The genjutsu cast from a distance was not something Lin Yu was confident he could control Orochimaru with. In close combat, Orochimaru would surely guard against him. Only by making Orochimaru careless, believing he had already won, could Lin Yu achieve this face-to-face confrontation, unleashing the Sharingan genjutsu without hindrance.
This was Lin Yu's plan. Everything before was a setup, gradually luring Orochimaru, letting him see through all his thoughts, all for this very moment.
If it were anyone else, Lin Yu wouldn't have laid so many traps; acting was exhausting. But as Orochimaru had said to Lin Yu, it was precisely because you are Orochimaru that I, Lin Yu, believe you will figure it out!
Orochimaru's eyes suddenly became vacant, and the snakes binding Lin Yu scattered to the ground. As Lin Yu rubbed his arm and was about to call out to Hiruzen Sarutobi, a sinister laugh rang out.
"Lin Yu-kun, leaving already?"
What! Lin Yu quickly retreated a few steps, looking at Orochimaru with considerable alarm. This time, he wasn't faking; it was real!
How could this be? Orochimaru broke free from my genjutsu so quickly!
Lin Yu had originally thought Orochimaru's weakness was genjutsu, that his resistance to it was very weak. He knew his genjutsu cultivation was not high, only mastering basic genjutsu, which was more than enough for the commoner Yahiko, but it would be difficult against Orochimaru.
So Lin Yu had meticulously planned, striving to cast genjutsu at close range. To his surprise, he was still broken free. How many seconds was that? One or two?
It turned out Orochimaru's resistance to genjutsu wasn't weak; Itachi-sama was too formidable!
It led Lin Yu to subconsciously believe that Orochimaru was weak and easily dealt with by Itachi Uchiha's gaze, even having his arm severed.
But in reality, not everyone's genjutsu could instantly kill Orochimaru. Lin Yu's three-tomoe Sharingan couldn't!
Perhaps it was also because the current Orochimaru had not yet developed the Impure World Reincarnation, and his soul's strength had not been damaged. Ordinary genjutsu had little effect.
If it were the Mangekyo, who knew if it would work? If genjutsu cultivation isn't enough, then make up for it with quality. The genjutsu cast by the Mangekyo is far stronger than that of the three-tomoe Sharingan. They are not on the same level. The three-tomoe is a bottleneck; the Mangekyo is a qualitative leap!
Lin Yu looked at Orochimaru with a hint of solemnity in his heart, thinking: It seems we're in for a protracted battle!
"Lin Yu-kun, shall we continue?" Orochimaru's expression was a little unpleasant.
Although Orochimaru broke free from the genjutsu, he knew he had indeed fallen into Lin Yu's illusion. It took him about 1.2 seconds to break free. While this was a short time, in a real battle, he, Orochimaru, might already be dead. But that was debatable, after all... he still had that technique, though it wasn't perfect yet!
As Lin Yu was about to answer, Hiruzen Sarutobi's figure landed between them and said,
"No need to continue. Uzumaki Lin Yu, congratulations on passing the assessment. From now on, you are a Jonin of Konohagakure!"
Lin Yu let out a sigh of relief. Although he wouldn't have lost if the fight continued, his chances of winning were slim. He could accept this outcome, as he still had trump cards he hadn't revealed. But if he revealed that trump card, a Mangekyo Sharingan at the age of ten?
Cheater! Definitely a cheater!
Hiruzen Sarutobi, who had watched the entire exchange between the two, approved of Lin Yu's "dishonest" behavior. In a real battle, if your opponent says they'll fight you in taijutsu, do you really fight them in taijutsu?
This wasn't a spar between ninja academies; it was a Jonin assessment!
Caution, subtlety, decisiveness, and surprise were the psychological qualities a Jonin should possess. Lin Yu was doing very well. Although a bit cunning, he had at least grasped these conditions.
Lin Yu's previous statement, "I lost this time, Teacher Orochimaru," almost convinced even Hiruzen Sarutobi himself. He truly believed Lin Yu had been defeated by Orochimaru.
The main reason was Lin Yu's perfect acting in terms of actions and expressions at that moment. It was unclear how Orochimaru saw through it and directly attacked with lethal force. If that had been the real Lin Yu, he might have gone straight to the Pure Land!
And Lin Yu's chakra scalpel directly cutting the heart was also life-threatening!
Orochimaru: Heh, would someone connected to the Immortal Organization be that weak? Besides, can't you revive even if you die? The Immortal Organization has the Rinnegan.
Lin Yu: Heh, others might die, but Snake Auntie isn't necessarily!
This was why Hiruzen Sarutobi intervened to stop the assessment. Who knew if one of them would be lost if they continued fighting? One was his most promising disciple, and the other was like his grand-disciple. Both were rare geniuses, and Hiruzen Sarutobi would regret losing either of them.
Even though the exchange was brief, and only five or six ninjutsu were used, Hiruzen Sarutobi watched with deep emotion. Both Lin Yu's "sneaky" actions and Orochimaru's confidence and caution made him feel that he was getting old.
His disciples had all grown up! He wondered how Jiraiya, that fool, was doing.
...
Within the Land of Rain.
"Achoo!"
Jiraiya rubbed his slightly reddened nose, wrapped in a thick blanket, his hair a little damp as he sat by the campfire, shivering and warming himself.
"Teacher Jiraiya, do you have a cold?" Yahiko, with his orange hair, asked with concern.
Jiraiya had returned to the small cabin soaking wet that afternoon, surprising all three of them. After months of training, they knew how powerful this white-haired man was. Although he was a bit unreliable, he gave them a sense of security.
Jiraiya hadn't explained at the time, only saying he accidentally fell into a puddle while walking.
As for the real reason... he wouldn't admit that he fell from a high platform into a pool while trying to sense natural energy due to an unstable state of mind, and because he had smeared himself with toad oil, he had to quickly expel the natural energy from his body, or he would turn into a toad!
Fortunately, he had only absorbed a little and could still revert to his original form. Otherwise, his handsome face, Jiraiya's, would disappear, causing countless girls to shed tears!
"Probably... not. Achoo!" Jiraiya didn't feel like he had a cold. It was more like some scoundrel was secretly talking about him!
Could it be Orochimaru! Damn it! I knew he was still thinking about me not returning within two months. Is he worried about me? Being handsome and popular, this damn charm of mine!
"Yahiko, Teacher Jiraiya seems fine. Shall we go back to training?"
Nagato tugged at Yahiko's sleeve. He wanted to spend time alone with Yahiko. For some reason, when he was with Yahiko, his heart would become calm, and his training speed would increase. Could this be the manifestation of love?
"Nagato! Training is fine, but can you stay a little further away from me? You're always almost leaning on me!" Yahiko remembered an incident where he was so engrossed in training that when he woke up, Nagato was almost leaning on him, and he immediately used the Flying Thunder God Technique to leap into a tree.
This made him want to "sleep separately" from Nagato for the past few days! Nagato was becoming increasingly strange!
The wooden house was simple and remained as it was when Lin Yu left. Jiraiya, Nagato, and Yahiko slept in one room, but sometimes Jiraiya was not there, and only Nagato and he were alone...
"Yahiko... I just want to protect you!"
"No! I don't need your protection!" Yahiko covered his ears, turned, and ran out.
"Teacher Jiraiya, I'm going to chase Yahiko. You rest well. Yahiko, wait for me!"
Nagato took a step and chased after Yahiko. The afterglow of the sunset shone on them, and their running shadows gradually disappeared...
For some reason, Jiraiya thought of Orochimaru and sighed, "I remember that day, running under the setting sun. That was my lost youth!"