Who would have thought that the old man wouldn't assign him and Kurenai to the same team at all, directly snuffing out the budding signs of an early romance before it could even start?!
If he and Kurenai had been placed together, then the one standing beside her now, training with her, would be him—Sarutobi Asuma!
The more Asuma thought about it, the more uncomfortable and frustrated he felt.
"Kurenai, are you free tomorrow? I'll be able to stay here for a few more days," Asuma said, after rehearsing his lines silently in his heart for a while, finally extending an invitation.
"This… I don't have time," Kurenai replied, rejecting him the very next second.
"It's fine, no rush," Asuma said quickly. Seeing how decisively she had refused, he assumed she must have something important to do. Still, he had to maintain his composure—he couldn't appear too eager.
"What about the day after tomorrow?" Asuma asked again.
"No," Kurenai replied.
Asuma's expression shifted slightly. Then, still clinging to a sliver of hope, he asked, "Then… the day after that?"
"Still no."
Kurenai delivered a clean triple rejection without hesitation.
That left Asuma completely dumbfounded.
What kind of matter could occupy three entire days? Was she going on some long reconnaissance mission?
"Kurenai, are you going out on a mission?" Asuma asked in confusion.
"No, I'm going to accompany Kiyohara in training," Kurenai said matter-of-factly.
After all, training alongside a genius would definitely result in higher efficiency.
When Asuma heard this, it was as if he had been struck by lightning.
His expression instantly collapsed, and he nearly lost control—like someone suddenly forced to put on a mask of agony.
So the reason she had no time… was actually because of Kiyohara?
"Ahem, Kurenai, I've learned quite a few new ninjutsu recently," Asuma said, pulling his hands out of his pockets, as if preparing to show off his signature skills.
"Our Sarutobi clan is a major clan—our Fire Release jutsus are no weaker than the Uchiha's," he said with a proud look on his face.
Although he had better talent in Wind Release, he had still inherited and mastered the Fire Release techniques passed down through generations of the Sarutobi clan.
"Then how has your genjutsu training been since graduation?" Kurenai asked calmly.
"Uh… well— about that…" Asuma scratched his head.
Truth be told, he really wasn't very good at genjutsu.
"Then does Kiyohara know it?" Asuma asked, pointing toward Kiyohara.
He had recently heard that Kiyohara had mastered some kind of Magnet Release ninjutsu, but that had nothing to do with genjutsu, right?
"Of course Kiyohara knows it," Kurenai replied.
She immediately began explaining the genjutsu Kiyohara had learned, adding that he picked it up extremely quickly.
The moment Asuma heard this, he immediately declared that he could do it too.
Seeing this, Kurenai verbally recited the contents of the genjutsu scroll—the same D-rank minor genjutsu Kiyohara had learned earlier.
Asuma listened once, but still looked utterly confused.
Kurenai repeated it several more times. Asuma finally managed to understand the theory, yet he still couldn't execute the technique.
"Asuma, everyone has different areas they're good at," Kiyohara said, shaking his head.
According to the original databooks, Asuma's chakra natures were Fire and Wind.
However, these were still worlds apart from the Yin Release chakra required for genjutsu, and Asuma had never really demonstrated any proficiency in genjutsu either.
From this, it was clear that he truly wasn't suited for it.
And that was perfectly normal—every shinobi had their own focus.
All-rounders with vast potential across many fields, like Kiyohara, were rare exceptions.
"We'll be heading off first, Asuma," Kurenai said, waving her hand as she walked forward.
Although Asuma had wanted to invite her to train together, he didn't know genjutsu.
Staying with Kiyohara, on the other hand, allowed her to discuss genjutsu from time to time.
"See you next time, Asuma," Kiyohara added as he also said goodbye.
To be honest, Asuma was a pretty decent guy.
It was just that, at this stage, he was still a hot-blooded youth. Going a little crazy over love was only natural.
He was far more rebellious than the average shinobi. Only after going out into the world, enduring years of hardship and tempering, would he eventually grow into a mature man.
Asuma was left standing there alone.
He wanted to chase after them, but didn't know how to open his mouth.
All he felt was a suffocating pressure in his chest. Irritated, he ran his fingers through his already slightly messy hair.
'No, I have to go learn some genjutsu too,' Asuma thought to himself.
He believed that as long as he was willing to learn, he would eventually achieve some results.
'I can't let Kiyohara be with Kurenai every single day.'
The more Asuma thought about it, the more unsettled he felt.
If only he had Kiyohara's looks—then he wouldn't be so troubled!
Ten days passed.
At the other end of the camp, new reinforcements finally arrived.
A group of shinobi wearing the Uchiha clan's fan crest arrived in neat formation. Leading them was Uchiha Yakumi, whose sharp gaze radiated intensity.
"They're finally here," Nara Rokutan muttered upon seeing Uchiha Yakumi, quickly stepping forward to negotiate.
Kiri was bound to invade sooner or later. To prevent the enemy from pushing too deeply into their homeland, Konoha's upper echelon had mobilized a batch of Uchiha to respond to the war against Kirigakure.
While the two leaders were in discussion, among the group of Uchiha was one shinobi who was noticeably shorter and clearly younger than the others.
Unlike Yakumi's hawk-like, wolfish gaze, this boy's eyes were gentle, tinged with precocious intelligence.
"Brother Tekka, this place really does feel different—it's truly the front line. With your abilities, you'll definitely make great achievements here," Uchiha Shisui said sincerely.
Hearing this, Uchiha Tekka's lips curved slightly upward, clearly pleased. He patted Shisui on the shoulder.
"Shisui, hearing you say that really makes me feel good."
Then his tone shifted as he deliberately put on a stern expression.
"But just saying it isn't enough. If you don't show some real sincerity, I won't be very happy."
Uchiha Shisui blinked his clear, bright eyes, looking a little puzzled. "Sincerity? What kind of sincerity does Brother Tekka need?"
He genuinely respected Uchiha Tekka.
Ever since his father's old injury relapsed—his leg condition becoming impossible to fully cure—the burden of the family had largely fallen on Shisui's young shoulders.
As a clan elder brother, Uchiha Tekka had helped him in countless ways, both openly and in secret. Shisui had always kept that kindness firmly in his heart.
Seeing that Shisui hadn't caught on, Tekka stopped beating around the bush. Lowering his voice, his expression grew more serious.
"It's about Kiyohara."
"Losing to him in the last Chūnin Exams has always been a knot in my heart. Now that I know he possesses a kekkei genkai—heh, it does make me feel a bit better. Losing to a bloodline ninja isn't that embarrassing, right?"
Tekka sounded as if he were asking Shisui, yet also as if he were trying to convince himself.
But soon, his tone became firm, filled with the pride unique to the Uchiha.
"Still, the honor of the Uchiha must not be taken lightly. Shisui, I can tell—you'll become someone great in the future, the very pillar of our clan! Help me… and help the Uchiha. Defeat him head-on just once. What do you say?"
His eyes burned as he stared at Shisui, full of anticipation.
Shisui frowned slightly. By nature, he disliked meaningless conflict and preferred resolving matters through reason.
But seeing the rare plea in Tekka's eyes, and thinking of all the care Tekka had shown him, the words of refusal were hard to speak.
After a moment of silence, he finally nodded.
"I understand, Brother Tekka. If it's just a spar, then we'll stop short of going too far."
"Good! It's a deal!" Uchiha Tekka's face instantly brightened, and he forcefully patted Shisui on the back.
(End of Chapter)