Something Is a Little Off

Yamei blinked in surprise, then shook his head helplessly. "Whatever you say. But I promised Shisui I'd protect some of the Uchiha bloodline."

"And I still hope you'll work for me. After all... you're a talent."

Itachi didn't reply, merely nodding silently before choosing to leave.

"Stubborn."

Yamei shook his head. "What I gain, I cherish... what I lose, I accept."

Perhaps Itachi was indeed extraordinary, but his prematurely formed ideology also held him back.

That night, Yamei's courtyard was lively. Aside from Sasuke, the others were gathered, chatting and laughing.

Yamei was grilling skewers, with Ino sitting beside him. She'd occasionally hand him more meat and, seeing him sweat, would quickly step forward to wipe it away.

Hinata watched quietly from the side, her eyes practically glued to him. She only brought the grilled meat to the table when it was ready.

"You two should go eat too, or the gluttons over there will finish it all," Yamei said, tapping the heads of the two girls who were clustered around him.

"They can eat their fill. We're here to help you; you can't manage all this alone, right, Hinata?" Ino looked at Hinata.

Hinata's face flushed slightly, and she nodded. "Mhm, it's too hard for Yamei-kun to grill all this meat by himself."

"Thank you, but it's not good to just watch!"

With that, Yamei handed a few skewers of grilled meat to the two girls. "Here, they're eating over there. We'll eat as we grill."

Ino and Hinata didn't refuse this time. They took the skewers and began to eat. The oil and spices from the grilled meat exploded in their mouths, instantly bringing their taste buds to a state of extreme satisfaction.

"Delicious!" Ino smiled contentedly.

"It's delicious, eat more," Yamei said with a smile, then looked at Hinata.

"Huh? Hinata, don't move."

Hinata blinked, her hand still holding a skewer to her lips, looking incredibly cute.

Yamei reached out and gently brushed her nose. "You got a little oil on here."

Yamei's action instantly turned Hinata's face beet red, her ears burning, and her eyes started to spin, turning her into a steam-powered princess.

"Ya... Yamei-kun..."

"Hinata!" Ino hurried forward to support her, then shot Yamei a glare. "You know how shy Hinata is, why would you do that?"

"But there was oil..." Yamei feigned a hint of grievance, then extended his hand towards Ino as well.

"What... what are you doing!"

Ino froze, her small face also turning rosy.

Yamei wiped the corner of her mouth and chuckled, "It's smudged. Let me wipe it for you."

"Hmph! You really are showing favoritism to everyone!"

Ino snorted, turning her head and taking a fierce bite of her grilled meat, though her heart was overflowing with happiness.

"Ahem, Ino and Hinata are both so cute and pretty, how could I bear to see your faces smudged..." Yamei coughed awkwardly.

"Yamei! Is the barbecue ready yet! We're done eating over here!" Naruto's boisterous voice rang out.

"I'm starving! None of us three have eaten yet! You ate it all!" Yamei retorted irritably.

"Whoa! Yamei's actually getting angry." Kiba sounded surprised.

"It's because we interrupted their flirting," Shino said drily.

"Does that mean we won't get any barbecue for a while... Let's just eat some fruit then." Choji grabbed some fruit nearby and started eating.

"Sigh... women... such a hassle," Shikamaru shook his head with a helpless expression.

"I'm so jealous... I wish Sasuke would do that for me too..." Sakura watched enviously from the side.

"Naruto, get lost! Sasuke is a jerk! I'll definitely defeat him and prove I'm stronger than him!"

"Chicken and dogs jumping everywhere."

Yamei finally managed to comfort Ino, and Hinata also recovered. Only then did the barbecue continue harmoniously.

"I'm back."

The gate suddenly opened, and the eyes of the eight or nine people present simultaneously turned towards the entrance.

Kurenai froze mid-step as she entered. She looked at everyone, then at the gate...

"Ahem, Kurenai, want to join us for some food?" Yamei's composure was about to shatter.

Didn't Kurenai go on a mission? Why did she suddenly return...

He glanced at Ino and Hinata leaning against him, then looked up at Kurenai.

As expected, a light was flickering in those ruby eyes.

"Damn it!"

"No need, I just came to see. You guys carry on..." Kurenai said with a smile, then turned and left.

"Yamei... who is she?" Ino asked curiously.

"Oh, she's the Big Sister Kurenai I always talk about..."

"Oh, oh."

They also learned about Yamei's background and naturally knew about Kurenai's family.

As night fell, after Yamei sent Ino and Hinata home, he went to Kurenai's nearby yard.

Knock, knock, knock...

"Who is it!"

"It's me, Kurenai."

"Who are you!?"

Yamei gave a wry smile. As expected...

"It's your Little Yamei..."

"Hmph... Weren't you having barbecue with your little sisters? How do you have time to come here!" Kurenai finally opened the door, glaring down at him.

"Ahem, it was a classmate gathering..." Yamei stepped forward, took Kurenai's hand, closed the door, and walked inside.

"Heh, a classmate gathering where you lean on someone, right? And two of them... they look really cute!" Kurenai sneered.

"If I said they weren't feeling well... would you believe me..." Yamei rubbed his nose and walked into the room.

"What do you think." Kurenai rolled her eyes at him.

"Alright, actually, I was telling them stories! While they listened, they helped me grill meat."

As Yamei spoke, before Kurenai could retort, he pulled her down to sit, then sat on her lap and hugged her.

Kurenai was taken aback, but still reached out to hug Yamei: "You bad boy, so young and already a playboy!" With that, Kurenai opened her mouth and bit Yamei's shoulder.

"Hiss!"

Yamei cried out in pain, looking at Kurenai with his big, watery eyes.

Those pink eyes seemed to possess a special magic, softening her heart.

After ruffling Yamei's hair, she said, "I should be going on a mission to the Land of Earth in a while."

"Land of Earth!?" Yamei couldn't help but think of Kabuto, who should be a spy in Iwagakure right now.

Kabuto hadn't yet killed Yakushi Nonō and become self-destructive.

If he could control him, he'd be a good trump card!

However, Yamei didn't even know where Yakushi Nonō was, so he could only leave it to fate.

What worried him more now was Kurenai's safety. Although Kurenai was a Jonin and her combat power wasn't weak... Iwagakure was no pushover.

"You must be careful! Safety first!" Yamei stared into her eyes.

"Mhm, mhm." Kurenai smiled and hugged Yamei tightly.

Yamei leaned on Kurenai's shoulder, his Sharingan spinning slightly...

"Kurenai, when you get back, I'll give you a surprise."

Yamei made a decision after thinking for a moment.

Mist Veil Moon was the most suitable for him, and once it was integrated with Kotoamatsukami, Kurenai couldn't learn it anymore.

However, he could teach Kurenai Mist Veil Moon before it was integrated with Kotoamatsukami!

You must know that Mist Veil Moon before integration with Kotoamatsukami was already a top-tier Genjutsu, reaching or even surpassing ordinary S-rank!

If Kurenai could master it, her combat power would definitely not be lower than an elite Jonin! Perhaps even stronger.

"Then I'll look forward to your surprise." Kurenai looked at Yamei tenderly with her beautiful eyes.