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Chapter Text

Chapter Text

Kiba, Kurenai decided as she watched him throw a poorly aimed punch, was holding back against Hinata. Inwardly, the Jounin sighed. While the genin’s concern for his friend was admirable, holding back would do her no favors. Kurenai would have to have a word with him later.

“All right, let’s end it there.” Kurenai instructed. There was no point in dragging it out; Hinata’s self confidence would not benefit from any spoon fed victories. Still, she had to give credit where it was due.

"I’m glad to see you following up on your attacks better Hinata.” Kurenai praised. Hinata looked down at her hands, cheeks flushed from the praise. “Kiba,” Kurenai continued, turning to face her other student, “you’re doing good, but be sure to watch your form; that last round was sloppy. We can go over taijutsu more during our next session. We’re done for today.”

“However, there is one last thing,” Kurenai claps her hands together, “homework! I have three different tasks for each of you in the following scrolls. I don’t expect you to have fully completed them by today, but please try and get started on them as soon as you can. Also, don’t forget about our weekly meet up tonight!”

Akamaru, who’d been watching on the sidelines with Shino, trotted up to her and pawed at her leg. Kurenai allowed him to take the scroll with Kiba’s assignment and bid them farewell.

“I’ll see you guys later! C’mon Akamaru, we’ve gotta get you to the vet.” Akamaru let out a whine. “Aw, don’t be a baby, I’ll make it up to you after.” Kiba reassured him.

Shino retrieved his task before silently standing off to the side to wait for Hinata. The Hyuga approached her last, a soft smile gracing her features. Kurenai offered her one in return, “Here is your assignment. I’m sure you’ll excel at it.” Hinata’s focused on refining chakra control and while it wasn’t her biggest weakness, it was a crucial skill nonetheless. The jounin gave her an exercise that she hoped would not only improve her skill, but also her confidence. Hinata would then be able to tackle more glaring issues with her fighting style, or so Kurenai hoped.

“Thank you sensei. I’ll d-do my best!” Hinata declared.

“Of course. I look forward to seeing you both later. Best of luck with your assignments!” Kurenai called after them. She watched fondly as the remainder of her team departed from the training grounds.

“I wish I saw that kind of motivation in my own students.”

“Hmmm? What about all that newfound determination from the chunin exams you were telling me about?” Kurenai countered, turning to face the new arrival.

Behind her, Asuma idly took a drag from his cigarette. “It’s eased up. I should be grateful though; lately I haven’t needed to trick and bribe them into training nearly as much.”

“I suppose the invasion was good for something then.” Kurenai mused, “So, what do I owe this visit? I’m sure you didn’t come all the way out here just to chat about the work ethic of our students.”

“Just stopping by before heading out on a mission. I’ll be heading out with Kakashi in two hours.” Asuma told her.

“When can I expect the two of you back?” She asked.

“Maybe four days, give or take. As for Kakashi, it's anyone’s guess.” Asuma shrugged.

Kurenai raised an eyebrow, “You aren’t returning together?”

“Nope, he’s picked up a second mission on top of this one. After we finish our joint one he’ll be off by himself to Suna.” He let out a puff of smoke.

Kurenai frowned, “Suna is about a three days trip away. He’ll be gone for at least a week.”

“You don’t look too pleased to hear that.” Asuma noted.

“It’s a long time to leave his student unattended.” Kurenai replied, crossing her arms.

“A genin won’t always have their sensei; a few days won’t be too harmful.” Asuma pointed out.

Kurenai put her hands on her hips, “A genin won’t always have their sensei, which is why their sensei should do their best to be there and help them grow while they still can.”

“Fair enough. I didn’t come here to argue about Kakashi’s teaching skills though.” Asuma said.

“Care to tell me your real reason for coming all this way then?” Kurenai asked, voice lowering.

“How about I just show you?” Asuma drawled, wrapping an arm around her.

“I suppose I have some time to kill.” Kurenai grinned.

Kurenai leaped silently across the rooftops, until she finally arrived at her destination: Yakiniku, Asuma’s favorite restaurant. Readying herself to leap down onto the street below, Kurenai came to an abrupt halt as one of her students, Kiba, appeared below. Had it been just him she would have used this as a chance to talk to him about his spar with Hinata earlier, but he had company. Kurenai paused and listened, not wanting to drop in at a bad time.

“She’s on her way here, why don’t you just tag along and go talk to her?’ Kiba asked casually. Next to him, Sakura Haruno nervously twirled a piece of her hair, “I mean I don’t wanna rudely barge in-”

At this Kiba scratches his head, “From what I’ve seen you and Ino don’t mind barging into things. I’m sure Kurenai sensei will be okay with it.” While Kurenai knew her student was trying to be welcoming, Sakura bristled from the perceived insult.

“What do you mean by that?!” She snapped. Shaking her head, Kurenai stepped back and leapt down from the other side of the building. Rounding the corner, Kurenai placed a wide smile on her face, not giving any indication she’d been eavesdropping moments before.

