Summary: What if something changed Naruto's focus from ninjutsu to genjutsu, late in his academy days? Would he give up? No, he'd find a way to succeed, because that's his ninja way!

The Illusory Arts

The Sun shone brightly over Konoha, the Hidden Leaf Village. The thick, fluffy white clouds parted to reveal a magnificent blue sky, filled with birds chirping an ode to nature. Underneath them were the fine citizens of the Leaf, toiling away at their various occupations.

While this was going on, a boy sat in a classroom at the Ninja Academy. That boy's name was Uzumaki Naruto. Naruto was a short, slightly tanned boy with bright spiky blond hair and blue eyes with three whisker marks on each cheek.

Was our hero diligently paying attention to the teacher? No, he was… napping on the desk.

"DARN IT NARUTO, WAKE UP AND PAY ATTENTION!" Iruka shouted at the boy.

Umino Iruka was the chunin instructor in charge of overseeing the education of these fine young minds in the ninja arts. A chunin was one rank above a genin, which these students were studying to become. A jonin, however, was a higher rank than both, and indicated that one was an all around high level shinobi.

"Ack! Sorry Iruka-sensei, I guess I dozed off again. Ehehe…" Naruto sheepishly responded.

Iruka pinched his nose, idly rubbing at the giant scar that went across it. "Naruto, I expected you to at least try a little harder considering this is the year that you may graduate, along with your classmates."

Unnamed side character #1 decides this is his chance to shine.

"Him, graduate? Please, the dead last is more likely to get himself killed practicing."

The other students laughed at Naruto's misfortune while the boy in question silently simmered in his anger, as he didn't want to upset Iruka-sensei again. Unfortunately for Naruto, interactions like this were commonplace.

"Sorry Iruka-sensei, I'll pay attention. What were you talking about again?"

Iruka, glad to see that the students had settled down and were paying attention again, dutifully continued on with his lesson.

"I was talking about the different branches of jutsu. Who can tell me the three main branches of jutsu that we use in combat?"

Haruno Sakura politely raised her hand. "I can, sensei! The three main branches of jutsu are ninjutsu, genjutsu, and taijutsu."

"Very good, Sakura! You're absolutely right. Today's lesson however, will focus specifically on genjutsu."

'Ugh, great… I totally suck at genjutsu.' Naruto thought. Little did he know, one of the main reasons he 'sucked' at genjutsu was the giant, malevolent nine tailed fox spirit sealed inside his gut.

"I'm sure you're all wondering what exactly is genjutsu, huh? Well, genjutsu is the use of illusionary techniques to influence one's senses. Unlike ninjutsu and taijutsu, genjutsu is purely illusory, meaning it's all in the mind, and it doesn't cause any direct physical impact."

Naruto wrinkled his nose in distaste. "Boo! That's lame. Who would want to use techniques that cause no damage? Ninjutsu sound way cooler!"

On the inside, though, Naruto was curious how a mental technique could even be useful.

"You'd be surprised, Naruto. The beauty of genjutsu is that it's all in the mind, so theoretically the possibilities are endless. However, to learn more about it you'd have to seek out a genjutsu specialist, since they're the most knowledgeable on such things."

'A genjutsu specialist, huh? Maybe if I could learn this genjutsu stuff, I could prove everyone wrong and I won't be the dead last anymore.' Naruto thought silently. He zoned out for the rest of the lesson, as it was typical for him.

"Well, that's all the time we have for class. I hope you all enjoy your day, and remember to brush up on your studies. We'll be having a pop quiz tomorrow, so come prepared!" Iruka left the students with those parting words.

The students all groaned at that, and began to file out of the classroom, chattering about this and that. Naruto however, remained firmly in his seat, his mind still fixated on today's lesson. Naruto had made up his mind.

'I can't believe I'm saying this, but I actually want to learn more about this genjutsu stuff. Now, if only I knew where to find a genjutsu specialist…'

"Ehh!? You're actually thinking about taking on a genin team?" Anko incredulously asked her best friend, Kurenai, in between eating sticks of dango.

Mitarashi Anko was a special jonin of Konoha. A special jonin is a shinobi who specializes in one area of the shinobi arts, as opposed to regular jonin who excel in all areas equally.

"Well, I think it's about time. Don't you?" Kurenai responded to her friend, uncertain.

Yuhi Kurenai was one of the few genjutsu specialists in all of Konoha. In addition to being an all around jonin level shinobi, it wouldn't be a stretch to say she was the best genjutsu user in the whole village at the moment.

"Hmm… well, I think you'd do good with kids. Personally I can't stand them though, ahahaha!" Anko laughed at her own humor. "Seriously though Nai-chan, you shouldn't think so hard about it. If you really want to teach a squad of genin, just go for it. I know you'll do a great job." Anko encouraged her friend.

Kurenai blushed, in response to her friend's unwavering support for her. "Well, okay then. If you really think I can do it, then I'll give it my best shot."

Kurenai may have been a shy person, but she was a fiercely determined shinobi, and she was resolute on seeing this through. She would take a squad of precocious academy students, and she would make them into damn fine shinobi.

END CHAPTER

A/N: Uhh… hi. Okay, I'm gonna be honest, this is the first fanfic I've ever written. I've been reading fanfiction for probably 12 years or so, and the thought of writing one hadn't crossed my mind until about a week or so ago. This is basically just a proof of concept, so don't get your hopes too high, I have no idea where I'm going with this. Review if you have any likes, dislikes, comments, complaints, I have thick skin so I'm open to any criticism. Bye!