Chapter 12: The Shortcut to Enhancing Conqueror's Haki

The dungeon, as a high-security facility for holding Uchiha clansmen, was heavily guarded. However, Chu Yang was qualified to enter and exit the place freely.

This was because the news of him becoming the personal disciple of Senju Hashirama and Senju Tobirama had long since spread throughout the Senju clan.

At this moment, Chu Yang’s status was no longer what it used to be.

Therefore, when he entered the dungeon, the guards only asked a few routine questions.

They even arranged for elites from the clan to protect Chu Yang.

However, before Chu Yang entered the dungeon, a guard specifically cautioned him, "You must not endanger the lives of these prisoners; they are bargaining chips used to exchange for Senju clansmen."

As the war continued, both sides held prisoners, and in the end, a negotiation would be inevitable.

The experiment Chu Yang intended to conduct would not endanger these people's safety; on the contrary, he himself would be the one in more danger.

Chu Yang agreed and entered the dungeon.

Hearing the commotion, the Uchiha clansmen turned their heads toward Chu Yang.

It was only then that Chu Yang saw their eyes were wrapped in sealing jutsu charms.

Managing the Uchiha clansmen in this manner was a lesson the Senju clan had learned at the cost of blood.

In addition, the sealing jutsu on the Uchiha clansmen’s bodies could also prevent them from extracting chakra.

If he wanted them to cast genjutsu on him, he would first have to remove these charms.

Chu Yang turned to the guard beside him and said, "Find me the one with the most severe injuries and the least amount of chakra."

The guard immediately looked troubled.

Chu Yang explained with a smile, "I just want to experience the Uchiha clan’s Sharingan genjutsu."

The guard breathed a sigh of relief and laughed along, "That’s no problem."

Not long after, the guard dragged out a boy even younger than Chu Yang from the cell.

The boy was sallow and gaunt, listless, and looked so malnourished that even Chu Yang doubted he could squeeze out any chakra.

Chu Yang thought that the boy must have suffered from hunger during his time in the dungeon.

He was as limp as a pile of mud.

Chu Yang had originally intended to ask the guard to swap him for another, but upon second thought, he decided it was better to be cautious—who knew if the boy was faking it?

Without the aid of ocular jutsu, it was difficult for an average ninja to see through an opponent's chakra levels unless there was a vast disparity in strength.

"Be careful, I'm going to remove his charms," the guard cautioned Chu Yang before reaching out to peel the charms off the boy's eyelids.

Without needing Chu Yang to say anything, the boy opened his eyes and stared fixedly at Chu Yang with his Sharingan.

One eye had a single tomoe, the other had two.

The moment their gazes met, the boy’s hateful glare pulled Chu Yang into a genjutsu.

Chu Yang’s expression suddenly became vacant and dull.

This caused the guard nearby to breathe rapidly, instinctively wanting to knock out the Uchiha boy who was casting the genjutsu.

"Wait."

A deep, mature voice came from outside, stopping the guard’s action.

The guard turned his head, and upon seeing who it was, he bowed in panic.

The person who arrived was none other than Senju Tobirama.

He stood to the side, watching with interest, and then smiled: "This kid is quite cautious; he won't have any trouble surviving on the battlefield in the future. My brother told me not to be too hard on him, but it seems that won't be necessary."

Senju Tobirama’s words implied that he was grooming Chu Yang as his successor, which shocked the guard; he realized he had underestimated Chu Yang’s status.

Just as the guard was about to say something, the Uchiha boy in his hands suddenly groaned and fainted, and Chu Yang woke up from the genjutsu.

Chu Yang’s eyes regained their clarity, mixed with a hint of lingering fear. Although he had been prepared, the Sharingan genjutsu was even more terrifying than he had imagined.

"Awake? How do you feel?"

"It's alright..." Hearing the familiar voice, Chu Yang quickly greeted Senju Tobirama respectfully, "Teacher, good morning!"

Senju Tobirama said indifferently, "You still remember I'm your teacher? Entering the dungeon to do something so dangerous without a word! Do you know how terrifying Sharingan genjutsu is?"

Chu Yang quickly explained, "In my previous missions, I only encountered Uchiha clansmen who hadn't awakened their eyes, so I wanted to experience a real Sharingan to avoid paying the price on the battlefield later."

"It's better to be prepared in advance than to scramble at the last minute!"

Senju Tobirama, who had been somewhat angry, felt the corners of his mouth lift slightly after hearing this. This mindset of Chu Yang’s suited him well; he had always liked to plan ahead.

What gave Senju Tobirama the biggest headache was his brother Hashirama’s naivety of "it will all work out in the end."

Thinking of this, Senju Tobirama no longer intended to blame Chu Yang for his recklessness.

Instead, he asked, "What did it feel like to experience Sharingan genjutsu for the first time?"

"It's terrifying!" Chu Yang said with a serious expression, recalling carefully: "It is faster than ordinary genjutsu, making it difficult for the target to guard against. Before it started, I had already reminded myself to be careful, but I still fell for it in an instant."

"What’s truly desperate is that Sharingan genjutsu cannot be dispelled by conventional methods; one can only endure it through sheer willpower."

Senju Tobirama nodded, "You are right. So far, when we fight against genjutsu masters of the Uchiha clan, there is basically no other way to avoid Sharingan genjutsu other than not looking into their eyes."

"The only fortunate thing is that the advantage of genjutsu in war is not obvious; after all, the battlefield is the easiest place to disrupt the effects of genjutsu."

Chu Yang suddenly realized, "In other words, except for small-scale skirmishes and 1-on-1 battles, the role genjutsu can play is very limited."

"Exactly." Senju Tobirama reminded Chu Yang, "So you only need to understand the characteristics of Sharingan genjutsu; don't delve too deeply and waste your time and energy."

Chu Yang nodded respectfully, "Teacher, I understand."

In truth, Senju Tobirama didn't think Chu Yang would stop just because of his warning; in his eyes, this was a young man with a very strong sense of self.

Therefore, Senju Tobirama only said a few words before leaving the dungeon.

After Senju Tobirama left, Chu Yang silently felt his Haki.

Under the stimulation of the genjutsu, it had indeed grown.

The negative emotions and scenes within the genjutsu stimulated Chu Yang’s spirit, causing his aura—or rather, his willpower—to erupt, which in turn influenced his Haki.

This hypothesis had been confirmed.

In addition, Chu Yang discovered that as Wood Release continuously strengthened his cellular vitality and improved his physique, his Haki would also slowly increase, though the effect was not as obvious as the stimulation from genjutsu.

Excited, Chu Yang let out a long breath, looked down at the fainted Uchiha boy, and said expressionlessly, "Next!"

Just like that, after experiencing the baptism of Sharingan genjutsu three times, Chu Yang’s Haki had a breakthrough.

Not only did his Armament Haki reach a new level, but he also incidentally mastered Observation Haki!