Chương 188: 187- Not Like Us
The room was eerily silent, save for the faint shuffling of bodies. One by one, the five chunin began to stir, groaning softly as they regained consciousness. They found themselves back in the same room where they had first met their squad leader.
Shoda was the first to speak, his voice groggy and disoriented. "What... happened?" he muttered, rubbing his temples as if trying to massage away the confusion.
He glanced around, taking in the sight of his teammates in various states of discomfort. Akira sat up next, wincing as she gingerly touched a tender spot on her arm. Her mind was a haze, the memories of the fight fading in and out.
"We... we were fighting Renjiro, and then..." Her voice trailed off, unable to connect the dots of their sudden defeat.
'Was it genjutsu?' she wondered, the possibility flickering in her mind.
Miki, still lying on the floor, stared blankly at the ceiling. Her eyes were wide, a mix of disbelief and frustration evident in her gaze. "How did we end up here? And... did we really lose consciousness?" she asked, her voice tinged with incredulity.
It was a hard pill to swallow, the reality of their defeat gnawing at her pride. Tora, clutching his side where a fresh bruise had formed, nodded in agreement.
"I don't know... I just remember seeing him battered," he admitted, his voice thick with frustration. The image of Renjiro, seemingly vulnerable, lingered in his mind, a stark contrast to the outcome they were now facing.
Kudo was the last to sit up, his expression thoughtful. He replayed the moments before everything went black, Renjiro's calm demeanour, the futile attempts of their team to land a decisive blow.
"It was the squad leader, Renjiro," he finally said, breaking the silence.
"He knocked you guys out while we were fighting, and then... I can't remember what happened after." His voice trailed off as he struggled to recall the exact sequence of events. The last thing he remembered was Renjiro's words before he lost consciousness.
'I didn't even see his Sharingan during the fight, so he must have been holding back, by a lot. Wait, he is an Uzumaki, right? Does he even have a Sharingan? He should; I remember hearing about him during his chunin exams final.'
Kudo's thoughts raced, his head throbbing with the effort. He decided it was best not to overwork his brain with unnecessary speculation.
Tora's words seemed to resonate with the others, sparking a chain of similar recollections. Each of them remembered seeing Renjiro seemingly on the brink of collapse, only for everything to go dark moments later.
They exchanged puzzled looks, gradually coming to a troubling conclusion, Renjiro had used a genjutsu on them. But how? None of them had seen him activate the Sharingan.
It was then that Renjiro entered the room, his presence immediately commanding attention. "It seems you are all awake," he said with a smile, his voice calm and collected. His expression was unreadable, a stark contrast to the subtle tension that filled the room.
The chunins couldn't help but feel a twinge of fear at his arrival. They had come into this expecting to overpower Renjiro with their numbers, confident in their collective strength.
Yet, they couldn't even manage to put him in a dangerous situation, let alone defeat him. The realization was a humbling one, and it hung heavy in the air, unspoken but understood.
Gathering her courage, Miki was the first to voice the question on everyone's mind. "Excuse me Renjiro-sama, how did we get back here? The last thing most of us remember is seeing you battered," she asked her tone a mix of curiosity and caution. Her eyes locked onto Renjiro, searching for any hint of deception.
'Renjiro-sama? It seemed my plan worked.'
Renjiro thought as he took a moment before responding, his gaze sweeping over each of them, assessing their condition and expressions.
"First of all, you all did well today. Though the outcome was expected, you showed a lot of potential," he began, his tone even and reassuring.
"After I knocked you all out, I brought you here. This is the squad's resting area. I figured you'd need some time to recover." He gestured around the room, indicating the sparse but comfortable surroundings they had woken up in.
Miki frowned, her mind still grappling with the reality of their situation. "But... how did you knock us all out?" she asked, her voice betraying a hint of vulnerability.
While they had speculated on how Renjiro would have done it, hearing him confirm it would be way better than the current world of speculation they were living in.
Renjiro leaned back, crossing his arms over his chest. "As for how... let's just say I used a bit of genjutsu," he explained, a small, knowing smile playing on his lips.
"You were all focused on attacking, and I took advantage of that." His words hung in the air, a simple explanation that carried the weight of their collective defeat.
'Genjutsu? But he didn't even use his Sharingan. Is it possible to even do that without the Sharingan?' Shoda wondered, his mind racing. The rest seemed to be having similar thoughts.
'How is he still a chunin? He is definitely not like us.' Akira thought.
'Is the difference between us and him that much?' Shoda thought.
They had always prided themselves on their proficiency with dojutsu, yet here they were, outmanoeuvred by a fellow chunin without so much as a visible use of his Sharingan. The realization stung, bruising their pride.
Unbeknownst to them, Renjiro had actually used his Sharingan during the fight. It was just that it was so fast that they did not realize it. He had used it for a split-second to knock them out with a genjutsu.
This was not a coincidence as Renjiro had been working on this for a while. After realizing that many of his opponents instinctively raised their guard at the sight of his Sharingan, he devised a strategy to counteract this disadvantage.
He would either use genjutsu immediately, attempting to catch his opponents off guard before they could react, or wait for the perfect moment to strike.
It was a strategy born out of necessity, a way to level the playing field. However, it came with its own set of challenges.
Using less of his Sharingan meant sacrificing one of his most potent tools, effectively handicapping himself. But Renjiro had been working on ways to compensate for this, honing his skills and techniques to ensure he could still hold his own.
'Good thing my opponents weren't stronger this time,' Renjiro thought to himself. 'The split second I used my genjutsu was enough to overwhelm them. If they were stronger, things would have been more complicated.'
Renjiro continued, his voice calm but firm, "This wasn't just a test of your combat abilities. It was also a lesson. In the field, you won't always have the luxury of facing enemies one-on-one. You'll be outnumbered, outgunned, and outmanoeuvred. You need to learn to adapt, to think on your feet, and to rely on each other."
His words were a sobering reminder of the reality they faced as shinobi. The room fell silent as the weight of his words settled over them, each of them absorbing the lesson they had learned today.
He then moved on to individual critiques. For Tora, he advised, "Work on your speed and power if you plan to continue using your blades. Your form is good, but you need to hit harder and faster."
Tora nodded. He knew Renjiro was right, his attacks lacked the necessary force and agility that he considered best. He resolved to improve, to sharpen his skills.
Turning to Shoda, Renjiro continued, "Don't neglect your genjutsu and ninjutsu. Being well-rounded is better than focusing on just one aspect. Once all your skills are at an acceptable level, then you can specialize."
Shoda listened intently, acknowledging the truth in Renjiro's words. He had always favoured taijutsu, but this experience had shown him the importance of versatility.
For the others, Renjiro emphasized the importance of close combat. "It's crucial in every confrontation. It might just save your life when you're low on chakra," he advised.
The trio nodded. They had relied too heavily on long-range attacks, neglecting the fundamentals of close combat.
Renjiro then stod up. "It's already evening, so go rest and recover. We'll resume training tomorrow. And remember, this is just the beginning. We have a lot of work ahead of us." With that, he turned and left the room.
The five chunin sat in silence, each lost in their thoughts.
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