Chapter 10: Teacher Kurenai Can't Handle It?
"No! I'm not doing it! I want to take a mission that shows off my manliness! I've caught this cat eight times already; I've almost pulled its ears bald!"
In the Hokage Office, Naruto plopped down on the floor, his arms and legs flailing against the wooden boards, letting out a series of wails. He even rolled around on the ground a few times.
Veins bulged on Iruka's forehead as he was about to lose his temper, but the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, smiled and waved his hand, his old pipe still puffing out smoke.
"Naruto, you are a rookie Genin after all..."
"I don't care, I don't care! Old Man, you're biased! You're looking down on me, aren't you?" Narutosuddenly sprang up like a carp and pointed at the Hokage's nose. "Watch out, or next time I'll paint all over that Crystal Ball of yours that's full of treasures!"
The smile on Hiruzen Sarutobi's face froze.
But in Naruto's inner world, the vibe was completely different.
[Acting is so tiring. This level of throwing a tantrum should be just right; any more and it'll be annoying, any less and I won't be able to force the Old Man to change the mission.]
[There's no profit in D-rank missions. My goal is the Land of Waves. Not only is that where the Copy Ninja Kakashi has his highlight moments, but there's also that legendary beauty of ambiguous gender, Haku... If I can win Haku over, I wonder what good equipment the system will drop for me.]
Finally, thanks to Naruto's "unremitting efforts," the Old Man Tazuna, reeking of alcohol, staggered in.
C-rank mission: Escort the bridge-building expert to the Land of Waves.
Finally got it.
...
Team 7 shouldered their packs, ready to set off. Sakura was secretly tidying her bangs, wanting to show Sasuke a perfect profile, while Sasuke, as usual, radiated a cold "do not approach" aura.
Just then, on the other side of the gate, a group of travel-worn figures approached.
It was Team 8, just returning from a reconnaissance mission.
The woman walking at the very front immediately captured all of Naruto's attention.
Even in the poorly lit shadows of the gateway, Kurenai Yuhi's mature charm was exceptionally striking, making it impossible to look away.
She wore that conspicuous white bandage-like bodysuit, with the red mesh lining faintly outlining the full curves only a mature woman possesses. Completely different from Sakura's greenness, every move Kurenai made was filled with natural allure.
Especially those flame-like red lips and that pair of eyes as enchanting as deep red rubies.
[Holy crap!]
[Even though I've seen it countless times in the anime, the lethality of the real person is simply explosive!]
Naruto stopped in his tracks, his eyes instantly glazing over.
[Look at these black stockings, tsk tsk. The person who designed this outfit is an absolute genius; it brings out the aesthetic beauty of the body to the extreme.]
[And that lip color—how confident does a woman have to be to pull that off? This top-tier mature older sister type was actually snatched up by that smoker Asuma? What a waste of a masterpiece!]
At that moment, Kurenai Yuhi, who was walking past Naruto, came to a sudden halt.
There were no genjutsu fluctuations nearby, nor any killing intent.
Yet, a golden light screen popped up in her mind out of nowhere:
[ninja world sky screen · Activated]
[Current Linked Object: Uzumaki Naruto]
Immediately after, those unreserved inner thoughts began to play on a loop directly in her brain.
[What does a crude man like Asuma know about romantic sentiment? For a beauty skilled in genjutsu like her, shouldn't the real way to open her up be in a world of illusions?]
[For example, creating a space for just the two of them, a sea of red spider lilies across the sky. She lightly hooks her finger, and those red silk ribbons wrap around... If those ruby-like eyes of hers could be stained with a bit of blurry mist, what a beautiful sight that would be.]
Kurenai Yuhi's pupils contracted violently.
Even though she was an elite Jonin who had experienced the Ninja World War and possessed strong mental fortitude, she was momentarily dazed by this sudden mental shock.
Her face instantly flushed hot, the heat traveling down her neck to the tips of her ears.
What is this?
Peeping? Genjutsu? Or some kind of secret technique that can transmit thoughts?
That Blond Kid standing next to Kakashi, the legendary Nine-Tails Jinchuriki... he was actually thinking about these things in his head?!
And Asuma...
That name and the evaluation of "a crude man who doesn't understand romantic sentiment" happened to drift into Kurenai's subconscious. She did indeed appreciate Asuma's boldness, but in the dead of night, as a woman with delicate thoughts, how could she not have felt regret over that man's bluntness?
"Teacher Kurenai? What's wrong?" Kiba asked curiously from behind, and Akamaru let out two whimpers.
