"Yakumo's father mentioned the first Genjutsu use being possibly dangerous for her. Why would that be the case?"

"Well-" Kurenai started, but she was interrupted by Yakumo. 

"It will be fine. There's no need to worry about superstitions, Kurenai-sensei. Can you please go ahead and teach us the Jutsu?"

Kurenai smiled weakly, "Ok Yakumo, your sensei is sorry. The starting Genjutsu I will be teaching you all is called the Mind-Body Palm. By touching another with it, you will be able to put them in a Genjutsu. Remember not to confine yourself to any specific effect - the illusion will manifest according to your will as long as you can clearly visualize it. Finally, Hinata, I know you're not interested in Genjutsu. It's fine if you don't want to practice." 

The Mind-Body Palm was a jutsu consisting of five hand seals that created a cloak of chakra that surrounded one's hand, like the Mystical Palm jutsu. If the palm made contact with an enemy, they would immediately fall under a Genjutsu.

The jutsu seemed to have two main problems. Firstly, the chakra cloak around one's hand only lasted for a short period of time. If you didn't make contact with the enemy within this time, the Jutsu would fail.

Secondly, the jutsu required a full five hand seals! As such it couldn't possibly be used in close combat. When would you find the time to make the seals? Being a contact Jutsu that couldn't be feasibly cast in close combat, the Mind-Body Palm was useless in an active fighting scenario.

Because it was so close to the caster however, the Jutsu was easy to cast and could be supplied with a lot of chakra. This means anytime the Jutsu was applied on someone, it would be much much harder to shake off or dispel. In addition the emotional control and manipulation effects of the Jutsu were much stronger in comparison to most other Genjutsu. 

Both Yakumo and Saul spent the next few hours learning the Jutsu without much success. The jutsu was much harder than any academy Jutsu, yet it was the simplest Genjutsu. It was no wonder why Genjutsu was seen as the most difficult field to enter.

Saul, growing frustrated, decided to take a break. He summoned a shadow clone and commanded it, "Keep practicing the Jutsu - I'm going for a walk."

The clone nodded, he already knew his intentions but he voiced them out loud so the others would understand. The constant chakra circulation to keep himself alive was not yet instinctual, but it didn't detract from his focus. It was like making a conscious effort to take every breath. Minimal. 

He attempted the jutsu again. And again. The chakra flowed through his veins, through his very being, some of it was expelled outside through the hand seals. The hand seals were perfect - he used all the correct Tenketsu for the very first time. It clashed, forming an aura around his hand. But nothing. He was missing something.

Saul recalled a certain part of Kurenai's explanation. "The Illusion will manifest according to your desire as long as you visualize it." Again there it was - will was connected to chakra. He didn't desire it to do anything specific, so it did nothing. He had to guide it. He had to manifest it through his will.

What kind of illusion did he want? He looked at the multiple women around him. No. What kind of illusion should he start with? Something simple would do. Something benign to give a positive impression.

Saul glanced over at Hinata. When she met his eyes she smiled. Ok, he knew what kind of illusion he was going for. Saul made the hand seals for the jutsu while imagining giving. His mind connected with something deeper, something vast. Then the aura wrapped around his hand, a calm blue dappled in flakes of gold and small speckles of black.

"Hinata. Come."

Yakumo looked on enviously as Saul cast the Jutsu. Was the gap between herself and a real ninja really still this large?

Hinata walked to him on command, eyeing his glowing palm curiously. She linked up her hands with his. Suddenly, Saul pulled her towards him. He smiled, looking into her eyes.

"S-saul-kun!?"

"You know, I've never really had the right moment to say this. But now, nothing else matters to me. I love you, Hinata."

"B-but...!"

Saul-kun was never this affectionate in public! That was the first time he told her he loves her!!! Hinata's heart was beating so violently she felt it was about to leap out of her chest. Oh no, she was literally melting!

"Come even closer to me, Hinata. Show me how you really feel."

