Pathetic Simp, Main Quest

"Team 3, come out. I'm your jonin instructor."

Iruka had barely left the classroom when a jonin in a green flak jacket appeared at the door.

"Team 5, come with me."

Team 3 had just left when another jonin appeared at the door.

The classroom, which had been nearly full of students, rapidly thinned out.

Before long, only a dozen or so people remained.

Unlike Kakashi Hatake, who loved being late, Yuhi Kurenai did not keep Ryusuke and the others waiting long.

Soon, a curvaceous black-haired beauty appeared at the classroom door. Her red eyes, identical to Ryusuke's, swept over the room before settling on him. Smiling, she said, "Team 8, come out. I'm your jonin instructor."

Before the three of them could rise, a bearded man appeared at the door as well, his gaze likewise directed toward Ryusuke's group. "Team 10, come out."

As Yuhi Kurenai's suitor, Sarutobi Asuma had clearly left the Hokage's Office at the same time as her.

"We'll be going first, Sakura. Come find us when there's a break."

"Mm, goodbye."

After getting up, Ryusuke and the others first said goodbye to Sakura, who forced a smile, before leaving the classroom.

"Kurenai, should we let these brats get acquainted?" Sarutobi Asuma asked, his little scheme obvious to anyone with eyes.

Nara Shikamaru, following behind them, happened to hear that and frowned slightly.

Their jonin instructor already felt a little unreliable.

Yuhi Kurenai looked at Sarutobi Asuma, who had somehow lit another cigarette, and furrowed her delicate brows. "No need. Haven't you seen their relationship? And Asuma, can you not smoke in front of a lady?"

"Sorry, sorry..."

Sarutobi Asuma hurriedly stomped out his cigarette. That humble appearance instantly shattered the image of a jonin in the eyes of Team 8 and Team 10.

Ino looked especially frustrated.

It was bad enough that she had not been placed on the same team as Ryusuke. Why did their jonin instructor have to be a chain smoker too?!

Ryusuke, however, looked thoughtful. Had their relationship not made any real progress yet?

If he remembered correctly, when Uchiha Itachi returned to the village in the original story, Yuhi Kurenai and Sarutobi Asuma had been on a date in the street when they ran into Kakashi Hatake, right?

But by then, the Konoha Crush had just ended.

Could it be that their relationship only took a major step forward after Sarutobi Hiruzen died in battle?

At that thought, Ryusuke looked at Sarutobi Asuma with a hint of contempt.

Well, damn. So he was playing the pity card to pick up girls. What a pathetic simp.

"Hey... brats, what kind of looks are those?"

The gazes of Ryusuke and the others felt like needles stabbing into his back, and Sarutobi Asuma's face instantly turned red when he noticed them.

Ino, in particular, had no idea what restraint was. Her pitying expression nearly made Sarutobi Asuma snap.

Only then did he realize what he had just done in front of his students.

Well, that was it. His teacherly dignity had collapsed.

"Goodbye, Ryusuke. Come find me at the flower shop when you have time."

After leaving the academy building, Ino waved goodbye to Ryusuke, and Team 8 and Team 10 went their separate ways.

Yuhi Kurenai did not take Team 8 to one of the academy's training grounds. Instead, she led Ryusuke and the others out of the Ninja Academy, away from Konoha Central Street, and to an abandoned training ground in the wilderness.

This training ground was the same as Team 7's training ground in the original story.

More precisely, nearly all wilderness training grounds looked the same.

Stopping before a wooden post, Yuhi Kurenai turned to face the three of them and smiled. "Until you can stand on your own, we'll be spending a long time together. Let's introduce ourselves."

"I'll demonstrate first... My name is Yuhi Kurenai. You can call me Teacher Kurenai from now on. The ninjutsu I'm best at is genjutsu. My favorite foods are shochu, vodka, and wasabi octopus. The food I hate most is cake. My dream is to become a kunoichi like Lady Tsunade."

After finishing her introduction, Yuhi Kurenai's gaze fell on Ryusuke.

Unlike Kakashi Hatake, Sarutobi Asuma, and Might Guy, the three elite jonin, Yuhi Kurenai was a "newcomer" who had only recently been promoted to jonin.

After learning that several people from their generation would become jonin instructors, someone had organized a gathering. At that gathering, Kakashi Hatake and the others did not think much of Yuhi Kurenai. When they bet on whose students would be the most outstanding, they did not even include her.

Though Yuhi Kurenai said nothing on the surface about being underestimated, she was actually very unconvinced.

After receiving her student roster from the Third Hokage, Yuhi Kurenai's greatest focus was neither Hinata, the young lady of the Hyuga Clan, nor Shino of the Aburame Clan, but Ryusuke, the Top Student.

After seeing that Ryusuke had attended the same class as the heirs of the major ninja clans, yet had surpassed them for years and continuously held the title of Top Student, Yuhi Kurenai placed her hopes on him.

She had decided to cultivate an outstanding student and thoroughly slap Kakashi Hatake and the others in the face during future Chunin Exams or other contests.

Naturally, Ryusuke had no idea what Yuhi Kurenai was thinking.

Seeing Yuhi Kurenai looking at him, Ryusuke immediately introduced himself. "My name is Ryusuke. I know several types of ninjutsu, but Water Release is what I'm best at. I like spicy food and dislike sour and bitter things. My dream is to become an outstanding ninja."

The first part was true. As for the dream at the end, Ryusuke was merely brushing Yuhi Kurenai off.

Ryusuke's dream was to obtain every precious item and become an all-round Six Paths-level powerhouse.

That was the goal Ryusuke had set for himself after awakening the game system—his main quest!

"My name is Hinata Hyuga. I'm skilled in my clan's Gentle Fist and the Sensing Technique. My favorite foods are red bean paste, cinnamon rolls, and cold dishes. The foods I dislike are shrimp and crab. My dream... is also to become an outstanding ninja."

At that moment, Hinata finished introducing herself as well.

Though her voice was very soft, she did not lower her head, nor did she show the slightest timidity.

Her dream was not to earn her father's approval either. Due to Ryusuke's butterfly effect, Hinata had not disappointed Hyuga Hiashi.

After all, over the past few years, Hyuga Hiashi and Yamanaka Inoichi had secretly observed Ryusuke and the others training more than once.

Hyuga Hiashi and Yamanaka Inoichi both knew their daughters' true strength very well.

Compared with the children of other ninja clans, their daughters were already outstanding enough.

Under Ryusuke's influence, Hinata was not as insecure as she had been in the original story.

However, her true dream was not to become an outstanding ninja.

As for what her dream actually was, no one knew.

After Hinata finished, Aburame Shino began his introduction as well. "My name is Aburame Shino. I'm skilled in my clan's secret techniques. My favorite foods are vegetable salad and winter melon. I dislike things with overly strong smells. My dream is to discover new species of insects."

"Very good. Now I know all of your specialties and preferences."

Yuhi Kurenai nodded in satisfaction and smiled. "However, I still don't know enough about your strength, so I'll be testing both your abilities and your teamwork."

"Gather here tomorrow morning at eight sharp. We'll be playing a survival exercise."

"You're dismissed for now."

After saying that, Yuhi Kurenai turned into an afterimage and vanished.