Kurenai's Confession, Konoha's Scoundrel

With no burdens to slow them down, the Uchiha defectors moved several times faster, racing through the forest at full speed like a pack of wolves on the hunt.

"You killed Asuma?"

Kurenai Yuhi asked softly.

She buried her head against Ingetsu's shoulder. Her voice was weak and devoid of emotion, her breath soft as an orchid.

Ingetsu could feel her breathing, smell the fragrance of her curled hair, and catch the faint perfume she had sprayed over her elegant attire.

Kurenai Yuhi was like a red flower, from her appearance to the mature aura she gave off—everything about her seemed perfectly natural.

"Mm."

Ingetsu did not hide it.

What was done was done.

Kurenai fell silent, burying her head even deeper and pressing her cheek tightly against Ingetsu's neck. After a long while, she said resentfully, "Then you have to compensate me."

She sounded like a little girl accusing someone of breaking her toy and demanding compensation.

If he could buy her a new toy, she would immediately beam with delight.

"Fine!"

Feeling the softness against his back, Ingetsu did not slow his pace as he agreed.

Kurenai froze. Her beautiful red eyes widened, and her red lips parted slightly.

She had suddenly received the answer she had longed for ever since adolescence—an answer she had never been able to obtain—and the shock left her at a loss.

Before Yūhi Shinkō died during the Nine-Tails' rampage, his final words had been to praise Uchiha Ingetsu before his daughter, saying that he was a good man.

As a Jonin, how could Yūhi Shinkō have failed to notice that when his daughter hesitated before stepping forward, Ingetsu had been the one to give her that push?

If not for Ingetsu, Yūhi Shinkō would not have been able to see his daughter one last time before his death. That would have been the greatest regret of both him and Kurenai.

After that, the original owner had stayed by Kurenai's side for a time, until he was sent away on a mission.

Before the two parted ways, Kurenai confessed to the original owner, only to be gently turned down. After that, her life sank into darkness once more, and that was when she picked up her bad habit of drinking heavily.

Ingetsu believed the original owner had done the right thing. He had been afraid that, if he accepted Kurenai, he might die during a mission. The Night of the Clan Annihilation not long ago had proven that fear justified.

Ingetsu agreed so readily because he did not want to owe the original owner anything. Helping him make up for this regret was the last thing he could do for him.

Do not refuse.

Do not promise.

Do not take the initiative.

That was Ingetsu's creed when it came to such matters.

"Wah..."

Kurenai suddenly smiled, even as tears streamed down her face. Her arms and legs clung tightly around Ingetsu, like a koala hugging a tree.

The emotions she had kept bottled up finally dissolved.

She was in an excellent mood now.

The Uchiha behind them watched their Captain Ingetsu make this female Konoha Jonin weep so prettily with just two sentences, and they were instantly filled with admiration.

Worthy of being our role model!

Izumi and Mikoto, meanwhile, were utterly baffled. They had no idea what the man and woman ahead of them, their backs facing the group, were talking about.

Just then, an abrupt voice rang out.

"What are you looking at? If you were as capable as Big Brother, you could carry beautiful women across mountains too!"

Everyone turned around in unison. Seeing Big Brother return with a beauty in his arms, Tamao was in high spirits.

"..." Ingetsu's face darkened.

"..." Kurenai flushed with embarrassment.

The Uchiha were instantly speechless. They all secretly thought that this Konoha woman seemed to have a background rather similar to their Clan Leader's Wife.

Didn't that mean their Captain Ingetsu's preferences in women...

The Uchiha did not dare think any further. They lowered their heads and continued on their way.

Such an excellent Captain Ingetsu—

how had he developed such a fetish?

Tap—

Ingetsu carried the weakened Kurenai Yuhi on his back as they continued onward. When he stepped on a branch, his brain suddenly gave a slight jolt, followed by waves of stabbing pain in his eyes.

He narrowed his eyes.

A layer of white mist clouded his vision.

Ingetsu tensed up, slowed his pace, and raised a hand to rub his eyes.

"What's wrong?"

Sensing something unusual, Kurenai's lively red eyes filled with concern as she asked softly and urgently.

