You saw the title and instantly knew what we were talking about. In the sprawling world of Naruto, where fights are charged with strategic brilliance, one scene stands out as the most absurd. The scene is so absurd that over the years, it has evolved into a meme. Picture this: You come face to face with Itachi. How do you survive (you can’t beat him)? Do you run, or do you accept your fate?
We don’t know what you chose, but we are sure it’s better than what Kurenai did. She wanted to flex her genjutsu skills, but messed up while choosing her opponent. We are talking about when Kurenai tried to use genjutsu against Itachi. It’s been twenty-one years since that Naruto scene first graced our screens, and it is the personification of the line “delulu is solulu”.
Kurenai’s gambit against Itachi goes wrong in Naruto
Ah the good old days when shit was simple in Naruto. The scene in discussion kicks off when Itachi and his partner, Kisame, infiltrate the Hidden Leaf Village to snag Naruto for their Akatsuki-ish purposes. Kakashi sniffs out their shady vibes and rallies Asuma and Kurenai to stop them. What follows is a one-sided ass whooping.
Itachi takes on all three Jonin and strategically separates them with his jutsu. His crimson eyes gleam as he dodges their attacks and pushes them back. Kakashi tries to use his stolen techniques (don’t come after us), and Asuma tries to…do what he does best, but they don’t last long in front of the Hidden Leaf’s prodigy.
While we can appreciate Kakashi and Asuma’s efforts, what happens next can be considered the dumbest tactic in Naruto. What does Kurenai do to stop Itachi? She tries to use Genjutsu against a literal Uchiha. The self-proclaimed genjutsu queen steps up with a confident smirk. She traps Itachi in a tree-binding genjutsu and gets ready to finish him, but we all know what happens next.
Itachi, being Itachi, breaks out of her genjutsu, flips it on her like a pancake, and traps her in an illusion instead (absolute cinema). We’re pretty sure that every Uchiha laughed at Kurenai and called her dumb, because that move exuded some heavy “is she for real?” energy. Itachi’s genjutsu makes Kurenai fall to her knees, until Kakashi saves her.
Of course, Kakashi stepping in doesn’t change the odds of the fight, because he himself is trapped in the Infinite Tsukuyomi and has to saved by Guy, but hey, at least Kakashi didn’t try some stupid shit (pretty sure he was laughing behind his mask). This scene, to this day, is brought up in fan discussions and used as a meme in the Naruto community.
The genjutsu scene will never NOT be hilarious
What makes this scene comedy gold is the fact that Kurenai isn’t some rookie. She’s a Jonin, and hence, should know who Itachi is. The dude was considered a prodigy who surpassed the likes of Kakashi (who probably was traumatized after seeing a familiar face). The man is a Sharingan master, and Kurenai, god knows why, chooses to put him, of all people, in a genjutsu. It’s like trying to face a Tailed-Beast Bomb with a shuriken.
That time kurenai tried putting Itachi in a genjutsu pic.twitter.com/NN5XSajO37
— Kën Lörd Pröblëmätïc (@KenLawlight) March 8, 2021
The internet, of course, immortalized this blunder with a meme. This meme is perhaps the most famous Naruto meme. Itachi, after breaking out of Kurenai’s genjutsu, turns to Kakashi and says, “Did you just see what she tried to pull?”. A panting Kurenai is seen kneeling beside him, and it’s just absolute comedic gold.
After all these years, Kurenai’s “battle” against Itachi remains as one of Naruto’s funniest oopsies. Kurenai’s attempt is a reminder to us all that even the most elite of ninja can be dumb. At the same time, it also stands as a testament to Itachi’s skill. Not even a Jonin, who has mastered the art of genjutsu, can trap him.
Naruto has plenty of funny moments, but Kurenai trying to use a genjutsu technique against an Uchiha will be the funniest. We don’t know what was running through her mind in that moment, but we never saw her attempt to use genjutsu after that fight, so perhaps she learnt her lesson: Just cuz you have red eyes doesn’t mean you’re a Uchiha-level genjutsu user.
Naruto is currently available to stream on Crunchyroll.
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