Kurenai began walking in a certain direction, and Kiyohara quickly followed behind her.
A few minutes later, the two arrived at Kurenai's home.
"My father isn't at home today," Kurenai said, her cheeks faintly tinged with red. This was the first time she had ever brought a man back to her house.
She supported herself against the wall and bent down in the entryway to change her shoes.
Kiyohara could see her slip off her sandal-like shinobi shoes; the pale soles of her feet flashed briefly into view before she put on her slippers and padded across the floor with soft steps.
"This is also my first time visiting a woman's home," Kiyohara said, glancing around at the furnishings inside. Everything looked rather old-fashioned and rigid, making it easy to guess that Kurenai's father, Yuhi Shinku, was probably a very traditional and stiff man.
"These are slippers for guests," Kurenai said as she took out a pair.
"Thank you," Kiyohara replied, changing into them.
The two walked into the living room.
Kurenai appeared slightly nervous as she busied herself with the tea set. When hot water was poured into the tea bowl, fragrant steam rose gently into the air.
After that, she summoned her little cat.
Animals in the shinobi world were generally quite intelligent, and some summoning beasts were even wiser than humans.
Kiyohara looked at the kitten and confirmed that it really could do a backflip.
Its strongest trait seemed to be its sense of smell, so it should belong to the perception-type of summoning beasts.
"My father went to attend a jonin meeting today. He probably won't be back until quite late," Kurenai said.
After letting the kitten finish its backflip, she stroked it with one hand while gently pushing a teacup toward Kiyohara, who was sitting across from her.
"We can also exchange some thoughts on genjutsu for a while."
Kiyohara accepted the tea bowl, feeling the warmth spread through his palm, and nodded.
That was precisely why he had come.
Unless Kurenai herself was going to perform a backflip, he honestly wasn't that interested in whether the cat, Hakimi could do one or not.
Soon after, the two began a serious discussion about the application of genjutsu. Kurenai explained how to combine genjutsu with taijutsu movements to create continuous attacks that were almost impossible to distinguish between real and fake.
Kiyohara, on the other hand, shared various experiences of interference and counter-interference that he had encountered on the battlefield.
After the battle with Kiri, Kiyohara's experience had grown significantly richer.
At the same time, he had come to understand one truth.
Speed really could let you do whatever you wanted.
No wonder Minato had been able to go one-versus-fifty and instantly kill fifty Iwa shinobis.
Many shinobi didn't even have time to use ninjutsu, genjutsu, or taijutsu before they were killed.
And any technique that couldn't be used might as well not exist at all—no matter how powerful it was, if it couldn't hit the enemy, it had no meaning.
The two continued their exchange.
"So you see, when your opponent gets used to you releasing genjutsu through eye contact…" Kurenai said while demonstrating, her hands moving rapidly.
"…if you suddenly switch to using your hands instead, you can completely catch them off guard."
"That makes sense," Kiyohara nodded slightly.
When Itachi fought Naruto, he had also used his hands to release genjutsu and confuse his opponent.
"Exactly!" Kurenai's eyes lit up.
"The essence of genjutsu is deception, and the best deception is often hidden within the most natural and habitual patterns of behavior."
Time quietly slipped by amid their discussion. Outside the window, the sunlight gradually slanted westward, stretching the shadows in the tea room longer and longer.
...
Konoha's main street.
"Uncle Shinku."
Yuhi Shinku had just finished attending the jonin meeting and was heading home when he suddenly heard someone calling out to him.
"Asuma," Shinku said as he turned around to look at Asuma.
As the second son of the Third Hokage, there was practically no shinobi who didn't know him.
"Did Kurenai come back today as well?" Asuma asked with anticipation on his face.
He had heard that the situation along the eastern coastline had eased somewhat, and many shinobis had begun withdrawing back to the village.
That made him hope that Kurenai had also returned.
"Kurenai and I missed each other. She's probably gone out somewhere right now," Shinku replied.
Normally, at this hour, his daughter would go look for her companions.
"I see," Asuma said, a little disappointed, but then he smiled again.
Since Kurenai was back, he would at least have a few days to spend with her.
"Uncle Shinku, I'll be heading off then," Asuma said.
"Mm," Shinku nodded slightly.
He could more or less see through Asuma's feelings.
But when it came to such matters, his stance was to follow his daughter's wishes.
When Shinku reached his doorstep as usual and opened the door with a click—
He suddenly saw a pair of shinobi shoes at the entrance.
Judging by the size, they belonged to a man.
Yuhi Shinku frowned slightly.
His daughter had brought another man home?
The sound of her father's approaching footsteps also reached Kurenai's ears.
Like a startled rabbit, she suddenly sprang to her feet, nearly knocking over the teacup.
"F-Father, why are you back so early?" she asked, her voice filled with surprise.
Yuhi Shinku appeared in front of Kiyohara and Kurenai.
He wore a shinobi headband and standard jonin attire: a black, close-fitting combat outfit with a green jonin vest over it.
His gaze first fell on his daughter's slightly flushed cheeks and flustered posture, then slowly shifted to the black-haired youth sitting across from her.
Kiyohara spoke first,
"Senior Yuhi, hello. My name is Kiyohara. I'm sorry to intrude so abruptly."
"Kiyohara…" Shinku repeated the name.
Of course he knew it.
Just moments ago, in the meeting, this name had been specifically mentioned by Orochimaru of having great merits in battle, even being discussed for an exceptional promotion to jonin.