“Hello!”Kurenai called. Kiba and Sakura stopped squabbling and turned to the sound of her voice. Kiba greeted her with a wave and Sakura looked torn between saying hello and running for the hills. Eventually she settled for the former.

“Good evening Kurenai sensei, I hope I’m not catching you and your team at a bad time…” She began. Kurenai waved her hand, “Of course not. Have you been making good progress on your genjutsu with Kakashi?”

Sakura rubbed the back of her head, “Well, sort of... I think I’m improving but am still having some issues. I could talk to you about it later though, whenever you aren’t busy? If you don’t mind.”

Kurenai simply walked up and grabbed both students by the shoulder and started gently guiding them to the door, “Why don’t you just tag along? I don’t mind. Would that be alright with you, Kiba?” Kurenai felt Kiba shrug.

“It’s fine with me.” From atop his head, Akamaru barked in agreement. They entered the restaurant to find Shino waiting at a nearby table, a platter of meat already at the table. He waved them over.

“Hey man. Hinata not here yet?” Kiba plopped down in the seat next to him, shifting Akamaru into his lap. Shino shook his head.

“I’m sure she’ll show up soon.” Kurenai said, sliding into the booth opposite to the boys. Sakura wordlessly followed. “So while we wait, why don’t you tell me about the progress you two have made with your assigned tasks.” Upon hearing her words Kiba let out a groan, which managed to convey his progress perfectly.

“Having problems?”Kurenai asked, though she was certain she already knew what the brunette’s answer would be.

“Not really...I just don’t really see the point in running through an entire scroll of hand signs. I don’t even use most of these!” Kiba groused.

“Kiba, how quickly can you perform all of the signs in the scroll I gave you?” Kurenai inquired. Kiba paused, and after a moment replied “Maybe two mintues?”

“That’s decent. How long do you think it takes me?” Kurenai asked.

“Uh...a minute and a half?” He estimated. Kurenai’s smile widened slightly, “My record is 36 seconds.” Kiba spluttered. In response to this, Shino let out a small snort.

“Practice makes perfect. And how about you, Shino?” Kurenai questioned.

“I’ve started the stamina training. Once I see results I will be sure to inform you.” Shino stated.

“Good to hear.” Kurenai glanced to the side, “Don’t think I’ve forgotten about you Sakura. I’m curious to know, what have you been working on? I am curious as to Kakashi’s methods.” Sakura made an odd face, eyes darting to the ceiling.

“I’ve been reading up on genjutsu, it’s usually easier for me to pick up stuff that way. I have made some progress on the false surroundings technique.” Sakura perks up slightly, going into detail about what plants she’d found easiest to make. Interestingly, she seemed to have more ease with flowers, smaller plants that often needed more fine details. Back when Kurenai had started out, she’d found them to be bothersome.

“And have you been able to practice any other techniques?” Kurenai asked.

“I have started doing exercises to increase chakra reserves. I’ve also wanted to practice casting a genjutsu that works solely on another person’s senses, but I haven’t found anyone to practice on.” Sakura admits. “What about your sensei?” Kurenai asks, feeling some of her suspicions from her conversation with Asuma resurface. Sakura grimaces and opens her mouth to speak but is cut off by a shout.

“Hinata, over here!” Kiba waved his arm excitedly, nearly whacking Shino in the face. Shino slid closer to the wall, grumbling about being more mindful of one's surroundings, but his complaints went ignored.

“Ah...Hello everyone.” Hinata greeted softly, sounding slightly confused. She didn’t ask about Sakura, though it looked as if she wanted to. After a round of hellos, Sakura scooted over and offered Hinata a spot.

“Oh, um...thanks.” It sounded like a question more than anything. As Hinata settled into her spot, Kiba wasted no time laying meat onto the grill in the center of the table.

“So what’ve you been up to?” Kiba asked. Hinata stared down at her hands, one of which was bandaged.

“C-clan training….” Hinata answered, and left it at that. With how down Hinata seemed Kurenai wanted to dig further into the issue-or at least offer her some comfort-however, sensing her student’s discomfort about the issue, Kurenai decided she wouldn’t press. At least not in front of the others.

“From the looks of it you’ve been hard at work at it too. Why don’t you eat something? Any talk of training can wait at least until you’ve all gotten some food in you.” Kurenai suggested.

“Works for me, I’m starving!” Kiba agreed. He eagerly pulled some meat off of the center grill, serving Akamaru before piling food onto his own plate.

“Don’t hog all the meat.” Shino reprimanded, swiping a piece of beef from Kiba’s plate.

“SHINO, what the heck man?” Kiba snarled, jabbing his chopsticks in his direction.

“Guys! P-p-please calm down, t-there’s plenty.” Hinata squeaked, turning red at the comotion they were causing.

“I am perfectly calm.” Shino droned, “Kiba is the only one making a scene.”

