The Genjutsu Devil of Konoha

Time skip.

It's been six months since he was deployed. Weekly missions, always in the field—being a scout was exhausting, really. Still, Seijuro didn't want to get rusty in his free time.

So whenever help was needed at the medic area, he would go there and heal. He was probably the best medic on base, able to stop a wide variety of injuries—even severe burns.

Lady Katsuyu was quite helpful, really.

He'd heard talk going around—something about him being a great medical ninja.

As he finished removing some poison from another soldier's body—poison? He didn't know Iwa used poison now. Oh well, there was that.

"He looks so cute."

Wow. Another female fangirl. He was starting to get a lot of those lately.

He removed his gloves and tossed them in the trash before washing and sanitizing his hands, making sure everything was properly cleaned.

Then he finished his report on the patient.

He walked over to the head doctor, a Chunin named Kotetsu. Her medical ninjutsu was powerful—second only to his. She didn't know that, though.

"Here's my report, Miss Kotetsu."

The Chunin looked through his paperwork and, as always, it was neatly detailed down to the last minor issue.

"Great job as always, Seijuro," the woman said calmly.

"You do know you don't have to help us all the time, right? You should spend that time training and grinding your skills," she added. She didn't want him to die because his other ninja skills were lacking.

They weren't. He currently had five clones training his other skills as they spoke. She just didn't know that.

"As Tsunade-sama's student, I could not simply stand by and watch without helping. What kind of image would that project of my sensei?" he replied with a determined expression on his face.

Geez. Didn't he just look adorable? And to think—70% of that was faked.

Sure, he did care about his comrades and Tsunade's image and all that junk, but he also needed a solid alibi.

For what, you may ask? Simply for Kurama Seijuro.

Hm. Maybe he could play the Aizen Sōsuke card for when Seijuro takes over. The opportunities were truly endless. Plus, his dad—the one with the Kekkei Genkai—did go missing a few years before his "body" was found.

That was more than enough time to have another kid. Like, come on, the man had been gone for like six years.

That was a big-ass time period. The guy had him after that, before going missing again for a while.

So many possibilities.

Hm. Maybe he could use that one.

Kotetsu looked at the child in front of her, unaware of his inner thoughts. He was just so responsible. She wondered if he had a girlfriend. Her niece was single...

Granted, her niece was like fifteen, and Seijuro was ten, but frankly, the second anyone became a shinobi, age became just a number. Something you could ignore if you wanted to.

So yes, legally, Seijuro could, in fact, date her niece.

Though before she could say anything—

Seijuro politely excused himself.

It was like an all-you-can-eat buffet of duccy. Not interested.

Heading to the training ground, he picked up his sword, Kyōka Suigetsu, and began to swing it around, refining his swordsmanship a bit more. He needed to be way better or else he might lose his edge.

As he was training, one of his squad members arrived at the field.

Hyūga Mai.

"Seijuro-san, the squad captain is calling," her voice came out shy. Hm, her cheeks seemed lightly red—wow, he was out here making 16-year-old girls blush. Truly peak performance.

"Thank you for telling me, Mai-chan. Let's report back to the squad captain," he said politely, to which she nodded.

Why was she close to him, you may ask? Simple—Seijuro helped however he could. He'd already proven himself more than worthy of being in this squad, and had started building a bit of a reputation. The Phantom of Konoha was gaining more notoriety.

Especially with such a diverse team, he seemed to thrive in it. The tactic was simple... yet very effective: have the Uchihas and one of the Hyūga on the frontline. In the backline were the other Hyūga, Mai, and the Inuzuka—working as a protective line. Their role was simple: protect the Aburame and the Hyūga.

Kyosai's bugs were very deadly, and Seijuro's illusions made sure everyone had a far easier time. He especially masked the presence of Kyosai's bugs, making his job 100% more effective.

Currently, they were the only squad with a 100% success rate. Seijuro, however, had a sneaking suspicion this would be his last mission with them.

Why, you ask?

