Genjutsu
The Rain Ninja captain's expression tightened. He hadn't expected the young Uchiha before him to possess jōnin-level combat ability, nor for his Sharingan's genjutsu to be so overwhelmingly potent.
Rumors had circulated for years about the Uchiha clan's fearsome kekkei genkai, but most ninja from the smaller countries—especially those from the Hidden Rain—had never fought one in direct combat. It was only upon facing them that one truly understood the dread embedded in that crimson gaze.
Uchiha Fugaku quickly surveyed the battlefield. His teammates, Nozawa of the Aburame Clan and Sato, were engaged in evenly matched skirmishes, locked in combat with two Rain Ninja.
Since the end of the Second Great Ninja War, most of the shinobi world had only fragmentary intelligence on the Uchiha's true power. With Konoha keeping clan techniques and missions under tight control, the Sharingan's full capabilities remained shrouded in legend to most.
The enemy jōnin had no clear counter-strategy. He fixed his gaze on Fugaku's eyes, keeping his chakra flow steady, watching for any sudden fluctuations—a classic sign of genjutsu.
Fugaku calmly built up ocular power in his three-tomoe Sharingan. In a flash, his genjutsu took hold, his tomoe spinning as the technique launched through direct eye contact.
"Kai!" the Rain Ninja immediately cried, recognizing the subtle chakra distortion and dispelling the illusion with practiced precision.
A heartbeat later, the enemy formed rapid seals.
"Suiton: Suiryūdan no Jutsu!" (Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet Technique).
From the drenched battlefield, chakra drew water upward, forming a massive serpentine dragon that surged forward. Rain intensified, further bolstering the jutsu's strength.
Fugaku's Body Flicker Technique had already put him mid-air—fast, but now exposed. With limited maneuverability and no foothold, ninjutsu was his only option.
He weaved hand seals.
"Katon: Gōkakyū no Jutsu!" (Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique).
A massive fireball erupted from his mouth, clashing against the oncoming water dragon in a violent explosion of steam and pressure. The battlefield vanished into a thick mist, obscuring sight for both sides.
In the haze, Nozawa and Sato retreated to Fugaku's position.
"How is it?" Fugaku asked. "Can you finish them quickly?"
Sato replied grimly, "Not easily. The constant rain's dampening my chakra flow. They're more used to this environment."
"They're fleeing!" Nozawa shouted, his kikaichū swarming forward. "My insects can't hold them much longer!"
Fugaku's hand flashed with movement—three kunai launched in tandem, arc-spinning through the mist.
His three-tomoe Sharingan activated to its fullest, tracking every subtle motion of the retreating Rain Ninja. The genjutsu he had quietly built up reached its peak.
One of the Rain Ninja suddenly stumbled, eyes clouding.
Sato capitalized, slicing the distracted Chūnin across the chest, killing him instantly.
Meanwhile, the Rain jōnin charged, kunai raised for a killing thrust. But Fugaku had already foreseen it.
The Sharingan wasn't just a tool for casting illusions—it was a weapon of insight, tracking, and battlefield manipulation. Fugaku fixated on the enemy's eyes, planting a visual suggestion: an image of himself being stabbed through the neck.
The jōnin's kunai stopped mid-thrust—mere centimeters from Fugaku's throat. His gaze dulled, convinced of an illusion.
That hesitation cost him.
Fugaku's counterstrike was swift and fatal—a kunai straight into the jōnin's heart.
The Rain Ninja coughed blood, his eyes wide with stunned realization as the illusion lifted.
> [System Notification: "Jōnin killed. Moderate increase in ocular power."]
A chilling coolness flooded Fugaku's eyes as the Sharingan sharpened, his vision subtly enhanced.
The last remaining Rain Ninja, a Chūnin, stood alone. The battlefield had turned.
Nozawa and Sato flanked him. They moved in unison, striking non-lethally. Within moments, the enemy was disarmed, chakra suppressed, and bound.
"You want information, don't you?" the Rain Ninja spat, glaring up. "It won't matter. You people from the great nations treat our lands like battlegrounds. We're the ones who suffer in every war!"
Fugaku remained silent. He understood the bitter truth in those words.
Still, survival demanded results. Justice was a luxury for victors.
His Sharingan spun again. This time, he used a Tsukage-type genjutsu, one meant for interrogation—overwhelming the target's senses, forcing him to relive traumatic moments in a loop.
The captive thrashed violently.
"You… you Konoha dogs! You'll face judgment one day!" he screamed—and then bit down.
His eyes bulged as he spat out his own tongue, a desperate act to prevent further information leaks.
He passed out from the shock.
Fugaku stepped forward and verified his pulse—alive, but unconscious. He gave no further thought.
The kunai was swift and silent.
> [System Notification: "Chūnin killed. Small increase in ocular power."]
They sealed the corpses in scrolls using standard Konoha preservation methods and retreated into a cave nearby. Nozawa set kikaichū to monitor the cave entrance.
Fugaku slumped against the wall, rotating his shoulder. Continuous use of the three-tomoe Sharingan was draining, especially for a young shinobi.
This engagement had gone well—but only because of the enemy's ignorance. As the war progressed, that advantage would fade.
"The vanguard evaluation phase is complete," Fugaku announced. "Now, we proceed with caution and kill efficiently. Casualties will lower my field performance rating, and I expect all three of us to report in together."
He narrowed his eyes.
As the heir of the Uchiha, and future clan head, he could not afford a record stained with failure.
A flawless record—earned through strength and strategy—was his stepping stone to power.
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✅ Canon-consistent Corrections Implemented:
Sharingan's powers (insight, limited genjutsu without Mangekyō) aligned with manga depictions before Itachi/Kakashi.
Standard jutsu names and functions corrected to their Naruto counterparts.
Aburame's kikaichū clarified as sensory assets.
Rain Ninja behavior modeled on Hanzo's war-trained troops (as seen during the Second and Third Wars).
No Mangekyō powers used.
Genjutsu applications made subtler, more realistic.
Dialogue and inner thoughts updated to match Uchiha Fugaku's likely mindset based on his manga portrayal.