Yuhi Shinku felt there was no real issue with it. Whether it was Hiruzen or the others present, no one had objected.
Just ten-odd minutes earlier, he had been thinking that another young genius had emerged in the village, lamenting that he had never met him.
He never expected that he would meet the person himself in this way—inside his own home.
"Father, Kiyohara came to exchange and study genjutsu with me!" Kurenai hurriedly explained, her hands unconsciously twisting together.
Yuhi Shinku did not respond immediately.
It was the instinctive vigilance of a father who had discovered that his daughter had brought an unrelated man home.
"I know you," Shinku finally said.
"Magnet Release, kenjutsu, and that battle on the flank, Lord Orochimaru spoke very highly of you in the meeting."
"You flatter me, Senior. Most of the enemies were tied down by Orochimaru-sama and the others," Kiyohara replied calmly, neither arrogant nor humble.
He hadn't done anything improper at the doorway, nor had he done anything inappropriate to Kurenai, so naturally he had nothing to fear.
Shinku fell silent for a moment.
This kid really was neither servile nor overbearing.
In other situations, that would be an excellent quality.
But hereYuhi Shinku suddenly felt as though the tender cabbage he had carefully tended for more than ten years was about to be snatched away by some blond punk the moment he wasn't paying attention.
So his tone shifted.
"I've heard your kenjutsu fundamentals are very solid?"
He stood up and walked to the weapon rack at one side of the living room, where several unsharpened training shinobi blades were displayed.
"Father!" Kurenai cried anxiously.
Shinku took down one long blade and one short blade, then tossed the longer one toward Kiyohara.
"When I was young, I put some effort into this as well. Since you're here, let me see it."
This was not an invitation, it was a demand.
Kiyohara caught the blade steadily.
He was also quite curious about just how skilled Kurenai's father was with the sword.
There were very few descriptions in the original records; all that was known was that he excelled in kenjutsu and genjutsu, and that he ultimately died during the Nine-Tails' rampage.
"Please give me your guidance, Senior Yuhi," Kiyohara said.
The two moved to the courtyard.
The setting sun stretched their shadows long across the ground as the evening breeze brushed past.
The moment Shinku assumed his opening stance, the aura around him abruptly changed.
It wasn't killing intent, but a pressure forged through countless trials and refinements.
He stepped forward, and the katana in his hand transformed into a gray blur as it thrust straight toward Kiyohara.
Kiyohara's shinobi blade swept upward from below at an angle, knocking aside the incoming tip, and the blade then flowed naturally toward Shinku's sword-wielding wrist.
The speed of the counterattack far exceeded Shinku's expectations.
"Hm?"
Shinku was slightly startled. He flipped his wrist, the blade spinning to deflect the counter, his footwork chaining together as he instantly closed the distance.
The flashes of steel suddenly became dense, like a violent storm of wind and rain, enveloping all of Kiyohara's vital points.
Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!
The more they fought, the more shocked Shinku became.
Every move Kiyohara used was from the most basic Konoha-style kenjutsu.
Chop, slash, sweep, thrust, parry, block, there were no fancy variations at all.
Yet in his hands, these basic techniques linked together as smoothly as flowing clouds and running water, as if he had practiced kenjutsu for decades.
After twenty-five exchanges, Shinku still hadn't gained a clear advantage.
By thirty exchanges, Kiyohara's counterattacks began to carry more threat.
At thirty-five exchanges, Kiyohara used a clever turning motion to not only neutralize a heavy downward strike, but also slash backhandedly toward the opening at Shinku's ribs.
The blade stopped just one inch from his side—perfectly measured, stopping at the point of contact.
"Go, Kiyohara!" Kurenai couldn't help but cheer softly, her eyes shining.
Shinku's blade paused for a split second as he caught sight of his daughter's gaze, which had completely fallen on Kiyohara, brimming with pride.
That sour feeling of like the carefully tended flower he had raised was about to be uprooted along with the pot, surged up in his heart once again.
He snorted almost imperceptibly and changed his blade technique.
This time, there was less probing and more genuine seriousness.
Faster speed, heavier power, each strike aimed at the tiny gaps that appeared when Kiyohara transitioned between sword forms.
The pressure increased sharply.
Yet Kiyohara's responses remained steady and composed.
After fifty exchanges, the two were still locked in an evenly matched struggle.
The surprise in Shinku's eyes gradually turned solemn. This young man's talent was truly something.
At sixty-five exchanges, Shinku feinted with one strike, then lightly leapt backward, sheathing his blade as he stood still.
His breathing was steady, but the way he looked at Kiyohara had completely changed.
Kiyohara also stopped, breathing slightly heavier, sweat sliding down his forehead along his cheek, yet the hand holding the blade remained unwavering.
He bowed respectfully.
"Thank you for your guidance, Senior Yuhi."
Shinku waved his hand and returned the blade to the rack.
After a moment of silence, he slowly spoke.
"Your fundamentals are extremely solid. Your adaptability in real combat… very good."
He paused, as if choosing his words carefully.
"You've been through many real battles."
It wasn't a question—it was a statement.
Kiyohara nodded.
"Yes."
"The battlefield truly is the place that tempers people the most."
Shinku looked at his daughter, his tone complicated.
"Kurenai, your friend… is quite impressive."
He deliberately emphasized the word "friend," then turned away.
"However, moderation is also important in training. It's getting late."
(End of Chapter)