Not far away, when Kurenai heard Kamikawa had even dropped the "sensei" when addressing her, the corners of her mouth twitched in irritation.
"Are you done planning yet? I'm in a hurry."
"Oh, we're ready."
Kamikawa replied with a smile.
"Then begin."
Kurenai stood still, but her aura shifted instantly—she entered combat mode in a heartbeat.
The three exchanged glances and nodded.
Akizuki Airi made the first move, stepping forward and throwing several shuriken before drawing a kunai.
Kurenai didn't even bother taking out a weapon. With a few simple sidesteps, she effortlessly dodged everything.
Then—whoosh—she appeared in front of Airi with a Body Flicker, disarmed her, and drove a punch into her abdomen.
Airi gagged as her body was sent flying, instantly losing the ability to fight.
At that moment, Pangci's enlarged fist came crashing down with a roar, shaking the ground and creating a shallow crater filled with smoke.
"Did I get her?"
Pangci swallowed nervously, staring ahead.
"Not yet."
Kamikawa's voice sounded beside him—followed immediately by Kurenai's:
"Too naive."
Before he could react, Kurenai's foot struck Pangci's neck, sending his bulky body flying.
With a dull thud, a broken wooden log appeared in the crater.
Substitution Jutsu.
"Now… it's your turn, Kamikawa."
After dealing with the other two, Kurenai turned to the only one who hadn't moved.
"Sure. But if I happen to win, Kurenai-sensei… you'll have to agree to date me when I grow up."
Kamikawa smiled.
"If you can manage that!"
Kurenai's competitive spirit flared. She dashed forward.
Though, as Airi had said, genjutsu was her specialty—not taijutsu—she was still a Special Jōnin. Her close combat skills far exceeded those of a fresh graduate.
But very quickly—
she regretted it.
Kamikawa handled her barrage of attacks with ease. Not only that, his strength was astonishing—far beyond what a child his age should possess.
Each clash of their limbs sent a sharp sting through her body.
It felt less like fighting a human—and more like striking steel.
What is this kid? Did he train in something like Guy's Iron Fist?
Kurenai was inwardly shocked.
From the sidelines, Airi and Pangci gasped:
"He's so strong! He can actually fight Kurenai-sensei!"
"Kurenai-sensei, looks like you're destined to become my second wife in the future."
Kamikawa teased lightly.
He hadn't even activated his technique—he was relying purely on his physical strength and basic taijutsu.
"Don't get cocky!"
Kurenai's expression sharpened.
First time leading a team—and she runs into a troublemaker like this?
If she didn't teach him a lesson now, how could she lead in the future?
She leapt back, forming hand seals. Her body suddenly dissolved like liquid and vanished.
At the same time, saplings sprouted beneath Kamikawa's feet, rapidly growing into a towering tree that bound his limbs.
Genjutsu: Demonic Illusion – Tree Binding Death.
"Kid, you're still too green."
The ground rippled as Kurenai's real body slowly emerged.
"Are you sure?"
Kamikawa's voice suddenly sounded right beside her ear.
Kurenai's pupils shrank.
In the next instant, she felt a chill at her neck—a kunai had been placed against it.
From afar, Airi and Pangci stared in complete confusion.
What just happened?
Why had Kurenai suddenly stood still… muttering to herself… only to be casually approached and restrained?
"Pangci… do you know what just happened?"
Airi asked.
Pangci, face swollen but still munching chips, shook his head while chewing.
"No idea… but it looked amazing."
Kurenai took a breath, unable to hide her disappointment.
Losing to a newly graduated genin…
What kind of situation was this?
"How did you do it?"
Kamikawa lowered the kunai and pointed at the "bound" version of himself across from her, smiling.
"Kurenai-sensei, the academy teaches that genjutsu works by disturbing the opponent's chakra flow to manipulate their senses."
"I didn't know your exact hand seals, but since you said you specialize in genjutsu, I started disrupting my own chakra from the very beginning."
"That prevented your illusion from taking hold. Then, during the moment you cast it, I used a clone to mislead you."
"Kurenai-sensei… you underestimated me."
As he finished speaking, both the bound "him" and the tree vanished. The ground returned to normal.
"I see… So I really lost."
Kurenai gave a self-deprecating smile.
"To think you defeated me using just the most basic Clone Jutsu… The Third Hokage was right. You really are a genius."
"You flatter me, sensei. You were clearly holding back. If this were a real battle, I'd already be dead."
Kamikawa replied modestly, though a faint cold glint flashed in his eyes.
The Third Hokage had been monitoring him.
But with his heightened perception, Kamikawa had long noticed.
For years now, whenever possible, he habitually released Kyōka Suigetsu.
Most of what the Hokage observed—
was nothing more than illusion.
That was how he'd safely developed in secret.
Now, with Kyōka Suigetsu and the senjutsu chakra stored via the Tiangang Technique—
He was already capable of protecting himself.
What he displayed today was merely the tip of the iceberg—just enough to pave the way for revealing his illusion abilities later.
"A loss is a loss. No need to sugarcoat it."
Kurenai paused, then a sly smile appeared.
"But… Why did you stop calling me 'Kurenai'?"
"Oh? Are you serious?"
Kamikawa raised an eyebrow, meeting her gaze with a playful smile.
Kurenai held his stare, her competitive streak flaring again—
but after a few seconds, her face flushed, and she broke first.
"Tch… you little brat. What exactly have you been learning at the academy?"
She turned to Airi and Pangci.
"What happened today is confidential. Not a word to anyone."
"Be here on time tomorrow. Don't be late."
After that, she glanced back at Kamikawa one more time—
then vanished in a blur, her heart oddly restless.
Watching her retreating figure, Kamikawa's smile faded.
Still easy to read… just a young girl after all…