Leave My Mark Behind

Yamei turned to look. Naruto had already come over to the two of them and was staring at him in surprise.

"So it was you. Long time no see." Yamei smiled.

"Mm-hmm! I finally get to see you again! I still remember that I was going to treat you to Ichiraku Ramen!"

Yamei froze, giving Naruto an odd look. If Naruto had not brought it up... he would have forgotten all about it.

"My name is Uzumaki Naruto. You still haven't told me your name."

"My name is Hyakawa Yamei."

"Yosh! Yamei! I'll treat you to Ichiraku Ramen later as an apology for last time!" Naruto stared at Yamei expectantly.

"Uh... all right, this afternoon, then... I have something to do in a bit..." Yamei said hesitantly, glancing at the flowers in his hand.

"Okay! I'll wait for you at Ichiraku Ramen this afternoon!" Naruto nodded excitedly, then turned and ran toward the village.

"This guy..." Yamei opened his mouth, then gave a helpless bitter smile. He had not even told Naruto the time. How was Naruto supposed to wait for him...?

"Thank you so much just now, Lord Yamei."

Hinata had finally caught her breath. Her little face was still faintly flushed as she spoke gratefully.

"It was nothing. But it's so cold out, so don't stay outside too long. Hurry home."

As Yamei spoke, he took a flower from the bouquet in his arms and handed it to Hinata. "Here, this is for you. Consider it a gift for our first meeting."

Hinata blankly reached out and accepted it. Then she stared at Yamei in a daze. "Th-thank you, Lord Yamei."

"Mm-hmm. Bye-bye."

Yamei turned and walked away.

Watching Yamei disappear into the distance, then looking at the flower in her hand, Hinata smiled. But she immediately froze again. She... seemed to have forgotten to tell Lord Yamei her name.

After tidying himself up, Yamei did not go home. Instead, he went straight to Yūhi Kurenai's door and knocked.

Creak.

The front door opened, and Yūhi Kurenai's ruby-like eyes reflected Yamei's figure.

"Where did you go!? I called you to eat just now, but you weren't there." Yūhi Kurenai questioned him.

"Hehe, congratulations on becoming a Jonin, Kurenai!"

Yamei took out the roses he had prepared from behind his back.

That was right. Though Yūhi Kurenai had always excelled at genjutsu, she had only been a Special Jonin. It was only today that she had truly become a Jonin.

Yūhi Kurenai froze when she saw the roses before her, and the displeasure on her face was quickly replaced by delight.

"You... you really put thought into this."

"So you won't even give me a hug? Sigh..." Yamei put on a wounded, resentful expression.

Yūhi Kurenai's pretty face reddened slightly. After hesitating for a moment, she stepped forward and hugged Yamei.

He felt the warmth of her embrace, the fullness of her chest, and especially her maidenly fragrance filling his nose, making his thoughts wander.

However, Yūhi Kurenai quickly let go of Yamei and glared at him. "Satisfied now!?"

"Hehe, satisfied! I'd be even more satisfied if I could get a hug every day."

Yamei chuckled, shamelessly pressing his advantage.

"Hmph! Keep dreaming! Get inside. It's just the two of us eating today." Yūhi Kurenai rolled her eyes at him and turned to enter the house.

"Where's Aunt Rinon?"

"She went out." Yūhi Kurenai placed the flowers in a vase. There were three or four other bouquets beside it, all given by Yamei.

"I'm planning to buy another house. I'm not that young anymore, and it's inconvenient to keep living here, so Mother went to check things out first."

Yamei froze, then immediately smiled. "You can come live at my house! I'm alone anyway."

Yūhi Kurenai said nothing and simply looked at him quietly.

His intentions were obvious to everyone!

"Ahem..." Yamei coughed awkwardly twice, pretending not to notice as he sat directly at the dining table.

"Pfft..." Seeing Yamei's slightly embarrassed expression, Yūhi Kurenai laughed softly. "Your yard is large, but you know what my mother is like."

"And the place I'm buying is right next to your yard."

"That's great!" Yamei immediately broke into a smile.

