With a single raised hand, Hajime dispelled the genjutsu.
As the dust cleared, Ryō Inuzuka and Kurotama staggered to their feet, both man and dog wearing dazed expressions.
Did I just… have a dream?
Wait!
Weren't they in the middle of a genjutsu combat simulation?
Their memories slowly returned.
Ryō remembered—he and Kurotama had been kicked away by their captain, and then… nothing. A blank.
"Captain, Ryōma… what just happened?" Ryō scratched his head.
Kurotama barked twice as if echoing the confusion. It too had a complete gap in memory.
"You were caught in a genjutsu," Hajime replied simply, without elaborating further.
The technique had worked well—exactly as he had hoped.
But the reason he'd been able to so quickly and deeply hypnotize both Ryō and his ninja dog wasn't just due to the jutsu itself. It was because he had activated the power of [Hypnosis Master].
By his own abilities alone, he couldn't achieve such deep hypnosis on two targets mid-battle in such a short time.
Without the aid of the Hypnosis Master status, his new jutsu would only be effective during surprise attacks or when the enemy had already been restrained.
Even so, that didn't mean the jutsu was a failure.
It was still an excellent genjutsu—especially useful for stealth and assassination missions, where it could have incredible impact.
Ryō, unaware of the hidden details, was shocked. "Captain, your genjutsu is even more terrifying than the Uchiha's Sharingan."
To be hypnotized mid-battle—and even lose part of his memory—that wasn't something ordinary Sharingan genjutsu could do.
Of course, a master-level hypnotist wasn't something ordinary Sharingan could compare to.
"Again!"
Hajime launched another attack without warning.
He needed to keep refining the precision of his hypnosis—continuously drawing strength and experience from the Hypnosis Master status.
Likewise, Ryō Inuzuka and Ryōma Aburame could use this opportunity to strengthen their resistance against hypnotic genjutsu.
But based on his past experience, Hajime knew: just inventing a new technique wasn't enough to cement the Hypnosis Master status.
He had to become a hypnotist master himself.
Seven days. It wasn't going to be easy.
In fact, after finishing development of the new technique, Hajime wasn't too confident he could succeed.
What he could do now was simply continue to improve himself as much as possible.
…
The entire morning passed in relentless training.
By the time they were done, Ryō, Kurotama, and Ryōma were all lying flat on the ground.
Ryō and Kurotama both had the same vacant, soulless expressions on their faces—eyes dull, spirits nearly broken.
They'd been hypnotized too many times in just one morning. Even their mental states were beginning to fray.
Ryōma held up a little better, but there was clear shock in his eyes.
Even he had been successfully hypnotized. Despite the insects living inside him, they couldn't rouse him from the depths of that genjutsu.
All the standard genjutsu release techniques had proven useless.
…
Sitting cross-legged on the ground, Hajime calmly reviewed the results.
The new technique could be considered complete, at least in its initial form—and it was effective.
Hypnosis, followed by manipulation of the victim's subconscious, plunging them into a sleepwalking state.
In this condition, the controlled person could still use all their innate abilities—and, under Hajime's influence, could even perform jutsu that he himself had mastered.
Unfortunately, even after a full morning of practice, Hajime still couldn't execute the jutsu perfectly in battle without activating Hypnosis Master.
This meant the technique had limitations on when and where it could be used.
But Hajime understood—that was simply because his own hypnotic precision wasn't high enough.
There was still a huge gap between being a specialist and being a true master.
Even with the gifted instincts and talent that came with the Hypnosis Master status, fully realizing that potential wasn't something that could be done overnight.
"I still need to push harder… do everything within my power," Hajime murmured, keeping his mindset steady.
Then his thoughts shifted—time to name the new jutsu.
Sleepwalking Technique?
Too blunt. Too simple.
No… better to call it:
Dreamwalker Technique!
With the name settled, Hajime turned to Ryō and Ryōma. "We resume at two this afternoon!"
After leaving the training ground, Hajime didn't return to the Root base. Instead, he made his way to the outskirts of the Konoha Hospital.
He waited for a while.
Soon, he saw Nonō Yakushi emerge from the hospital. He immediately waved.
"Nonō!"
She turned at the sound of his voice and smiled brightly, hurrying over. "Onii-chan!"
"Let's go—I'm treating you to some barbecue," Hajime said with a grin, patting her on the shoulder.
Yakushi Nonō nodded with a smile. "Mm!"
But before the two could walk far, a voice called out from behind them. "Hey!"
Hajime turned around, then smiled. "Tsunade, we meet again!"
Nonō quickly turned and bowed. "Lady Tsunade!"
Tsunade stepped forward and looked at the two with a hint of curiosity. "You two are siblings?"
Hajime replied with a grin, "What, do we not look like it?"
Tsunade curled her lip slightly, then said, "Thanks again for last time. Your ninja blade is still with me—I'll bring it to the hospital this afternoon and have Nonō return it to you."
Ninja blade?
Only then did Hajime recall it. But that was just a standard-issue Root blade. He hadn't expected Tsunade to hold onto it for him.