Sorry Yakumo. Sorry Kurenai sensei. Saul-kun meant more to her than anyone else! She would literally die for him!

"I love you too Saul-kun... Ever since that day, I always have..."

The other two looked on in shock as Hinata leaned in close to her lover, lips puckered.

"Shhh." Saul put a teasing finger on her eager lips, "Aren't you forgetting something?"

"What is it, my perfect Saul-kun?"

"Kai!"

Hinata's world shattered, fragmenting apart like shards of a dropped glass. Her head was against something warm. She looked up and saw Saul-kun, holding her head up from touching the ground. As she studied his face and recalled those three simple words, "I love you," Hinata flushed red. Oh Saul-kun...

Yakumo spoke up, "Hinata-chan, was his first Genjutsu really that good!?"

Kurenai joined in, a mysterious smile on her face, "Hoh? If it was that effective, maybe even I could learn something! What exactly did Saul show you?"

"N-nothing! It was nothing!"

Yakumo didn't quite seem to get the atmosphere. Maybe her sickly childhood had led to a lack of social interaction? Even though it wasn't said teasingly, she increased the pressure,

"Now I'm curious! Could you please tell me, Hinata-chan?" Yakumo gave puppy eyes.

Hinata felt as if she was about to die from embarrassment. She wanted to blame it on Saul-kun, but as she looked into his eyes, all she wanted to do was to grab his face and kiss him. But she couldn't, not in public! Hinata gave Saul what she hoped was a vengeful glare before turning back to Yakumo.

"W-why don't you ask Saul-kun? I can't say..."

Yakumo turned to him. She brushed a stray lock of brown hair from her face, smiling sheepishly,

"Well? Why are you two being so mysterious? Is it some kind of special technique?"

Saul smiled teasingly, then dispelled himself.

Yakumo opened her eyes wide with shock. Then with a *hmmph!* she went back to practicing the jutsu. She was more motivated than ever after seeing Saul succeed before she could.

Saul came back just in time to see Yakumo cast the Mind Body Palm for the very first time. In her hand resided a burning flame - he could feel the heat from the doorway. Wasn't the Jutsu supposed to be close range?

Yakumo's face was illuminated by the fire. On it was a huge grin.

"Kurenai sensei, look! Look! I did it!"

Kurenai replied nervously, although Saul could tell from the sweat sliding down her face she was trying her best to keep her calm, "Well done, Yakumo!"

"Hey..." Yakumo stepped closer to Kurenai and giggled, "The flames aren't burning me at all."

Yakumo held up her palm to show Kurenai. The liquid flames flickered. They passed through the gaps in her fingers as she turned her palm, always facing upwards. The air was distorted from the heat.

"They look so real, don't they? God, I feel amazing right now!"

"Yakumo." Kurenai sternly reminded, "Don't indulge it. You should control your power - don't let it control you. Remember?"

Yakumo looked disappointed, but she still listened. "Yes Kurenai-sensei..."

Saul spoke up. "As long as the Genjutsu isn't anything violent, Yakumo, then I'd be open to letting you try your Genjutsu on me. You seem like a kind woman." He smiled. 

Yakumo's face lit up. "Really?"

Author's Note: Alright, the Yakumo arc has begun! Some of you might remember from the original, others might not, but this is actually before any of the events that happened in canon regarding Yakumo.

It's unlikely that the demon showed up so early - otherwise there would be no scene of Kurenai being so shocked when she discovered what was in Yakumo's mind! In addition Yakumo would not get so depressed and disappointed either if she hadn't truly had any taste of success.

Hope you all are enjoying my take on how her past might have looked like! And as always, let me know of any advice / criticism you may have - I'm always looking to improve!

One more thing. I've finally sufficiently clarified the Multi-Shadow Clone Jutsu in this novel through explanations and examples. Saul's clones are all Saul, and when they're dispelled all the memories come in parallel, as if he was doing multiple things at once rather than separate people performing the actions. So here's the question for you all - should shadow clones be used for NSFW scenes?