As expected, the Third Hokage wasn't in the village. Not only had the battle at Rain's hideout begun, but another front had opened as well—the Land of Earth had launched a silent, brazen attack. Forced by circumstances, Konoha had no choice but to open a second battlefield, and the Hokage rushed personally to the frontline.
After rescuing Kushina, Minato was preparing to head off to war when she held him back.
Kushina gathered her courage and said, "I'm a ninja now too; I want to go with you."
"No way." Already aware of war's brutality, Minato stopped her instantly.
Anya naturally disagreed as well. Come on, you're the future Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, one of Konoha's treasures! If anything happened to you, we'd both be held responsible. That's exactly why the Third Hokage isn't here—if he were, those three Jonin wouldn't have even gotten close to capturing you. They probably would've been wiped out the moment they stepped into the village.
But seeing Kushina clinging tightly to Minato, refusing to let go, Anya sighed and said, "Well then, since the village lacks leadership right now, why don't you ask whoever's in charge?"
After saying that, Anya gave Minato a meaningful look.
Minato immediately got the message and nodded. "Alright, let's go together."
When they arrived at the Hokage's office, they pushed the door open and walked in. Inside sat a middle-aged man with an intense look. He wore a serious expression, but upon seeing Kushina, his face softened slightly with relief: "You're safe. That's such good news."
Minato clearly recognized this person. Politely nodding toward him, he greeted, "Hello, Kurenai. I'm heading off to battle now, but Kushina wants to come with me. What do you think..."
"Hmph," Kurenai cut in before Minato could finish. With a solemn tone, he replied, "I've always opposed sending kids like you to the battlefield—you represent the hope of Konoha's future. Not only will I not allow Kushina to go, Minato, you should stay behind in Konoha as well. As for any consequences, I'll take full responsibility."
"Huh?" Minato was stunned. Never in his wildest dreams had he expected this—he felt a thousand objections rising in his mind.
Just as he was about to argue, a voice interrupted—it was Anya, who had just arrived. Pointing at himself, he asked hesitantly, "Uh, what about me then?"
Looking at Anya, Kurenai obviously recognized him as well, and there was even hesitation in his eyes.
Anya had originally made that remark as a joke to lighten the mood, but Kurenai actually started thinking about it. What? So they're the kids, and I'm not? Talk about double standards.
Kurenai thought for a moment and said, "I'll contact your teacher, White Fang. Until he replies, you'll temporarily remain in the village."
Okay, now that makes some sense.
Anya gave Kurenai a slight nod before turning around to leave. "Sorry, I only follow orders from my teacher. I'll get going first."
With that, Anya leaped away—but just as he was about to exit Konoha village, the surrounding scenery suddenly distorted like a dream or illusion.
Feeling something strange, Anya slashed his blade forward hard. The illusion twisted slightly before restoring itself.
"This is... genjutsu [illusion technique]?" Anya realized immediately. "When did this happen? When did I fall into a genjutsu?"
Anya, who had already mastered an S-rank genjutsu, was greatly surprised. He quickly performed hand seals and silently muttered, "Release."
The scene before him vanished like morning mist, yet Anya found himself standing inside his own home.
This is a multi-layered genjutsu—but no, the first layer hasn't even been broken yet. This is a genjutsu space created based on my consciousness, similar to Tsukuyomi. What an incredible technique.
Undoubtedly, only Red—the one he saw in the office moments ago—could achieve such a seamless feat.
Wise enough to recognize the situation, Anya sheathed his blade and loudly called out, "Alright, I won't leave anymore. Let me out!"
As soon as he spoke, the surrounding scenery changed again. In reality, Anya had always been within the office, never having left for even half a step.
Red looked at Anya with appreciation and said, "What a clever child. No wonder White Fang chose you as his disciple."
Sighing helplessly, Anya turned to Minato and said, "Kushina was frightened today. Take her home first."
Minato asked, "And what about you?"
"I want to chat with Uncle Red for a bit."
"Fine."
After Minato left, Red looked curiously at Anya and said, "What do you want to talk about? Let me warn you—I don't have much time."
Putting on a childish, sweet face, Anya replied, "Uncle Red, that genjutsu you used earlier was so cool! Could you teach me how to use it?"
Red paused for a moment, clearly surprised this kid would try to butter him up so shamelessly. He hesitated before asking, "Wait, did you already master the sword techniques White Fang taught you?"
Anya vaguely replied, "Well... more or less. It's always good to learn more things."
"Father, don't teach him. You promised you'd only teach me," a little girl's voice interrupted.
Anya turned around and saw a girl of about seven or eight standing at the doorway, glaring at him with obvious displeasure—as if he were trying to steal her most cherished toy.
"Who's this?" Anya asked.
"Red, that's not polite," Red gently reprimanded while picking the girl up into his arms. With a warm expression, he added, "This is my daughter, Kurenai Yuhi."
Ah, Kurenai Yuhi. He remembered her as their genjutsu instructor from Naruto's team. So it seems genjutsu runs in the family, kind of like Ino–Shika–Cho. Damn it, looks like I'm outta luck.
Feeling let down, Anya prepared to leave when Red suddenly spoke up, "Actually, learning genjutsu mostly depends on talent. Right now, I don't have time to teach you myself, but my daughter has already built a solid foundation. If you really want to learn, I can let her teach you instead. How does that sound?"
At these words from Red, Kurenai Yuhi immediately protested loudly, "No way, I won't teach him! Absolutely not!"
Anya, however, became interested. Seeing Kurenai Yuhi's attitude, he decided to tease her a bit. Putting on an indifferent expression, he said, "Forget it, Uncle Red. What can a clueless brat possibly teach me anyway?"
Sure enough, those words instantly set Kurenai Yuhi off. She struggled out of Red's arms, jumped down furiously, and pointed directly at Anya, shouting, "Who are you calling a brat?! You're barely a few years older than me! Come on, right now—I'll teach you a lesson! If you can't learn it, I'll make sure you regret it!"
"Alright then," Kurenai Yuhi said, grabbing Anya's coat with a determined look, clearly ready to start teaching. Naturally, Anya joined her, shooting Red a grateful look before leaving.
"This kid..." Red chuckled with a bemused expression, then turned his attention back to handling the village affairs.
As she walked with him, Kurenai began explaining the theory behind genjutsu. Well, one had to admit—Kurenai really knew her stuff. In just a few words, she gave Anya a whole new understanding of genjutsu.
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