“Shino’s the one who started it!” Kiba barked.

“Regardless,” Kurenai interrupted, “why don’t we all just relax and enjoy a nice meal?”

“Yes sensei.” Shino and Kiba responded in unison, but not without giving each other a look.

“Sheesh. Do you two have to deal with this a lot?” Sakura asked.

“T-they’re r-r-really not that bad, just l-lively is all.” Hinata replied, letting out an awkward laugh.

Kurenai watched the exchange with a thoughtful look, an idea beginning to form in her head.

Chapter Text

“And just when we finally get a hold of it, the fucking hell spawn bites hard enough to leave an indent in my forehead protector! Forget kunai, we need to start fighting with the feudal lord’s cat.” Kiba exclaimed, pointing to where the shiny metal had several indents. Sakura grimaced, thinking of the numerous times team seven had been subjected to Tora’s abuse. 

“Honestly, it’s a miracle Madam Shijimi hasn’t given up at this point.” Sakura sighed. 

“As the wife of a feudal lord, she could get something way better than a stinking cat .” Kiba griped.

“Cats aren’t that bad.” Hinata argued, “Tora just happens to be an....outlier.” 

Kiba snorted before scratching Akamaru’s chin, “Well, either way, dogs are better.” Akamaru barked his agreement. 

“I’m inclined to agree.” Shino decided.

“Really? I would’ve taken you for a cat person, Shiho.” Sakura thought aloud. 

“...Pardon?” Shino crossed his arms. 

“Sorry…? It’s just you striked me as someone who’d like cats since they are more self-sufficient and-” Sakura’s apology was cut off by a strangled noise from Kiba.

“Sakura, don’t tell me you’re a cat person ! I- mghhhh ” Kiba’s complaints turned to muffled nonsense as Shino slapped a hand over his mouth.

“No, not that. My name is Shino , with an n.” Shino corrected. 

“Oh...Sorry!” Sakura apologized, flushing with embarrassment. “My mistake. It’s just been a while since we’ve talked and I couldn’t quite remember,” Sakura finds herself rambling.

“And yet, you recall Hinata and Kiba perfectly well.” Shino accuses. 

“Oh, well....” Sakura trails off, unsure of what to say without further offending him. 

“Get your paws off me!” Kiba demands, wrenching Shino’s hands away from him. 

“It was an accident, Shino!” Hinata, bless her , defended. “S-she almost had it, she was just off by a letter…” 

“Only one letter?” Shino straightened, turning to his teammate. Hinata wilted in her seat, giving off the aura of a kicked puppy. Sakura’s guilt intensified. 

“Hey, don’t be a jerk to Hinata-“ Kiba growled, still displeased from his manhandling and the aggression towards their teammate. 

Kurenai delicately cleared her throat. Shino and Kiba stopped bickering at once. 

“Alright everyone, let's calm down. Or do we need to do a certain team building exercise again?” Kurenai asked cheerfully. Nothing about the words sounded sinister, but from the way Kiba, Shino, and Hinata stiffened and shook their heads, Sakura was certain she didn’t want to find out. 

“Good. Now before I forget there’s something I wanted to talk to you all about.” Kurenai informed them. 

“What is it?” Kiba asked. 

Kurenai smiled and placed a hand on Sakura’s shoulder. “I’m glad you asked. It’s quite lucky we managed to run into you, Sakura. I’ve been meaning to get a hold of you. You mentioned needing some people to practice genjutsu on, yes?”

All eyes went to Sakura, “Yes…?” She answered. 

“If your sensei allows it and you’re willing, I’d like your help in teaching my team to dispel genjutsu. I’d help you with any difficulties you have with your technique in exchange.” 

“R-really?” Sakura perked up, “I would love to! I mean, I’m sure Kakashi sensei won’t mind.” Sakura doubted he’d even be aware of it, but Kurenai-sensei did not need to worry about that. 

“Good to hear! I wrote down the details in case Kakashi was curious. Though, knowing him, it’s likely he’ll just give you the go ahead.” Kurenai explained. 

“Okay, thank you sensei!” Sakura beamed. 

“Of course! Now, enough about that. Let’s eat before the food gets cold.” 

Sakura yawned as she made her way to the training grounds. All this time training on her own left her unused to being up before ten. Though with Kurenai sensei’s training, it’s a habit I won’t be indulging in for a while. I’ll need to start going to bed sooner, I don’t wanna get eyebags-

“Sakura! Can you hear me? Over here!” An all too familiar voice called, snapping Sakura out of her thoughts. Crap. And just as she’d forgotten about it, too!

Ino was further up the street, making her way towards Sakura. Slightly panicked, Sakura forced her gaze to the side and tried to slow her breathing. She couldn’t deal with Ino yet, not now.The embarrassment from Tsunade’s rejection was still too fresh. She walked faster, while trying to give off an air of nonchalance, and hoped Ino would assume Sakura just hadn’t seen her.  Sorry Ino...but I can’t face you just yet.  

