Facing off against Kurenai Yuhi

"Hahaha, Shimizu, I really feel like you're a good friend."

With Shimizu deliberately buttering him up, Asuma Sarutobi was starting to get a little carried away.

Because of his status, he was used to receiving plenty of flattery.

Many commoners were ingratiating because of the natural gap in their social standing.

But the easier something was to get, the less people valued it.

Those commoners were weak, nowhere near as strong as Asuma Sarutobi.

Now he had a genius student from the Ninja Academy to compare them with—Uchiha Shimizu!

Shimizu had almost no weaknesses, and every one of his abilities was top-notch. Praise from someone like him carried the most weight and felt the best.

"Shimizu, you're strong too. Maybe you'll become a Medical Ninjutsu specialist who can stand alongside Tsunade. You'll be a leaf that blocks out the sky, too."

Asuma Sarutobi swallowed a piece of grilled meat and spoke with his mouth full.

Once, while eating at home, he had overheard a conversation between his father, Hiruzen Sarutobi, and his mother, Biwako Sarutobi.

According to his mother, Shimizu seemed to have a great talent for medicine, and the captain of the Medical Team had been teaching him all about it.

"Not at all. The Sarutobi Clan's secret Fire Release techniques are about as good as ours. You'll be better than me in combat, Sarutobi. I can only dabble in Medical Ninjutsu and handle support. When it really matters, I'll have to count on you guys."

Shimizu and Asuma Sarutobi traded compliments.

Seeing how warmly they were getting along, Kurenai Yuhi felt inexplicably uncomfortable.

The Yuhi Clan couldn't compare to either the Sarutobi Clan or the Uchiha Clan. It was just a small clan with few members, relying entirely on her father's strength to get by.

Smack!

Kurenai Yuhi slapped her metal chopsticks down on the table.

"I'm going to the bathroom."

Before leaving, Kurenai Yuhi glanced back at Shimizu, her meaning clear.

"Kurenai, what's wrong?"

Asuma Sarutobi sighed. A woman's heart was as unfathomable as the ocean. No wonder the old man was nagged by his mother every day.

"Maybe she's not feeling well."

Shimizu raised a glass of orange juice and drained it, then added,

"I'm going to the bathroom too."

"What's with you two? There's still so much grilled meat. Do you have diarrhea or something?"

"I'll be right back."

Shimizu waved.

Asuma Sarutobi watched Shimizu head toward the bathroom and frowned. He picked up a piece of grilled meat and sniffed it.

It smelled perfectly normal. His own stomach felt fine, too.

"Then I'll eat some more."

Asuma Sarutobi sped up, picking up several more pieces of grilled meat and stuffing them into his mouth.

He had been the one to invite Kurenai Yuhi and Uchiha Shimizu to eat together, so he couldn't ask them to split the bill. He'd have to pay.

To get his money's worth and avoid wasting food, Asuma Sarutobi decided to eat more.

While Asuma Sarutobi was busy, Kurenai Yuhi and Shimizu weren't idle in the bathroom corridor, either.

"I just learned a really powerful technique!"

Kurenai Yuhi folded her arms and raised her chin.

Her gentle voice was clear and brimming with confidence.

"I'm looking forward to it."

Shimizu nodded.

He looked Kurenai Yuhi over carefully.

She wore a pink dress covered in little flowers, with a thin ribbon tied around her waist. The flowing hem occasionally revealed a pair of little red shoes.

A small hair clip adorned her long, curled hair, with tiny beads set into it, making her look even more lively and adorable.

"Stop staring at me."

Kurenai Yuhi keenly sensed Shimizu's gaze wandering over her clothes, which irritated her.

"You're feeling pretty pleased with yourself right now, aren't you? You won't be for long!"

Seeing Kurenai Yuhi overreact, Shimizu's lips curled up.

"What happens if you lose?"

"Hmph. I won't."

Kurenai Yuhi hadn't been idle these past two years. She had trained hard every day. To practice genjutsu, she had even let her training in other areas fall behind.

In return, her genjutsu skills had improved tremendously.

"You made me wear this embarrassing dress. If you lose, you have to admit that the Yuhi Clan's genjutsu isn't weak, and you have to grant me one favor."

"Anything you want. Let's get started."

Shimizu cut Kurenai Yuhi off.

With the Three-Tomoe Sharingan and the Byakugan, he couldn't lose to Kurenai Yuhi.

Kurenai Yuhi had worked hard, but unfortunately, this was a world that valued bloodlines.

Without relying on bloodlines, the highest one could reach was Perfect Sage Kabuto, Gate of Death Guy, or Nine-Tails Mode Minato.

Of course, Minato hadn't been weak while he was alive, but he hadn't been that strong, either. In the final battle later on, he could barely do more than provide support.

"Genjutsu: Three Absolute Cherry Blossoms!"

Kurenai Yuhi crouched down. In an instant, countless pink petals drifted through the air.

The entire bathroom corridor seemed to transform into a kingdom of cherry blossoms, and Kurenai Yuhi vanished from sight.

Whoosh!

The air split as Kurenai Yuhi lunged at Shimizu from the side.

Shimizu dodged slightly and pressed down on Kurenai Yuhi's wrist with one hand. His immense strength stopped her in her tracks, preventing her from moving forward.

Just as Shimizu parted his lips, about to say something,

a pair of hands reached up from beneath his feet and clamped tightly around his ankles.

Bang.

The two figures of Kurenai Yuhi glimmered faintly, turned crystal-like, and shattered.

"Genjutsu: Mirage?"

This technique created an illusionary image of its user. If anything came near the image, it would immediately counterattack. Once the attack hit, it would create a crystal shield.

"Demonic Illusion: Sharingan."

Three black tomoe spun into existence in Shimizu's eyes, revolving within his crimson irises. Then they settled, and his eyes returned to their usual black.

After the crystals exploded, Shimizu was completely unharmed.

It was all an illusion—in other words, a clash of minds that had no effect on reality.

That was, of course, because Shimizu had used his Sharingan to break the technique.

If he had taken the attack head-on, Kurenai Yuhi's chakra would have interfered with the target's brain, deceiving its senses and making it believe its body had suffered immense damage from the explosion.

The target would immediately lose the ability to move and feel overwhelming pain.

The brain had a tremendous influence over the body. Some people who had lost limbs still felt pain in those parts because of phantom limb pain caused by the brain's misperception.

"How did you break my genjutsu so easily?"

Hidden among the cherry blossom petals, Kurenai Yuhi was utterly shocked to see that Uchiha Shimizu was completely unharmed.

"Is that all you've got?"

Shimizu looked disappointed.

At his words, Kurenai Yuhi grew increasingly nervous. Shimizu had effortlessly dispelled the technique she'd used.

What powerful technique would Shimizu use now?

Bang.

The world created by the genjutsu collapsed with a roar.

Kurenai Yuhi, who had been hidden among the petals, found herself back in reality without realizing it.

Shimizu stepped forward and braced one hand against the wall, cornering Kurenai Yuhi.

He stroked her curled hair and lifted her chin, meeting her gaze.

Kurenai Yuhi's body tensed. At such close range, she could even feel Shimizu's heartbeat, and the scent of the opposite sex drifted over to her.