On the screen—
"Is it over?"
Torune Aburame and Fū Yamanaka both let out quiet sighs of relief. Torune stepped forward to retract his nano-sized venomous insects.
Then, a voice called out from outside the field—
"Hey! Torune! What have you been doing this whole time?!"
Torune froze, confused. Fū also felt something was off.
A moment later, the masked shinobi known as Owl approached from behind them and said calmly,
"You two coordinated well just now. Those nano-insects are quite impressive."
"No, Owl—you were the one who—?"
Owl's figure suddenly blurred.
Then it shifted—revealing Nagi's true appearance.
The two were stunned.
They turned to look at the "Nagi" in Torune's arms—only to see that figure dissolve into smoke, transforming into Owl instead.
Nagi's chokutō was already resting against their throats.
"Checkmate."
Fū Yamanaka and Torune Aburame exchanged a glance and gave bitter smiles.
"We lost."
"WOOOOOO!!!" ×N
The training ground erupted in cheers and applause.
Though puzzled, Torune and Fū both understood the unspoken rule—some questions were better left unasked.
Nagi could tell exactly what they were thinking.
As he turned to leave, he said lightly—
"When did you start thinking I wasn't using genjutsu?"
He walked away, leaving the two staring at one another in shock.
Outside the screen, everyone was dumbfounded.
[Onoki: "So… it really was genjutsu!"]
[Rasa: "When did he cast it?!"]
[Shino Aburame: "How is that possible?!"]
The Aburame Clan members were particularly shocked.
If they were caught in genjutsu, their kikaichū would detect abnormalities and disrupt their chakra flow, helping them break free.
To completely ensnare an Aburame would require casting genjutsu on every insect on their body—a near impossibility due to their sheer numbers. Aside from large-scale genjutsu, they were generally resistant.
Only exceptionally high-level techniques—such as Kotoamatsukami, the Infinite Tsukuyomi, or chakra-draining abilities like Nue's—could bypass such defenses without detection.
[Jiraiya: "This must be some high-level genjutsu."]
[Mei Terumi: "But when did he cast it?"]
[Inoichi Yamanaka: "No… If Fū's Mind Body Switch Technique had truly connected, he would have sensed something wrong. And with Fū's chakra perception, he should have noticed that wasn't the real Nagi."]
Inside the Academy classroom, the Rookie Nine crowded around Nagi.
Kiba asked directly,
"That was amazing, Nagi! What was that just now?"
Naruto laughed loudly.
"Hahaha! Of course! How could my, Naruto Uzumaki's friend, lose like that?!"
Shikamaru immediately dismantled him.
"Yeah? You were the most nervous when Nagi got hit."
The girls in class practically turned into Nagi's admirers.
Ino looked at Nagi, then at Sasuke, then at Sai—
After careful consideration, she decided Nagi was the better option.
Sakura and Karin remained unwaveringly devoted to Sasuke.
Hinata shyly continued stealing glances at Naruto.
Meanwhile, Nagi silently replayed the scene from the screen.
It had gone rather well.
The genjutsu he used was a modified form derived from the foundational principles of Kotoamatsukami—the technique once implanted in Danzō Shimura's right eye—combined with elements of the Bringer-of-Darkness Technique.
This variation allowed him to manipulate the target's five senses—altering their perception of appearance, form, mass, texture, even scent—making them fully believe whatever reality he intended.
He modeled the concept after an ability from a manga called Bleach, naming the technique:
"Kyōka Suigetsu" — Mirror Flower, Water Moon.
There was also an inverted version—built upon the Bringer-of-Darkness Technique as the base and refined with Kotoamatsukami principles layered over it.
[Onoki: "Judging by his final expression, he was still holding back."]
[Rasa: "He's that strong?"]
[Mei Terumi: "My, my… handsome and powerful. How charming."]
[Tsunade: "Hmph! You're not exactly young yourself—flirting with one of Konoha's kids. Have some shame."]
[Mei Terumi: "Ara? If we're discussing age, Lady Tsunade, I believe you're older than I am."]
[Tsunade: "What did you say?!"]
[Jiraiya: "Ahem… Tsunade, you'll always be twenty-five in my heart."]
Tsunade ignored him completely.
Somewhere in the Land of Fire…
BAM!
Tsunade shattered the table in front of her with a single punch.
"That Mei Terumi—what did she just say?! I'm only slightly older than her! And she calls me old?!"
Shizune, teary-eyed, protested,
"Lady Tsunade, she didn't actually call you old… And we're almost out of money. Now we'll have to pay for the table and the floor."
At the word pay, Tsunade instantly snapped into action.
She hurriedly packed her belongings, peeked out the window, looked left and right, then whispered,
"Shizune. No one's looking. Let's run."
Without waiting for a reply, she grabbed her luggage and expertly leapt out the window.
"W-Wait! Lady Tsunade!!"
Shizune hurried after her, clutching Tonton.
The Bait Is Set
Over the following months, Nagi continued training relentlessly.
During quiet nights, he compiled and transcribed numerous books, adding his own annotations and commentary.
Among them were manuscripts Tobirama had personally written:
On the Evolution of the Sharingan
On Special Emotional Chakra Properties
On the Governance of the Soul
Nagi sealed these into scrolls.
He also organized texts titled:
Cell Biology
Theory of Biological Evolution
The Scientific Big Bang
Electromagnetism
"The bait has been prepared," Nagi murmured. "Now we wait for the fish to bite."
[Naruto Uzumaki: "Bait? What bait? Those are just books!"]
[Sakura Haruno: "Idiot, Naruto. It's a metaphor."]
[Naruto Uzumaki: "Ohhh, I get it."]
[Onoki: "Is he trying to lure someone out with knowledge?"]
[A (Fourth Raikage): "Ahem… Nagi, young man… have you considered selling those books?"]
Moments earlier, a group of Kumogakure scientists had urgently contacted him, insisting he acquire those texts at all costs. They claimed such knowledge could elevate the Hidden Cloud's strength to a new level.
The technological development of the shinobi world had always been… peculiar.
The Land of Snow possessed trains and chakra armor.
The world had telephones and wireless radios—
Yet villages still relied on messenger hawks.
If Kumogakure could obtain those books, their scientific division believed they could revolutionize the village.
Seeing their rare excitement, even the Fourth Raikage realized the value of what Nagi possessed.
[Shiranui Nagi: "There is no need to worry, Lord Fourth Raikage. Those books will reach the appropriate hands—though it may take a little time."]
Unspoken, he added silently:
And who those 'appropriate hands' belong to… remains to be seen.
Nara Shikaku subtly stopped the Third Hokage from speaking.
He sensed deeper meaning in Nagi's words.
Hiruzen quickly calmed himself as well—trusting that Nagi had a plan.
[A (Fourth Raikage): "Very well. Then I thank you in advance, young Nagi."]