Ryo woke to the faint hum of birdsong filtering through the window. For a moment, he allowed himself to sink into the stillness of the room, the soft rustle of leaves outside a soothing reminder of where he was. Konoha. The Village Hidden in the Leaves.
Then, like a stone dropped into a calm pond, the memory of the previous day rippled through him—the fight with Kakashi, the carefully measured words, and the quiet warning in the jōnin's eye.
"Provisional pass." The phrase lingered, heavy with unspoken conditions.
Ryo swung his legs off the cot and stretched, wincing as a dull ache spread through his ribs. The fight hadn't left any serious injuries, but his body wasn't used to this level of exertion.
Time to get moving, he thought. The System's interface flickered into view as he dressed, a reminder that his powers were always there, always ready. But how much can I afford to use?
Ryo stepped out into the crisp morning air, the streets of Konoha already bustling with activity. Shinobi and civilians moved side by side, the village alive with an energy that felt both foreign and familiar. He adjusted the straps of his shinobi pouch and headed toward the training ground.
Kakashi had been vague about what came next, but Ryo wasn't about to sit idle. He needed to prove himself—not just to Kakashi, but to the village. To show that he could be an ally, not a threat.
As he approached the clearing, he noticed two familiar figures waiting for him: Kakashi and another shinobi—a young woman with short, dark hair and a serious expression. She wore a standard-issue flak jacket and had the look of someone who took their duties very seriously.
"Ah, Ryo," Kakashi greeted, his tone light as always. "You're just in time."
Ryo frowned, glancing between the two. "For what?"
"This," Kakashi replied, gesturing to the woman. "Ryo, meet Kurenai Yuhi. She'll be helping us today."
Kurenai gave him a polite nod, her crimson eyes assessing him with a quiet intensity.
"Helping with what, exactly?" Ryo asked, his unease growing.
"A second test," Kakashi said, his eye crinkling in a smile. "Call it... a team exercise."
Ryo suppressed a groan. He had barely recovered from the first test, and now there was a second one?
"What kind of exercise?"
Kurenai stepped forward, her voice calm and precise. "A genjutsu challenge. I'll be using my techniques to test your mental fortitude and ability to break illusions. Kakashi will observe and assess your performance."
Ryo's stomach sank. Genjutsu was an area he hadn't explored deeply yet. The System's Instant Mastery offered the theoretical knowledge, but applying it in a real-world scenario was a different matter.
"Don't worry," Kakashi said, clearly amused by Ryo's expression. "It's not meant to be easy."
"Of course it isn't," Ryo muttered under his breath.
They moved to a quieter part of the training ground, the trees providing a natural barrier against prying eyes. Ryo stood in the center of the clearing, his senses on high alert.
Kurenai took her position a few paces away, her hands already forming the seals for a genjutsu.
"Ready?" she asked, her voice steady.
Ryo nodded, his body tense.
"Begin."
The moment the word left her lips, the world around him shifted. The trees blurred and twisted, their trunks elongating into grotesque shapes. The ground beneath his feet turned to liquid, dragging him down as shadows danced in the corners of his vision.
Genjutsu, the System confirmed, its voice calm and detached.
Ryo clenched his fists, forcing himself to focus. He had read about genjutsu before, how it manipulated the senses and trapped the mind in an illusion. The key was to disrupt the chakra flow.
But how?
The System offered a solution, displaying a step-by-step guide to breaking genjutsu: identify the disturbance, isolate the chakra, and release it with a sharp burst of energy.
Ryo took a deep breath, closing his eyes. The world around him felt wrong, like a dream he couldn't wake from. He focused inward, searching for the disruption in his chakra network.
There.
It was faint, like a whisper at the edge of his perception, but it was enough. He concentrated, channeling his chakra to the point of disturbance and releasing it in a sudden surge.
The illusion shattered like glass, the world snapping back into focus.
"Well done," Kurenai said, her tone neutral but not unkind.
Ryo didn't have time to respond before the next illusion hit. This time, the clearing transformed into a battlefield. Smoke and fire filled the air, the screams of unseen combatants echoing around him. The acrid smell of burning wood stung his nostrils, and the heat pressed against his skin.
It's not real, he told himself, fighting the rising panic. It's just another illusion.
But this one was harder to shake. The sights and sounds were too vivid, too convincing. He could feel the ground trembling beneath his feet, the weight of an unseen enemy bearing down on him.
The System's voice cut through the chaos. "Focus on the details. Look for inconsistencies."
Ryo scanned the battlefield, his eyes darting from one element to the next. At first, everything seemed real, but then he noticed it—the flames didn't cast shadows.
Grasping onto that thread of logic, he forced his chakra outward, breaking the illusion with a burst of willpower.
The battlefield dissolved, and he found himself back in the clearing, breathing hard.
"Impressive," Kurenai said, a faint smile tugging at the corners of her mouth. "Most would have faltered under that one."
Ryo wiped the sweat from his brow, his mind racing. He had passed two illusions, but he could feel the strain building. Genjutsu wasn't just about breaking free—it was about maintaining clarity under pressure.
"Ready for the final one?" Kurenai asked, her tone unreadable.
Ryo nodded, though his body protested.
Kurenai's hands moved in a blur of seals, and the world shifted once more.
This time, Ryo found himself standing in Konoha's streets. The village was empty, the silence unnerving. Then, out of the shadows, figures began to emerge—familiar faces twisted into grotesque parodies.
Kakashi, his Sharingan bleeding into an empty socket. Naruto, his body riddled with kunai. Sakura, her hands covered in blood.
"You did this," the illusions whispered, their voices like nails on glass. "It's your fault."
Ryo's heart pounded, the accusations cutting deeper than he expected. He knew it wasn't real, but the sight of those faces, those voices—
No.
He closed his eyes, shutting out the illusions. This wasn't real. It couldn't be real. He forced himself to focus on his chakra, anchoring himself to reality.
With a final burst of energy, he broke the genjutsu, the world snapping back to normal.
When he opened his eyes, Kurenai was watching him with a look of quiet approval.
"Well done," she said, stepping back. "You passed."
Ryo exhaled deeply, his shoulders sagging with relief.
Kakashi clapped lazily from the sidelines. "Not bad. Not bad at all."
Ryo shot him a tired glare but couldn't help the small smile that tugged at his lips.
That evening, as Ryo sat in his room, the weight of the day settled over him. He had passed the tests, but Kakashi and Kurenai's lingering gazes told him that his journey was far from over.
The System's voice broke the silence. "You've earned a measure of trust. Use it wisely."
Ryo nodded, staring out the window at the moonlit village. Trust was a fragile thing, easily lost and hard to regain.
I won't waste it, he promised himself.