Yamei froze for a moment, then shook his head helplessly. "As you wish. But I promised Shisui that I would protect some of the Uchiha Clan's bloodline."
"Besides, I still hope you can work for me. After all... you're a talented man."
Itachi said nothing. He simply nodded silently and chose to leave.
"Stubborn fool."
Yamei shook his head. If I gain him, it is my fortune... if I lose him, it is my fate.
Perhaps Itachi truly was extraordinary, but his prematurely fixed way of thinking had also restrained him.
That night, Yamei's courtyard was bustling. Aside from Sasuke, everyone else had gathered together, chatting and laughing.
Yamei grilled the barbecue while Ino sat beside him, occasionally passing him skewers of meat. Whenever she saw him sweating, she immediately stepped forward to wipe the sweat away.
Hinata quietly watched from the side, her eyes practically glued to him. Only when the meat was done did she carry it over to the table.
"You two should hurry up and eat too, or those foodies will finish everything." Yamei lightly tapped the little heads of the two beauties surrounding him.
"They can eat theirs. We'll stay here and help you. You can't handle everything by yourself, right, Hinata?" Ino looked at Hinata.
Hinata's little face reddened as she nodded. "Mm-hmm. It's too hard for Lord Yamei to grill all the meat by himself."
"Thank you, but you can't just stand here and watch either!"
As he spoke, Yamei handed several freshly grilled skewers to the two girls. "Here. They're eating over there, so we'll grill and eat over here."
This time, Ino and Hinata did not refuse. They accepted the skewers and began eating. The rich flavor of the meat's fat and seasonings burst across their mouths, instantly bringing their taste buds to the height of satisfaction.
"Delicious!" Ino revealed a contented smile.
"If it's delicious, eat more." Yamei smiled, then looked at Hinata.
"Hey, Hinata, don't move."
Hinata froze, still holding the bamboo skewer to her mouth. She looked adorably confused.
Yamei reached out and gently scraped her nose. "You got a little grease here."
Yamei's action instantly made Hinata's face turn crimson. Her ears burned, and her eyes began spinning as she turned into a little steam princess.
"Lord... Lord Yamei..."
"Hinata!" Seeing this, Ino hurriedly stepped forward to support Hinata, then shot Yamei a glare. "You know Hinata gets shy, and you still did that."
"There was grease on her..." Yamei put on an appropriately aggrieved expression, then reached his hand toward Ino as well.
"Y-You... what are you doing?!"
Ino froze, and her little face immediately flushed too.
Yamei wiped the corner of her mouth and smiled. "You had some on your face. I was helping you wipe it off."
"Hmph! You really do shower everyone with affection!"
Ino gave a delicate snort, turned her head, and viciously bit into the barbecue. Yet she could not suppress the happiness welling up in her heart.
"Ahem. Ino and Hinata are both so cute and pretty. How could I bear to watch your faces get dirty..." Yamei coughed awkwardly.
"Yamei! Is the barbecue ready yet?! We've finished everything over here!" Naruto's noisy voice rang out.
"Go hungry! The three of us haven't even eaten yet! You got it all!" Yamei snapped irritably.
"Whoa! Yamei actually gets angry." Kiba was astonished.
"Because we interrupted their flirting," Shino said gloomily.
"Then we probably won't get barbecue for a while... Let's eat some fruit." Choji grabbed the fruit beside him and started eating.
"Sigh... Women... are such a hassle." Shikamaru shook his head helplessly.
"I'm so jealous... It would be wonderful if Sasuke treated me like that too..." Sakura watched from the side enviously.
"Sakura! Sasuke is a jerk! I'll definitely defeat him and prove that I'm stronger than him!"
"Naruto, get lost!"
Chaos erupted.
Yamei finally managed to soothe Ino, while Hinata recovered as well. Only then did they return to happily grilling together.
"I'm back."
The front gate suddenly opened, and the eight or nine pairs of eyes present all turned toward it at once.