Crossing a simple yet elegant red bridge, shops and crowds gave way to grassy clearings and thick trees. Sakura’s steps slowed and although Ino’s calls had faded, Sakura’s guilt did not.

“S-Sakura!” A voice called out timidly. Sakura turned, previous thoughts temporarily forgotten, to see Hinata jogging toward her. She came to a stop a few feet in front of her. 

“Oh Hinata, sorry, I didn’t see you there.” Sakura apologized. 

“T-there’s no n-need to apologize! I know I’m n-not very loud ...I, um, figured since we’re both heading the same direction, um, we could walk together…?” Hinata trailed off, looking down at her hands. 

“I’d be happy to.” Sakura smiled. The two kunoichi exchanged small talk as they came to the designated training ground. They came upon a clearing not unlike Team seven’s old one, and found the rest of team eight waiting for them.

“Hinata, Sakura, just in time!” Kurenai gestured for them to come closer, before fishing out a scroll from her tool pouch. 

“We’ve got a long day ahead of us, so let’s get right into it! I’ve already stopped by the missions office and picked up several D-ranks for you all to complete. I think you’ll be happy to know that catching Tora will not be one of them.” Kurenai’s smile widened at the cheers, sighs, and barks of relief from her team. 

“I thought you’d appreciate it. Now, before we get into debriefing, I’ll explain the training we’ll be doing today. Today’s training will be genjutsu focused. While you are completing your missions, Sakura and myself will be attempting to trap you in a genjutsu. This will give everyone some much needed practice as well as give me the opportunity to assess Sakura’s genjutsu skills. Any questions?” Kurenai asked, eyes falling on Sakura.

“No Sensei.” Sakura answered, as did team eight. 

Kurenai clapped her hands together, “Excellent! Then let’s move onto our missions. Our first task is to help Mrs. Hara by picking up her groceries.”

As Kurenai led them back into town, Sakura’s mind was a flurry of activity. How should I go about placing a genjutsu on them? I’ve never practiced this technique on another person before. Sakura twirled a strand of hair around her finger, a nervous tick. Well, this is what I wanted, isn't it? I’ll just have to do my best! 

  Examining her peers, Sakura weighed her options. Hinata had the Byakugan, meaning she’d be difficult to fool or keep stuck in an illusion. Sakura would have to make sure she was subtle enough not to trigger her kekkei genkai. As far as Sakura knew, neither Kiba nor Shino’s clan techniques would give them any advantage in detecting and breaking genjutsu. Of course, they were students of Kurenai sensei, a master, so it would be safe to assume they had plenty of experience watching out for illusions. Kiba also has Akamaru to help him out, so if I go for him I’ll have to get them both. Luckily, dogs are also susceptible to genjutsu. Sakura considered her arsenal. She had the most practice with the false surroundings technique, but Sakura wasn’t sure she wanted to try and trap them all at once. She also didn’t know how to direct that particular technique at just one person, rather than applying it directly onto the environment. Maybe if she got one of them alone….

“Alright, in order to make things go faster, we’re going to split into groups. Sakura and Hinata, you’ll go get the fruit and vegetables. Kiba and Akamaru will go get the meat and rice, and then Shino and I will go get spices and other miscellaneous items. When you are done, meet up here.” Kurenai instructed, handing each group a list. 

Sakura accepted their list with a quick thanks before examining the ingredients. Hinata shifted closer as everyone else departed to complete their own tasks. 

“What should we get first?” Sakura asked her partner. Hinata shrugged, “Most of these things can all be found in the same area, s-so we could just go find a produce stand.” The way she said it made it sound more like a question than a statement, but Sakura nodded nonetheless. “Sounds good to me. Let’s go.” 

Gathering groceries was a simple task, one Sakura had done plenty of times with team seven, albeit never this quietly. Naruto would always fill a silence with chatter, and although Sasuke preferred to keep quiet, he occasionally got drawn into conversation-primarily with monosyllabic responses (unless he was bickering with Naruto). 

“Is that everything?” Hinata asked, causing Sakura to refocus on the task at hand. Sakura checked the list. 

“Our client wants some melon, but only from a certain grocer. I know the place-my parents like to go there.” Sakura guided them away from the stall. Hinata followed closely behind, not wanting to get separated in the crowd. 

  Now is as good a time as any. Sakura thought. Scanning the stalls, Sakura made a mental note of what she needed to create. I need to practice more city backgrounds, there’s a lot more stuff I need to think about here than in a forest or field.  Not wanting to arouse suspicion, Sakura stretched before slowly bringing her hands behind her back. 

“So Hinata,” Sakura asked, hoping her words would provide an adequate distraction,  “have you done any missions for Mrs. Hara before?” 

“Um, yes. She is a very kind woman.” Hinata explained. Sakura formed the first hand sign and did her best to keep her voice light. 

