Kurenai's Confession, Konoha's Cao Thief

Once the Uchiha defector group was rid of its baggage, their marching speed increased several times over. They raced through the forest at full speed like a pack of wolves on the move.

"You killed Asuma?"

Yuhi Shinku asked softly.

She buried her head in Ingetsu's shoulder, her voice weak and devoid of emotion, her breath fragrant.

Ingetsu could feel her breathing, the delicate fragrance wafting from her curly hair, and the faint perfume she had sprayed on herself, complementing her exquisite makeup.

Yuhi Shinku was like a red flower. From her appearance to the mature aura she exuded, everything about her seemed perfectly natural.

"Mm."

Ingetsu did not hide it.

A killing was a killing.

Yuhi Shinku fell silent, burying her head a little deeper, her cheek pressed tightly against Ingetsu's neck. After a long while, she said resentfully:

"Then you have to compensate me."

Her words sounded just like a little girl blaming someone for breaking her toy and demanding compensation.

If someone could buy her a new toy,

she would immediately light up with joy.

"Okay!"

Feeling the softness against his back, Ingetsu agreed without slowing his steps.

Kurenai froze, her beautiful red eyes widening and her red lips parting slightly.

She had suddenly received the answer she had sought but never obtained from adolescence until now, leaving her so shocked that she did not know what to do.

During the Nine-Tailed Fox Disturbance, Yuhi Shinku's final words before his death were praise for Uchiha Ingetsu in front of his daughter, saying that he was a fine person.

As a jōnin, how could Yuhi Shinku fail to notice that when his daughter hesitated before stepping forward, it had been Ingetsu who pushed her?

If not for Ingetsu,

Yuhi Shinku would not have been able to see his daughter one last time before dying. That would have been the greatest regret between him and Kurenai.

After that, the original Ingetsu accompanied Kurenai for some time, until he was sent away on a mission.

Before the two parted,

Kurenai confessed her feelings to the original Ingetsu, only to be gently rejected. Her life then sank into darkness once more, and alcoholism was the bad habit she picked up during that period.

Ingetsu felt that the original Ingetsu had made the right choice. He had been afraid that after agreeing to Kurenai's feelings, he would die on a mission, and the Night of the Uchiha Massacre not long ago had proven that concern valid.

Ingetsu had agreed so readily because he did not want to owe the original Ingetsu a debt. Helping him make up for this regret was the last thing he could do for him.

Do not reject.

Do not promise.

Do not take the initiative.

That was Ingetsu's creed when it came to such matters.

"Wuwu..."

Kurenai suddenly laughed, but tears poured down her face. She wrapped both arms and legs tightly around Ingetsu like a koala clinging to a tree.

The emotions that had built up inside her were released.

She was in an excellent mood now.

The Uchiha behind them saw their Ingetsu Captain make this Leaf Village kunoichi cry so hard with just two sentences, and they were immediately filled with admiration.

As expected of our role model!

Izumi and Mikoto, meanwhile, were completely bewildered. They had no idea what this man and woman, facing away from them ahead, were talking about.

At that moment, an abrupt voice rang out:

"What are you looking at? If you were as capable as Big Brother, you could carry a beautiful woman all over the mountains too!"

Everyone turned around in unison. Tamao was in an excellent mood after seeing Big Brother return with a beauty in his arms.

"..." Ingetsu's head was covered in black lines.

"..." Kurenai looked bashful.

The Uchiha were instantly speechless, secretly wondering whether this Leaf Village woman's background was somewhat similar to that of their clan leader's wife.

Doesn't that mean their Ingetsu Captain's taste in women...

The Uchiha immediately dared not think any further. They lowered their heads and continued marching.

Such a good Ingetsu Captain.

How did he end up with this kind of fetish?

Pat-pat—

Ingetsu continued carrying the weakened Kurenai. As he stepped over a branch, his brain suddenly gave a faint twitch, followed by waves of stabbing pain in his eyes.

He narrowed his eyes.

A layer of white fog obscured his vision.

Ingetsu's body tensed. He slowed his steps, raised a hand, and rubbed his eyes.

"What's wrong?"

Kurenai sensed something unusual. Concern appeared in her lively red eyes as she asked anxiously in a gentle voice.