Yūhi Kurenai froze in the middle of stepping inside. She looked at everyone, then looked back at the gate...
"Ahem, Kurenai, want to eat with us?" Yamei felt like his mind was about to explode.
Wasn't Kurenai out on a mission? Why had she suddenly returned...
He turned to look at Ino and Hinata leaning against him, then raised his head to look at Yūhi Kurenai.
Sure enough, light flickered within those ruby-red eyes.
I'm screwed!
"No need. I just came by to take a look. You all carry on..." Yūhi Kurenai said with a smiling expression before turning around and leaving.
"Yamei... who was that?" Ino asked curiously.
"Oh, she's Big Sister Kurenai, the one I often mention..."
"Oh, okay."
They had also learned about Yamei's background, so naturally they knew about Yūhi Kurenai's family.
After night fell, Yamei sent Ino and Hinata home before heading to Yūhi Kurenai's neighboring courtyard.
Knock, knock, knock...
"Who is it?!"
"It's me, Kurenai."
"Who are you?!"
Yamei gave a bitter smile. As expected...
"I'm your Little Yamei..."
"Hmph... Weren't you busy having barbecue with your little sisters? How do you have time to come here?" Yūhi Kurenai finally opened the door and glared down at him.
"Ahem, it was a class gathering..." Yamei stepped forward and took Kurenai's hand. After closing the door, he headed into the house with her.
"Hehe, a class gathering where they leaned against you, right? And there were two of them... They really did look adorable!" Yūhi Kurenai sneered.
"If I said they weren't feeling well... would you believe me..." Yamei rubbed his nose as he walked into the room.
"What do you think?" Yūhi Kurenai rolled her eyes at him.
"Fine, I was telling them stories! They helped me grill while they listened."
As Yamei spoke, he pulled her over to sit down before she could refute him. Then he sat on her lap and wrapped his arms around her.
Yūhi Kurenai froze, but she still raised her arms to embrace Yamei. "Bad boy, causing trouble with girls at such a young age!" As she spoke, Yūhi Kurenai opened her mouth and bit Yamei on the shoulder.
Hiss!
Yamei winced in pain and looked at Yūhi Kurenai with watery eyes.
Those pink eyes seemed to possess a special kind of magic, softening her heart.
After ruffling Yamei's hair, she said, "In a while, I'll probably be going to the Land of Earth on a mission."
"The Land of Earth?!" Yamei could not help thinking of Kabuto, who should currently be working as a spy in Iwagakure.
Kabuto had not yet killed Yakushi Nonō alongside her and become a self-destructive wreck.
If he could be brought under his control, Kabuto would be a rather useful card!
But Yamei did not even know where Yakushi Nonō was now, so he could only leave it to fate.
What worried him now was Kurenai's safety. Though Kurenai was a Jonin and not weak in combat... Iwagakure was no pushover either.
"You have to be careful! Safety comes first!" Yamei stared into her eyes.
"Mm-hmm." Kurenai smiled and hugged Yamei tightly.
Yamei leaned against Kurenai's shoulder as his Sharingan slowly turned...
"Kurenai, when you come back, I'll give you a surprise."
After thinking it over, Yamei made his decision.
Mist Veil Moon was the most suitable for him, and after being fused with Kotoamatsukami, Yūhi Kurenai could no longer learn it.
However, he could teach Yūhi Kurenai the version of Mist Veil Moon from before it had been fused with Kotoamatsukami!
Even before being fused with Kotoamatsukami, Mist Veil Moon had already been a top-tier genjutsu on par with, or even beyond, ordinary S-rank techniques!
If Yūhi Kurenai could master it, her combat strength would absolutely be no lower than that of an elite Jonin! Perhaps even stronger.
"Then I'll be looking forward to your surprise." Yūhi Kurenai looked at Yamei tenderly with her beautiful eyes.
Before you continue