"Hello, I am Hyuuga Nagi."
The tokubetsu jonin returns her smile kindly, "And I'm Yuuhi Kurenai. You're Itachi-kun's teammate?"
"Yes, Yuuhi-san. Would it be okay for me to observe, I promise I won't bother you."
"Of course, go ahead."
Yuuhi Kurenai is gorgeous. Thick curly black hair and red eyes, if not for the weapons on her anyone can make the mistake of assuming her a noblewoman. Like most kunoichi, this is undoubtedly done on purpose. The ideal kunoichi look is to seem as decorated, in other words like a highborn lady that hasn't seen a day of hardship, it's a given to strive for such a fashion. To male shinobi, as plain and slight as possible is desired.
Of course there are those who completely throw these old-fashioned sentiments aside.
Nagi sit at the edge of the clearing, watching Itachi face off against Kurenai with a determined set to his lips that obviously had Kurenau suppressing a smile.
"As usual, you have to be able to determine you're in a genjutsu first and foremost before you try countering it. You're progressing well, unbelievably well, and I assure you that you can progress faster if you stop letting your impatience and frustration get in the way. Even Shisui-san himself took a lot to get to where he is."
Itachi look down, biting his lip, then he close his eyes. When he opens them again, he's obviously more collected, calmer even as the red of Sharingan flare to life.
"Thank you, Kurenai-sensei."
She nods and- nothing?
Nagi blink her Byakugan.
Nothing's happening but Itachi's brows have furrowed and- and the grass melt into a marsh and then a sea. The sky turns into dawn and the air blows at her hair. Only Kurenai maintains a manner of calm in her immediate area but even then, her hair rustles and bristles and spikes to lengthen around her and encapsulate her as her eyes shift and the hair goes smooth and oh it's a shark that drops into the water, stalking towards Itachi-
Okay, this is really scary.
Nagi press a hand over her mouth, holding in an instinctive scream.
It isn't so much the shark in the out of place sea (and the fear ingrained by a certain movie), but the unnatural shift to the surroundings and she can't see anything wrong-
Oh. Now she gets it.
The power of illusions is over the mind.
More importantly, what is already in the mind. Superstitions, for example. The reason why you don't look in a broken mirror and you hesitate to walk under the ladder and you get scared in the dark when you see faces. Just after reading a scary story you sometimes startle awake to check your surroundings, or curl up with your back against the wall to make sure nothing creep up from behind.
That part of your mind that has unconditionally accepted that these are possible... Especially in a world where a technique like twisting the environment and morphing into a shark more than likely does exist, you hesitate to throw in your whole lot into the belief that it's a genjutsu because what if?
Nagi imagine in a world where the media is widespread and there are tropes in certain genres, supernatural theories and horrors despite the supposed scientific dependence of people, this would be... oh, this would be the nightmare. Even now, it is.
Kurenai is the director behind the cgi in movies come to life.
She still can't see anything wrong, either in the surroundings and especially in Itachi.
Other than the fact that she's fortunately a third party and so is still capable of holding onto the knowledge that it's just an illusion because she came here to support Itachi, this is a practice, remember, unlike Itachi who has instinctively channelled chakra to his feet to stay 'afloat', cold beads of sweat on his forehead.
The red eyed Kurenai-shark growls and do sharks even growl?
Her hand grips something beside her, a rock, and it breaks under her taijutsu honed body. The shards hurt but nothing change.
It wasn't even an attempt to break the genjutsu, just a reaction to the fear.
And this isn't the type of sudden, shocking fright. It's the rising, growing horror of oh god I'm in it, I'm a part of this and her stomach turns and she loose track of her body.
For the first time since she received her hitai-ate, Nagi is tempted to bawl like the baby that she is.
Prior to this momemt, her only encounter with genjutsu is in the academy, and those are paltry compared to this. She absently wonders if it's possible to also exacerbate the fear one is feeling.
The surroundings have changed definitely, but the chakra hasn't. How is she doing this?
"The water! The water is the only real thing!" Itachi suddenly screams.
What?
Kurenai appears, giving them both impish grins, "Konoha is fortunate enough to have the two clans with one of the lowest susceptibility to genjutsu, so I've taken advantage of that and Konoha's natural inclination to teamwork to train my specialty that even your eyes will have a hard time to pick up."
The world fades back to the original state and she check the ground just to be sure. It's grass. No water in sight.
Seeing the same Itachi's expression twist into something suspiciously close to a pout, "I was wrong?"
"No, you were right." Kurenai tells him cheerfully.
Itachi looks at her doubtfully, "But... there's no water."
"There is. I'm just covering it with grass."
"... we were already in your genjutsu since the beginning." he mutter in realization.
"Maybe. Or I'm just covering the grass with water."
They look at her, speechless, Itachi tentatively saying, "So... it's multi-layered genjutsu."
She grins at him, "It has been since the beginning. And since we've started, I've had to cancel fourteen illusions already. Meaning you've peeled back fourteen of my creations."
Itachi is visibly stunned, "... oh. I thought... I thought I wasn't..."