Kurenai took a deep breath, suppressing the sense of shame in her heart, and looked up at Naruto.
Their eyes met.
Naruto was smiling at her, revealing a row of white teeth, but his gaze was wandering over her body.
"Hello, Teacher Kurenai! We're going on a big mission!" Naruto greeted her loudly, as if the person whose head was full of trash just now wasn't him.
But the heavenly curtain would not lie.
[Look at that gaze... isn't it a bit watery? Tsk, could she have been shocked by my passionate gaze just now? But then again, was that idea about the silk ribbon binding a bit too stimulating? If it could really be put into practice... even if it's just in a dream, that would be great.]
Kurenai felt like her sanity was about to snap.
But just as she was about to scold the kid, the golden frame of the heavenly curtain suddenly lit up.
[Detected that the host "Kurenai Yuhi" has endured a dual shock consisting of figure appreciation and high-level genjutsu application fantasies.]
[Emotional Judgment: Shame, anger, but subtly pleased by the unique aesthetic within. As a mature woman, you sense a trade aura more seductive than pure power.]
[Rewards are being distributed...]
A massive amount of mental energy flooded in.
It wasn't simple Chakra, but a foundational understanding of the rules of genjutsu.
In her mind, the "sea of red spider lilies" that Naruto had only imagined suddenly and automatically took shape. She even saw countless ways to manipulate the mind within this illusion.
The A-rank genjutsu bottleneck that had troubled her for years was easily broken through at this moment!
[Reward Obtained: S-rank Genjutsu · Hell Viewing Technique (Reality Interference Enhanced Version)]
[Bonus Skill: Genjutsu Reflection · Mirror Heaven and Earth Change (Able to return the enemy's genjutsu or even mental suggestions twofold)]
Kurenai froze entirely.
She looked at her hands in disbelief, her fingertips trembling slightly. The world around her became clearer and more fragile in her eyes, as if a single thought from her could warp the perception of passersby at will.
Is this... real?
Just because she was... thought about a few times in this kid's heart?
The sense of shame was still there, but as a Ninja, as an adult struggling to survive in this cruel world, Kurenai's gaze changed.
She looked up, and those red eyes, which had been somewhat evasive due to shyness, were now so deep they seemed as if they could drip with moisture. She gave a meaningful look at the Blonde Youth who was still playing dumb.
If this was the "price"...
It seemed it wasn't unacceptable?
And... she had to admit, the "red spider lilies in the genjutsu world" concept was indeed... very beautiful.
"Roads are dangerous, Kakashi, and..." Kurenai's voice became a bit softer than usual. Her gaze swept past the others and rested on Naruto for a moment, her lips curling into a playful arc, "and Naruto, I hope when you return, you can show me your... growth."
She whispered those last two words very lightly, yet they carried a hint that only a Sky Screen Holder would understand.
Hinata, who had been shrinking back nearby (having been linked to the heavenly curtain for a long time), trembled upon hearing this. She snapped her head up to look at her teacher, her eyes filled with wariness.
That look... was the look of someone who had found their prey!
Teacher Kurenai... could it be that you too?!
[Ding!]
At the same time, Naruto, who had already walked a few steps away, heard the system's wonderful voice while walking with a light step.
[Detected that the target "Kurenai Yuhi's" emotions have undergone a violent oscillation (swaying between reason and temptation).]
[Evaluation: In the adult world, interest is the best stepping stone. It seems this mature older sister type does not reject your artistic appreciation.]
[Congratulations to the host for obtaining the reward: Fire Release Nature Transformation · Affinity Increase (Intermediate).]
[Note: A reward as passionate as her name. This fire has already begun to burn.]
Naruto reached out and pressed his chest, where a scorching power was surging. He turned around and waved at the distant white figure, his smile becoming even more confident.
[Thanks, Teacher Kurenai. When I get back from the Land of Waves, the two of us definitely need to find an opportunity to have a good, in-depth academic discussion about that genjutsu problem.]
Team 7 gradually moved further away, disappearing at the end of the road leading out of the village.
Left where she was, the calm that Kurenai Yuhi had barely maintained finally collapsed. She took a deep breath, her palms actually covered in sweat.
"An academic... discussion?"
She looked at her fingertips, which were somewhat hot due to the surge in power, and whispered to herself.
"What an interesting kid... If you can really give me more surprises, even if I have to play along with you in a scene, what's the harm?"
Under the shade of the trees, the originally lazy afternoon seemed to have become a bit more sweltering because of this brief encounter. The mists of the Land of Waves had yet to be unveiled, but in Konoha Village, another player had joined this grand game called "Desire and Power."