It was hard to say how many times Chiya had flirted with her by now.
At first, Yuhi Kurenai hadn't paid it much mind, assuming it was just a prank between kids. But as Chiya grew more mature,
and time and again stood in front of her during missions,
the heart of this inexperienced young woman—sealed away for years after her father's death—had quietly begun to thaw.
Just as Yuhi Kurenai was at a loss, a rich voice called out from nearby. "Hey, Kurenai."
Yuhi Kurenai jolted, like a cat caught sneaking a taste. Her pretty face instantly flushed red. She hurriedly looked away from Chiya and turned toward the voice. Three young men in Konoha jonin vests were walking over.
The man in front bore some resemblance to the Third Hokage. A cigarette dangled from his mouth as he puffed out clouds of smoke.
Two young men followed behind him.
One wore a green, skintight jumpsuit, with his Forehead Protector tied around his waist. He had a bowl cut, extraordinarily thick eyebrows, and kept shouting slogans about youth. At first glance, he looked like the sort whose muscles were strong but brains were weak.
Compared to the other two, the remaining young man seemed somewhat more normal. Going by looks alone, he was a rare heartthrob.
But he also seemed rather laid-back. His ninja Forehead Protector was attached to his headband, which was wrapped backward around his head. A senbon stayed in his mouth the whole time, and he carried himself like he was hot stuff.
They were Konoha Ninja of the same generation as Yuhi Kurenai and Kakashi: Sarutobi Asuma, Might Guy, and Shiranui Genma.
"Looks like your friends are here. See you tonight." Chiya glanced at the three of them, quickly guessing who they were. He gave Yuhi Kurenai a little wave, then used the Body Flicker Technique without lingering, vanishing from her sight.
Just then, Sarutobi Asuma and the others came over.
"Kurenai, is that guy who just left a jonin from our village? I've never seen him before." Sarutobi Asuma cast a displeased glance at the spot where Chiya had disappeared, furrowed his brow slightly, and asked as if it were no big deal.
"Oh." Yuhi Kurenai seemed distracted as she replied, "He's the student I told you about, Fujiwara Chiya. He just passed his assessment, and Lord Hokage has already promoted him to jonin ahead of schedule."
Once he learned the young man was Yuhi Kurenai's student, Sarutobi Asuma's brow relaxed and he let out a quiet sigh of relief, privately grateful he'd been overthinking it.
There was no way Kurenai could have gotten a boyfriend so quickly, especially one so young!
"A jonin?" Shiranui Genma froze, his eyes widening in disbelief. "Hey, seriously? He's not even twelve yet, is he? Are kids really that terrifying these days? Kakashi was twelve when he became a jonin, wasn't he?"
Even he was only a Special Jōnin.
And Yuhi Kurenai had become a Special Jōnin just a year ago.
Yet in less than a year, she'd managed to teach a jonin. It was almost too hard to believe.
Might Guy, who suffered from face blindness, looked completely bewildered. With a vacant stare, he asked, "F-Fujiwara Chiya... who's that?"
"That's the truth, whether you believe it or not." Yuhi Kurenai ignored the one-track-minded Might Guy and sighed. "Anyway, Chiya really has surpassed me in strength."
"Doesn't that mean he became a jonin before you did, even though you're his teacher?" Shiranui Genma wore a teasing grin.
"Sorry, Genma, but Lord Hokage promoted me to jonin recently too. So I'm afraid you, Ebisu, Namiashi Raidō, and Tatami Iwashi are the only ones in our generation still at Special Jōnin rank." Yuhi Kurenai spoke with a hint of pride.
"What?" Shiranui Genma instantly froze in place.
"Kurenai, is your student really that amazing?" Sarutobi Asuma tried to find something to talk about with her.
"His opponent in the assessment was Kakashi. If you want to know how good he is, just ask Kakashi later," Yuhi Kurenai said. "By the way, why are you three so free today? Did you come looking for me for something?"
"We just got back from a mission, and Asuma wanted to invite you to a get-together tonight," Might Guy said, bluntly revealing why they'd come.
"Hey, Guy!" Sarutobi Asuma's old face turned red. He glared at Might Guy, then turned to Yuhi Kurenai with an expectant look.
"I see." Yuhi Kurenai hadn't thought much of it. Her mind was still filled with memories of Chiya flirting with her earlier. She took a deep breath and replied, "Sorry, I already have plans. I promised a few students we'd celebrate Chiya becoming a jonin tonight. Maybe next time."
With that, Yuhi Kurenai turned her back to the three of them, gave a little wave, and walked away until she disappeared at the end of the street.
That left Might Guy looking dumbfounded, Sarutobi Asuma dejected after being turned down, and Shiranui Genma frozen by Yuhi Kurenai's words.
News always traveled fast.
With Konoha pushing the story, word that Chiya had been promoted to jonin ahead of schedule quickly spread through the village's streets and alleys, until all the villagers knew about it.
To hype Chiya up and help him gain the attention of the Uchiha Clan's leaders sooner, the Konoha High Command even coined the title "Illusion God Chiya," playing up his talent for genjutsu and calling him an illusion specialist with the potential to rival Uchiha Shisui.
They were already doing everything they could to build up his reputation.
Of course, Chiya knew nothing about any of this.
Even if he had, he wouldn't have cared.
From what he knew of Sarutobi Hiruzen, the man simply wanted him to use his relationship with Uchiha Izumi to keep an eye on the Uchiha Clan and act as a spy.
As for old Danzo, there was only one reason he'd backed Chiya's promotion so enthusiastically this time: he wanted to build him up just to tear him down.
He was a man who had no idea what trust meant. He would sacrifice anything to protect Konoha according to his own principles.
He was always going on about how "a ninja must be willing to sacrifice himself," yet when it came to sacrificing himself, he couldn't do it.
All he ever thought about was how to become Hokage.
Put simply, he was afraid of dying and obsessed with fame and fortune.
From the moment Chiya formed a bond with Uchiha Izumi, Danzo had branded him untrustworthy.
When the night of the Uchiha Clan Massacre came and Chiya was no longer useful, the time for settling accounts would arrive.
He would eliminate everyone connected to the Uchiha.
That was true of Uchiha Itachi and Sasuke Uchiha in the original story, and it would be true of Chiya too.
If Uchiha Itachi hadn't killed the two Root Division ninja sent to attack him and threatened to expose Konoha's intelligence to enemy nations, the Second Pillar might have died long ago—or been turned into a Root Division killing tool.
Then there would've been no later scenes of showing off: competing with Itachi in genjutsu, playing with the Eight-Tails and a blade, matching Lightning Release against the Raikage, or comparing eyes with Uchiha Madara.
Though he got beaten up every time.
Before you continue