Kurenai smile at him softly, going up to pat his head as he blink, "Impressive, isn't it. See, I told you. Have some trust in your teachers, Itachi-kun." he nods in a daze and she glance at Nagi, "Now that you understand, go hang out with your friend for the day, we'll take a break."
His head shoots up, "But-"
"I have missions too, Itachi-kun."
He freeze as if only remembering that fact and he looks down in regret, "I'm sorry. I've taken too much of your time."
Kurenai grins again and Nagi has the surreal feeling that she's teasing Uchiha Itachi.
"Just like taijutsu and ninjutsu, just because you're not visibly tiring anywhere, you still need to recuperate. Come back tomorrow, but for now go play -I mean, train, with your teammates. You'll feel better and be able to discern more. Presence of mind and self is important here."
XxXxXx
"Tokuma-nii, congratulations!"
"Would you look at that, genin at ten. The same age as the Yellow Flash." Natsu grins at him, the three of them chilling on the engawa.
Tokuma looks at her flatly, "Oh, shut up."
"Here, Tokuma-nii. I got this for you." Nagi presents him the necklace.
Necklace, earrings, and piercings are the most common shinobi accessories. Rings are, rather than just rare, a stupid choice.
Tokuma receive the braided leather, "Oh, Nagi, thanks."
He put it on after a moment of staring at it. It's nothing special, really just braided cord, nothing fancy but she can't think of anything she can get him that the clan can't just provide.
She considered some weights too, but she doesn't know if he requires that in his training. Nagi doesn't even know what department he aspires to enter, come to think of it.
"So how should we celebrate?" Nagi ask them, "I'll get you whatever you want as a gift to the best of my ability, nii-san."
They had celebrated her graduation with a simple meal of her favourite dishes as she'd wanted.
Tokuma scratch his head in thought for long minute.
"... Well, there's this book I've wanted to read."
The chunin perk up, "Oh? What's the title?"
"I saw it in my teacher's drawer, and he always seemed protective of it. He told some of my classmates not to try to look into it, there must be some secret ninja techniques too dangerous for us, so I don't know if you'll be able to get it..." He trails off.
A ninja publishing techniques? What a strange thought, which is the reason Tokuma naturally assumes that it's only circulated in a certain circle. Nagi is curious too.
Natsu blinks, "What? Did you try to read it? What was it about?"
"Yeah. But... I think it was coded. I could read it, obviously, but I don't understand the sentences. It's like, they don't make sense, but sensei was really absorbed in it so it must have meaning."
"A coded shinobi book?"
The three startle and turn to Hyuuga Hiashi, the pregnant Lady Hitomi, and Hinata. Hinata and her mother smile at her.
She bow in return.
"Greetings, Hiashi-sama."
It's part of a clan head's responsibility to offer his congratulations to every family of every graduated ninja so their presence had been expected.
Nagi is going to be honest. She specifically visited Tokuma today with the assumption that Hiashi had already dropped by.
"You want a book, Tokuma-kun? It can only benefit the clan if it's to help you in your training, if Nagi-kun cannot procure it, then I might find a way."
Tokuma looks hesitant, but still bows in gratitude, "Thank you, Hiashi-sama."
"What's the name of this book?" Hitomi asks..
Tokuma hums in thought, digging up the memory. "Oh, um, e- si- no, I think it was, Icha Icha Paradise."
A silence falls in their group, Hinata looking between her parents curiously.
Natsu's expression has gone dark and Tokuma is just as clueless as the three year old.
Nagi knows the reason for the reactions of course. Nagi may not have read it yet, may not get it yet at this age, but she knows why.
So, naturally, she raise her hand, turning to Tokuma.
"If it's just that, then I have that Tokuma-nii. It was pretty easy to get."
"What?!" Natsu exclaims, turning to her and the two other adults stare at her in shock.
"It was written by Jiraiya-sama, so I bought it and Icha Icha Violence. I have it in my bag, if Tokuma-nii wants to, I'll get it for you." She tells her pseudo-brother sincerely.
"N-Nagi-chan. Have you read it?" Hitomi says, a hand over her mouth in concern.
Nagi blink at them, "Yes."
Natsu chokes on her rage and Hiashi's eye twitch.
Hinata look between Nagi and Tokuma, "N-Nagi-neesama. C-can I also-"
"No." Hiashi says with extreme prejudice.
"Is it good, Nagi? Figures you'd be able to understand it." Tokuma says.
Nagi shakes her head at him, "No, I don't understand it. I understand it even less than Tokuma-nii because I can't read some of the kanji."
There seems to be a shared sigh of relief between the three eldest. Nagi suppose she's had her fun.
Hiashi clears his throat, "Tokuma-kun, I recognize the title -not because I've read it," he says at the look Hitomi shoots him, "and I can assure you that there are no techniques there."
"But I read the word 'technique' in it." Okay, so she's not quite done with it yet.
But no one's going to suspect a five year old.
"... It's just, recollection of Jiraiya-"
"Woah! A diary of a Sannin! Did he write about his fights?" Like any young shinobi, Tokuma's interest lights up at the potential of knowing more about the great ninjas of his village.
Hiashi looks at him helplessly.