Then Come Find Me Wearing Something a Little More Revealing

"No."

To avoid trouble, Shimizu simply chose to say no.

"I don't believe you."

Kurenai Yuhi gave a confident little huff.

She tossed her long, curled black hair and fixed her red eyes on Shimizu.

"Why not?"

Shimizu countered.

He turned off the faucet and pulled a paper towel from the dispenser to dry his hands.

He was puzzled. He'd always kept a low profile, and he'd only awakened his Sharingan yesterday. There was no way anyone knew.

"Obito said he knew genjutsu, but you're much stronger than him, and you're both Uchiha."

Kurenai Yuhi spoke slowly, one word at a time, as she kept walking toward Shimizu.

Obito can brag all he wants, but why drag me into it?

Who could out-brag Obito?

"My father is Shinku Yuhi, Konoha's genjutsu master. I want to see what makes you people who rely on Kekkei Genkai different."

Hearing this, Shimizu immediately understood why Kurenai Yuhi had come.

Shinku Yuhi was a cut above everyone else in genjutsu—apart from the Uchiha, that was.

There was a rumor that even the Mangekyo couldn't reflect his genjutsu.

Unfortunately, a rumor was still just a rumor.

At this point in time, Madara was the only one with the Mangekyo.

Whether Fugaku had awakened the Mangekyo was debatable. Neither the manga nor the official novel version gave him one; only the anime had.

Regardless, Fugaku was the Uchiha leader and the head of a major clan.

Did she really think a small clan's genjutsu could keep Fugaku's Sharingan from reflecting it?

So the Yuhi Clan was in a rather awkward position. Everyone knew that once the Uchiha awakened their Sharingan, they gained the ability to use genjutsu—enough to easily defeat civilian ninja.

Genjutsu was also the Yuhi Clan's specialty, but they had no Kekkei Genkai to enhance it.

They weren't strong, but they weren't weak, either—hardly worth keeping, yet a shame to discard.

Kurenai Yuhi was at the age when a child's pride began to grow. It was understandable that she wanted to prove her genjutsu by defeating Shimizu.

"After school, meet me in the alley beneath the training ground to the east."

With that, Shimizu walked away without looking back.

If he didn't settle things with Kurenai Yuhi, she'd keep pestering him every day.

Better to deal with it once and be done with it.

The afternoon passed in a flash.

"Kurenai!"

Asuma Sarutobi called out excitedly, a lollipop in his mouth and a yellow jacket on his back.

Today, he was determined to invite Kurenai Yuhi to walk home with him, then spend some time getting closer to her.

"Sarutobi..."

Kurenai Yuhi frowned slightly. She couldn't understand why Asuma Sarutobi kept shamelessly chasing after her.

Asuma Sarutobi was the Hokage's son. Even though he was young, Kurenai Yuhi knew better than to offend someone with connections like his.

"I have something to do today, so I'm going."

Kurenai Yuhi hurriedly said goodbye to her friends and ran toward the place she'd arranged to meet Shimizu.

"What's up with Kurenai today?"

Asuma Sarutobi was at a loss.

It was the first time he'd seen Kurenai Yuhi in such a hurry. It certainly made him curious.

"Does Uchiha Shimizu usually go that way, too?"

Just as Asuma Sarutobi was about to leave, he noticed Uchiha Shimizu heading in the same direction.

Because of some lingering historical issues in the Hidden Leaf Village, Asuma Sarutobi rarely interacted with the Uchiha. He didn't know much about Uchiha Shimizu.

"Come on, Asuma."

One of his classmates called out from beside him, so he had to put the small matter out of his mind.

He'd see Kurenai Yuhi again tomorrow, anyway. He could talk to her then. Where Uchiha Shimizu went was none of his business.

A streak of sunset red stained the horizon, draping it in a golden veil.

Kurenai Yuhi ran even faster than Shimizu and reached the alley well ahead of him.

It was beside an abandoned shop in the Hidden Leaf Village. The area was being cleared for reconstruction, so no one usually came by.

The workers had finished their day's labor and gone home to rest.

Kurenai Yuhi couldn't wait to prove herself. Once her father heard about this, he'd surely praise her for bringing fame to the Yuhi name.

A child's world was always simple. One thought led straight to the next.

Kurenai Yuhi had never considered what might happen if she really won and word got out, damaging the Uchiha's reputation.

She waited for quite a while before Shimizu finally arrived.

Kurenai Yuhi took a deep breath and said, "I'm starting."

"Demonic Illusion: Tree Binding Death!"

The moment Kurenai Yuhi shouted, twisted, terrifying wooden hands burst from the ground, reaching out to bind their target.

As if alive, they quickly wrapped themselves around Shimizu.

Watching Shimizu get caught in the tree, Kurenai Yuhi nodded with satisfaction.

"I can't believe I managed to use a technique I normally can't pull off, just like that."

Thinking that Shimizu was now unable to move, Kurenai Yuhi grew bolder.

She went closer and studied Shimizu's face.

His black bangs nearly covered his eyes. The sunset shone on his face, and the sharp, chiseled lines of his handsome features gleamed.

Kurenai Yuhi suddenly realized that Uchiha Shimizu, who was usually always by himself, might be far more handsome than she'd expected.

"Remember this: my Yuhi Clan's genjutsu is every bit as strong as yours, Uchiha."

Kurenai Yuhi formed Hand Seals. Seeing that she'd achieved her goal, she began the signs to release Demonic Illusion: Tree Binding Death.

"Release!"

Kurenai Yuhi shouted.

But the tree wrapped around Shimizu didn't react at all.

"What's going on?"

Events had taken a turn Kurenai Yuhi couldn't understand. Why wasn't the genjutsu she'd cast obeying her?

"Release! Release! Release!"

Kurenai Yuhi tried several times in a row, but the tree created by Demonic Illusion: Tree Binding Death still didn't respond.

Just as Kurenai Yuhi began to think she'd caused a huge problem and trapped Shimizu here—

A familiar voice sounded in her ear.

"When did you start thinking you'd used genjutsu?"

Kurenai Yuhi spun around and saw Shimizu leaning against the wall in the alley as if nothing had happened.

She turned back to look at the tree. There was no tree at all—only empty air!

"You... How did you do that?"

The sight genuinely horrified Kurenai Yuhi. Though it was mid-afternoon, a chill ran over her.

No wonder she'd started off by using a B-rank genjutsu. She'd never actually cast one at all.

Shimizu had led her to this result. She'd been trapped in an illusion from the very beginning!

If Shimizu had been an enemy with ill intentions, she'd already be a lifeless corpse.

"Nothing much. Just the sort of thing an Uchiha is expected to know."

Shimizu shook his head.

His dark eyes seemed to reflect an abyss, leaving Kurenai Yuhi unable to see through him at all.

"I... lost. You're... strong."

Kurenai Yuhi wasn't the sort to make excuses.

A loss was a loss.

With her bold nature, she could easily accept defeat and acknowledge someone else's strengths.

Still, she believed she'd only been caught off guard this time. If she was prepared next time, she might not lose!

Seeing how eager Kurenai Yuhi was to fight again, Shimizu suddenly said:

"You'll want to challenge me again, right? Then come find me wearing something a little more revealing."