At his last words, Shimizu fell silent, but Kurenai could hear them clearly.
"Genjutsu..."
Kurenai's brows furrowed slightly.
Shimizu had used genjutsu to speak to her without waiting for the examiner to announce the start.
And the examiner seemed not to have noticed, as he was busy introducing their names to the audience.
She clenched her palm slightly. Shimizu had given her a show of force right from the start.
"If... I lose, you can do whatever you want with me."
Kurenai slowly forced the words out.
People fought for pride, just as Buddha fought for a stick of incense.
Living in Shimizu's shadow, she felt that her career as a ninja would come to a halt here.
No matter what she did, she would think of this. If she ever encountered an enemy who used genjutsu, she would surely be defeated.
Only by overcoming this inner demon and rebuilding her confidence could she clear the dust from her heart.
"Anything I want?"
Shimizu's eyes held a teasing glint, and Kurenai could read his expression.
Her face flushed with anger. She didn't answer his question, instead turning to the examiner.
"Can we begin the match?"
"Of course."
The examiner replied with a strange look on his face.
Those two had just been acting oddly: one hadn't said a word, and the other had spoken so quietly no one could hear him.
They were exchanging glances as if they'd forgotten they were in public. He had finished reading out their information ages ago.
After waiting for ages, they were only now asking whether they could start.
"So he's from the Uchiha Clan."
Jiraiya first scanned the audience for any pretty women, then finally turned his attention to the arena below.
"That guy's so handsome. He's got some of the Toad Sage of Mount Myoboku's fine qualities, hahaha!"
His hearty laughter reached Tsunade's ears.
"What are you so proud of?"
Tsunade wanted to knock Jiraiya on the head and teach him a lesson.
But then she remembered they were in the audience. If she sent Jiraiya flying into the arena, it would cause trouble, so she held back.
"Uchiha Shimizu, huh..."
Even though Tsunade had developed hemophobia and could no longer perform surgery, she had plenty of colleagues and a wide network of connections.
With Tsunade as her teacher, Shizune could learn theory, at most.
If she wanted to learn practical skills, she would have to ask Tsunade's former colleagues.
To pave the way for Shizune, Tsunade still visited Konoha Hospital from time to time, and had heard rumors about Uchiha Shimizu.
After a moment, she shook her head.
She didn't want to pay attention to any of that anymore. The only reason she was teaching Shizune Medical Ninjutsu was that Shizune's uncle had been Dan Katō.
That was why Tsunade had taken in the homeless Shizune, traveling from place to place with her and occasionally returning to the Hidden Leaf Village.
"Lady Tsunade, is his talent for Medical Ninjutsu really as great as the rumors say?"
Wearing a gray-black robe and holding a pink piglet, Shizune asked curiously.
"Puu, puu."
Tonton shifted into a more comfortable position in Shizune's arms.
"Maybe."
Tsunade said no more and watched the match below.
Seeing that, Shizune also sat properly and watched.
"Genjutsu: Three Absolute Cherry Blossoms!"
Countless cherry blossoms appeared out of thin air, then drifted to the ground, carrying a faint floral scent.
As he watched the blossoms cover most of the arena, Shimizu's dark pupils slowly turned scarlet, and a black tomoe emerged within them.
One-Tomoe Sharingan!
Perhaps because Shimizu had awakened his eyes in an unusual way, he wasn't bound by the same limitations as the other clan members.
Once they awakened two tomoe, they could only use two tomoe and not one; the same was true of three tomoe.
At most, they could switch between the Mangekyo and the Three-Tomoe Sharingan.
During the final Battle of the Valley of the End, Sasuke's chakra had nearly run dry, yet he still had the Three-Tomoe Sharingan activated.
He could have killed Naruto outright, but the backlash made him let his guard down. Naruto seized the opportunity and punched him into a wall.
"One tomoe..."
Kurenai gritted her teeth. She didn't know much about the Sharingan.
But she knew that with each additional tomoe, the Sharingan grew more powerful.
Shimizu had revealed his Three-Tomoe Sharingan last time, but now he was showing only one tomoe. He was clearly looking down on her!
"Hell Viewing Technique!"
The cherry blossoms in the arena withered at once, giving off a foul stench.
The hands of corpses seized Shimizu's feet. Their faces were twisted, their mouths stretched wide as they let out terrifying screams.
Smack.
Shimizu kicked a corpse's head clean off.
This technique could inspire fear by making an enemy see what they dreaded, dealing a mental blow.
But Shimizu feared nothing. This illusion was less a vision of his fears than one of Kurenai's.
The head he'd kicked away looked very much like him.
"Genjutsu: Absolute Lotus!"
Seeing Shimizu dispel her genjutsu so easily, Kurenai's palm grew damp with sweat. Gritting her teeth, she unleashed the strongest genjutsu she could use right now.
A massive lotus rose from beneath Shimizu's feet. Its petals closed at an invisible speed, trapping him inside the bud.
Creak...
The petals tightened until they were nearly crushed out of shape. Then, with a sudden bang, the whole thing burst apart.
Feeling the little chakra she had left, Kurenai panted heavily.
Her body taut with tension, she searched quickly for Shimizu, whose figure had vanished from the spot where Genjutsu: Absolute Lotus had been.
"No genjutsu has any meaning before these eyes."
Kurenai suddenly went rigid, as if bound by ropes.
"You're still a first kiss, aren't you?"
Kurenai's vision blurred. Shimizu's face was right in front of hers.
"Y-you... what are you doing..."
Kurenai's voice trembled.
She strained to shift her eyes to the corner of her vision, toward her father.
"Father, help me!"
Kurenai cried out in her heart, hoping that the father she believed could do anything would save her.
Following Kurenai's gaze, Shimizu spotted her father, Shinku Yuhi.
Asuma Sarutobi was sitting not far away.
"Tell me, what would it feel like to kiss in front of your father?"
Shimizu held Kurenai's chin and brought his nose close to her curled hair, breathing in its fragrance.
Then, to Kurenai's astonishment, he leaned in until his whole face was close to hers.
"Mm..."
Kurenai's thick lashes quivered, and her eyes grew moist.
Only after what felt like ages, when she was nearly out of breath, did Kurenai finally get a chance to breathe.
"Hah..."
Thin strands glistened at the corner of her mouth, reflecting the sunlight in rainbow colors.
An indescribable sense of humiliation welled up inside her.
Tears swam in her eyes. When she thought of how she'd just lost her chastity, they spilled down her cheeks.
She had been kissed against her will in front of her father, in full view of everyone!
How could she ever get married now?
Shimizu had ruined her life!
Kurenai's face was bright red, but the hatred in her eyes was so fierce she could have torn Shimizu limb from limb.
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