, occasionally adding a sentence or two—always at the perfect moment, each time nudging the conversation forward.
His poise and social intuition shocked Kurenai all the more.
From that alone she could tell—this was not a child's temperament. He carried a steadiness far beyond his peers.
Before long, the topic slid to ninjutsu training.
Kurenai had been researching a B-rank genjutsu, Magen: Ibara Jigoku (Demonic Illusion: Thorn Hell). The technique forced victims to experience the pain of countless thorns piercing them within the mental world.
But at the key step, she'd hit a wall.
"Its power is unstable," Kurenai admitted, perhaps wanting to air a professional puzzle before Senior Kushina. "Sometimes it snares a chūnin with ease; other times, against a seasoned genin, it underperforms. I've checked the seals and chakra output—those are fine. I just can't find the cause."
Kushina wasn't exactly a genjutsu expert; most of it slid off her.
Shinju, silent till now, suddenly spoke.
"Kurenai-sensei, when you construct the genjutsu, you first inject mental energy, then shape it with chakra—right?"
Kurenai blinked, then nodded reflexively. "Yes. Isn't that how all genjutsu work? Mental force as the core, chakra as the medium—interfering with the target's five senses and chakra flow."
Textbook-perfect.
Shinju shook his head.
"That's where the problem is."
His voice wasn't loud, but the words dropped into Kurenai's heart like a stone into still water.
"What?" For a moment, she felt the six-year-old was challenging the foundation of genjutsu theory itself.
Unbothered by her surprise, Shinju continued, calm as ever:
"The core of Ibara Jigoku is the 'realness' of pain. That realness comes from your mental energy simulating and deceiving the target's nervous system. But raw mental energy is like water without a source; its penetration and force depend entirely on a head-to-head contest of willpower."
"If the target's will is strong—or if they've trained in anti-genjutsu—your mental energy struggles to invade. The technique's effectiveness plummets. That has no direct correlation to how much chakra you pump."
His analysis was clean, tight, and precise—nothing an outsider would toss off.
Kurenai's expression finally turned solemn.
"Then… in your view, how do I fix it?" She couldn't help asking.
Shinju lifted his teacup, took a sip.
"Simple. Change the approach."
"At the instant of your seals, use refined Inton (Yin Release) chakra to build a thorn 'skeleton' inside the target's mental world."
"This 'skeleton' isn't illusion; it's a real energy body formed by your chakra. Think of it as a coordinate, a beacon—an 'insertion port' you've pre-set."
"Then pour your mental energy along that chakra 'skeleton.' Fill in the details. Simulate the pain."
"In doing so, your mental energy stops ramming blindly against the target's mental defenses. Instead, it passes through your reserved 'port' to deliver precise, internal penetration and disruption."
"That route not only skirts much of the target's will-based defense—it also makes the pain of the genjutsu more 'real,' because the chakra energy body is physically present to support it. The power becomes stable."
"Your issue isn't the strength of your mind—it's your 'delivery method' and 'efficiency of effect.'"
Silence fell over the courtyard.
Kushina couldn't follow the fine points—but she saw Kurenai's face freeze.
Those ruby eyes went from dazed, to shocked, to blazing with joy.
The block that had long plagued her—
This boy had pierced it with a handful of unhurried sentences.
So that's it. So… it can be done like that!
First use Inton (Yin Release) chakra to build the 'conduit' of intrusion; then run mental energy through the conduit for a 'surgical detonation.'
The idea overturned twenty years of what she knew about genjutsu.
This wasn't improvement. It was the creation of an entirely new genjutsu framework.
Kurenai shot to her feet. She stared at the composed boy, her beautiful eyes full of disbelief and awe.
She had come to meet a "prodigy."
Instead she'd found a "mentor."
In genjutsu—his understanding might already lie far beyond hers. Unfathomable. Master-level.
"Lord… Shinju…" Her voice trembled with excitement. "I… I understand! I understand completely!"
She bowed deeply.
It was the formal salute of a student to a teacher—of a junior to a senior.
"Thank you for your guidance. I will never forget this favor!"
Shinju accepted it without fuss and said mildly, "You're too kind, Kurenai-sensei. I'll be counting on you to look after Hinata."
With a light touch, he converted a colossal favor into care for a future student.
That mind. That method. Kurenai could only marvel.
Looking at this mysterious, powerful, and quietly magnetic boy, she realized the village legends hadn't exaggerated him.
If anything—they had underestimated him by far.
(End of Chapter)
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