“Really? That’s good to hear.” Sakura replied, going through the next hand sign. She hoped Hinata hadn’t picked up on the shifting of her chakra. 

“Yeah, she really likes dogs. She always has treats on hand for Akamaru. Kiba complains when people spoil him, but he does the same.” The expression on Hinata’s face is one of fondness. Sakura makes the final hand sign, and her chakra flares. 

The street doesn’t appear to change, not at first glance. It is still the same stalls and people buying or selling wares. It’s only when they turn the corner when the genjutsu takes effect. They are still walking further down the street, but none of the stalls have changed. Instead, they are a copy of the previous ones. The people, however, remain unchanged. This, unfortunately, is what alerts Hinata to the illusion. They’d cycled through the same several shops with no issue, up until a man, hoping to get more customers, called to them. 

“Hello ladies, can I interest you in some takoyaki? Our stall makes it fresh.” He offered, gesturing to what appeared to be a fruit stall behind him. 

Hinata politely declined, glancing at the stall and then at Sakura. With a brief flare of chakra the illusion crumbled, revealing their actual surroundings. 

“How long was I under the illusion?” Hinata asked. 

“Not very long, I made it a little after we left the last stall.” Sakura replied. 

For the rest of the mission, Hinata kept a careful eye on their surroundings, crumbling Sakura’s subsequent attempts with the false surroundings technique with depressingly swift speeds. Sakura hoped things wouldn’t be as bad with the others. 

Gardening with Shino turned out to be a horrifying experience. Kurenai had assigned them to help a client deal with an aphid infestation. Sakura recommended the client plant some marigolds (according to Ino, almost all insects hated them). Shino, to the joy of the client, offered a more immediate solution. All he had to do was find the colony and order them to leave. Simple. 

But, as Sakura would unfortunately discover, the colony had been located such that when Shino summoned them, they burst out of the earth, coming right at her . She had been so freaked out she’d forgotten to trap him in a genjutsu entirely. (And if Shino ended that mission with bruises from Sakura’s panicked flailing, then that was on him .) 

Painting fences with Kiba, fortunately, proved to be far easier. Sakura almost felt bad for him, with how easily she’d ensnared both him and Akamaru in a genjutsu. It was a simple thing; the painted portion of the fence grew just a little smaller every time he looked away. It was only when Kiba finished the second coating of the fense did Sakura release him. 

“Hey, wait a minute.” Kiba pointed the brush accusingly, sending droplets of paint toward her. “Just how many times were you making us paint this thing?!” 

“Hey, watch it!” Sakura scolded, eyeing her dress for any sign of paint. “Besides, I’m just doing what Kurenai sensei told us.” 

“Hmph. I guess. How many layers did we paint on that fence anyway? We’ve been out here for hours.” Kiba griped.

“Not quite. You’re just under the two hour mark.” Kurenai sensei corrected.

Sakura jumped, turning around to see their sensei. 

“Kiba, you were under that genjutsu for at least three mintues. We’ll have to work on your detection skills.” Kurenai commented. Then, to Sakura, “Simple but effective. Good job!” 

“Thank you Kurenai sensei.” Sakura enthusiastically replied. 

“You’re welcome. Now, once you’ve returned your brushes to Mr. Hua, we can go join the others. I went and got lunch; I hope you like dumplings.” Kurenai smiled.

Man, I really got stuck with the wrong teacher. Kakashi sensei never bought us lunch. Sakura thought. Beside her, Kiba eagerly tossed his brush into his paint bucket. 

“Sounds great. C’mon Akamaru, Sakura, I’m starving!” Kiba exclaimed, eagerly making his way around the building. Sakura followed, bringing her own supplies, and after a brief goodbye to Mr. Hua, they rejoined the rest of team eight. Hinata and Shino were waiting for them at a park bench, several containers of tea and dumplings placed between them. 

“Hello!” Hinata said, “How was the mission?”

Kiba shrugged, “Same as all the other D-ranks. Are there any pork dumplings?” 

Hinata handed him a container. “These ones should be.” 

Kiba gratefully accepted them, setting some aside for Akamaru, who sat beside him. 

“Sokka, here.” Shino held out a container. 

“Oh, thank you-wait…,” Sakura blinked, “Sokka?” 

“Shiho?” Shino replied, mimicking her puzzled tone. Sakura narrowed her eyes at him and took the dumplings with a huff. 

“I said I was sorry!” Sakura pouted, feeling some lingering embarrassment from the previous night. 

“Hm, that doesn’t mean I accepted it.” Shino shrugged. Sakura’s jaw dropped. The audacity!  

“Aw c’mon Shino, give it a rest!” Kiba groaned. He turned to Sakura, “Don’t worry about it. This one,” he jabbed a thumb at Shino, “is just a drama queen.” 

“If anyone on this team has a flair for theatrics, it would be you .” Shino scoffed. 

