The Season of White Learning Arrives Again

Ever since she had asked Qingyu to explain some genjutsu theory during the last monthly exam, she had discovered that his knowledge in this field was far broader than she had imagined.

"Of course I can."

Qingyu closed his textbook.

Yūhi Kurenai pulled up a chair to sit beside him and flipped open her notebook, which contained various questions she had encountered over this period.

Some were points not fully expanded upon in class, while others were concepts her father, Yūhi Shinku, had mentioned but never detailed.

After all, as a jōnin, Yūhi Shinku was usually quite busy.

Qingyu looked through them one by one, answering every question asked.

In the discipline of genjutsu, Tsunade could only be considered average and couldn't teach anything too profound.

Fortunately, Qingyu possessed the Sharingan, which gave him a natural advantage in observing chakra flow; he could see through the essence of many techniques that would otherwise require repeated contemplation to grasp.

Coupled with the heritage accumulated by the Senju clan over hundreds, if not thousands, of years, even his self-taught knowledge was more than enough to handle the questions of a student at Yūhi Kurenai's stage.

"If a visual-based genjutsu is dodged by the opponent closing their eyes, is there a way to forcibly inject it the moment they open them? Theoretically, it should be possible, but the speed of the chakra injection always fails to keep up with the speed of their reaction to close their eyes..."

"What if you use a genjutsu medium to maintain output while they have their eyes closed? For example, using some kind of catalyst that bypasses vision..."

The two of them went back and forth, chatting through the entire break without realizing it.

Yūhi Kurenai's eyes grew brighter and brighter.

Although her father, Yūhi Shinku, was a top-tier genjutsu ninja in Konoha, he was ultimately of civilian origin, and all his achievements were built upon his own exploration.

Yet, behind the answers Qingyu gave so casually, one could faintly discern the shadow of the Senju clan's complete inheritance system.

For instance, the genjutsu insights left behind by powerful genjutsu users of the generation of Senju Toka and Hashirama Senju were still circulating within the Senju clan to this day.

For someone as studious as Yūhi Kurenai, a human encyclopedia like Qingyu was simply a treasure.

"Qingyu-kun, you really are amazing."

When the bell for class rang, Yūhi Kurenai put away her notebook and said earnestly.

"I am merely standing on the shoulders of giants."

Qingyu said indifferently.

This was no lie.

If Yūhi Kurenai were named Senju Kurenai or Uchiha Kurenai, she would undoubtedly have been a formidable genjutsu ninja in the original story.

Whether it was the Senju clan or the Uchiha clan, their foundations were not something a mere Yūhi clan could compare to.

Seeing Yūhi Kurenai and Qingyu chatting so happily, Sarutobi Asuma felt a bit jealous.

Damn it.

He would definitely ask the old man for a private tutor when he got home today.

Sarutobi Hiruzen had found him one before, but Sarutobi Asuma had found it troublesome and declined.

At the time, he felt that as the son of the Hokage, he wouldn't fall behind at school anyway, so why go to such lengths?

Now, he felt a bit of regret.

Especially seeing the focused look Yūhi Kurenai gave Qingyu, he sat in his seat, nearly crushing the pen in his hand.

No.

Sarutobi Asuma swore to himself.

In the next monthly exam, he would definitely display the strength befitting the son of the Hokage.

He would work hard in silence and then stun everyone!

Especially Kurenai.

Thinking of this, Sarutobi Asuma's fighting spirit suddenly ignited; he immediately pulled books from his desk and began to study like a true ninja academy grind.

"Why are you suddenly so fired up?"

Obito looked at Sarutobi Asuma in surprise.

He didn't know why, but the atmosphere seemed to have suddenly become intense, even though he didn't know what he was so fired up about.

The day's classes ended, and the dismissal bell rang right on time.

Students packed their things in twos and threes, and the noise in the classroom gradually grew louder.

Kakashi organized his textbooks and ninja tool pouch, then stood up and walked over to Qingyu's seat.

"Qingyu, do you want to practice kenjutsu together today?"

Qingyu was stuffing his notes into his bag and looked up at the sound.

"Sure."

"How about we just go to my place?"

Kakashi said.

"My place is quite large, and there's a dedicated training ground in the backyard. It's quieter than the Third Training Ground."

Qingyu's hand paused slightly.

The Hatake residence?

"Won't that bother Lord Sakumo?"

"It won't."

Kakashi shook his head.

"Father happens to be resting in the village lately, and he's said that he'd actually be happy if I brought friends over."

Qingyu's heart stirred slightly.

This played right into his hands.

If he could meet Hatake Sakumo in person, he might be able to collect some traits.

That man was known as the White Fang of the Leaf, a figure even the Sannin had to respect.

"Alright."

Qingyu agreed.

Kakashi turned his head to look at Rin Nohara beside them.

"Rin, do you want to come along too?"

Upon hearing the invitation, Rin Nohara was stunned for a moment before breaking into a smile.

"Sure, it's been a long time since I've been to Kakashi's house."

"I'm going too!"

Obito's voice erupted almost the exact second Rin Nohara finished speaking.

He had originally been completely uninterested in the swordplay sparring between Qingyu and Kakashi.

Two annoying genius brats hacking at each other—what was there to watch?

Only a fight between two women would be worth seeing!

That was what Obito had initially thought.

But now that Rin Nohara was going, he had to go as well.

Wherever Rin went, he would follow.

"Suit yourself."

Kakashi glanced at Obito, his tone indifferent; it was clear he didn't care at all whether Obito came or not.

Obito was so angry his teeth itched, but for the sake of Rin, he endured it.

Endure the bitterest of the bitter, only then will you see your beloved Rin!

He secretly swore to himself that once he awakened his Sharingan, he would teach this white-haired brat a lesson he wouldn't forget, so that he would never dare speak to him in such a dismissive tone again.

Just then, Yūhi Kurenai had returned from delivering items for her teacher and pushed open the classroom door, stopping mid-sentence.

"Classmate Qingyu..."

The classroom was already more than half empty.

Qingyu was standing beside his desk, turned to the side, talking to Rin Nohara.

The two of them had packed their things and were standing, seemingly planning to head to Kakashi's house together.

They were even discussing academic topics.

Yūhi Kurenai could see the smile on Rin Nohara's face as she nodded occasionally; the two of them were chatting quite congenially.

Yūhi Kurenai's footsteps stopped involuntarily at the doorway.

What is this?

She was clearly the one who came first.

She was clearly the one who had sought out Qingyu today to discuss genjutsu problems.

And yet now, Rin Nohara was tagging along too.

It didn't even look like this was the first time they had acted together today.

Yūhi Kurenai gripped the strap of her bag, an indescribable sense of awkwardness welling up in her heart.

"Kurenai, you're back!"

Sarutobi Asuma, who had been waiting nearby, immediately walked up to her, wearing what he considered his most natural smile.

"Shall we go home together today?"

"No."

Yūhi Kurenai shook her head, her tone somewhat sullen.

"I need to head back early today."

After saying this, she cast a glance toward Qingyu's direction before turning around and walking out of the classroom alone.

Sarutobi Asuma's hand remained suspended in mid-air.

Rejected once again.

He withdrew his hand and silently tucked it into his pocket.