The Sunshine Was Lovely, the Wind Was Gentle

Because Genjutsu was her specialty, Yuhi Kurenai understood it far better than Might Guy and Shiranui Genma did.

And the more she understood, the more clearly she realized just how powerful the Genjutsu this young jonin had just cast truly was!

Using that faint, peculiar fragrance, he had dragged them into an illusion without their knowledge through something akin to an olfactory Genjutsu.

Then, within a single breath, he had interfered with and influenced their senses of smell, sight, touch, taste, and hearing.

And those affected had not even realized they were under Genjutsu.

That feat alone was beyond the reach of ordinary A-Rank Genjutsu!

There was also that utterly unreasonable, bone-chilling killing intent, as though they were truly facing a giant python.

It had clearly affected something beyond the five senses—the most instinctive perception of and reaction to danger buried deep within human genes.

And then there was the final, most important point!

Group casting!

He had simultaneously affected the five senses of all three of them while still allowing them to communicate without issue, with no sensory discrepancies between them.

This was at least a multi-layered combination Genjutsu centered around A-Rank Genjutsu!

Its difficulty of control and the effects of the Ninjutsu... were probably comparable to S-Rank Genjutsu!

Their team jonin had actually used a combination Genjutsu with difficulty and power comparable to S-Rank Genjutsu against three rookie genin?

Thinking about it that way made him seem even worse!

"I have a feeling you're thinking something very rude."

Seeing the way Yuhi Kurenai looked at him as though he were scum, Yamanaka Kei narrowed his eyes slightly and bent down to meet her ruby-like gaze.

"N-No! How could I?"

Yuhi Kurenai averted her eyes and flatly denied having just badmouthed her team jonin in her heart.

Seeing that the Three Little Ones had completely forgotten about him being late all morning after his sneak attack and verbal maneuvering, Yamanaka Kei silently remarked that children really were easy to fool.

As he turned and walked out of the training ground, he spoke to the others behind him again.

"Since you've passed the test, I'll treat you to grilled skewers at noon to celebrate the team's formation. Follow me."

"It's decided! I'll walk to Yakiniku Q on two fingers! If I can't do it, I'll do two thousand leg kicks!"

Might Guy responded as enthusiastically as ever.

"Teacher Kei said grilled skewers, not barbecue, so the destination should be Sanmi Residence."

With a Senbon between his lips and his eyelids drooping, Shiranui Genma corrected him.

"Huh? The restaurant jointly run by the Ino-Shika-Cho clans? I heard it's really expensive! One plate of Venison costs 500 Ryo."

Yuhi Kurenai's eyes lit up slightly. She secretly decided to set her image aside for now and feast to her heart's content.

Otherwise, it would be far too unfair to the fright she had just suffered.

"Their mental resilience is pretty good too."

Hearing the Three Little Ones laughing and chatting behind him, Yamanaka Kei's lips curved into a faint smile.

There was no question about the three of their talents.

Might Guy, who possessed the greatest talent, had three Word Entries: Hot-Blooded Youth (Blue), Limit Recovery (Blue), and Thick Eyebrow Kappa (White).

Hot-Blooded Youth gave him self-discipline beyond the reach of ordinary people and an unyielding will that never admitted defeat.

Limit Recovery allowed him to recover more quickly after his body reached its limit, while reducing the chance of hidden injuries.

Although the White Word Entry Thick Eyebrow Kappa reduced his charm and Chakra stability, it also increased his focus and the effectiveness of his taijutsu training.

The effects of all three Word Entries stacked together.

Their combined effect was enough to leave ninety-nine percent of Konoha's shinobi in the dust.

Yuhi Kurenai's talent was second only to Might Guy's. She possessed two Word Entries: Mental Power (Blue) and Hallucinogenic (Green).

The former increased the strength and upper limit of her spiritual power, while the latter enhanced the hallucinatory effects of Genjutsu.

If developed properly, the famous scene of "Itachi's Genjutsu" probably would not happen again in the future.

As for Shiranui Genma, he had only one Word Entry: Proximity to Excellence (Blue).

Its effect was that when someone taught and supervised him, it could greatly increase his learning speed and personal upper limit.

Although he had few Word Entries, his talent might not actually be weaker than Yuhi Kurenai's.

The Three Little Ones lacked neither mentality nor talent.

Yamanaka Kei was certain that as long as he put even a little care into teaching them, and the three did not die midway as they had not in the original story—

Their future achievements would only surpass those of the original story!

Yet as he looked at ten-year-old Might Guy, eleven-year-old Yuhi Kurenai, and twelve-year-old Shiranui Genma—

He could not help but sigh.

When he had watched the anime back then, all he had seen was passion and bonds.

But after truly coming to this world and struggling for more than a decade in the shinobi world, a place filled with bloodshed and conflict—

All he could see now was cruelty.

Children of eleven or twelve.

In his previous life, they would not even have finished elementary school.

But in Konoha, children of that age had to begin facing battle and killing head-on.

"This damn place really is impossible to like."

Yamanaka Kei grumbled inwardly.

Having lived two lives, he had long passed the age of being bitter at the world.

But when faced with things in life that he could not bear to watch, he still could not help asking himself whether he should do something.

Mencius said: "When poor, cultivate oneself alone; when successful, aid the world."

Before, his abilities had been insufficient. He could only drift along under the rules of the shinobi world, not daring to overstep in the slightest.

Now that he had the System...

"One plate of Venison is 500 Ryo?! Doesn't that mean a single meal would cost as much as several D-Rank Missions!"

Might Guy cried out. As he hopped forward on one hand in a handstand, he used his other hand to painstakingly count how much it would probably cost.

"Stop calculating. I heard before that if you don't order anything especially expensive, it costs about 3000 Ryo per person. That's roughly three times the price of Yakiniku Q."

"Th-Three thousand? Is that a scam restaurant?"

Might Guy did not come from a wealthy family to begin with.

Hearing that the average cost was 3000 Ryo per person, his body swayed in fright, and he nearly planted his head into the ground.

Yuhi Kurenai looked at Yamanaka Kei, who had not spoken with the three of them for quite some time, and cautiously poked her head out for a look.

Seeing his somewhat heavy expression, she thought that he had not known the specifics of Sanmi Residence before. He had merely wanted to treat his subordinates to something nice on impulse.

Now, after hearing Shiranui Genma's words, he had been frightened by the price too.

The kind-hearted girl ultimately chose to temporarily forgive Yamanaka Kei for nearly scaring her into wetting herself earlier.

She cautiously spoke up to help him out.

"...Teacher Kei, I actually think ramen is delicious too."

"Hm? Ha~ Hahahaha~!"

Yamanaka Kei froze for a moment, then immediately understood what Yuhi Kurenai meant and could not help laughing out loud.

He raised a hand and rubbed the little girl's head as she leaned it over.

Seeing her blush, wrinkle her little nose, and shyly fix her hair, he made up his mind.

He really did need to do something!

Not for that empty, worthless, bullshit Will of Fire.

Nor for the shinobi world peace that could never possibly exist.

Simply because he felt that today's sunshine was lovely, the wind was gentle, and the people he had met were adorable.