"It's nothing. A side effect of the Mangekyo."

Ingetsu brushed it off.

Kurenai's heart ached for him. She knew what kind of battle Ingetsu had gone through last night, so she reached out to gently stroke his cheek and massage his temples, easing his mind.

Feeling her water-like touch, the tension around Ingetsu's temples eased slightly. He did not refuse Kurenai's kindness.

As they continued onward, the Uchiha behind them failed to notice his discomfort.

Ingetsu sank into thought.

Yachihoko's ability to control people from afar worked by releasing Yin Release Chakra through the Mangekyo.

When used frequently, it placed far less strain on the user's body than Amaterasu, which made one's eyes bleed at the slightest use.

But even so.

It was still a Mangekyo. Excessive use would still cause retinal detachment and optic nerve deterioration from the impact of its powerful Yin Release Chakra, eventually leading to permanent blindness.

Ingetsu's heart sank.

It was not as though there were no solutions.

1. Implant Hashirama Cells. Cells containing immense vitality could extend the Mangekyo's lifespan and reduce its negative effects on the user.

2. Awaken the Eternal Eyes. Then there would be no more concerns, but that was impossible for Ingetsu.

3. Possess an unlimited supply of Green Medicine.

Therefore, Ingetsu felt that the option of awakening the Eternal Eyes could be ruled out. Hashirama Cells and Green Medicine were his primary considerations.

Unfortunately, time was tight for assassinating Danzo. Otherwise, aside from Kotoamatsukami, he should have collected some Hashirama Cells as well.

But it did not matter.

Konoha...

Sooner or later, Ingetsu would return there.

Thinking of Green Medicine.

Ingetsu's expression gradually turned solemn. At first, he had thought this stuff could only heal internal and external injuries, but he had not expected it to also grant him the ability of Wood Release.

It had also replenished one-third of the lifespan he had overdrawn by taking the Red Pill.

Besides that.

Ingetsu's own strength had also increased. This was likely the result of his body being transformed by the vitality of the Green Medicine.

His strength had increased by roughly 0.01 times that of an ordinary adult. Though it was little, it showed him another way to improve himself.

Letting out a breath, Ingetsu assessed his condition.

Returning to Wood Release, he could still sense the plants within a five-hundred-meter radius around himself, as well as their Natural Energy.

However, his Wood Release differed from Wood Release in the traditional sense. It gathered earth-nature Chakra and water-nature Chakra, then infused them into the ground as the source of life.

It could not cause Wood Release trees or vines to grow from nothing. Instead, it could only control the existing plants within five hundred meters for combat.

Without the Green Medicine to catalyze them.

This Wood Release would seem rather useless.

As Ingetsu pondered this, he infused water and earth Chakra beneath his feet, manipulating the Natural Energy of the plants within five hundred meters to gather together and pour into a vine.

Rustle—

"Enemy attack!!!"

Tamao was the first to react. He drew the tachi from his back, leaped down from the tree, and slashed the vine Ingetsu had just begun controlling into two pieces!

"..." Ingetsu was speechless.

Seeing Ingetsu's dark expression, Kurenai looked at Tamao and seemed to understand what had happened. She could not help covering her mouth and laughing.

But just as Tamao was about to boast to the Uchiha behind him, who had no idea what was going on—

Whoosh—

Suddenly, the vine swelled dramatically. It had originally been no thicker than a thumb, but visibly grew to the thickness of a human wrist.

Ingetsu glanced sideways at the scene, the corner of his mouth lifting.

His guess had been correct. The energy within a five-hundred-meter radius could be used to repair bodily injuries.

This Natural Energy could also be infused into a plant, causing it to transform and gain a certain degree of combat power.

The vines moved like agile snakes, suddenly lunging at Tamao's feet. Startled, he leaped backward to evade them and cried out:

"Is this Danzo's mother or Danzo's father?!"

PS: Don't ask whether it's single or multiple—of course I want them all!

New author, new book. There are bound to be flaws in some places, so I hope all you esteemed readers will be forgiving!

Please vote in every way you can!

Please keep reading!