Naruto: Becoming a master taijutsu using martial arts.

The training field was quieter than usual. It was time for the next exam, and based on the location, I had already guessed it would be the taijutsu portion of the test—so yeah, I was excited.

We were all lined up in a neat row, and I could practically feel the anxiety hanging in the air. Especially from Jimei beside me, who was fidgeting like a squirrel on an espresso binge. Bekkou-sensei stood in the center, hands clasped behind his back, wearing an expression that hovered somewhere between boredom and mild irritation.

"Listen carefully, because I'll only explain this once." He began talking, his voice carrying across the field with the enthusiasm of a man forced to work overtime. "This will be a taijutsu and genjutsu exam with simple rules. You'll have three minutes to fight me. The goal is to avoid getting knocked out or stepping out of the designated area. Simple, right?"

I glanced at the circle on the ground—about ten meters across—and it looked way too small for the amount of stress we were about to endure. And wait...taijutsu and genjutsu? What kind of combo was that? Those two had less in common than oil and water.

"Of course…" Bekkou-sensei continued, "I wouldn't be a good teacher if I made this easy. At the start of the fight, I'll cast a simple genjutsu. Your job is to break free quickly. During the match, I'll use a second, more advanced genjutsu halfway through. If you don't escape by the end of the three minutes, you fail automatically."

He paused, scanning our faces. Some students looked confused, others were already sweating bullets. Me? I was relieved. When I heard "genjutsu" I'd panicked, considering my complete lack of talent for casting illusions. But breaking out of them? Now that was my jam.

"Now, let's begin. First up: Michio Akemi!"

Bekkou-sensei clapped his hands, and a tall, athletic girl stepped forward. She looked confident...right until the fight started. Despite knowing she'd be hit by a genjutsu, she froze for nearly twenty seconds before snapping out of it. The rest of the fight was a mess. She wasn't knocked out, but she got shoved to the edge of the circle so many times I lost count.

"Passed...barely." Bekkou-sensei said, scratching his head. "Next: Akimichi Daichi!"

Daichi handed his bag of chips to Inomatsu and stomped forward like an angry rhino. He was stronger than Akemi but about as agile as a fridge. He broke the first genjutsu quickly but got pummeled by Bekkou-sensei's strikes throughout the match. The second genjutsu messed him up so badly that he ended up flailing around like he was fighting invisible bees.

"You have strength, Daichi." Bekkou-sensei said afterward. "But brute force alone won't save you. Work on that."

More students followed, each with their own struggle. Some escaped the illusions fast but got manhandled in taijutsu. Others held their ground physically but stared into the genjutsu like moths drawn to a flame.

"Next: Kuroda Jimei!"

"Oh boy, here we go." Jimei muttered with a shaky smile. "Wish me luck, Ken-kun!"

"Go get 'em!" I said, giving his back a reassuring pat.

Honestly, I was worried. We'd been best friends for three years, and while I knew Jimei was a genjutsu prodigy, his taijutsu was... let's just say "under construction".

But, apparently, I didn't need to worry much. The moment the match started, Jimei escaped the initial genjutsu in under two seconds. He opened his eyes with a confident grin and settled into his stance. That cocky bastard.

"Impressive." Bekkou-sensei said. "But let's see if you can keep it up."

The fight began. Jimei wasn't strong, but we'd spent months practicing boxing basics together. Jimei was tall for our age—about 4'9"—with disproportionately long arms. The first punch I taught him was the jab, and during one of our training sessions, I realized he could throw a jab I'd never pull off thanks to those long limbs.

That flicker jab had been burned into my memory because of an anime character I'd watched in my past life. I didn't explain it very well, but Jimei managed to grasp the basics after a year. The technique let him maintain distance with quick, annoying strikes.

Bekkou-sensei looked surprised as those rapid-fire jabs kept him at bay. The hits weren't powerful, but they were relentless. At the halfway mark, the second genjutsu hit. Jimei faltered, eyes going blank for a few seconds, then shook it off with a grin. 

 The fight turned into a game of cat and mouse, with Bekkou-sensei clearly holding back. Still, Jimei managed to control the distance and pace.

"Good job, Jimei." Bekkou-sensei said as the match ended. "You're promising with genjutsu, but you need to work more on your taijutsu. That stance was... unusual, but if all it does is maintain distance, it'll get you in trouble."

"Understood, sensei!" Jimei replied, dragging himself back to my side, still breathing hard.

He flopped onto the ground, wheezing like a dying fish. I was proud of him. I'd barely managed to explain the flicker jab technique, but he made it work.

"Dude, you nailed it!" I said, genuinely proud.

"Thanks." he wheezed, still catching his breath.

Our celebration was cut short when Bekkou-sensei called my name.

"Hoshino Kenshin! To the center!"

Guess it was my turn. I walked to the middle of the circle with purpose, locking eyes with Bekkou-sensei.

Yeah, I was a bit nervous, but this was my thing. I knew I was the best taijutsu fighter in our class. And while the genjutsu part made me a bit uneasy, I had solid chakra control and was confident in my ability to break free.

