The Tender Land That Makes Blood Surge

"This is Kurenai Yuhi, the teammate who will be carrying out this mission with you."

It really was Kurenai Yuhi!

Gento felt a sudden surge of excitement within.

One had to know, as one of the most popular kunoichi in Naruto, Kurenai Yuhi would absolutely meet the system's criteria.

According to the original plot, Kurenai Yuhi would eventually become the wife of Sarutobi Asuma.

As for now...

Gento certainly wouldn't let things follow the original plot.

As for what Asuma should do after he intercepted Kurenai Yuhi...

Gento could only say: Sorry, Asuma, my friend!

Kurenai Yuhi stood still, her gaze meeting Gento's as a faint curve appeared at the corners of her lips.

Gento stepped forward politely to shake her hand.

"Hello, I am Uchiha Gento."

"I've heard much about you, I am Kurenai Yuhi."

Gento felt that Kurenai Yuhi's small hand was cool and incredibly soft.

Being this close, he could even smell a very pleasant floral fragrance.

"Manpower in the village is tight, and most ninjas have been dispatched to the battlefield, so for now, I can only assign you one teammate."

Hiruzen explained.

"However, Kurenai has been a Chunin for many years, and she specializes in genjutsu, which should complement your Sharingan well."

"In any case, the situation is urgent. Once you two have familiarized yourselves with each other, please set off immediately."

"Yes, Lord Hokage!"

The two acknowledged the order and withdrew.

After walking out of the Hokage Building, Gento briefly explained the mission to Kurenai:

"The mission is to investigate the abnormal movements of Sunagakure ninjas in the area around Kikyo Mountain. Kikyo Mountain is located in the northwest of the Land of Fire; it is a vital border point and a necessary path for Sunagakure's invasion. The journey will take about two to three days. We have one hour to prepare, then we will meet at the village gate to depart."

Kurenai Yuhi listened carefully and nodded in agreement:

"Understood."

An hour later, the two, fully prepared, met outside the village and immediately sped off toward Kikyo Mountain.

Along the way, Kurenai Yuhi did not speak much.

Gento intended to bridge the distance between them, so he took the initiative to start a conversation:

"While we're on the road, let's get to know each other's abilities."

He introduced himself first:

"I possess a Three-Tomoe Sharingan and have a solid foundation in taijutsu, genjutsu, and practical combat observation. As for ninjutsu, aside from basic techniques, I specialize in Fire Release and Lightning Release. Additionally, I have mastered medical ninjutsu and can perform emergency treatment."

Listening to Gento's self-introduction, Kurenai Yuhi was somewhat surprised.

She hadn't expected her Uchiha captain to be not only handsome but also so well-rounded in his abilities.

Especially his proficiency in medical ninjutsu.

One had to know that ninjas inevitably get injured during missions, and many ninjas lose their lives because their wounds were not treated in time.

Having a medical ninja in the team at this time was extremely important.

However, training medical ninjas was not easy, so not every ninja squad could be equipped with one.

Kurenai Yuhi couldn't help but feel a bit more favorably toward Gento.

She also began to introduce herself.

"My specialty is genjutsu."

Thinking about how brief her introduction was, Kurenai Yuhi's cheeks couldn't help but flush slightly.

Gento keenly noticed Kurenai's mood and immediately reassured her:

"This mission is primarily about gathering intelligence, and your genjutsu will come in handy."

Gento's words weren't entirely flattery.

In fact, setting aside the Kekkei Genkai, Kurenai's talent for genjutsu was already top-tier.

One had to know that in the original work, Kurenai was able to trade blows with Uchiha Itachi using genjutsu!

Of course, don't ask how many blows she lasted.

Even if the current Kurenai was still young and might not have the peak strength seen in the original plot, it should be enough to assist him in gathering intelligence.

Just like that, the two talked as they advanced toward Kikyo Mountain.

Under his guidance, the two gradually became familiar with each other, and their conversation grew much more frequent.

Three days later, the two finally arrived at the Kikyo Mountain region.

"Stop."

Xuandou lowered his voice, signaling Kurenai to conceal her figure.

