A Night (Nine)

Ueno Kei was speechless.

Yuhi Kurenai slowly said, "So, the most practical way to leave this space is to find a weak point. But finding one won't be easy. Right now, I also have to find Yakumo, so..."

Yuhi Kurenai's voice grew hesitant toward the end.

Although Yuhi Kurenai had only said half of what she meant, how could someone as perceptive as Ueno Kei fail to understand the implication?

In other words, Yuhi Kurenai couldn't take him to look for a weak point in the space, and he wasn't strong enough to break out of it on his own.

At the thought, Ueno Kei's mouth twitched. "Forget it. Didn't I know from the start that this would happen? At least there's a Jonin here, so I should be safe."

Ueno Kei tried to reassure himself, then smiled brightly. "I'm involved in this too, more or less. I'll come with you to look for Yakumo."

Yuhi Kurenai looked at Ueno Kei with a trace of guilt. To be honest, she didn't want a child still studying at the Ninja Academy to get caught up in an incident like this. But she truly didn't have time to help Ueno Kei escape this space.

Judging from what had happened last time, the timing should be about right. Besides, she ought to be able to protect the boy.

So keeping Ueno Kei by her side was the safest option right now. With her strength, as long as that thing didn't appear—or hadn't fully awakened—she should be able to get through this safely.

Yuhi Kurenai nodded to Ueno Kei, then motioned for him to follow before leading the way toward Kurama Yakumo's location.

As they walked, she explained some of the things he needed to know about this space. Yuhi Kurenai was somewhat evasive, but Ueno Kei still managed to glean some very useful information.

After all, no matter how vague Yuhi Kurenai was, she had to tell him about certain well-hidden events to keep him from being attacked and hurt out of nowhere.

That was how Ueno Kei learned that another power had been lurking inside the girl. It didn't belong to her, but it was the power of a monster born from her own power.

Ueno Kei's expression grew solemn.

That explained why the two men in black robes had been so afraid of Kurama Yakumo. She could use her own power to give form to beings that were only illusions within a genjutsu.

That power could definitely be above Jonin level.

The men in black robes? Ueno Kei suddenly froze. Right, those two men...

"Teacher Kurenai, when I entered this space, Kurama Yakumo woke up halfway through. There were also two men in black robes there. From what I heard, they seemed to be from the Kurama Clan too. Yakumo called them her uncle and her third uncle. Their strength was probably around Jonin level, right?"

Ueno Kei spoke hurriedly, though he sounded a little uncertain at the end. While they were walking, Yuhi Kurenai had told him not to be so formal and to just call her Teacher Kurenai. She had served as a team instructor before, so Ueno Kei had no objection and went along with it, addressing her as Teacher Kurenai.

Yuhi Kurenai fell into thought for a moment before replying, "They should be the two strongest members of the Kurama Clan at present, Kurama Yeqiong and Kurama Yewu. They're blood relatives of Yakumo. That girl... she hasn't done anything foolish again, has she?"

Yuhi Kurenai's last words were barely audible. Even standing close by, Ueno Kei couldn't make out what she had said. He only noticed a flash of pain cross her face.

She seemed to have remembered something painful from the past.

Ueno Kei wisely said nothing. First, he wasn't one to pry. Second, he had only just met this Konoha kunoichi, and they weren't close enough for him to ask about her personal affairs.

For now, Ueno Kei only wanted to stay alive. He was willing to help the kunoichi complete her mission as long as it was within his abilities, but his safety had to be guaranteed first. He steadied himself and stayed close behind Yuhi Kurenai.

Although they kept moving, the scenery around them didn't change at all. It was still exactly the same as the place they had been before. If Yuhi Kurenai hadn't looked so certain, Ueno Kei would have wondered whether she was leading him in circles.

Before long, a faint glimmer suddenly flashed before Ueno Kei and Yuhi Kurenai as they walked. It was weak, but Ueno Kei still caught sight of it at once.

"We're here!" Yuhi Kurenai stopped, and Ueno Kei quickly halted beside her.

Ueno Kei frowned and looked around. Apart from the sudden glimmer, wasn't this place exactly the same as before?

Yuhi Kurenai clearly paid no attention to his puzzled expression. Instead, she searched the ground with a grave look.

Ueno Kei knew nothing about what was happening, so he could only stand dumbly to one side and watch.

After a moment, Yuhi Kurenai's face brightened. She took a deep breath, bit her finger, and carved the character "Ling" into the ground.

Her hands quickly formed seals. Ueno Kei could clearly sense the powerful chakra gathering around Yuhi Kurenai as she formed them.

As expected of a Konoha Jonin. Just from that refined chakra, she definitely had Jonin-level strength. Even though she was a woman, she was not to be underestimated.

"Release!" When she finished forming the seals, Yuhi Kurenai's expression tightened and she called out.

The space began to tremble faintly with a low hum, but soon stopped. Yuhi Kurenai's expression changed.

"Why has its strength increased?" A strong sense of unease rose within Yuhi Kurenai. "Has that girl become stronger again?"

As a teacher, Yuhi Kurenai naturally wanted her student to grow stronger. But when it came to this girl, she wished the opposite. Her increased strength hadn't come from her own training.

It had been transferred to her from some kind of creature.

The stronger Kurama Yakumo became, the stronger that creature was.

Kurama Yakumo had gained such power just by borrowing its strength. What would happen if the monster acted on its own? Yuhi Kurenai didn't dare imagine.

Although it wasn't as strong as a Tailed Beast, that monster posed a threat that was in some ways no less serious.

Yuhi Kurenai closed her eyes briefly and said, "Kei, I'm going to use chakra to strike this space. Get ready. Once the space starts to tremble, a crack will appear. Use all your chakra to hit that weak point with everything you've got. Understand?"

"Yes, Teacher Kurenai. I understand," Ueno Kei replied gravely.

Then Ueno Kei gripped the Lingyu Blade tightly in his right hand and poured all his chakra into it. The blade began to tremble slightly.

Yuhi Kurenai gently placed her right hand over the carved "Ling" on the ground.

Sensing the flow of chakra within it, she swiftly poured her own chakra into a certain point at a certain moment, then withdrew her hand at the same time.

"Wei, Si, Shen, Chen, Zi." Yuhi Kurenai's hands shifted through the seals, and five fiery marks appeared on the fingers of her right hand.

"Five Elements Seal Break!" Yuhi Kurenai slammed one hand forcefully into the ground.

"Boom!"