Visiting the Yuhi Clan

Visiting the Yuhi Clan

The house, though small in size, was exquisitely decorated. To the left of the courtyard was an open area used for ninja training; targets for practicing Shuriken hung on the walls, and the numerous scratches and cracks on the walls indicated frequent practice.

On the right side of the courtyard was a pavilion. The middle-aged man, who was slightly thin and had deep wrinkles on his face, was the owner of this house, Yūhi Shinku.

Sitting opposite him was a young man in his early twenties with a square face and a beard that met his sideburns, giving him a rugged and unruly appearance. This was the guest who had come to visit, Sarutobi Kokonoe.

"Kokonoe- kun, may I ask what brings you here today?" Yuhi Clan distinctive wine- Shinku eyes, stared intently at Kokonoe before her.

No wonder Shinku treated it with such caution; it's because the latter has a very deep background and identity.

Kokonoe, the eldest son of the Third Hokage Sarutobi Clan of Konoha, became the captain of the Anbu at a young age.

Kokonoe shrugged and smiled, "Senior Shinku, please don't misunderstand. I've come to bother you today not for official business."

Upon hearing Shinku's expression relaxed slightly, after all, the fact that the Anbu had come knocking on her door was not a good thing.

Turning her gaze, Shinku looked towards the open space not far away, where she saw Asuma and Asuma. Asuma was talking to himself, while Shinku ignored him and continued practicing his Shuriken.

"My younger brother... he's really being rude." Kokonoe shook his head with a wry smile, thinking to himself that early this morning, after learning that he was going to visit the Yuhi Clan, Asuma had been pestering him relentlessly, following him like a persistent leech.

"No, Asuma is an exceptionally talented child; he's said to have been the top scorer in the Chunin Ninja Exams." Shinku gave Asuma a scrutinizing look.

Kokonoe shook his head and said casually, "That's just a superficial halo. There are many people his age who are more outstanding than him, Kakashi Hatake and Uchiha Shunren..."

When mentioning Shunren, Kokonoe's tone clearly changed.

Shinku also keenly noticed this, her eyes narrowing slightly, and she had already vaguely guessed the other party's purpose in coming.

"As expected, nothing can fool Shinku- senpai." Knowing that the other party had seen through him, Kokonoe made no attempt to hide it and went straight to the point, "My father hopes that Shinku- senpai can support the Yellow Flash."

Shinku's expression remained unchanged, but her voice was slightly lower Jonin; I'm afraid I will fall short of the Lord Third's expectations."

"Senior Shinku, you're too modest." Kokonoe smiled slightly. "A top-tier ninja of Konoha, one of the few who can rival the Uchiha Clan in the field of Genjutsu —how could Demonic Illusion Shinku, be an ordinary person?"

Indeed, in terms of clan power, the Yūhi Clan can only be considered a mid-to-lower tier clan in Konoha, and its population is not very large; over the years, only one member Yūhi Shinku, has emerged.

Shinku is an upright person who always takes the lead in missions and is highly regarded among the Konoha Jonin.

If Shinku publicly expresses his support for Minato Namikaze, it will inevitably inspire a group of Jonin -level ninjas to follow suit, which is Hiruzen Sarutobi's true objective.

Kokonoe understood Shinku's intentions perfectly, which put him in a difficult position. Given his personality, he had no interest in political struggles and was extremely averse to forming cliques and engaging in favoritism. Shinku simply wanted to be an ordinary Konoha Ninja, fulfilling his duties.

However, Shinku was no ordinary person after all. Possessing Genjutsu comparable to that of the Uchiha Clan, he was regarded by the Konoha High Command as one of their most valuable pawns.

"King Kokonoe, about this matter..." Shinku was struggling to come up with an excuse to fob off Kokonoe.

Kokonoe stared intently into Shinku's eyes, as if to say: Go ahead and make excuses, I'll refute them one by one.

However, at that moment, an unexpected accident occurred!

"Ding~" Hong Jiang accurately hit the target in the distance with the Kunai in her hand, and then picked up a second one.

"Red, listen to me, I plan to go to the Fire Temple and become a Twelve Guardian Ninja..." Asuma chattered on from the side.

"Tsk~" Red felt a constant buzzing in her ears and a surge of irritation welled up inside her. Finally, she couldn't help but glare at the latter and said unhappily, "Asuma, are you ever going to stop?! If you want to be one of the Twelve Ninja, just go for it. Why are you telling me so much?"

"Um..." Asuma opened his mouth, then continued, "Red, don't you understand my feelings yet? I hope you can come with me to the Fire Temple..."

"Ding~" Kurenai continued practicing with her Kunai, completely focused and ignoring Asuma's words. She simply said impatiently, "What nonsense is this? Why should I go to the Fire Temple?"

Asuma patiently explained, "The Twelve Guardian Ninja are top-tier ninjas who serve as the Daimyo's personal guards; possessing such a noble honor is truly a great privilege!"

Young people are always full of enthusiasm and eager to make a name for themselves, but Kurenai has never been interested in fame or recognition. Asuma, however, was eager to impress her and kept talking and talking. Kurenai finally lost her patience and bluntly asked, "What are these Twelve Ninja? How do they compare to Shunren?"

Asuma's face immediately turned a deep shade of liver. "Hmph! What's so great about Uchiha Shunren? As long as I join the Fire Temple and train in seclusion, it won't be long before I surpass him!"

Shunren's achievements are so widespread that no one in the Five Great Shinobi Villages is unaware of his existence. However, in Konoha, Shunren's deeds were deliberately concealed by the authorities. Therefore, Shunren's reputation is not prominent among the general public. As his classmates Kurenai and Asuma, their understanding of Shunren's strength is only superficial.

Red frowned at Asuma's outrageous remarks, her lips moved as if she wanted to refute him, but then her ears twitched slightly, as if she had heard something.

"Buzzing~" That was the sound of rapid airflow.

"What's that sound?" Asuma looked around, but found nothing unusual.

However, the next moment, he saw a dark shadow descend from the sky.

Asuma's pupils suddenly contracted. He saw a figure lying in a spread-eagle position at the same horizontal level as him. In the instant they brushed past each other, Asuma saw that familiar face that filled him with jealousy.

The figure transformed into a streak of golden light just before hitting the ground.

Seeing this, Hong's beautiful wine-red eyes widened, and then she felt a hand on her shoulder, a familiar, clear voice coming from behind her...

"Hong, it's been a long time."

Hong said softly, with a slightly complicated and enigmatic tone, "You... you always appear out of nowhere..."