I'm Just Concerned About You

At the entrance to Konoha, Narak greeted the two ninja on guard. The three of them could be considered old acquaintances, having known each other since Narak was five. It had already been five years.

Narak exchanged a few playful remarks with the two men before walking with Kurenai Yuhi toward Satomioka Manor outside the village.

Along the way, Kurenai Yuhi and Narak chatted from time to time.

Suddenly, Kurenai Yuhi turned to Narak and asked, "Speaking of which, Narak-kun, as far as I know, you've always been someone who hates trouble. Why were you so proactive about offering to help Yakumo this time?"

Faced with Kurenai Yuhi's question, Narak waved his hand and said, "It's nothing. I met Miss Yakumo yesterday and thought she was a pretty good person. Since I have the ability to help her resolve her physical problems, I might as well lend her a hand and save her some suffering."

Kurenai: "Oh, is that really all? Yakumo is quite pretty, too. She's the eldest daughter of a major clan and possesses an extraordinary talent for genjutsu. Aren't young people your age at the stage when they're first awakening to romance? You don't have any other thoughts about her?"

At that moment, Kurenai's curiosity was overflowing, and she watched Narak with a mischievous grin.

Hearing Kurenai Yuhi's question, the corner of Narak's mouth twitched slightly.

"Miss Kurenai, I'm only a ten-year-old child. I'm not even an adult yet. Saying things like that to me could be considered encouraging me to start dating early."

"Besides, don't you think asking me this makes you sound rather nosy?"

Kurenai turned her head and smiled faintly. "Oh, really? I don't think I'm being nosy. I'm just concerned about you two, aren't I?"

Clearly, Kurenai wasn't embarrassed in the slightest.

Narak curled his lip and suddenly said, "Speaking of which, Miss Kurenai, I heard that you and the Third Hokage's younger son, Asuma Sarutobi, grew up together and are childhood sweethearts. You two are extremely close, so let me ask you this: is your relationship purely platonic, or did you like each other from childhood?"

"W-What? Who told you that? I—I'm not like that with Asuma... We're just friends..."

Caught off guard by Narak's sudden question, Kurenai answered somewhat haltingly.

"Oh... So you're just friends!" Narak drawled meaningfully.

"What business is it of yours, asking about these things? You're just a child!" Kurenai, having recovered, retorted in embarrassment and anger.

"Ah, I'm just borrowing Miss Kurenai's words from earlier. I'm only concerned about you, too."

"After all, as far as I know, Mr. Asuma is away from Konoha most of the year. Who knows whether a man like him might get involved with some random women out there? If Miss Kurenai waits for him here in Konoha, only for him to return with a wife and children, I'll feel sorry for you."

Narak spoke calmly with his hands behind his back, but his words deeply unsettled Kurenai.

"That's impossible. Asuma isn't that kind of person. I believe he would never do something like that!" Kurenai Yuhi said with unusual firmness.

"Hmm? Didn't Miss Kurenai say that you and Mr. Asuma are just friends? If you're only friends, why care whether he comes back with a wife and children? Or are you admitting that your relationship with Mr. Asuma is more than ordinary?"

Narak curled the corner of his mouth and continued pressing Kurenai Yuhi.

"I... Well, it's getting late. We should hurry to Satomioka Manor and see Yakumo!"

A hint of shyness flashed across Kurenai's slightly flustered face as she changed the subject.

Seeing Kurenai force herself to act serious while changing the subject, Narak felt a trace of disdain.

Hmph, it's still morning. How is it getting late? She's terrible at changing the subject!

Although I was just a single loser in my previous life, I grew up in an era of information overload. What haven't I seen? Dealing with a little girl like you is a piece of cake. You want to mock me? I'll show you what I'm capable of!

At this point, Kurenai Yuhi was still a girl under twenty. She wasn't old at all. If she had lived in the internet-saturated world of Narak's previous life, she would probably already have been a highly skilled backseat driver. But in the world of Naruto, she had never officially been in a relationship and was still rather innocent.

After being mocked by Narak, Kurenai Yuhi didn't dare bring up another topic for the rest of the journey. The two walked silently toward Satomioka Manor.

After walking for about half an hour, they reached the area near where Narak and the others had barbecued the previous day. Their destination was just beyond the hill.

A huge manor stood at the foot of the mountain, with two ANBU ninja standing guard at the entrance.

Narak and Kurenai walked forward at an unhurried pace. The two ANBU guards froze when they saw them approaching.

They knew Kurenai Yuhi. After all, she came here every few days to visit Yakumo, so they were acquainted with her. But this was their first time seeing Narak, and it was also the first time Kurenai Yuhi had brought a stranger here.

"You've been monitoring and patrolling here every day. Sorry for the trouble, you two!" Kurenai greeted them first.

"Ah... It's nothing. It's just part of our duties. But who is this?"

The ANBU ninja looked at Narak in confusion.

"You're stationed here year-round, so it's normal that you don't recognize him. However, you've definitely heard his name."

"Hyuga Naraku. A few days ago, he defeated Kakashi and Kai, two Jonin, working together during the Jonin assessment. He's now Konoha's youngest elite Jonin!"

Kurenai explained to the two ANBU ninja.

"What? So he's Hyuga Naraku? We've always heard that he was very young, and seeing him today, it's true. He looks only about ten years old. When I was ten, I was still studying at the Ninja Academy. How embarrassing!"

The two ANBU ninja looked astonished after hearing Kurenai Yuhi's introduction.

"We came here today under the Third Hokage's orders. We have business with Kurama Yakumo."

Kurenai took the Third Hokage's written order from her clothing and handed it to the two ANBU ninja.

One of them accepted the order and used a special ANBU technique to verify its authenticity. After confirming that it was genuine, he returned it to Kurenai Yuhi.

"In that case, go on in!"

Kurenai nodded at the two ANBU ninja and tucked the order back into her clothing.

"Oh, right. No matter what sounds you hear later, don't panic. Just guard the outside."

Just as Kurenai Yuhi was about to enter through the gate, she seemed to remember something and turned back to tell them.

Narak followed Kurenai Yuhi into the manor. Looking up, he saw that although it was broad daylight, the interior of the house still felt gloomy.

The dim atmosphere made Narak feel extremely uncomfortable.

Shaking his head, Narak said, "Although Satomioka Manor looks beautiful from the outside and gives people a pleasing view, the inside is dilapidated, the equipment is outdated, and the lighting is dim."

"Yakumo has already suffered psychological trauma, yet she has to live in a house like this for so long. Forget her—even a normal person would become depressed after staying here for too long. I really don't know what you were thinking!"

Kurenai paused. "You're right. We didn't consider that carefully enough."

At that moment, someone wearing the uniform of Konoha's Medical Corps walked toward them.