Yūhi Kurenai served the rice, brought it over to Yamei, and then sat kneeling opposite him.

"Thanks for the meal..."

There were four dishes, similar to Chinese cuisine... Yūhi Kurenai had discovered that Yamei liked this kind of food, so she had specifically learned how to make it.

Yūhi Kurenai asked, "How is your training going?"

"Not bad. I should be able to rank in the top five among the new students." Yamei shrugged.

"So confident? I heard there are lots of children from major clans in your class."

"So what if they're from major clans? I have Kurenai! I'm no worse than them."

"Ahem!" Yūhi Kurenai choked on his words, her cheeks flushing as she looked at him. "Don't talk nonsense! You're so improper all day long."

"I'm not wrong."

Seeing Yamei's sullen look, Yūhi Kurenai's eyes curved into crescents. It felt as though her heart had been soaked in honey.

After eating, Yamei sat on the sofa with a book in hand, while also opening the Sea of Derivations in his mind.

Newly acquired materials: Hyuga Bloodline Power, Gentle Fist.

"Analyze Hyuga Bloodline Power and integrate it into the Hyakawa Bloodline!"

"Analyze Gentle Fist and integrate it into the Art of a Hundred Refinements."

Analysis and derivation in progress. Estimated derivation time: 6 hours.

Just then, Yūhi Kurenai finished cleaning up and sat down beside Yamei.

Seeing her sit down, Yamei immediately lay on his side and rested his head on her lap.

Yūhi Kurenai's body suddenly stiffened. She looked down at Yamei, only to see that he still wore a serious expression as he read. Her shyness immediately faded, replaced by amusement.

Yet she did not push Yamei away. Instead, she reached out and stroked his hair, quietly gazing at his profile.

"So? Do you think I'm handsome?"

"Mm-hmm. Not only handsome, but also very narcissistic." Yūhi Kurenai smiled and nodded.

Yamei gave a soft snort. "That's called self-awareness! Once I grow up, you'll see just how dashing and handsome I am!"

Yūhi Kurenai nodded in agreement. Indeed... although Yamei was only seven years old and still looked like a little boy, his facial features were already quite handsome.

But then she thought of herself... She was already twenty-one. By the time Yamei graduated from the Ninja Academy, she would already be twenty-seven...

Yūhi Kurenai's face suddenly showed a trace of despondence.

Yamei immediately noticed that something was off with Yūhi Kurenai's mood. Turning his head, he barely managed to guess the reason.

He sat upright again, reached out, and hooked a finger beneath Yūhi Kurenai's chin, turning her face toward his.

Looking at that beautiful face staring at him blankly, those moist and tempting red lips...

Mwah!

Catching her off guard, Yamei went right in for the kiss.

Yūhi Kurenai's entire body suddenly froze, and a blush immediately spread across her cheeks. "Y-you... what are you doing!?"

Yamei looked earnestly into her eyes and said softly, "I've left my mark on you. You can't run away now."

Unable to bear that burning gaze, Yūhi Kurenai looked away and murmured, "My home is right here... where could I run to...?"

"Hehe, give me a shoulder rub, okay...?"

As he spoke, Yamei once again lay with his head on Yūhi Kurenai's lap.

By five in the afternoon, Yamei reluctantly left Yūhi Kurenai's home...

If I'd known, I wouldn't have agreed to Naruto's invitation! Wouldn't it have been nicer to stay in such a warm, gentle place on a freezing day? What a regret!

With a sigh, Yamei hurried to Ichiraku Ramen.

"Hey! Yamei... over here!"

The moment he arrived, he heard a loud shout.

Yamei noticed him as well. He frowned slightly, then ignored the Anbu nearby.

When he approached and saw a few snowflakes still on Naruto's body, he could not help asking, "How long have you been here?"

"Not that long. I got here around three." Naruto grinned.

"Idiot..."

Yamei rolled his eyes at him. "I'm the one who came late. I'll pay for this meal."

"No, no. It was my mistake for not telling you the time. I'm paying!" Naruto said stubbornly.

Seeing this, Yamei stopped insisting.