Team 8 vs. Yuhi Kurenai

The next day, at seven in the morning.

Ryusuke had already finished his daily morning training and was taking a shower in the bathroom.

His Shadow Clone was making breakfast.

By the time the Shadow Clone brought out breakfast and dispelled itself into a puff of white smoke, Ryusuke had just come out of the bathroom.

After breakfast, Ryusuke went to his room to change clothes.

A white undershirt, a black trench coat, black ninja pants, and ninja shoes.

After fastening his Ninja Tool Pouch and ninja Forehead Protector, Ryusuke returned to the bathroom and put in his red Colored Contact Lenses.

Once he was fully dressed, Ryusuke left home and headed toward the training ground.

It was only seven twenty-five.

When he arrived at the training ground, Ryusuke discovered that he was actually the last to arrive.

"Good morning, Hinata, Shino."

"Good morning, Ryusuke-kun."

Ryusuke raised a hand in greeting.

Hinata immediately responded, still addressing Ryusuke respectfully.

Aburame Shino, who stood beneath a wooden post with his hands in his pockets, merely gave a slight nod. "Morning."

Ryusuke did not mind Aburame Shino's attitude.

Others would only think Aburame Shino was trying to look cool, but as a transmigrator, Ryusuke knew that Aburame Shino was simply not good with words and was secretly passionate.

His heart was actually very warm, and he deeply craved friendship and recognition.

After breaking free of his personality seal, he had also discarded his original character setting in Boruto.

One teammate was shy, the other secretly passionate. Ryusuke had no idea what topic to use to chat with them.

If Aburame Shino had not been there, Ryusuke might have been unable to resist teasing Hinata.

But with someone who could sense through insects standing nearby, if Ryusuke dared tease Hinata, not only would that extremely shy girl turn into a steam princess and faint, his embarrassing history would definitely be recorded by Aburame Shino.

So Ryusuke leaned against a wooden post as well, closed his eyes, and waited for Yuhi Kurenai to appear.

Time passed second by second, and soon it was eight in the morning.

Whoosh—

Yuhi Kurenai was not late.

The instant the time arrived, she used the Body Flicker Technique to appear before Ryusuke and the other two.

If the three of them had watches, they would have checked the time and surely wondered whether Yuhi Kurenai had arrived long ago, for her timing was far too precise.

"Looks like you're all ready. Then let's begin."

Looking at the three of them standing ready for battle, Yuhi Kurenai took out three Bells from her Ninja Tool Pouch, shook them before them, and smiled. "Your task is simple: find a way to take these three Bells from me."

After saying that, Yuhi Kurenai hung the Bells from her waist and said to the three of them, "Then... begin!"

Whoosh—

Almost the instant Yuhi Kurenai finished speaking, the three of them turned into afterimages and vanished from where they stood.

Yuhi Kurenai stood in place with one hand on her hip.

She did not use the Body Flicker Technique to search for them, nor did she use a Sensing Technique to locate them.

Instead, she stood there like a target, wanting to see what the three of them would do.

Unlike Kakashi Hatake, who had only two Bells and a time limit.

Yuhi Kurenai's test for Team 8 was undoubtedly the easiest among all the Jonin Instructors.

Perhaps... that was a woman's gentleness.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh—

Seeing that Yuhi Kurenai made no move at all, as though she was simply letting them attack her.

Someone from Team 8 quickly lost patience. Three Kunai flew out from a lush, leafy tree, tearing through the air with piercing whistles as they stabbed toward Yuhi Kurenai.

All three Kunai were aimed at Yuhi Kurenai's head.

To accurately target her head from such a distance showed just how excellent the thrower's technique was.

Facing the three Kunai, Yuhi Kurenai made no attempt to dodge and simply let them pierce her head.

Squish—Bang!

The instant the sound of blades entering flesh rang out, Yuhi Kurenai turned into a puff of white smoke.

Once the smoke dispersed, a piece of wood embedded with three Kunai fell to the ground.

Yuhi Kurenai emerged from behind another wooden post.

Substitution Technique!

Yuhi Kurenai's actions seemed to tell Ryusuke and the others that she would not go all out, but would instead suppress her strength to test them.

Then, three pitch-black beads flew out from another large tree.

The thrower's technique was equally exquisite. The three beads landed in front of Yuhi Kurenai and to her left and right.

With several bangs, three clouds of white smoke spread out and enveloped Yuhi Kurenai.

"Gentle Fist Art: Air Palm!"

Just as the smoke swallowed Yuhi Kurenai, a young girl's shout rang out.

Hinata appeared in a flash and struck a palm toward the smoke ahead.

A distorted current of air immediately shot from her palm.

The twisting airflow became an air cannonball and plunged into the smoke.

The next second, the smoke was blown away by a powerful gust, revealing Yuhi Kurenai's figure.

However, Yuhi Kurenai's figure was distorted as well. Like a mirage in the desert, it gradually became transparent.

After Yuhi Kurenai's figure disappeared, a black phantom suddenly materialized behind Hinata.

Since she had not activated her Byakugan, Hinata seemingly failed to notice the black phantom.

Just as the black phantom attacked Hinata, she suddenly turned into a puff of white smoke with a bang.

As the smoke dispersed, Hinata vanished as well.

Seeing this, Yuhi Kurenai, who had once again emerged from behind a wooden post, immediately looked delighted. "The Shadow Clone Technique?"

Just as Sasuke Uchiha's use of the Great Fireball Technique in the original story had greatly surprised Kakashi Hatake, Hinata being able to use the Shadow Clone Technique at her age delighted Yuhi Kurenai.

That meant Hinata's chakra reserves far exceeded the standard for her age.

But what truly surprised Yuhi Kurenai came afterward.

"Water Release: Great Waterfall Technique!"

A low shout rang out from behind her, followed by a massive torrent that formed a wave five or six meters high and crashed down toward Yuhi Kurenai.

Turning to look at the astonishing wave, Yuhi Kurenai's eyes filled with shock, and for the first time, she chose to evade using the Body Flicker Technique.

Boom—

The immensely heavy wave smashed into the ground with a thunderous sound.

Before the water could be absorbed into the ground, two figures ran across its surface and charged toward Yuhi Kurenai, who had appeared in another clearing with the Body Flicker Technique.

The two figures looked exactly alike. They were Ryusuke.

Watching Ryusuke and his Shadow Clone rush at her, Yuhi Kurenai's eyes remained filled with shock. "To create such an astonishing amount of water in an environment without water... with chakra like this, is he really a genin?"

But with Ryusuke and his Shadow Clone already closing in, Yuhi Kurenai had no time to guess at Ryusuke's secret.

Instinctively, Yuhi Kurenai pulled out a Kunai from her Ninja Tool Pouch, preparing to test Ryusuke's close-quarters combat ability.

But the next second, a scene that made her pupils constrict and filled her face with shock appeared once more.

"Water Release: Great Waterfall Technique!"

Of the two charging Ryusukes, one suddenly leaped backward, formed hand seals in midair, and spat out an astonishing torrent of water.

The water once again formed a giant wave, but its target was not Yuhi Kurenai. It was the Ryusuke in front.

Still charging forward, Ryusuke suddenly raised his right hand, palm facing the sky, as though he intended to catch the crashing wave.