"Ready, Kenshin?" Bekkou-sensei asked.

We made the spar sign, and I took a deep breath, preparing myself. Another reason I was confident? Bekkou-sensei had warned us about the genjutsu at the start, so I'd braced for it.

"Begin!"

Bekkou-sensei's hands blurred through hand seals, and then… everything went to hell.

The world shifted in an instant. A strange, distorted noise echoed in my ears, like the world itself was cracking. The sunlight dimmed, replaced by a dull haze.

A high-pitched beeping pierced my mind. And that sound terrified me more than anything.

Because I hadn't heard that sound since waking up in this world.

Claustrophobia hit me like a train. I was lying in a hospital bed, tubes attached to my arms. The beeping came from a heart monitor beside me. My breath caught in my throat.

"What… what the hell?" I whispered.

It didn't make sense. Why was I here? Panic swelled inside me, choking out my thoughts. My surroundings blurred; my heart raced.

I tried to move my legs, but they were like lead. A shiver ran down my spine. I pushed up on my elbows, trying to get a better look.

My gaze shifted to the window beside me. My distorted reflection stared back.

And then I saw it.

The pale hair. The violet eyes. The child's face.

That was Kenshin Hoshino's reflection. My reflection.

Of course. I wasn't in a hospital. I wasn't in my old body.

This... this was a genjutsu.

Holy crap.

I'd never been this freaked out by an illusion before.

I finally realized the truth: this was part of a genjutsu. Wow. I'd never been so happy to be caught in a genjutsu before. With a mix of anger at the illusion and relief that the last three years hadn't been creations of my coma-stricken mind, I took a deep breath and focused.

As I felt the chakra flow through my body, I nearly cried with joy. Yes. If this weren't an illusion, I wouldn't be able to sense my chakra. Disrupting the genjutsu after that was easy. The images around me began to warp and dissolve, like smoke in the wind.

When I opened my eyes, the hospital was gone. The training field was right there, and it didn't seem like much time had passed. I was back in the fight, but my body was still tense with irrational panic. My heart pounded in my chest, but I couldn't afford to hesitate.

"Genjutsu..." I muttered, clenching my fists. I was pissed. And now, more than ever, I knew I had to stay alert.

Bekkou-sensei stood there, arms crossed, with a smug little smile like he'd been expecting me to fall for it. The bastard.

I was mad as hell—and I was gonna use that.

I dashed toward him and jumped, twisting my hips for a roundhouse kick aimed straight at his chest. He blocked it easily, but I knew he felt that impact on his forearm.

Didn't let that stop me. I kept going, unleashing every kick I knew: roundhouse, front kick, hook kick—you name it, I threw it. No more defensive crap today; I was attacking with everything I had.

I went for his chest again, but this time, he did something different. He caught my leg and yanked me toward him, throwing me off balance. Before I could react, a solid punch slammed into my chest.

The hit knocked the air out of me, and he let go. I stumbled back, trying to catch my breath. He had the size advantage; in this world, reach and weight weren't as crucial as skill, but they still mattered. I couldn't let him get me like that again.

"You're doing well, Kenshin." Bekkou-sensei said, forming new hand seals. "But we're not done yet."

The ground shifted beneath me. Something was off. I glanced down, and suddenly the circle on the ground seemed...miles away. The entire field twisted like a funhouse mirror, my sense of distance warping with it. Panic kicked in.

But... something felt off. The sensation in my body, the perceived distance—none of it was natural. The circle hadn't moved. I quickly looked down at my feet, then at the line. Everything was exactly where it should be. It was all just another illusion.

"Another genjutsu…" I mumbled, forcing myself to stay calm. I wasn't falling for that again.

I took a deep breath and closed my eyes for a moment. My strategy was simple: break free as quickly as possible. Focus. Feel the chakra.

"Genjutsu: Release!" I declared with confidence.

The distortion snapped away. The field returned to normal.

No more playing around.

I hated these damn genjutsus. Breaking them wasn't hard; the frustrating part was not realizing I'd been caught in the first one.

I bolted toward Bekkou-sensei and launched myself into the air, twisting for a side kick aimed at his ribs. He caught my foot again. But this time, I was ready.

"Not this time!" I shouted.

Using the grip on my leg as leverage, I spun my hips and slammed a spin back kick into his stomach. The impact hit solid, knocking him back several steps and forcing him to let go.

I landed and saw his chest rise and fall, breathing harder than before. His surprised expression? Priceless.

Before I could press the attack, the alarm blared, signaling the end of the fight.

"Good job, Kenshin." Bekkou-sensei said, his voice serious but with a hint of genuine respect. "You struggled at first, but you adapted fast and even managed to land a solid hit. You passed this stage."

I exhaled, my heart still racing. The genjutsu part had rattled me more than I wanted to admit, but I'd made it through. Just one more challenge left before becoming a Leaf ninja.

And I couldn't wait.