Joining Red's Team

Kimura Takuya was shaken awake.

It wasn't the injured kunoichi; seeing him resting, they hadn't dared to disturb him.

He had been woken up by the head nurse.

"Nani? I've been assigned to Kurenai Yuhi's team?"

Still dazed from just waking up, Kimura Takuya took the transfer order handed to him by Kurenai Yuhi.

After reading it carefully for a long moment, he finally snapped to his senses.

It really was true; he shouldn't have saved those people. No sooner had he saved someone than that peeping tom, the Third Hokage, found out.

In truth, Kimura Takuya knew that whatever happened in Konoha Hospital would certainly be reported to the Hokage by the Anbu.

But what could he do?

He couldn't just stand by and watch people die.

Although he wasn't some saintly martyr trying to save the entire world.

There were too many people in this world, and he knew he couldn't save them all, but when he encountered someone worth saving, he still couldn't help but reach out.

That was just the kind of person he was.

His plan to slack off in the hospital had gone down the drain.

So be it; having a team leader wasn't bad, especially since it was the strongest genjutsu user in Konoha, Kurenai Yuhi.

Although in the later stages of the series, the profession of genjutsu user was essentially written out.

And Kurenai Yuhi, touted as the strongest genjutsu user, was tragically crushed by the Sharingan of Itachi Uchiha, serving only to elevate the god-like status of Itachi.

But in reality, the potential of genjutsu was infinite—and I don't mean the Infinite Tsukuyomi.

I mean Yakumo Kurama.

Kimura Takuya finally remembered who the little girl behind Kurenai Yuhi was.

The princess of the main branch of the Kurama Clan, Yakumo Kurama.

Hailed as the hope for the Kurama Clan's revival.

She possessed the strongest genjutsu Kekkei Genkai—the Illusion Reality Style.

As the name suggests, it was a Kekkei Genkai with the ability to turn illusions into reality.

The Kurama Clan and the Yuhi Clan were both Konoha ninja clans specializing in genjutsu, and both were Kekkei Genkai clans.

It was just that the Kurama Clan's bloodline was extremely unstable; generations could pass without a single awakening.

But once awakened, it was invincible.

The Kurama Clan was once a ninja clan capable of rivaling the Uchiha.

However, the recent generations had declined, falling so far that they couldn't even produce a single Chunin.

There was no other reason than the fact that the Kurama bloodline was too difficult to awaken; no one had awakened it for generations.

And not only was the bloodline power dormant, but many suffered from a bloodline disease.

Although the symptoms were milder if the bloodline hadn't awakened, this had led to their clan being unable to produce even a Chunin.

Thus, they had fallen into obscurity, and the Yakumo Kurama before him was the very person who had awakened the Kurama bloodline.

She was the genuine, undisputed hope of the entire clan.

But, had that incident already happened?

"Are you alright?"

A concerned voice reached him, crisp and clear.

It pulled Kimura Takuya's thoughts back to the present.

He shook his head and patted his cheeks with both hands.

"Sorry, I was on the night shift last night, so I'm a bit sleepy."

"Do you have to work even when you're sick?"

"Uh, no, no, I'm not sick. I was just sleeping here for a bit."

Kimura Takuya rolled off the hospital bed to show he wasn't a patient, just someone borrowing a spot to catch up on sleep. He turned his head to look at Kurenai Yuhi.

"I have received the Hokage's orders. So, Kurenai-sensei, from today on, I am your subordinate. Please take care of me!"

After speaking, Kimura Takuya bowed to Kurenai Yuhi.

It felt a bit stiff; after all these years, he still didn't quite like this "bowing artisan" culture.

"Haha, no need to be so formal. I'm not a stuffy old teacher. There will be many things I'll need to rely on Takuya for in the future. This is your teammate, Yakumo Kurama."

Kurenai Yuhi covered her mouth and chuckled, introducing Yakumo Kurama, who stood beside her, to Kimura Takuya.

"Hello, I'm Kimura Takuya. I specialize in medical ninjutsu, and I should also be 'a little bit' good at taijutsu."

"H-hello, I'm Yakumo Kurama. I specialize in... specialize in... I should be good at genjutsu."

"Pfft, hahaha."

The boy and girl looked at each other and laughed. Seeing them getting along so well, Kurenai Yuhi finally set her mind at ease.