“There they go again.” Sakura mumbled, watching them squabble, “Honestly, is this a thing between all boy teammates?” 

Hinata shrugged, offering the last of her meal to Akamaru, who was all too happy to finish it. 

“I’m not sure, uh, b-but it is nice to have another girl around.” Hinata admitted softly. 

Sakura smiled, “I think so too.” 

After lunch, Hinata, Shino, and Kiba left for their respective compounds, each having clan duties or training to attend to, leaving just Sakura and Kurenai. 

“All right, Sakura.” Kurenai grinned, “the real genjutsu training begins!” 

Chapter Text

“-the real genjutsu training begins!” 

Kurenai leaps to the rooftops and takes off, leaving Sakura scrambling to catch up. 

“Genjutsu is not like the other great ninja arts,” Kurenai yells over the wind, “it cannot physically harm your opponent. Because of this, many ninjas ignore it, which is a grave mistake. I don’t need to remind you of the chunin exams.” 

As if I could forget. Sakura thought grimly. 

“What it lacks in physical prowess, it more than makes up for in versatility. Genjutsu is invaluable for infiltration, interrogation, and all sorts of subterfuge.” Kurenai picks up speed, dashing away from the training grounds and towards the village center. Where was she taking them? 

“But genjutsu is not taught like taijutsu or ninjutsu-it can’t be, not effectively. This is why it’s barely covered in the academy aside from how to disperse it. Ninjutsu and taijutsu basics can be taught almost uniformly but Genjutsu is a personal experience. There’s so many ways to approach it and so many limitless possibilities. The only thing holding you back is you .” Kurenai drops into a crouch, landing gracefully on the Hokage tower. 

Sakura, not anticipating the sudden stop, stumbles to a halt, nearly tripping over her own limbs. Her breath comes out in shallow gasps that are embarrassingly loud when compared to Kurenai's unaltered breathing. 

“There are some basic do’s and don’ts you might find helpful.” Kurenai explains, gesturing for Sakura to sit beside her. 

“Genjutsu allows you to alter someone’s perception of reality. Many mistakenly restrict illusion to visual hallucinations, but genjutsu encompasses much, much more. Sight and hearing are the easiest senses to manipulate, but they are not the only ones. An expert will make use of all the senses to truly deceive their opponents. 

It’s helpful to memorize a variety of sensations so that you can better create them. Appearances, tastes, smells, textures, and sounds are all things you will have to skillfully recreate to make convincing illusions. You cannot convince someone they are drowning if you cannot even convince them they are wet. Attention to detail is crucial. Your opponent doesn’t have to consciously realize precisely what is off about your illusion to realize it’s fake, but once they do, it will be much harder to ensnare them. 

When you are out on the field you must be ready to throw up masterful illusions in an instant as well as being able to maintain them. The longer a genjutsu goes on, the easier it is to make mistakes that lead to your illusion being detected. Genjutsu is delicate, and unless you greatly outmatch your opponent, they will be able to break them with ease. All it takes is an altered chakra flow or physical pain. 

This brings me to another important point: never forget, they are only illusions. As useful as genjutsu is, it cannot be the only trick up your sleeve. You need to have something else to ensure you can incapacitate your opponent. Understood?” 

“Yes Kurenai sensei!” Sakura nodded, eagerly committing the information to memory. 

“Good. As we experiment more nuances will come up, but don’t worry. Once you get a grasp of it, you’ll see that genjutsu offers a lot of room to experiment and figure things out. You can come to me for help anytime, and I’ll do what I can to help you out. Alright?” Kurenai  smiled.

“Yes Sensei!” Sakura nodded. “So, how will we get started?”

Kurenai chuckled, “We already have.” 

She flicked Sakura’s forehead. 

Sakura laid in a field of grass, staring past the tall stems and up into the orange sky. Confused, she sat up, taking in her surroundings. There was nothing but grass, spanning to the horizon in every direction. Beside her, Kurenai held up a hand, helping Sakura to her feet. 

“What can you sense?” Kurenai asked. 

“There’s…a breeze and the soft blades of grass.” Sakura paused, further examining her surroundings. “Not much else.” 

“A good assessment. This specific illusion is fairly basic. It’s not going to fool anyone for long.” Kurenai agreed, “Let’s move on to something else. Over there.” 

Sakura followed the outstretched hand to see a door just in front of them. Sakura hesitantly reached for its knob, unsure of what she’d find on the other side. Hopefully this won’t be like how it was with Kakashi sensei. The image of Sasuke, bloodied with numerous weapons embedded into his person, was one she’d not soon forget. 

But the other side of the door proved to be far less graphic. Instead, Sakura found herself in the middle of a bustling street. She turned around, amazed at the sheer number of people, each with unique features  and all going about their days in different ways. 

“Lots of details to pay attention to, huh?” Kurenai asked. 

One of the passersby, a fisherman,bumped into Sakura, pushing her back and giving off the faint smell of fish. Ugh. 