"Nothing. It's a side effect of the Mangekyo."

Ingetsu said it lightly.

Yuhi Kurenai felt her heart ache. She knew what kind of battle Ingetsu had gone through the previous night, so she reached out to caress the side of his face and massage his temples, easing his mental strain.

Feeling her fingers, gentle as water, the tension around his temples eased slightly. He did not refuse Kurenai's kindness.

They continued marching, and the Uchiha behind them did not notice his discomfort.

Ingetsu fell into deep thought.

Yachihoko's method of controlling people from a distance was achieved by releasing Yin Release Chakra through the Mangekyo.

Frequent use placed an excessive burden on the caster's body, but it was still far more comfortable than Amaterasu, which caused the user's eyes to bleed at the slightest provocation.

Even so,

it was still a Mangekyo ability. Excessive use and the impact of powerful Yin Release Chakra could still cause retinal detachment and optic nerve deterioration, eventually resulting in permanent blindness.

Ingetsu's heart sank.

It was not as though there were no solutions.

1. Implant Hashirama Cells. Their immense vitality could extend the Mangekyo's lifespan and reduce its negative effects on the caster.

2. Awaken the Eternal Eyes. Then there would be nothing left to worry about, but that was impossible for Ingetsu.

3. Possess an unlimited supply of Green Medicine.

Therefore, Ingetsu felt that awakening the Eternal Eyes could be ruled out. Hashirama Cells and Green Medicine were his preferred options.

It was a pity that there had been no time to spare while assassinating Danzo. Otherwise, aside from Kotoamatsukami, he should have collected some Hashirama Cells as well.

But it did not matter.

Leaf Village...

He would return there sooner or later.

Thinking of the Green Medicine,

Ingetsu's brows gradually furrowed. At first, he had thought it could only treat internal and external injuries, but he had never expected it to grant him a Wood Release ability as a bonus.

It had also replenished the one-third of his lifespan he had exhausted by taking the Red Pill.

Aside from that,

Ingetsu's own strength had been enhanced as well. This was probably the result of his body being transformed by the vitality of the Green Medicine.

His strength had increased by approximately 0.01 times that of an ordinary adult. It was little, but it showed him an alternative way to improve himself.

After letting out a sigh of relief, Ingetsu sensed his condition.

Speaking of Wood Release, he could still sense the plants within a five-hundred-meter radius centered on himself, as well as their natural energy.

However, his Wood Release differed from Wood Release in the traditional sense. He condensed the properties of Earth Release Chakra and Water Attribute Chakra, then injected them into the earth as the source of life.

It could not grow Wood Release trees or Wood Release vines out of thin air. Instead, he could only control the plants already present within five hundred meters and use them in battle.

If he did not have the Green Medicine to catalyze them,

this Wood Release would seem rather useless.

As Ingetsu thought, he injected Water and Earth Chakra into the ground beneath his feet, controlling the natural energy of the plants within five hundred meters and gathering it together before injecting it into a vine.

Rustle-rustle—

"Enemy attack!!!"

Tamao was the first to react. He drew the Tachi from his back, leaped down from the tree, and with one slash cut the vine Ingetsu had just controlled into two pieces!

"..." Ingetsu.

Seeing Ingetsu's dark expression, Kurenai looked at Tamao and seemed to understand what had happened. She could not help covering her mouth and laughing.

But just as Tamao was about to brag to the Uchiha behind him, who had no idea what was happening,

whoosh—

the vine suddenly swelled dramatically. It had originally been only as thick as a thumb, but it suddenly grew to the thickness of a human wrist right before their eyes.

Ingetsu glanced sideways at the scene, the corners of his mouth lifting slightly.

His guess had been correct. The energy within a five-hundred-meter radius could be used to heal physical injuries.

It could also be injected into a plant, allowing it to evolve and gain a certain level of combat ability.

The vine moved like a snake, suddenly lunging at Tamao's feet. The latter jumped backward in fright to evade it and shouted:

"Is this Danzo's mother, or Danzo's father?!"

PS: Don't ask whether it's one or many. The answer is: I want them all!

This is a newcomer's new book, so there are bound to be some flaws. I hope all esteemed readers will be understanding!

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