But in reality, Kimura Takuya was thinking about something else entirely.

Since she could laugh so happily, that incident must not have happened yet.

In the original story, Yakumo Kurama awakened her Kekkei Genkai and was burdened with the high expectations of the Kurama Clan, yet the young Yakumo could not withstand such pressure.

Deep within her subconscious, a monstrous personality was born that desired to destroy everything.

Because of her ability to make illusions reality, this personality became a genuine monster.

This monster was named—Ido.

Its strength was so immense that even the Third Hokage would be terrified of it.

Yet in the end, she stabbed it to death with a single spoon, proving that she herself was the strongest of them all.

But before that, she lost her parents because of this monster.

Her Kekkei Genkai illness resulted in such poor physical condition that she could not become a ninja.

Yakumo Kurama, who had been pinned with the hopes of her clan, could not accept this outcome, leading to the monster losing control and killing her parents.

However, she had no memory of the event afterward, and she overheard a secret conversation between the Third Hokage and Kurenai Yuhi about eliminating her, or sealing her if they couldn't.

She mistakenly believed that the Third Hokage and Kurenai had conspired to kill her parents and were now coming for her.

In truth, they were planning to remove the monster inside her.

Regardless, because of this, she drew a painting that summoned lightning, nearly blowing up the Hokage Building.

Her power could be described as truly broken.

The Second Pillar's S-rank Lightning Style jutsu, Kirin, required perfect timing and preparation, and he still had to pose for ages before he could bring it down.

Yet, to unleash lightning of the same magnitude, this girl only needed to draw a picture and sketch a bolt of lightning.

The process was effortless and casual; it really only cost the energy of drawing a picture.

Can you imagine how absurd that is?

It's like absurdity opening the door for absurdity!

It was precisely because the Kurama Clan's Kekkei Genkai settings were too broken.

Kishimoto also realized that this supporting character was too overpowered, so after Naruto helped her deal with the monster, Yakumo Kurama never appeared again.

She didn't even show up for the Fourth Shinobi World War or the final wedding of Naruto and Hinata.

Some say it might be because she died young from her Kekkei Genkai illness.

After all, even Orochimaru, the number one scientist in the ninja world, had no solution for such illnesses.

Even with a subordinate as loyal as Kimimaro, Orochimaru could only watch him die, completely helpless.

A Kekkei Genkai illness is a genetic disease brought about by one's bloodline.

While the bloodline of a Kekkei Genkai grants powerful abilities, it also brings along varying degrees of genetic defects.

For example, the Uchiha's Kekkei Genkai illness is that the whole clan is paranoid and prone to extremes, compounded by poor physical health and blindness from overusing their eyes.

The Hyuga Clan's Kekkei Genkai illness is relatively simple; it's just that the whole clan has "cataracts," meaning their eyes are completely white even when they aren't using their Byakugan.

As for the Kurama Clan's Kekkei Genkai illness, for now, it just manifests as being frail and sickly.

It shouldn't be a big deal; as long as her muscles, organs, and bones are all strengthened, it should be fine.

But this was only Kimura Takuya's speculation; the specific situation would only be known after a thorough examination.

Kimura Takuya and Kurenai agreed to meet again tomorrow and decided to head home to rest, leaving together.

Just as Kimura Takuya was about to leave.

"Chotto matte, please wait!"

Damn it.

He had been stopped after all.

He had deliberately left with Kurenai to avoid being intercepted by this female ninja.

After all, uh.

"It will grow back; I only diverted the fat from that area."

"Uh, wakarimashita, arigato. Thank you, Kimura-san, I thought I wouldn't survive. I am Uzuki Yugao; Yugao will surely repay this life-saving grace."

"Ah haha, you're too kind. You were injured for the village, and as a member of Konoha, it is only right that I help you."

Kimura Takuya was slightly stunned; no wonder that purple hair looked so familiar.

So she was the girlfriend of the Transparent Escape ninja, Hayate Gekko.

But why would she sustain such an injury at this point in time?

If not for him today, she wouldn't have survived this wound at all, right?

Could it be that she was saved by someone else?

But in Konoha, aside from Tsunade, only Shizune could treat such injuries.

Could it be that Tsunade returned today?