"The area ahead is the Kikyo Mountain perimeter. It is not advisable for us to investigate directly as Konoha ninja."

"Why is that?"

Kurenai asked with a puzzled expression.

"If Sunagakure senses that Konoha has become suspicious, it might provoke them. Even if they are not fully prepared, Sunagakure might launch an attack prematurely."

"Konoha is not yet ready, so we must avoid such a situation at all costs."

Xuandou took out the Iwagakure forehead protector and clothing he had prepared in advance.

"Change into these. Even if we are exposed, we can pose as passing Iwagakure ninja to avoid direct conflict."

As he spoke, Xuandou handed a set of Iwagakure ninja clothes and a forehead protector to Kurenai.

Kurenai also felt that Xuandou's reasoning was sound, so she took the clothes and hid behind a tree to change.

Xuandou also took out the Iwagakure ninja attire he had prepared.

Once they finished changing, the two followed Xuandou's plan, first circling to the north to pose as Iwagakure ninja coming from the Land of Earth, before beginning a detailed reconnaissance of the surrounding area.

The Kikyo Mountain stronghold was a cluster of abandoned castles, originally built during the era of the Second Hokage and gradually deserted after the Second Shinobi World War.

They cautiously searched both inside and outside the castles but found no obvious traces.

Over the next few days, the two gradually expanded their search radius.

It wasn't until the third day that Xuandou, relying on the keen perception of his Sharingan, finally discovered something unusual at the edge of a patch of woodland.

A section of soil appeared to have slight signs of being disturbed.

He signaled Kurenai to remain alert and carefully dug up the surface layer with a kunai, revealing a layer of completely cooled wood ash buried underneath.

"About ten days ago, three to five people started a fire here."

Kurenai made her judgment after observing various details.

Xuandou nodded and then restored the site to its original state.

Ninja usually rely on Military Ration Pill for energy replenishment during missions, and only when executing long-term missions would they possibly start a fire.

These traces were enough to explain a great deal.

Over the next two days, they discovered three more similar traces.

These traces varied in scale, with the smallest being a three-person squad and the largest approaching ten people.

All of this indicated that a group of unidentified ninja were carrying out mysterious long-term missions on the border of the Land of Fire!

As the clues gradually accumulated, Xuandou had roughly determined the general activity range of the enemy ninja.

A plan quickly took shape in Xuandou's mind.

That night, three figures in Sunagakure attire appeared quietly among the dense trees.

In the lead was a middle-aged ninja with a sharp, capable face.

As he moved cautiously, he lowered his voice to complain to his companions behind him:

"Once I get the bounty for this mission, I'm definitely going to the Red Sand Tavern to have a good time for a few days!"

"Fengxin, I heard you're still a virgin? This time I'll definitely take you to the tavern to have a real experience; the girls in there are all very passionate, I guarantee you won't want to leave!"

However, no one behind him responded.

He turned his head abruptly, only to find that there was no one behind him.

The alertness of a veteran chunin made his hair stand on end instantly.

His right hand moved rapidly toward the signal transmitter at his waist.

Yet, before his fingertips could touch it, a soft female voice rang out gently:

"Demonic Illusion: False Surroundings Technique~"

"Damn it, it's a genjutsu!"

He realized internally, struggling to resist the influence of the illusion while reaching for his waist.

But the sensation on his hand left him stunned.

The cold, hard touch he expected did not appear; instead, it was replaced by a warm, soft sensation.

He looked down and was shocked to find a woman in revealing clothing lying in front of him.

"Don't be like that~ Lord Iwasaki Shige, where are your hands wandering~"

The woman pouted coquettishly but did not dodge; instead, she deliberately rubbed against his hand and let out an ambiguous, breathless moan.

Iwasaki Shige looked around and discovered that he was actually in a private room at the familiar Red Sand Tavern!

Moreover, he was surrounded by soft, fragrant bodies, with four scantily clad women snuggling up to him.

At this moment, the four women were posing in various seductive ways, which made him, having not touched a woman in a long time, feel his blood start to boil!