One Night (10)

As Yuhi Kurenai moved, the entire space began to shake more violently than before.

The light inside the space gradually grew brighter. Beads of sweat appeared on Yuhi Kurenai's forehead, but her expression relaxed slightly.

A hint of delight crossed her face. "Looks like it's working!" Yuhi Kurenai let out a sigh of relief.

Her father had left this technique for her in a scroll years ago. It was one of the ways to break most genjutsu, and could dispel many profound illusions.

She had studied it hard for years. It wasn't until recently, after becoming a jonin, that Yuhi Kurenai had begun to grasp its core. Only now could she try using it. Fortunately, it worked; otherwise, she truly wouldn't have known what to do.

Ueno Kei, standing nearby, naturally had no idea that so many thoughts had flashed through Yuhi Kurenai's mind in that instant.

He stared intently at the space shaking before him. If even the slightest crack appeared, he would slash at it without hesitation. With all his chakra concentrated into that strike, Ueno Kei believed that even a Chunin wouldn't be able to face its edge easily.

"Now!" Seeing that the space wasn't shaking as violently as she had expected and that no crack had appeared, Yuhi Kurenai gritted her teeth and increased her chakra output.

A flash of dazzling light burst forth. With a sharp crack, the space seemed to split open, and Yuhi Kurenai immediately shouted to alert Ueno Kei.

But by the time Yuhi Kurenai called out, Ueno Kei was already moving. He fixed his gaze on the crack that had suddenly appeared.

"Ha!" Ueno Kei leaped up and slashed at the crack with all his strength.

With several consecutive rumbles, the space seemed to split open with a tearing sound under his blade.

In an instant, Yuhi Kurenai and Ueno Kei appeared in a long hallway. At its far end stood a door. Ueno Kei stared in astonishment at the hallway that had suddenly appeared, never expecting such a scene to emerge after his slash.

Yuhi Kurenai, standing beside him, remained composed.

A trace of reminiscence flickered in her eyes. A moment later, she came back to herself and said, "Let's go."

Ueno Kei slung the Lingyu Blade behind his back and followed closely behind Yuhi Kurenai.

When they reached the door, Yuhi Kurenai placed one hand on the lock. Ueno Kei froze slightly when he noticed that her hand was trembling.

Was she afraid? The thought crossed Ueno Kei's mind, but he immediately dismissed it. That was impossible. A jonin from a hidden village afraid of something? Ridiculous.

It was probably because of the special relationship between that girl and Yuhi Kurenai, Ueno Kei guessed to himself.

While Ueno Kei's mind was wandering, Yuhi Kurenai had already opened the door quietly.

Ueno Kei's eyes lit up. Beyond it was a standard double bedroom, and a moment later he heard a girl's pleasant laughter.

"Teacher Kurenai, finally, finally I get to see you again. Yakumo missed you so much!"

The girl smiled, her face alight with the joy of finally seeing a loved one.

But a look of horror appeared on Ueno Kei's face, mixed with a trace of fear. He stared at the smiling girl in the room. To him, she was even more frightening than the expressionless girl he had seen before. At that moment, Kurama Yakumo felt like a humanoid monster.

An intangible fear enveloped Ueno Kei. It was as if a terrifying monster lay concealed within the girl before him. His body began to tremble uncontrollably, and cold sweat beaded on his forehead. He swallowed and looked away from her.

Only when he stopped focusing on the girl did Ueno Kei feel a little better.

That was when Ueno Kei noticed the two black-robed figures who had been chasing him earlier, now standing at the other side of the room. Their robes were already in tatters, and their bodies were stained with blood.

Their hoods had been torn away, revealing two deathly pale faces in the bright room. Their bodies were covered in countless wounds, as if they had been brutally beaten.

These two were members of the Kurama Clan: the Kurama Yeqiong and Kurama Yewu he had encountered earlier.

Ueno Kei could tell that their breathing was extremely faint, as if they might die at any moment. He couldn't help drawing in a sharp breath at the sight of their condition.

It was undoubtedly the girl's doing. She had reduced two black-robed men whom Ueno Kei considered to be jonin—and who really did possess jonin-level strength—to this state.

Then dealing with him would be nothing to her. If he had only felt a vague fear of Kurama Yakumo before, now he had a clear comparison.

Although there was a genuine jonin standing beside him, Ueno Kei still didn't feel safe at all. He began wondering how he could get away unharmed. They were neither friends nor relatives, and he believed he had already done enough. Keeping himself alive was the most important thing now!

Meanwhile...

Yuhi Kurenai also glanced at the Kurama Yeqiong and Kurama Yewu brothers in the corner, then looked at her beloved student, Kurama Yakumo, with a complicated expression.

As someone the Kurama Clan had once invited to be Yakumo's teacher, Yuhi Kurenai knew the two men's strength even better than Ueno Kei did.

She also knew the relationship between the two and Yakumo. They were her blood-related uncle and great-uncle. Yet Yakumo had been willing to lay such a heavy hand on them.

Yuhi Kurenai had never forgotten the tragedy from two years ago.

"Yakumo, stop. Things aren't the way you think. There's still time. I'll explain everything to you!" Yuhi Kurenai said, looking at Kurama Yakumo.

But Kurama Yakumo didn't budge. She pressed her lips together and smiled faintly. "Teacher Kurenai, are you joking? Stop? There's still time? Yakumo doesn't understand what you're saying!"

"Hehe." The girl laughed cheerfully again, but Ueno Kei felt even more creeped out. Was the girl before him really only ten years old?

A pained expression appeared on Yuhi Kurenai's face. "Yakumo, why? You..."

"Why? Teacher, you're joking again. Didn't you come to kill me? Didn't Konoha want to destroy me? Weren't my parents killed by you? And now? What are you saying here?"

The girl's expression suddenly twisted. Her earlier smile vanished completely, replaced by eyes brimming with hatred and killing intent.

Ueno Kei froze slightly and stole a glance at Yuhi Kurenai beside him.

There was clearly a lot more to this than he knew. Ueno Kei gave it only a moment's thought before putting it aside. Something had appeared before him that demanded his full attention.

As the girl screamed in fury,

Yuhi Kurenai could feel the intense turmoil in her heart and was about to say something.

But the girl gave Yuhi Kurenai no chance to speak. She casually waved one hand, and a pen and drawing board appeared before her.

The girl quickly began sketching on the board.

Then a sight that chilled Ueno Kei to the bone appeared.