Thoughts quickly spun through his mind, and Hajime smiled. "I spend most of my time at Root, no need to trouble Nonō with that."
"You probably haven't had lunch yet, right, Tsunade? Why don't we eat together? Afterward, I'll go with you to get the blade."
Tsunade nodded, then said generously, "Then let me treat you both!"
Hajime chuckled. "Tsunade, are you sure? I heard you've blown all your money on gambling."
Tsunade waved it off without a care. "Relax, I can still afford one meal."
If she insisted, then there was no need to be polite.
Hajime nodded. "Then I won't argue."
Nonō quickly bowed again. "Lady Tsunade, thank you for your generosity!"
"You talk too much!"
With that, Tsunade took the lead.
Before long, the three arrived at a yakiniku (grilled meat) restaurant and began their meal. Tsunade even ordered sake.
Seeing Tsunade pour him a drink, Hajime quickly raised his hand. "Tsunade, I'll pass on the alcohol."
Tsunade looked at him, puzzled. He hadn't refused last time.
Hajime remembered how his clone had lost control back then and hurriedly explained, "I still have training this afternoon. I can't drink."
"Alright then."
Tsunade looked a little disappointed but drank on her own.
Hajime encouraged Nonō to eat while casually chatting with Tsunade.
"So, Tsunade, you've been stationed at the Konoha Hospital lately?"
"Yeah. Jiraiya's off training a new recruit—a pretty talented kid."
"Oh? If he's earned your praise, he must be something special."
"That's not guaranteed. Knowing that idiot Jiraiya, he might end up ruining the kid."
"By the way, aren't Root shinobi always extremely busy?"
"It's manageable…"
The two chatted back and forth, while Nonō couldn't get a word in.
The meal lasted for about an hour.
Afterward, Hajime walked Nonō back to the hospital, then followed Tsunade to the stately Senju Clan estate.
But the place felt desolate.
The Senju had withered.
It was partly due to the policies of the Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju, and partly due to the First Great Ninja War… and the Mokuton experiments.
In those experiments, the ones who died the most… were those with Senju blood.
And the ones most actively volunteering were Senju clan shinobi.
Tsunade was her usual straightforward self—she didn't offer tea or invite Hajime to sit. Instead, she quickly retrieved his ninja blade.
As Hajime reached out and took it, he smiled. "Thanks."
Tsunade waved her hand. "I won't see you out."
Hajime gave a nod and didn't linger. With a swift leap, he was gone.
Tsunade watched him leave, then turned and passed through two courtyards, arriving at Mito Uzumaki's bedroom.
Once the beautiful princess of the Uzumaki Clan, Mito was now an elderly woman in her twilight.
Tsunade's heart ached a little—she already knew her grandmother's time was running out.
But Mito remained calm and serene, her smile gentle and kind. "Tsunade, that boy just now was quite good."
Tsunade pursed her lips. Just as she was about to reply, Mito continued, "He carries your grandfather's power."
Tsunade froze for a moment, then exclaimed, "What?!"
"Grandfather's power? But… I thought that experiment was a failure!"
Mito smiled. "Danzo kept a few things hidden."
Tsunade clenched her jaw. "That bastard Danzo… he's hiding Wood Release users. What the hell is he planning?"
"Does Sensei know?" she asked.
Mito nodded. "He probably knows by now."
Tsunade relaxed a bit and gave a light snort. "Next time, I want to see just how much of Grandfather's power that guy inherited."
Mito said gently, "In that case, bring along your grandfather's scroll on Sage Techniques too."
"Sage Techniques…"
Tsunade's expression changed. "That's extremely dangerous…"
Mito chuckled. "Just do as I say. If he can endure your grandfather's cells, he won't die so easily."
Tsunade nodded slowly, worry still on her face.
…
Training Field.
Hajime couldn't help but sneeze. "Who's thinking about me again?"
"But… did Mito Uzumaki notice me just now?"
"I remember she also possesses malicious intent sensing."
Thankfully, Hajime bore no malice toward Mito, Tsunade, or even Konoha itself. Otherwise, he wouldn't have dared to visit.
Still, Danzo had abandoned the plan to use Tsunade, opting instead to use Hajime himself to gain control over the Nine-Tails Jinchūriki.
"Oh, Danzo-sama… sometimes you're just too naive. You oversimplify things."
Hajime sighed inwardly. "Do you really think the Third Hokage won't see through your little schemes?"
"But even if the boss messes up, as a subordinate, I can't just say it outright. All I can do is quietly pick up the slack."
Even though Danzo had passed on the Tsunade route, Hajime decided he would still win her over—as a stepping stone.
Sigh… a loyal subordinate like me not getting promoted is clearly the boss's fault.
Whoosh whoosh whoosh!
The sound of projectiles cutting through the air snapped Hajime out of his thoughts.
Ryō Inuzuka, Kurotama, and Ryōma Aburame had arrived.
Hajime stood up. "To the Forest of Death!"
He wouldn't just be a good subordinate—he wanted to be a great superior too.
That meant increasing the difficulty and variety of their training.
Not only to enhance their resistance to genjutsu, but to sharpen their combat ability in all areas.
(End of Chapter)
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