Chapter 45: Kunoichi
Kurenai Yuhi had lived this long, and it was the first time a man had spoken sweet words to her like this.
She felt a little dazed!
It all seemed unreal...
...
Seeing her zoning out, Sasuke reached out, held her delicate hand, and said, "From now on, as long as I'm here, no one can bully you but me."
"I, Sasuke, will be your ideal man and protect you forever."
Kurenai couldn't even explain how she felt.
It wasn't the flustered joy of a little girl, but she didn't sneer at it either.
"Sasuke..."
"I can protect myself," she finally said after some thought.
Sasuke laughed. "Kurenai, do you seriously think being a Jonin of Konoha makes you that powerful?"
In the original series, Kurenai had barely any fighting scenes, and her strength was honestly underwhelming—just barely above a Special Jonin.
Kurenai recalled how she had been trapped and violated by Sasuke earlier in the day, completely submitting in the end.
She felt a little humiliated. "Sasuke, saying that makes me feel like I lost all dignity."
Maybe to hide her awkwardness, she tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.
That little gesture of seduction stirred Sasuke's heart again.
"Kurenai, let me sleep with you tonight."
Kurenai quickly refused.
"No! Absolutely not!"
And just like that, Sasuke felt reassured—he had officially added Kurenai to his harem.
"..."
Kurenai blushed and couldn't look at him.
"I'll wash the dishes after we eat. You should head home early and rest."
She was afraid Sasuke might try more.
Sasuke nodded. "Alright."
"But since I'm a member of Team 7 now, I might not be able to visit often..."
Kurenai immediately cut him off. "I don't need you to visit!"
"I mean... I'm not rejecting you, just..."
Sasuke chuckled. "Relax. The reason I'm saying all this is because I want all of you in my harem to also live your normal lives."
If he were to forcefully gather Kurenai, Sakura, and the others into some luxurious palace—
At best, it'd kill their individuality and bright personalities.
At worst, it would spark endless jealousy and rivalry.
That would be a pain to manage!
This setup was better. Everyone had their own lives.
When Sasuke missed them, he'd go see them.
And of course, he'd rely on the system's powerful support to protect them all.
Let them live happier lives than in the original series.
"Sasuke, your thinking does make sense."
As a mature woman, Kurenai considered things carefully. "But if we get pregnant, we probably won't be able to stay active as ninja."
Sasuke grinned. "We'll deal with that when the time comes."
"No matter what you want to do, as long as you don't leave me or betray me, I'll support you."
Kurenai now understood Sasuke's bottom line:
No leaving. No betrayal.
Then something occurred to her. "I'm the leader of Team 8 and Hinata's mentor. So... I don't want her to know that I've... that I've already... with you..."
Kurenai couldn't imagine facing Hinata after this.
She was still a Jonin of Konoha. She had her pride.
Sasuke smiled. "Of course, I can agree to that."
"But from now on, Hinata will need your guidance too."
"I want all my harem girlfriends to get along harmoniously."
Kurenai just shook her head.
"Sasuke, how many harem girlfriends do you have now?"
Sasuke didn't hide it—his girlfriends were protected by the system.
If anyone tried to harm them, Sasuke would be alerted and could act fast.
"Including you? Six."
He told her: Sakura Haruno, Ino Yamanaka, Ayame, Tsubaki, Hinata, and now Kurenai.
"..."
Even though she had expected him to be a bit of a scumbag, the tactics Sasuke used on her today were downright dirty.
"Did you win over these girls using the same sleazy methods?"
Kurenai sighed. "No wonder your cooking is so good. Ayame's the ramen shop owner's daughter, right? And she's in your harem too?"
Sasuke grinned. "Of course not!"
"Sakura and Ino confessed to me first—they really like me."
"I put in a lot of effort to win Hinata's heart."
"As for Tsubaki, she was Mizuki's fiancée..."
Kurenai was shocked.
"Tsubaki was Mizuki's fiancée?!"
"Sasuke, you're a total devil!"
"You killed Mizuki and then took his fiancée?!"
Sasuke remained unfazed. "What do you know?"
"Mizuki betrayed Konoha and tried to kill Naruto. He deserved to die."
"Tsubaki was a pitiful kunoichi. I'm just doing the right thing by taking care of her."
But Kurenai wasn't so easily convinced.
She shook her head. "I don't buy that. If she knew you killed her fiancé, she'd probably want to kill you."
Sasuke said calmly, "Exactly. That's why I had to use some... unconventional methods to win her over."
"In private, she calls me [Master]."
Kurenai's face turned red.
"Sasuke, you're shameless!"
Thinking about how tragic Tsubaki was, Kurenai felt like maybe what she experienced today wasn't that bad.
"Don't say that!"
Sasuke countered, "Now that you understand me a bit better, even if my methods were a little forceful, once you become my woman—"
"I'll make sure you live a happy, carefree life."
As he said that, Sasuke pulled out some money and handed it to Kurenai.
"I know you're not short on cash, but as my woman, you should have some spending money."
Kurenai wanted to refuse, but after hearing him, she reluctantly accepted it.
Then, hesitating a bit, she said, "Tsubaki's situation is really similar to mine... and since you killed her fiancé..."
"Sasuke, if you don't mind, I'd like to visit her tomorrow."
Sasuke thought about it. "As long as you're not planning to hurt me, go ahead."
Kurenai said helplessly, "With my strength, how could I even hurt you?"
She stood up with the air of a graceful woman. "Since I'm now part of your harem, I should help you take care of your other girls too."
Sasuke was very pleased. "Kurenai, you really are the perfect wife. Now give me a kiss."