Feng Zheng began to practice this Ninjutsu.
He practiced triggering fear and despair in his Shadow Clone, then affecting its hearing and smell.
It took him seven days to master these three abilities. Then he started trying to create an illusion, but he encountered an obstacle.
“So what am I actually afraid of?”
He thought about it.
“My only concern right now is Danzo forcibly pulling me into Root. But even so, it’s not something I’m afraid of. I guess this is where my good luck lies; I don’t have any inner demons.”
He thought more and finally understood.
He cast a Genjutsu on his Shadow Clone, and his Shadow Clone allowed the Genjutsu to be applied.
Nothing happened for a few seconds, but then the Shadow Clone saw something.
There was a small black dot on the horizon, and it was constantly getting bigger. He quickly noticed what it was, thinking:
“Damn, is that a Tailed Beast Bomb???”
At the sight of it, he felt fear and despair!
However, after the training of the previous few days, he realized that Feng Zheng had triggered his fear and despair. The Tailed Beast Bomb hit him, and the illusion ended.
Subsequently, the Shadow Clone dispelled itself, transmitting its memories back to Feng Zheng. Feng Zheng thought:
“Good progress. I guess right now, what I fear most is dying like cannon fodder, powerless to do anything!”
Then he thought about the illusion again.
“The illusion effect is also good. However, the form of the Tailed Beast Bomb is still unstable and needs improvement. And it ended very suddenly. Although weaker opponents like Sakura might faint, battle-hardened Ninja certainly won’t faint after the illusion ends.”
“Perhaps I can further extend the illusion, giving me more time to deliver a fatal blow. Maybe after the explosion, I can induce the smell of dirt and blood, or perhaps even show the opponent images of their own corpse, making them think for a few seconds that they have died and are now a soul or a ghost!”
He continued to work on improving his illusion effects.
It took him about a week to be satisfied with the illusion effects he created.
By the time he learned these two Genjutsu, there were less than three months left until the final exam.
Feng Zheng was making good progress in all aspects. However, there was one important aspect he hadn’t focused on yet.
He thought:
“Hmm, all progress is going smoothly. My Chakra level is already on par with weaker school teachers. My Ninjutsu and Taijutsu have probably surpassed the Genin level. The cultivation of Sealing Technique is also progressing well, and I should be able to complete the current scroll in another 6 months.”
“In terms of swordsmanship, the basic knowledge has been learned well, and Chakra flow has become smoother. I can easily cut down a tree with a sword, and I can even cut open a rock. And I’ve also started learning Genjutsu.”
However, he was still severely lacking in combat experience.
In fact, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that he had no combat experience at all. After all, Taijutsu matches do not involve life-threatening situations or even permanent injuries. It's not even allowed to throw Shuriken at each other during matches.
Another important thing was combat and survival instincts.
Being able to act purely on instinct in battle, or being able to sense whether one's life is in danger, is very important for any Ninja.
Otherwise, a surprise Shuriken attack alone would be enough to kill anyone.
Fortunately, since Feng Zheng was a Sensor Ninja, his intuition would be stronger, but this was still not enough.
So, in the next three months, he needed to spar frequently with his Shadow Clones, simulating real combat scenarios.
He thought for a moment and decided:
“First, let's start with wooden weapons. Once I get used to it, I'll switch to real weapons.”
The following Saturday, he went to a small forest.
After confirming that there was no one around, he created a Shadow Clone and decided to have a match.
Both he and his Shadow Clone were equipped with 24 wooden Shuriken, 6 wooden kunai, and 2 wooden swords.
The two stood facing each other, ten meters apart.
Feng Zheng picked up a small pebble and threw it into the air. The moment the pebble landed was the signal for the battle to begin.
Since the Shadow Clone was created after all plans were completed, no dialogue was needed.
As soon as the pebble landed, Feng Zheng and the Shadow Clone both leaped backward and unleashed the Great Breakthrough Technique.
The Ninjutsu collided, stirring up a large amount of wind and breaking many branches.
After unleashing the Ninjutsu, both of them dodged, avoiding the range of the Ninjutsu.
As the wind gradually subsided, Feng Zheng and his Shadow Clone began to observe for opportunities in the wind.
Feng Zheng quickly found an opportunity, thinking:
“Right there!”
Soon, he threw three Shuriken into the wind. Due to the wind's flow, they changed direction and flew straight towards the Shadow Clone.
The Shadow Clone noticed this and flashed fifty meters to its left.
Feng Zheng noticed the clone flash, observed carefully, and thought:
“That direction.”
He threw out three more Shuriken.
Next, he used the Projectile Control Technique, manipulating all six Shuriken to aim at his Shadow Clone.
Watching the six Shuriken coming at him, the Shadow Clone continuously used evasion techniques to dodge, waiting for the right moment.
Soon, the opportunity came, and the Shadow Clone prepared two Wind Balls and instantly unleashed the Wind Blast Technique.
The two explosions destroyed 3 Shuriken and caused 2 Shuriken to lose Feng Zheng's control.
However, Feng Zheng continued to direct the remaining Shuriken at his Shadow Clone, not giving his Shadow Clone any chance to rest.
The Shadow Clone looked at the last Shuriken and thought:
“If he suddenly changes direction to block it, there will be danger. I need to distract him.”
The Shadow Clone retreated backward and slammed its hands on the ground, raising a rock shield.
Feng Zheng changed the direction of the Shuriken, circling around the boulder, but there was nothing behind it. He thought:
“Damn, did he use a substitution or go underground?”
So he flashed to a branch on a nearby tree. Then he activated his sensing mode, focusing his attention underground, and sensed his Shadow Clone.
He thought:
“Hmm, I’ll just wait for him to surface.”
Then he prepared a Wind Ball in each hand.
The Shadow Clone underground was heading straight for Feng Zheng to launch a sneak attack.
But he felt that he had been sensed by Feng Zheng, and also the Chakra accumulated by the Wind Blast Technique, he thought:
“No, I can't attack now. I need to get out of the ground; my movement speed underground is much slower. But I might not be able to dodge his Wind Blast attack.”
The analysis was completed in less than a second, and the Shadow Clone decided to leave the ground directly.
Feng Zheng sensed his Shadow Clone and flashed near where his Shadow Clone surfaced.
As soon as the Shadow Clone's head emerged, Feng Zheng fired two orbs and began to prepare more orbs.
The Shadow Clone, whose head had just emerged from the ground, thought:
“Just as I expected.”