"Naruto Talent Entry: Awakened Legacy – Born of the Ōtsutsuki Bloodlin

"What a powerful combination technique! It seems the top three are all hiding their strength."

Shino Aburame, concealed in a tree, muttered to himself as he observed the dust and mist billowing from the clearing and the surrounding forest.

At the same time, he sent out a swarm of insects, taking advantage of the dust and mist to silently approach Kurenai Yuhi. He aimed to catch her off guard and steal the bell from her waist.

Unfortunately, Hinata had already triggered a hornet's nest.

As a Jonin instructor of the Sensory Unit, Kurenai Yuhi possessed excellent sensory skills. Startled by Hinata's powerful technique, she had already activated her sensing abilities when the dust and mist engulfed the area.

Kurenai quickly detected the positions of Izanami's shadow clone and the insects approaching her.

With a pop, like a balloon bursting, a figure vanished in the mist.

When the haze cleared, only a wooden log remained on the ground, surrounded by buzzing insects.

Substitution Jutsu!

Team 8 wasn't surprised by the development.

Hinata, her temple veins bulging, scanned the area. With her Byakugan's black-and-white vision, she clearly saw Shino hidden in a tree, Kurenai using the smoke to mask her movement into the forest with Shunshin, and Izanami already darting forward, becoming an afterimage as he closed in on Kurenai.

Seeing Izanami appear before Kurenai and initiate his attack, Hinata's Byakugan picked up something—causing a faint smile to lift the corners of her lips.

She silently pulled out a piece of cloth, nodded in Shino's direction, and vanished.

The hum of insects followed closely behind.

Elsewhere in the forest, the clashing of metal echoed.

Zooming in, a boy and a girl—differing in height by only a few centimeters—engaged in close-quarters combat, both wielding kunai in a reverse grip.

Izanami's kunai stabbed, slashed, and chopped toward Kurenai's vital areas with astonishing speed and precision.

His relentless and calculated offense left even the experienced Kurenai Yuhi on the defensive.

At first, she remained composed, relying on her vast combat experience.

But soon, her eyes widened in disbelief. Her pupils contracted, and her expression shifted drastically.

"How is this possible?!"

She blurted out.

Izanami, fully aware of what shocked her, gave a subtle smile.

Then—pop! His figure vanished in a puff of smoke.

Simultaneously, three loud voices rang out from the trees:

"Fire Release: Great Dragon Fire Technique!"

Three blazing fire dragons—each four meters long—roared toward Kurenai in a triangular formation, their orange-red flames lighting up the trees like a burning sunset.

Kurenai had no time to dodge with Shunshin, and her Genjutsu was useless in this scenario. She quickly formed hand seals and shouted:

"Water Release: Water Formation Wall!"

A torrent of water gushed from her mouth. Spinning, Kurenai directed the stream into a circular shield around her, meeting the three dragons head-on.

Loud explosions and crackling sounds followed as steam exploded outward, forming a dense, white mist.

"Cough, cough…"

Kurenai's silhouette stumbled out of the mist, coughing from the smoke.

Then, she suddenly paused—her body frozen.

A familiar sound echoed.

Jingle… jingle…

The soft ring of bells drew closer.

A breeze dispersed the remaining mist, revealing Team 8 walking out of the forest.

Izanami stood at the front, shaking the bell with a calm smile. Looking at Kurenai, he asked:

"Red Sensei, does this mean we've passed?"

Kurenai stared at the bell in his hand, then at the spotless, composed Team 8. Comparing their state to her slightly disheveled appearance, she sighed—not with frustration, but with pride.

She gave a bright smile and praised:

"You're all incredible. I was on guard the entire time, yet you still took the bell. Your strength and coordination are impressive. Your teacher admits defeat."

"No… Ninja battles are battles of intelligence," Izanami replied with a soft smile. "We succeeded because Red Sensei revealed too much of her skills and didn't have enough intel on us. In a real fight, things wouldn't have been so simple. We benefited from your intentional restraint."

Hinata and Shino, walking a step behind Izanami, turned to look at him with astonishment.

'Izanami… actually speaks this well?!'

'So that's how you flatter someone?'

Kurenai blinked, then broke into an even brighter smile, eyes filled with warmth as she looked at Izanami.

"You really know how to talk!"

Laughing, she patted his shoulder and then casually threw her arm around Hinata.

"Come on. Let's go celebrate the formation of Team 8. Your teacher's treating you to a feast."

As they strolled down the forest path toward Central Street, Kurenai glanced at Izanami, curiosity in her eyes.

"Izanami, how did your shadow clone break my Genjutsu during the battle?"

Breaking Genjutsu was standard Ninja Academy curriculum. In theory, you just needed to disrupt your Chakra flow.

But in practice, disrupting Chakra mid-battle is very hard. You need to consciously mobilize Chakra, which typically requires forming hand seals—nearly impossible in the middle of combat.

What shocked Kurenai wasn't that the person who fought her was just a shadow clone, or that Izanami had ambushed her with his real body while the clone distracted her.

It was that his clone was completely unaffected by her Genjutsu.

Izanami raised an index finger to his lips, smiling playfully.

"That's a secret, Red Sensei. After all, ninja battles are games of intelligence—and secrets make men more attractive."

He threw a wink toward Hinata, making the girl lower her head, cheeks flushed.

"You're not a man yet—just a brat," Kurenai rolled her eyes. "Wait until you're twenty and can drink with your teacher before saying that."

Though she teased him, she didn't push further.

Still, her assessment of Izanami had changed drastically. She now saw him as far more talented than Hinata or Shino, even though both hailed from prominent clans.

His immense Chakra reserves, mastery of Fire Release, precocious mind, and mature attitude…

Now, Kurenai finally understood why Izanami had topped the academy, outshining even the clan prodigies.

Izanami just smiled, offering no further explanation.

Naturally, he wouldn't tell Kurenai that the true reason he could resist her Genjutsu wasn't just his powerful Yin Release Chakra.

It was that he could manipulate Chakra without forming hand seals.

While others required seals to channel Chakra and break illusions, Izanami could do it with pure will.

He was the natural nemesis of Genjutsu.

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