“How did you make all of this?” Sakura wondered aloud. 

“Memorization. Practice. Things you’ll do plenty of. Which reminds me of your first homework assignment: memorization. You’ll need to start retaining all sorts of everyday sensations-they’ll become the groundwork for all your genjutsu.” Kurenai instructed.

Kurenai entered the throng of people, Sakura obediently following. Sakura recognized various things, such as the produce stand she and Hinata visited earlier, Iruka sensei purchasing some leeks, and even her favorite place to get dango. But it wasn’t just a recreation of Kohona, Sakura realized, but merely its parts reorganized into an entirely new layout! Sakura’s favorite dango shop wasn’t located on the same street as the produce stall, nor was the civilian school she’d attended prior to her enrollment in the academy. Amazing! 

“Over here.” Kurenai stopped in front of a stall seeking takoyaki. 

“Hello ladies, can I interest you in some takoyaki? Our stall makes it fresh.” He offered, gesturing to the takoyaki stall behind him. 

“Yes please.” Kurenai replied, accepting the free samples. She held one out to Sakura. 

The wheat flour was warm to the touch, just shy of burning the skin. Sakura inhaled, enjoying its savory odor and feeling her mouth water in spite of knowing it wasn’t real. 

“Go on, try it.” Kurenai encouraged her.

Sakura bit into it, idly wondering how she must’ve looked in the real world, munching on air. Well, even if I look silly, I doubt many people will see from the roof. I just hope I don’t fall off it. The takoyaki was soft, moist, and just slightly chewy. It also wasn’t real, despite what her taste buds were telling her. 

“Wow.” Sakura breathed. Kurenai sensei is so talented. 

“I’m glad you like it. This is another instance of Genjutsu’s versatility. Genjutsu is often used to conjure up unpleasant experiences for your opponents, but there are other ways to get to them, such as lowering their guard with something more…palatable.” Kurenai explained. 

Sakura nodded, “That makes sense.”

“Good. Let’s keep moving.” Kurenai grabbed Sakura by the shoulders, turning her around. 

They were standing on a boat out at sea. The water was clear, allowing her to see all the way to the bottom where countless types of fish swam through brightly colored corals. Sakura stared in awe at the sea life. They were all so pretty! 

“Go ahead, touch the water.” Kurenai prompted. 

Sakura knelt down, mindful of the gentle sway of the boat, and stuck her hand in the water. It was cool, with individual droplets dripping down her forearm from her fingers as she pulled them back from the surface. 

“I want you to take in your surroundings.” Kurenai instructed. “What can you see, hear, touch, smell, or taste?” 

Sakura studied her surroundings, taking in the salty tang of the air, the gentle rocking of the boat as it bobbed in the water, and the eye-catching aquatic life of Kurenai’s genjutsu. The sun’s rays, with their gentle warmth, and the rough wood grain of the boat. It all felt so real. Sakura described it all, explaining as much detail as she could, not wanting to leave anything out. 

“Very good.” Kurenai praised. “Being observant is a necessity for someone wanting to learn genjutsu. Now that you’ve seen a few examples, let’s get out of here.” 

Kurenai leapt off the boat and dived into the water. Sakura took one last look around, trying to commit the scene to memory before diving in after her. The coolness of the water enveloped her, the water rushing past her ears strangely, until Sakura realized the water was wind and it was air whipping all around her.

Sakura’s stomach dropped and her eyes flew open. She wasn’t swimming, she was falling . She screamed, the surface of the ocean overhead had been replaced with the night sky and Sakura was plummeting to the earth. She tried to call out for Kurenai sensei but all that came out was a strangled scream, quickly swallowed by the roaring wind. Below, the ground grew closer and closer and closer until Sakura could make out the rapidly growing buildings and people of Kohona. 

This isn’t real. This isn’t real. It’s not real, get a hold of yourself dammit. Sakura mentally berated herself, falling for a genjutsu she had already known she was under. Doing her best to ignore the rapidly approaching ground, Sakura quickly formed the proper hand signal and flared her chakra. 

“Release!” 

They were sitting on the bench team eight had met at for lunch. Sakura looked around. 

“We…never left?” She asked breathlessly. 

“You’ve been in a genjutsu ever since the others left.” Kurenai informed her. “So yes, we haven’t moved an inch.” 

Hard to believe, when Sakura felt as though she were falling to her death moments earlier. 

“I see. Kurenai sensei, how did you manage to alter my other senses? I’ve only really been able to create visual illusions.” Sakura asked. Of course, she’d never attempted auditory hallucinations (she had still been trying to perfect her visual ones) and hadn’t even thought about any of the other senses. 

