The Genjutsu Devil of Konoha

He watched the fight. He was eager to absorb as much knowledge as he could from this, so after Hizashi was crowned the winner, he didn't mind much.

Winner: Hizashi Hyuga.

After hearing that being announced, in his mind, he had already finished compiling a list of strengths and weaknesses to combat Byakugan users.

Gentle Fist – Strengths:

Disrupts chakra instantly.

Targets internal systems, not muscle mass.

Efficient in low-damage takedowns.

Weaknesses:

Requires Byakugan line-of-sight.

Limited in range.

Over-reliance on precision—could be countered with chaotic styles.

Counters:

Unpredictable movement.

Shadow clones as decoys.

Disruption of chakra point mapping (layered Genjutsu, maybe?).

Useful.

Very, very useful.

Next Match: Mikoto Uchiha vs. Hiashi Hyuga.

He watched Mikoto fight against him. The Gentle Fist was truly a work of art. He watched as it almost seemed like the man was dancing.

Almost.

Note to self: study Tenketsu points. Hm. If he was being fair, when he got home, he'd finish mastering the Clone Technique. Sure, the clone was an illusion, but with his power, the clone could be real.

After all, he did manipulate all six senses.

He watched as she dodged and blocked any attack aimed at her.

More like deflected—she was not trying to get taken down by the Gentle Fist. Hiashi was the heir of the Hyuga Clan, and Mikoto... was, well, a strong Uchiha. That was about it.

She seemed pretty strong, yet in close-quarters combat, there was no beating them.

Especially when she didn't have her Sharingan.

So what followed next was to be expected.

Hiashi shut down all of her chakra points, and she was unable to move.

She lost.

Heh. At least he learned something. She was quite resilient.

But she did lose.

Next up was...

"Match Six: Seijuro Kurama vs. Takeshi Uchiha."

Ah, the one who'd beaten Nawaki.

He would enter the arena, his gentle expression still on his face.

They would both make the sign of confrontation.

His fighting style is passive. I'll have to bait him, Takeshi would think. Yes, this was how he was going to beat this guy.

Who the fuck was the Kurama Clan, and why was someone from it so damn strong?

No—his attacks seemed to carry no weight, so his physical strength was not that high. He just needed to land one good hit.

Before Takeshi could finish that train of thought—

Seijuro was already on him.

A punch was thrown; the boy barely had time to react. He blocked the punch only for a kick to land on his chest. He gasped for air but locked back in, blocking the other blows.

Seijuro was like a beast—no stopping at all, piling up attacks one after another, not giving him time to breathe.

The hell?! Wasn't his fighting style passive?! When did he get so damn aggressive?! were Takeshi's thoughts, as he wasn't even given enough time to breathe.

Three palm strikes landed directly in his gut.

Four kicks. One spin kick.

Fuck. Block. Dodge. Parry. Get hit.

He was being pushed back toward the edge. No matter what he did, he was being pushed back.

He was being pushed back very, very hard.

He refused to lose like this.

He sent a kick of his own, which caused Seijuro to jump back, taking out his kunai.

He was going to rush at Seijuro, but Seijuro bowed, saying:

"Thank you for the fight."

Heh, why was he saying that? He didn't lose—

His eyes looked down...

He was outside the circle. Like, one of his feet was outside and the other was on the line.

He... had lost.

Takeshi was not going to let this shit slide.

Snake → Ram → Monkey → Boar → Horse → Tiger

"Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!"

What seemed to be a fireball escaped the boy's lips. Seijuro watched as the technique came toward him.

Then—

BAM.

Takeshi would feel as the fireball hit something, a proud grin on his face.

This is what he got for thinking he was better than the mighty Uchiha Clan.

Renji appeared behind the boy, immediately pressing the boy's head into the dirt.

The boy had used a jutsu when jutsu were prohibited. It wasn't like he could be expelled from the school—the Uchiha Clan was a great clan.

And at worst, they would get a slap on the wrist for it.

For using such a tactic.

"Takeshi Uchiha, for using a jutsu during sparring, you are disqualified—" Before the man could finish his rant...

Seijuro appeared, unharmed.

Heh.

The Substitution Jutsu.

Seijuro removed some of the dirt from his body, making sure his cloak was fine. His nanny had gone to great lengths to make it.

And he'd be damned if he let some brat damage it.

Renji's grip on Takeshi's arms tightened, his voice like a dagger dipped in ice.

"Jutsu in a sparring match... after a loss? Are you trying to bring disgrace to your entire clan, or are you just that stupid?"

He yanked Takeshi's arms a little higher, earning a sharp grunt from the boy. Takeshi was already face-first in the dirt, humiliated in front of everyone, but Renji?

Renji wasn't done.

"Do you think your surname gives you immunity? You're not even a genin and you're already acting like a rogue shinobi. I should—"

"Sensei Renji." Seijuro's calm voice cut through the tension like a blade sheathed in silk.

Renji turned, his eyes still smoldering with fury.

Seijuro stood tall, brushing the last of the dust off his dark cloak, straightening it with care. His expression was unreadable, but there was a twinkle of deliberate mischief behind those crimson eyes.

"I'm not injured. And I did win," Seijuro said, his voice light but somehow commanding. "If you break his arms, he won't be able to write his apology letter to me. And that would just be tragic."

He had a rather gentle look on his face as he said that. He didn't even look like he could hurt a fly.

Renji stared at Seijuro, then—very reluctantly—loosened his grip. Takeshi flopped onto his side with a groan, utterly caked in dirt and shame.

"Count yourself lucky, brat," Renji muttered, standing up and glaring down at the boy. "Seijuro just saved you from a punishment that would've had your clan elders dragging you back home by the earlobe."

Takeshi scowled at Seijuro, his pride torn to shreds. "I didn't need your pity..."

Seijuro looked at him, dead serious.

But he didn't do anything rash. He had an appearance to keep.

Though if he could, he would discipline the boy—not kill, discipline. The Uchiha were known to be emotional.

That's another thing to look after.

A/N.