Chapter 2: The Correct Countermeasures Against a Genjutsu Ninja (Part 1)
"Hagoromo-kun, Obito, Guy—I found out what the graduation exam is!"
"Oh? Rin, how'd you find out?"
At that moment, Nohara Rin walked over. She was probably the only girl willing to approach this trio of an aloof guy, a loudmouth, and a bowl-cut weirdo.
By this point, any sharp reader would've realized the obvious: Hagoromo hung out with Obito and Guy precisely because doing so functioned like a natural repellent against unwanted female attention. Sure, he was inexplicably popular with the girls, but sticking with these two human anomalies meant life at school was a lot more peaceful.
"What's the test about, Rin?" Obito asked, clearly more nervous than he let on.
"Combat. The graduation exam will be based entirely on sparring. Rankings will be determined by your performance in battle. The instructors will assess whether you're qualified based on how well you fight—not just if you win."
"So even if you lose, you might still graduate if you perform well enough?" Hagoromo asked after thinking for a moment.
"Exactly," Rin nodded.
Hearing this, the two eternal bottom-rankers suddenly lit up like festival lanterns. Guy, in particular, was hyped—if it was a taijutsu-based exam, he actually stood a solid chance. Obito, on the other hand, was just relieved it wasn't a written test.
"Uh... Hagoromo, what did you mean just now when you were talking to Rin?" Obito asked, clearly confused.
Hagoromo sighed. "It means winning doesn't guarantee passing, and losing doesn't guarantee failing. What matters is how you fight."
"Ohhhhhh."
Both Obito and Guy nodded in fake enlightenment.
"Class 1, report to Training Field 8, now!" a loud voice suddenly rang out.
The speaker was Aizawa Bu, 35 years old, a teacher at the academy and a chūnin. Surviving the war unscathed and making it to that age? The odds of that were about the same as a woman in her 60s delivering a healthy baby naturally. This guy was practically a living legend in his own right. Most likely, he was their instructor.
Hagoromo and his little crew followed Aizawa to Training Field 8.
Sure enough, the exam was pure combat.
Class 1 had thirty students, and they all arrived quickly. Despite the loud complaints from the students, Aizawa announced the content of the exam with no hesitation whatsoever—live sparring matches.
There wasn't really any choice. Compared to doing a few jutsus or taking a written exam, actual combat was far more relevant—especially during wartime. Whether the kids liked it or not didn't matter.
The exam began with the teacher calling the first pair. Hagoromo watched a couple of nobodies step into the field, silently nodding to himself—they were decent.
Because of the war, the way ninjas were trained and tested had changed drastically. For instance, Uchiha Obito, who hadn't even awakened his Sharingan yet, was currently dead last in school rankings. But just a year later, at age eleven, he'd be a chūnin. In peacetime? Most eleven-year-olds hadn't even graduated yet.
Fight after fight, group after group, the matches continued—until finally, it was Hagoromo's turn.
"Round 6: Kamishiraishi Hagoromo vs. Yūhi Kurenai!"
Upon hearing his name, Hagoromo stepped into the training field without hesitation.
Genjutsu—a method of spiritual combat. It disrupted the enemy's mind through illusions, triggered by subtle cues: sounds, gestures, images, even smells or objects. It forced the opponent into a distorted mental state.
And Yūhi Kurenai was a genjutsu specialist.
Hagoromo was genuinely curious. He had never faced a genjutsu-type opponent during academy sparring sessions. This was a perfect opportunity to test whether his own abilities could counter illusions.
Because if he couldn't even handle basic genjutsu now, how the hell was he going to survive once he had to deal with Sharingan users?
"Rin, who do you think will win?" Obito asked, not-so-subtly sidling up beside her.
Why was he standing so close to Rin? Come on, take a guess.
"Probably Hagoromo," Rin answered firmly. Though, there was a second part she didn't say out loud:
As long as he doesn't forfeit.
See, Hagoromo had a habit. In practical classes, he would often claim "chakra exhaustion" and simply sit out. That was how someone with top-tier theoretical grades could still rank in the middle of the class overall.
But Rin wasn't actually worried today. There was no way Hagoromo would skip the graduation exam. First, because doing nothing would guarantee failure. Second—he was clearly interested in seeing how his abilities worked against genjutsu.
"No way. Kurenai will win for sure. Her overall grades are way better than that lazy guy," Obito scoffed. Why didn't he support his close friend? Well... maybe Rin's confidence in Hagoromo had rubbed him the wrong way. He probably didn't even realize it himself.
"Who knows…" Rin murmured. She couldn't really blame herself for wavering—Hagoromo had ditched so many fights, she'd lost count. If only they could transfer one-tenth of Guy's energy into him…
She accidentally pictured Hagoromo with Guy's watermelon helmet haircut and immediately shuddered. Nope. Hagoromo was fine just the way he was. No need to copy Guy's "aesthetic."
"Begin!"
With the instructor's shout, all eyes turned to the arena.
And then—everyone watching, including Kurenai—froze in shock.
Hagoromo had closed his eyes.
"Hey! What's your deal? Are you even planning to fight?" Kurenai shouted, clearly irritated and confused.
"I am preparing," Hagoromo replied lazily, as if half-asleep. "Step one is to close my eyes."
Kurenai was nearly driven to tears by frustration. Close his eyes? Was he mocking her? Was he implying her illusions were that predictable?
"How are you gonna fight with your eyes closed?"
"Oh, that? Well, technically I shouldn't be giving away my tactics, but since you asked so nicely, I'll tell you. You're a genjutsu-type, right? Closing my eyes is the first step in defending against your illusions," Hagoromo said, his tone dripping with condescending "kindness" like a cartoon villain giving away his master plan.