Chapter 3: The Prison of My Mind
Chapter 3: The Prison of My Mind
I couldn't move. Couldn't even scream.
Chiyo's voice echoed through the void like a cruel lullaby. "You're not the first brat who's asked me to teach them. But they all make the same mistake: they don't understand that the mind is the most fragile weapon of all."
I was trapped in a genjutsu. An entire illusion built to break me, to show me what would happen if I couldn't handle this level of manipulation.
I could feel the pressure of the illusion squeezing in on me, trying to force me to lose my grip. It was the same feeling I got when I was about to make a really stupid decision—a heavy weight on my chest, suffocating me, threatening to snap.
But I wasn't going to break.
I refused to.
I was in control.
My thoughts screamed in defiance as I tried to pull myself together. Focus.
What's real?
I couldn't rely on my body to guide me. I didn't have the chakra to break free. But I had something else—my power. The one that let me rank, sort, and analyze reality.
I set the criteria:
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[Ranking Criteria: "What is the key to breaking out of this genjutsu?"]
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1. Accept it, then twist it (100%) – Understanding the illusion is half the battle.
2. Wait for Chiyo to lose interest (80.2%) – Not advisable.
3. Force your will (70.4%) – Requires immense chakra reserves. Not an option.
4. Find the source (68.9%) – Could work if you know where to look.
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I mulled over my options. Option one seemed the most promising.
I closed my eyes—if I had to live in this mental prison, then fine. But I was going to be the one in charge.
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Chiyo's voice came again. "You think you can fight your way out of this?"
I grinned, my fingers twitching as I began to mold my reality inside this illusion. "I'm not fighting anything."
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I imagined myself stepping out of the dark, seeing light at the edge of my vision. I embraced the illusion instead of resisting it.
It felt wrong, but I kept going, knowing my mind had to believe it before the genjutsu could lose its power.
Then, in a single breath, I was outside the darkness.
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"Not bad, kid," Chiyo said, her tone slightly impressed but still tinged with that mocking edge. "Most people would've taken longer. But you won't get far if you don't have more than just this trick."
I felt the weight of her words, the gravity behind them. I had just escaped one level of her test. But that didn't mean I had won.
"Ready for the next lesson?" she asked, and I couldn't tell if she was genuinely offering help or setting me up for the next trial.
I nodded, trying to ignore the lingering tightness in my chest.
"I was born ready."
Chiyo grinned, a wicked smile that sent chills down my spine. "Good. Because now, we're going deeper."
Step 1: The Next Phase
The next phase wasn't like anything I had imagined. Instead of simply being in my mind, I found myself suddenly in a vast, empty landscape—a desert of endless white sand stretching out to infinity.
I was standing on the sand, but it didn't feel real. It felt like I was standing in the middle of a thought—something that wasn't meant to exist.
"Where are we?" I asked, trying to keep my voice steady.
"This," Chiyo's voice rang out, "is a representation of your mind, unfiltered."
I looked around again. The white sand, the bright sky—it felt like a blank canvas, ready to be manipulated. But even more unsettling than that was the fact that I couldn't escape it.
Chiyo appeared beside me, her expression unreadable. "This is the next level. If you can't learn to control your thoughts in this place, then all your tricks, all your 'rankings,' will be useless."
My stomach dropped. If I couldn't hold myself together in this kind of mental state, then everything I had learned so far was pointless.
"What do I do?" I asked, my voice cracking slightly.
"Simple. You start creating."
I blinked, confused. "Creating what?"
"Everything. Anything."
And before I could respond, she disappeared—leaving me alone in this strange, surreal desert.
I looked around, the weight of the situation beginning to sink in. I had to take control of this space. If I didn't, I would be trapped here. Forever.
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Step 2: Create Something Real
I closed my eyes and focused. What could I create that would prove I could control this world?
A breeze whispered around me, soft and gentle. The grains of sand shifted as if guided by invisible hands. But it was just a reflection—nothing more than the illusion of control.
Then, I thought of something else.
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[Ranking Criteria: "What's the most powerful thing I can create right now?"]
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1. A sword of pure will (100%) – Perfect for cutting through this illusion.
2. A shield of resistance (85.6%) – Defensible but lacks offensive capability.
3. A memory (79.9%) – Weak, but safe.
4. A perfect image of Chiyo (70.2%) – Would allow me to 'read' her intentions.
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I grinned.
A sword of will. I could do that.
I raised my hand, and nothing happened at first. But then, slowly, the air around me began to congeal, taking form. A hilt. A blade.
And then it was there.
A blade of shimmering light formed in my hand, solid, real in this dreamscape.
Chiyo reappeared, eyeing the sword with faint amusement. "Not bad. You're learning faster than I thought. But you'll need more than a sword to survive the real world."
I nodded, feeling the weight of the sword in my hand. "I know. But this is a start."
She smiled again, this time approvingly. "Indeed. Let's see how well you can wield it."
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End of Chapter 3.