This was precisely Shinku Yuhi's personally created ultimate Genjutsu, Red Lotus.
It constructs a beautiful yet deadly cage for consciousness through Genjutsu, causing the victim to suffer continuous and heavy mental oppression and dissection in endless silence and slow death, until they collapse!
"It worked!"
"Jonin Shinku won!"
"Great! Let's see how that guy keeps being arrogant now!"
After a brief silence, thunderous cheers erupted from the Konoha side of the stands!
Everyone saw the previously overbearing samurai frozen in place, while Shinku Yuhi, though his complexion had turned slightly pale and his breathing somewhat heavy, was clearly standing in the arena.
It was the unmistakable sign that the Genjutsu had succeeded.
"Dad won!"
Among the crowd, Kurenai Yuhi could not help clenching her fists. Her crimson eyes were filled with excitement and pride as she spoke to Tsunade, Shizune, and Shinichi beside her.
Shinichi's expression was somewhat subtle. He did not speak, merely glancing slightly at the excited Kurenai Yuhi.
On the high platform, Koharu Utatane visibly let out a breath of relief, her tightly tensed shoulders relaxing.
"At last… Shinku is still reliable."
"Indeed."
Homura Mitokado nodded, a smile appearing on his face. "I know Shinku's Red Lotus Genjutsu. It's a technique he has studied for many years, specializing in mental suppression and confinement. Against this kind of reckless brute, it's exactly the right remedy."
In the special observation area nearby, the three tomoe in Fugaku Uchiha's eyes slowly stopped spinning, returning to ordinary black pupils.
In his judgment, the battle had already ended.
The two Hyuga brothers, Hiashi Hyuga and Hizashi Hyuga, still had their Byakugan activated, staring at the motionless Isshin in the field.
In the vision of their Byakugan, the chakra flow inside the samurai from the Land of Iron had completely stopped.
In their judgment as well, the outcome had already been decided.
Inside the arena, Shinku Yuhi slowly exhaled a breath of turbid air tinged with fatigue.
Being pursued relentlessly by such a humanoid beast from beginning to end had forced both his mind and body to remain in an extremely concentrated state. The consumption was far greater than it appeared.
Moreover, he himself was not a Jonin famous for Taijutsu or Ninjutsu.
Successfully casting a Genjutsu at the Red Lotus level had instantly drained a considerable amount of his chakra and spiritual energy.
At this moment, his temples were still throbbing faintly, sending waves of slight stabbing pain.
Shinku Yuhi steadied himself, forcibly suppressing the discomfort in his body, and walked toward Isshin, who stood motionless like a statue. The edge of the kunai in his hand reflected a cold glint of light under the sun.
According to the rules, he only needed to lightly place the kunai near the opponent's neck or heart, any vital point, and the referee would declare his victory.
However, at the moment when he was only three steps away from Isshin and was about to raise his arm, an unmistakable sense of danger surged from within his heart.
Shinku Yuhi's rich combat experience caused him to attempt to retreat almost the instant he sensed the danger.
But… It was already too late!
The body that had been standing motionless like a stone statue, with hollow eyes, suddenly moved without any warning!
Isshin's right fist clenched. Without using any fancy technique, he simply twisted the terrifying strength of his entire body into a single force and blasted it directly toward Shinku Yuhi's face!
Before the punch even arrived, the violent wind from the strike already pressed down on Shinku's breathing!
In haste, Shinku Yuhi could only cross his arms in front of himself in defense.
"Boom!"
Amid a dull sound like a heavy hammer striking leather, Shinku Yuhi felt an irresistible, overwhelming force crash into him. His arms ached and went numb as his entire body uncontrollably staggered backward through the air!
And in that brief instant when his body lost balance, his old strength spent while new strength had yet to arise, Isshin, having succeeded with one strike, moved.
His burly figure vanished from the spot like a ghost in the horrified eyes of the crowd!
"Watch out behind you!"
"Where did he go?!"
Incredulous cries erupted from the stands.
Shinku Yuhi's pupils shrank. While still in midair, he forcibly twisted his body, but a trace of coldness had already touched the side of his neck, so fast it felt like an illusion.
Just as his feet finally landed firmly on the ground again, he also heard a clear, crisp metallic friction sound from behind him, symbolizing the end.
"Click."
It was the sound of a katana precisely sliding back into its sheath.
Immediately afterward, a calm yet unquestionable voice sounded behind him: "You've already lost, ninja of Konoha."
Lost?
Shinku Yuhi's body stiffened. Slowly, he raised his hand, his fingertips touching the side of his neck. A trace of warm liquid stained the pads of his fingers.
There, an extremely thin and shallow line of blood was slowly seeping out.
He fell silent. If this had been a real life-and-death battle, at that instant just now, his head would already have fallen to the ground.
"How is that possible!? Wasn't he caught in the Genjutsu?!"
In the stands, countless spectators stood up in shock, erupting into incomprehensible clamor.
"Impossible! The Genjutsu clearly took effect! I saw him freeze with my own eyes!"
"My god! Could it be… could it be that he never fell under the Genjutsu at all? Was he just pretending?!"
"That's too despicable! Just as despicable as always!"
"But… pretending to be under the effect of Genjutsu… is that even possible?"
In the observation area for the ninja clans, the always calm expression on Fugaku Uchiha's face finally changed. His brows knitted tightly, and his Sharingan opened again as he stared fixedly at Isshin standing in the field with his sword sheathed.
"That shouldn't be possible. His spiritual fluctuations couldn't be faked. He really was pulled into the Genjutsu. But breaking free in an instant? How could that be?"
The Hyuga brothers exchanged glances, each seeing the same confusion in the other's eyes.
On the high platform, the smile on advisor Koharu Utatane's face had already frozen.
Homura Mitokado's hand pushing up his glasses had also stopped midair, the gaze behind the lenses filled with astonishment and suspicion.
The third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, took a deep drag from his pipe and slowly exhaled, the smoke obscuring the depths of his eyes.
....
Inside the arena.
Shinku Yuhi looked at the trace of bright red on his fingertip, then raised his eyes and gazed deeply at Isshin, who stood there with his blade sheathed, his breathing as steady as before.
In the end, he slowly raised his hand toward the referee's direction and spoke in a slightly hoarse voice: "I concede."
Then he turned his head to look at Isshin and asked the question that was in everyone's mind: "How did you do it? My Genjutsu should have clearly hit."
Hearing this, Isshin merely glanced at him indifferently. That look was as if he were looking at someone who had asked a childish question.
"What gave you the illusion that I was caught in a Genjutsu?"
An illusion?
Shinku Yuhi frowned tightly.
He had absolute confidence in the secret Genjutsu he had painstakingly developed, and the sensation just now of the technique striking and restraining the opponent had definitely not been an illusion.
But since the other party said so, it was obvious he had no intention of revealing the real secret.
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