“Given what the academy has taught you this isn’t surprising, so don’t feel bad.” Kurenai assured her, “The academy teaches all of its students the henge technique. In its most basic form, it is a visual genjutsu that allows you to look like anything of your choosing by altering the perception of anyone who looks at you. You are used to directing your chakra towards fooling the eyes, not any of the other senses. You need to alter your intent, focusing on other senses as well, and practice sending your chakra to places other than the eye. Genjutsu techniques naturally target the brain, so your chakra is already doing the hard work of integrating itself, you just need to give it a nudge to take the extra step further. 

We can spend the rest of our time this afternoon focusing on creating these other sensations. Now, I recommend focusing on just one sensation at a time and then, once you are more comfortable producing these sensations you can try to manipulate several of them at once. For now, why don’t you start by recreating one of the sensations I showed you earlier?” 

“Alright.” Sakura carefully considered the task at hand. Sound was an obvious choice, but Sakura felt more drawn to some of the other sensations Kurenai sensei showed her, like the taste of the takoyaki or the terror of falling. After some careful deliberation, Sakura eventually decided to go with the sensation of water. Sakura weaved the hand signs, imagining the cool, clear water from Kurenai sensei’s imaginary ocean and how it felt dripping from her fingers. The chakra went to work, but unlike the false surroundings technique, there was no visual indication the illusion had taken hold. Beside her, Kurenai pursed her lips. 

“Hm. Are you going for water?” Kurenai asked. Sakura nodded in confirmation.

“Try making the water more slippery-lighter too, if you are going for just droplets.” Kurenai instructed. 

Sakura did her best to alter the feeling, but it was no easy task. How did she ensure it felt lighter, when she couldn’t feel it herself? Fortunately, Kurenai sensei gave excellent feedback, helping Sakura alter the illusion until the jounin was satisfied. 

“You are picking up fast. Excellent.” Kurenai praised, “Now try another one.”

Kurenai guided Sakura through forming her genjutsu, always patient and constructive when correcting her mistakes and readily offering praise for her successes. Touch, taste, smell, and sound were all covered, each using something from what Kurenai sensei had shown her. Sakura was uncertain for how long they practiced, but it was only once her chakra reserves were nearly depleted did they stop. 

“That’s it for today, I don’t want you to drain yourself any further. We’ll meet back up in two days, the same time as today. Don’t forget your memorization, as I’ll be testing you on what you can create. Understood?” Kurenai instructed. 

Sakura nodded, “Yes Sensei.” 

“Good. I’ll see you then.” 

(Line break) 

Over the next two weeks, Sakura falls into a rhythm. Three days a week Sakura would train with team eight. The first half of their mornings had usually been spent doing D-ranks (often while Sakura attempted to ensnare them in genjutsu) and the afternoons either doing group training exercises or one-on-one genjutsu training with Kurenai if her other students weren’t present. When Sakura isn’t with team eight, she often finds herself at the library or-as per Kurenai sensei’s instruction-dedicating time to the mundane task of memorizing things. She hasn’t seen Kakashi sensei once. Until now. 

Sakura had been out grabbing groceries with her mother, and had wandered off to gather ingredients while her mother talked to Mrs. Lin, the owner. She had been trying to decide which tea to get when a voice came from directly behind her. 

“I’d recommend the Sencha.”

Sakura jumped, clutching the tea to her chest and turning around. Kakashi sensei had adopted his usual deceptively relaxed slouch, his signature icha icha book held open. Sakura felt a strong urge to smack the offending material straight out of his hand. Instead, she returned the sencha tea to the shelf, grabbing a random one instead. 

“Kakashi sensei, what’re you doing here?” She asked.

“My my, is that anyway to greet your sensei? And after it’s been so long.” Kakashi replied, “Well, it’s good to see you too.” 

Sakura wasn’t sure how to respond, but was saved by the appearance of her mother. 

“Sakura, there you are. And you must be her sensei.” Sakura’s mother smiled, “I’m Mebuki, pleased to meet you.” 

“The pleasure is mine.” Kakashi replied, snapping his book shut and, while not putting it away, he at the very least kept the cover partially obscured. Maybe he has some shame after all. Sakura thought, hoping her mother didn’t have time to read the title or, even worse, know what icha icha was. 

“Ah you’ll have to tell me what it’s like, Sakura doesn’t tell me about her missions as often anymore.” Mebuki sighed, giving her daughter a meaningful look. 

“Mom, please, I’m sure Kakashi sensei is busy.” Sakura groaned. 

“Correct-as usual. I’d love to stay at chat but I’m afraid duty calls. I’ve simply been sent to deliver you a mission summons. You’ll need to meet in the missions office for your debriefing in about…thirty minutes. Oh, and be sure to pack, you’ll be leaving the village for this one.” Kakashi cheerfully informed her. 

“Thirty?!” Sakura exclaimed. That’s barely enough time to pack and shower! 

“That’s right. But don’t worry, I’m sure my cute little genin will do well. See you around.” Kakashi ruffled her hair before leaving. 

Beside her, Sakura’s mother frowned. 

“That book he was holding…did it say Icha Icha?”

… dammit.