At last, most of the urgent matters had been settled. With Shikaku and Minato handling Konoha's internal affairs, Wen Lan finally had time to resume his daily training sessions with Itachi and Kurenai.
By a quiet stream, Wen Lan sat on the grass, watching the two of them.
After a moment, he said, "Itachi, your ninjutsu inclination leans more toward genjutsu, correct?"
"Yes, senpai," Itachi replied respectfully.
Wen Lan thought for a second. "How many tomoe?"
"Two."
He turned to Kurenai. "Kurenai, you and Itachi will engage in a genjutsu duel."
"Understood."
The moment their eyes met, Kurenai's illusion brushed against Itachi's consciousness—
—and was instantly reversed.
Itachi's two-tomoe Sharingan spun gently, dissecting and rerouting the structure of her genjutsu in a split second, dragging her into a mental space of his own design.
Kurenai's pupils shrank.
The cherry-blossom path around her shattered, replaced by a dark corridor. Twin tomoe patterns rotated endlessly across the walls.
Her consciousness felt gripped by invisible hands. Sweat slid down her forehead.
So this is the Sharingan…? It's overwhelming.
She inhaled sharply and began forming hand seals to dispel it.
But Itachi's Sharingan contracted further. The illusion layered upon itself, tightening like a net. Though Kurenai's seals were swift, she had already lost control of the mental battlefield.
Her chakra fluctuations destabilized. Before her dispelling technique could complete, she was dragged deeper into the illusion's core.
Wen Lan watched quietly, a trace of approval flickering in his eyes.
Itachi's control far surpassed others his age—precise and calm.
Kurenai clenched her teeth, focusing her perception to search for flaws. Under the pressure of the Sharingan, every mental shift felt suffocating.
At last, she located a structural weak point in a corner of the illusion—
—and broke free.
"Hah… haah…"
She gasped heavily, eyes wide.
Itachi exhaled sharply as well, fine beads of sweat forming at his temples. Countering illusions consumed mental stamina too.
Wen Lan stood slowly.
"Kurenai, you didn't lose because your technique was weaker. You lost because your heart hesitated. In genjutsu duels, a single thought determines life or death."
He paused and turned to Itachi.
"And you—though you won, you left no space. The Sharingan's power shouldn't be a tool to crush others. It should be a mirror to see through the human heart."
He folded his arms.
"Both of your illusions share the same flaw: too much killing intent."
The two looked at him carefully.
"You treat genjutsu as a weapon to dominate. But what if you treated it as a bridge?"
He continued calmly:
"Hand over control of the illusion to the enemy. Let them see their deepest desire within the illusion. When they face their own obsession, they'll lower their guard willingly."
"True control isn't suppression—it's guidance."
Kurenai frowned. "But wouldn't that just make them realize they're in an illusion?"
"So what if they do?" Wen Lan replied.
"Imagine your deepest wish is to protect the village with your own strength. Now imagine the village faces destruction—and you alone save it."
"The entire village kneels before you. They shout your name."
"You know it's fake."
"But because you know it's fake—you'll crave it to be real even more."
He looked at them steadily.
"The illusion won't break—not because they're unaware. It won't break because it becomes their obsession."
"Then you guide them subtly. Tell them this isn't an illusion."
"It's a parallel world."
"A real world."
"When someone tastes their ideal life, hears the praise, achieves their dream—"
"Will they choose to wake up?"
Or stay?
Wen Lan's method mirrored what had once trapped countless victims under the Infinite Tsukuyomi.
The highest form of illusion—
Not shattering awareness.
But nurturing delusion.
When comfort outweighs truth, people choose the lie.
Kurenai's pupils trembled.
Itachi remained silent for a long while. The red in his Sharingan slowly faded.
Wen Lan didn't rush them. Truthfully, his own genjutsu wasn't perfect. He simply shared what he understood.
After a while, he clapped his hands lightly.
"Alright. You two look mentally drained. Come with me."
They arrived at Konoha Prison.
The two Uchiha guards bowed immediately.
"Third Elder. Young Clan Head."
"Second floor keys," Wen Lan said. "I'll take them in myself."
"Yes."
The deeper they went, the colder the air became.
Kurenai glanced at Wen Lan uneasily. "Why are we here?"
"To kill someone."
His voice was calm.
But cold.
They stopped at a cell. Five prisoners were chained inside, shackles piercing through their clavicles. Their clothes were filthy, dried blood crusted stiff against their bodies.
Their eyes were vacant.
They knew they were going to die.
Wen Lan dragged two of them out and tossed them onto the corridor floor.
He shut the door behind him.
"Use genjutsu," he said. "Kill them."
Kurenai stiffened.
Genjutsu manipulated chakra flow and attacked the brain. But these men had almost no chakra fluctuations left. Their emotions were hollow. Their will extinguished.
Illusions required anchors—fear, obsession, desire.
These men had none.
Empty wells.
Wen Lan leaned against the wall, arms crossed.
"I understand your hesitation. But if you can use genjutsu against people like this—then when you face real enemies, manipulating their minds will be effortless."
The meaning was clear.
If you can create illusion in emptiness—
You can command illusion anywhere.
Itachi and Kurenai exchanged a glance.
These were traitors. Death row inmates.
They had no psychological burden about killing.
The only question—
Was whether their illusions were strong enough to kill a heart that had already given up beating.
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