Chapter 54: Shape Manipulation
Land of Fire.
The Border.
"Watch out."
Tonbo Tobitake gave a light warning. His right hand swung the katana down toward Itachi, while his left hand—almost imperceptibly—wove a Genjutsu seal.
Itachi's Sharingan spun rapidly. In his eyes, Tonbo's current speed seemed slow; the trajectory of the katana was so clear it was as if it were laid out on a map. He felt he could capture it even without the Sharingan—it was nothing like their previous high-intensity spars.
Is there a trap?
Suddenly.
He caught sight of Tonbo's other hand disappearing from view, blocked by his own body. Recalling Tonbo's signature move of one-handed seal weaving, Itachi realized something was wrong.
He had intended to use his ninja blade to parry the strike, but instead, he tried to rapidly distance himself from Tonbo.
Swoosh!
Too late.
Even though his senses told him there was still a ten-centimeter gap between Tonbo's blade and his own, his sleeve was suddenly shredded. It was as if Tonbo's blade had invisibly extended.
Tap! Tap!
Retreating several steps quickly, Itachi frowned as he stared at the katana.
What happened just now? Did the weapon actually lengthen?
"What's wrong with Itachi? Tonbo's blade entered a range that's hard to defend against before he even raised his sword to parry. How could he make a mistake of that caliber? It's not like him," Anko Mitarashi muttered from behind, her brow furrowed.
Having spent two months together, she understood Itachi's strength well. This kind of error shouldn't be made by Itachi—honestly, even a freshly graduated Genin shouldn't miss that. Against Tonbo, Itachi losing was a given, but he shouldn't lose like that.
Hayama Shirakumo focused his thoughts for a moment and said, "Did you see his hidden hand? He likely cast a Genjutsu in secret, and Itachi fell for it."
Anko blinked, recalling Tonbo's movements. She indeed hadn't seen his other hand. Remembering his one-handed seal technique and Genjutsu prowess, she felt relieved; as long as it wasn't a basic mistake by Itachi, she could accept it.
"What kind of Genjutsu is this now? This bastard Tonbo... just how much is he hiding?"
During these two months at the border, besides patrolling, they had spent their time sparring and learning from one another to stay in peak condition. Everyone had come to admire Tonbo's Genjutsu immensely. They had even gone so far as to ban him from using those disgusting taste-based illusions; they were simply too ridiculous. He was the strongest Genjutsu specialist she had ever seen.
"It's not that he's hiding it," Hayama noted. "It's that none of you can force him to use his full strength."
"..." Anko was speechless. She knew that! But being unable to break a Genjutsu even when you knew the opponent was an illusionist felt like a disgrace to the profession.
Itachi was, after all, Itachi. After a brief moment of reflection, he reasoned out the purpose of Tonbo's hidden hand. Combining it with Tonbo's usual style, he realized the blade hadn't actually lengthened—it was a displacement in his perception.
His Genjutsu made me misjudge the shape of the blade. He reached a conclusion.
"Release!"
He immediately performed the dispel technique. Looking back at the smiling Tonbo and the katana in his hand, the reality became clear. Although the weapon didn't look drastically different, through the eyes of the Sharingan, the katana was now about ten centimeters longer than it had appeared a moment ago.
What an insidious Genjutsu.
As a fellow Genjutsu-type ninja, he knew how terrifying such subtle illusions were. Normally, a ninja realizes they are in a Genjutsu quickly and can react, even if they can't break it. But an illusion like Tonbo's, where the victim doesn't even realize they've been affected, was horrifying. If Tonbo hadn't held back just now, Itachi would have lost an arm.
Itachi looked at the severed section of his sleeve.
"Ah, you realized it? How is it? My new Genjutsu. I haven't been slacking during these two months of patrol, you know."
Tonbo was a bit disappointed not to see a look of shock on Itachi's face. It's no fun when people are too smart, he thought. He had wanted to see Itachi look stunned and then beg him for the secret.
"A new Genjutsu?" Itachi asked.
This meant the technique had been developed within the last two months. It made him feel somewhat inferior. Everyone called him a genius, but perhaps the man standing before him was the true prodigy.
Tonbo nodded. "Genjutsu: Shape Manipulation. It can alter an enemy's perception of an object's form. In the moment you're caught, I define all shapes. However, the physical shape of the object remains unchanged. It's your perception that changes, not the physical matter. So, now that I've explained it, do you have a counter-strategy? Come, show me if you truly are a genius!"
Looking at the smiling man holding the sword, all three of them—including Itachi—felt a chill. Even knowing the mechanics, countering it wouldn't be easy. One would have to split their focus at all times to watch for potential illusions. Even if you thought you hadn't been caught, you wouldn't dare be careless. If he hadn't revealed the secret, the enemy would suffer; now that he had, the enemy would be forced to divert mental energy as if fighting an extra person.
In short, knowing the secret or not, the effect remained powerful. Unless, of course, the enemy was a robot with no consciousness.
Itachi began weaving signs. His mouth opened, exhaling a massive fireball toward Tonbo. This obscured the vision between them, preventing visual Genjutsu. He then pulled out several kunai, with steel wires attached to the loops, and launched them from different directions.
Swoosh! Swoosh!
"Worthy of a genius. You found a way to block my line of sight so quickly. However... blocking my vision also blocks yours."
Tonbo thought he was being a bit naive. He sheathed his katana, which had shrunk to the size of a dagger in his hands, and wove a new set of signs.
Earth Style: Underground Projection.
He didn't need eyes to see his way. This tactic only rendered his visual-based Genjutsu useless. He bypassed the Great Fireball through the earth and popped up right in front of Itachi, making a funny face.
Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!
However, he was greeted by kunai coming from all directions. Guided by the steel wires, they swerved toward him. Simultaneously, Itachi's Sharingan spun, observing his every move to make adjustments on the fly.
"Young people today have no respect for their elders—attacking a seventeen-year-old 'old man' like me."
Tonbo remained calm in the face of the incoming blades.
"Wind Style: Vacuum Wall."
Whoosh!
The kunai from all sides were instantly repelled by an invisible wall of air, flung outward in every direction with Tonbo at the center.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
The kunai embedded themselves into the trees with heavy thuds.
Clap, clap, clap!
Tonbo applauded. "Let's stop here. Good job. You've made more progress recently."
Anko Mitarashi walked up and pointed at his face. "Hey! You're cheating! You closed your eyes, so Itachi's Genjutsu couldn't even be used."
Tonbo shrugged. "If you're bad at the game, practice more."
That smug look made Anko want to punch him, but knowing she couldn't win, she could only clench her fists and grit her teeth. Just wait until I find an opening...
Itachi, lost in thought, silently began to retrieve his ninja tools one by one.
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