Kurenai Yuhi agreed to her mother's request—she was still a very dutiful daughter.
Thanks to her mother, the pressure on her wasn't as overwhelming.
But after hearing what her mother said, her impression of that Uchiha guy began to shift.
If the Nine-Tails' Rampage really was caused by someone from the Uchiha clan, then even if it wasn't him directly, he was still her enemy.
She could still vaguely recall her father's face.
Strict as he was, he had always been gentle with her and her mother.
He was well-respected by his subordinates. How could a man like that die so young?
Thinking about it brought a trace of sorrow to Kurenai's face.
Now, she kind of wanted to confront that Uchiha guy—see what kind of explanation he had.
The next day, Uchiha Ryosuke didn't get up until the sun was high.
Normally, someone preparing to survive the Uchiha Massacre would be training at the crack of dawn, honing their strength. But not him—he had two systems.
He didn't need regular training to grow stronger.
Last time, when Uchiha Itachi mocked him, his Sharingan jumped straight to two tomoe.
Now he kind of wanted someone to mock him again.
Maybe then, it would evolve into three tomoe—and with even more ridicule, maybe straight into Mangekyo?
If, by the night of the massacre, every Uchiha had Mangekyo Sharingan, he refused to believe he'd be outmatched.
So now, he wanted to go out and find someone to insult him.
Although the Uchiha name had fallen, the only ones likely to mock him were the Hyuga clan. Weren't they the ones now claiming to be Konoha's strongest?
But Konoha's true noble clans had always been the Uchiha and the Senju.
In terms of overall ability, the Hyuga main family's Byakugan could see 360 degrees, clearly viewing chakra pathways and acupoints, and track chakra flow.
It had X-ray vision, telescope vision, and incredible perceptive abilities.
Using chakra to enhance their eyes, they could see up to a kilometer, and their insight surpassed even the Sharingan—
But that's about it.
In actual combat, Sharingan had the upper hand.
Even a three tomoe Sharingan could go toe-to-toe with a Byakugan.
But the Sharingan could evolve into Mangekyo—whereas the Hyuga clan had never awakened the Tenseigan.
That's the gap.
Probably a bloodline purity issue—no way the Hyuga could awaken something as busted as the Tenseigan, which was on par with the Sage of Six Paths' Rinnegan.
But Kakashi, the 50/50 ninja card, had made full use of his Sharingan.
The Copy Eye could mimic taijutsu and non-kekkei genkai ninjutsu.
Kakashi could use multiple chakra natures.
Meanwhile, the Uchiha were known for their Fire Style—most of them only had fire chakra.
Though Fire Style was powerful...
If only it could actually hit anyone.
That gave Ryosuke an idea—learning more ninjutsu would obviously boost his strength.
While wandering around the village, he happened to run into Kurenai Yuhi again.
Kurenai clearly noticed him too, and remembered what her mother said the night before. A hint of hatred stirred in her heart toward this Uchiha.
She even planned to confront him face-to-face.
She put on a polite smile and said,
"Thanks for helping me out yesterday. Can I treat you to a meal to show my gratitude?"
Ryosuke was surprised. Had this beauty already fallen for him?
If that was the case, well… nice.
"Heh. Just call me Ryosuke."
"If you're treating, a bowl of Ichiraku Ramen is more than enough."
He hadn't eaten yet today, and Ichiraku Ramen made a great lunch—tasty and easy on the stomach. No wonder it was so popular in Konoha.
Kurenai was a bit surprised by that answer. An Uchiha, eating something so... casual?
She nodded and agreed.
"Alright."
Kurenai and Ryosuke went to Ichiraku Ramen together and had a great meal. Of course, Kurenai paid.
Then, she suggested they take a walk.
Ryosuke was more than happy to oblige. A young woman like Kurenai—perfect for making babies.
She led Ryosuke toward a more secluded part of the village—she wanted somewhere quiet to confront him.
Ryosuke started to realize they were heading somewhere remote. Was this… a romantic meetup?
Couples usually went to these places for those kinds of activities.
Once they reached a deserted spot, Kurenai stopped and turned around. The smile vanished from her face. She looked up at Ryosuke, who was a bit taller than her.
Ryosuke dropped his little fantasy. He noticed her expression—cold, even a bit hostile.
Now all that was left was to hear what she had to say—to find out what this was really about.
Kurenai stared coldly at him and asked:
"Was the Nine-Tails' Rampage caused by your Uchiha clan?"
"My father died protecting the village that night."
Ryosuke was a bit shocked.
Did she bring him here for revenge?
He quickly said:
"Why do you think it was the Uchiha?"
"If the Uchiha had the power to control the Nine-Tails, then why were we forced by Konoha's higher-ups to move our clan to the outskirts of the village?"
Her expression softened a bit. What he said… kind of made sense.
"But if it wasn't the Uchiha, then who else could it be?"
In history, the only one who'd successfully controlled the Nine-Tails was Uchiha Madara.
Ryosuke, of course, knew exactly who it was—it wasn't anyone in the Uchiha now. It was that maniac Obito.
But he couldn't just say that outright.
Even if he told the truth—that it was Uchiha Obito—the village would still blame the entire Uchiha clan.
That would just give the higher-ups a perfect excuse to act against them.
And since Kurenai came all this way to confront him, he couldn't let her leave with a bad impression.
He calmly explained:
"I'm sure no one in the Uchiha clan right now can control the Nine-Tails."
"I feel terrible about your father's death. Truly, I'm sorry."
"Back when the Nine-Tails attacked, I was still young—but I remember it clearly."
"Your father and the Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze, defended the village together."
"Our Uchiha clan wanted to help too—but the higher-ups, the Third Hokage and Danzo, blocked us at the gate."
"They stopped our strongest fighters at the entrance."
"If they had trusted us and fought alongside us against the Nine-Tails—"
"Your father and the Fourth might not have died."
"Our clan is still in Konoha. That means the higher-ups don't even have proof that it was us."
"If they did, we wouldn't still be allowed to live in the village."