Let him explain... Uchiha.

There were six Uchiha in the team. Six Uchihas gaining fame. And a future Uchiha clan leader having the lowest mortality rating in the war so far—when usually, squads like these needed replacements every mission or so?

Yes. The death rate was that high.

Iwa was vicious. And with their squad being one of the main reasons Iwa hadn't budged an inch?

Let him explain.

Iwa was currently trying to enter the Leaf by first establishing a stronghold in the Hidden Grass Village, so they'd share a border with Konoha.

Good, you got that? This way, it would be easier for them to sneak in and slowly chip away at Konoha's very fertile land.

However, for that to be successful, they needed to gain some ground. Win some scuffles. Sneak by Konoha's stations. But how could they win the war if every scout team they sent to check Konoha's positions never came back?

What if their resource lines always got discovered and destroyed mere weeks after they were established?

And it all tied back to one squad.

Which also tied into his suspicion that this would be his last mission with the Uchihas. If his guess was correct—and the way Konoha had been suppressing the Uchiha stayed the same—

They would never allow the Uchiha to take such credit.

So Seijuro would be pulled away from the squad. And when they inevitably started suffering losses, they'd probably use the chance to downplay the Uchiha's previous performance.

"They were only benefiting off the back of Seijuro," and shit like that.

When in reality, it was more about readjusting after losing a core member. Sure, Seijuro was the youngest and the last to join the squad—it didn't mean he wasn't important.

He made missions easier. But oh well. Politics.

As he entered the area, Fugaku looked a bit annoyed.

The whole squad was here.

Nice.

"Kurama, you're here," the man said upon seeing Seijuro arrive. Mai followed behind quickly after. Arata didn't seem to like that.

Hm. Seijuro didn't like the implications of that.

Come on, he wasn't trying to cockblock the guy.

Now that everyone was here, the captain pointed at a map.

"Over the past six months, we've managed to intercept every attempt made by Iwa to enter the Land of Fire via the Land of Grass."

He pointed to all their battles. The more they fought in an area, the redder it appeared on the map. The middle of the Land of Fire was as red as it got.

"So what of it? We beat their sorry asses. What's different now?" Riku Inuzuka said cockily. He was quite proud. So what if those little shits changed strategy? They'd win.

Seijuro looked at him. Way too much damn confidence.

"The thing is—from what our reports say—they've mobilized a huge platoon to forcefully take over the Land of Fire."

That didn't make sense.

"Did we beat them so hard those idiots with rocks for brains are really trying to overwhelm us?" Setsuna Uchiha said, unimpressed.

"Well, probably doesn't matter to them. The Hidden Stone is known for breeding like rabbits, popping babies like crazy," Riku said as his Ninken licked his face.

"All they're good at is Earth Style and dying," Kaien muttered. This Uchiha pride might become their downfall in the future.

Well, Seijuro thought, maybe not. He'd probably have to step in, considering the person he's most likely to end up with is an Uchiha herself.

Might need to fix that.

"No. From what our intel says, while that platoon is busy with Lord Orochimaru, they sent a smaller squad farther north—toward the Village Hidden in the Waterfall."

DING.

Seijuro's eyes widened slightly.

Wow. He knew this chance would come.

Sure, he wasn't done with learning the Strength of a Hundred Seal. He was close, though. Still needed about 18 more months to fully master it.

But he was more than qualified for the mission he had in mind.

"Our job is to find out what they're planning to do—and, if necessary, put an end to it before it even begins."

The man looked at them, expression serious.

"This mission is expected to last a couple of weeks, so prepare accordingly."

Then he turned to Seijuro.

"And for you, this means—for the next few days—you are not allowed to help out in the medical area."

The message was clear: he was needed at maximum capacity. He was the healer of the squad, after all. Even if he had started teaching Mai some healing techniques—comparing his healing to hers was...

As one wise Chinese man once said: it was like Heaven and Earth.

"Yes, Captain," Seijuro said politely.

He would prepare for this mission.