"You're nothing but a demon!"
Kurenai Yuhi charged at Shimizu without a second thought. In her panic and confusion, she even forgot to use chakra.
Her tiny fists landed on Shimizu. They looked quick, but the blows were more like ordinary playful punches.
That was because shinobi were glass cannons—relatively speaking.
If they were on guard and focused chakra to reinforce a particular area, their defenses improved to some extent.
Otherwise, shinobi would break bones every day, running along tree trunks as they traveled and falling from the branches.
Smack!
Shimizu caught Kurenai Yuhi by the wrist, raised her arm high, and pulled her close.
With the index finger of his other hand, he lifted her chin and said softly:
"If you keep this up, I'll kiss more than just this spot."
As Shimizu leaned in again, Kurenai Yuhi's face flushed red. She couldn't break free of his grip.
Tears streamed down her cheeks once more. She couldn't understand why Shimizu kept bullying her.
He was so handsome, after all.
If only he could be a little nicer to her.
But Kurenai Yuhi knew that was impossible. Shimizu was a monster wearing human skin.
Her heart sank little by little, and darkness once again engulfed her entire world.
Thinking of what Shimizu was about to do, the light gradually faded from her eyes. After a moment, she slowly closed them, afraid to see how her father in the stands would react.
One second... five seconds... ten seconds... a minute passed.
Kurenai Yuhi's thick lashes trembled slightly as she opened her eyes.
She was puzzled. Why hadn't she felt anything?
She glanced around the arena in confusion and was stunned to find Shimizu still standing where he'd been.
"Kurenai Yuhi, how could I bear to humiliate you in front of everyone?"
Shimizu's voice was warm and pleasant. Anyone who didn't know him would probably take him for a sunny, cheerful boy.
"You... That was all genjutsu?"
Kurenai Yuhi asked in disbelief.
A jumble of emotions swept through her: embarrassment, anger, and relief.
There was also a disappointment she couldn't quite explain.
"Why did you only use genjutsu?"
"Do you mean I shouldn't have done that in an illusion, but in reality?"
"N-no, that's not what I meant!"
Kurenai Yuhi waved her hands in a panic. How could she possibly be that shameless?
"I just didn't want to ruin your reputation."
Shimizu said casually.
Konoha had laws against indecent behavior. Doing something like that in front of the Third would land him in jail for sure, though he might get a lighter sentence.
Kurenai Yuhi's pupils contracted.
Was Shimizu looking out for her?
At an age when her values were still taking shape, Kurenai Yuhi had been waking from nightmares every night ever since Shimizu had taken liberties with her.
Her mental state had also gradually changed. She couldn't be judged by the standards of an ordinary person.
If a psychologist had been there, they might have recognized the name of this well-known disorder.
Now, though, she was stunned to realize that Shimizu—the one who had done nothing but bully her and undermine her self-esteem—had held back from committing those offenses for the sake of her reputation.
At that moment, like a drowning person who had spotted a rope thrown from shore, Kurenai Yuhi wanted to grab on and climb out of her ceaseless torment, no matter what the rope was made of.
In the illusion, she'd even imagined Shimizu going to jail, wearing a prisoner's buzz cut, looking utterly wretched as he worked at a sewing machine.
Yet Shimizu had been thinking of her.
Could it be that Shimizu had always liked her, but had simply gone about it too aggressively?
If she kept challenging him, would he show her more kindness?
A small, inexplicable happiness stirred in Kurenai Yuhi's heart.
After all, she was just a young girl at the age when she was beginning to fall in love.
Her lips parted. She wanted to voice her doubts, and a faint glimmer of hope showed in her somewhat unhinged eyes as she waited for Shimizu's answer.
"Are you..."
"Examiner, does this mean I win?"
Shimizu turned to ask.
His words cut off Kurenai Yuhi just as she was about to speak.
"Uh... If Kurenai Yuhi concedes, then yes."
The examiner looked at Kurenai Yuhi. He saw the red, One-Tomoe Sharingan in Shimizu's eyes and marveled that someone so young had awakened the Sharingan. What enviable talent.
Ever since the two had entered the arena, neither had moved.
Shimizu had only activated his One-Tomoe Sharingan. They'd stared at each other for a few seconds, and it seemed to be over.
The fight had probably begun much earlier. It had just been a genjutsu battle, invisible to everyone else.
Kurenai Yuhi was silent for a moment, then said:
"I concede."
"If you want to challenge me again, you know what to do."
The red tomoe in Shimizu's eyes turned slowly. If Kurenai Yuhi refused, he would plant a suggestion in her mind.
Kurenai Yuhi's mental state was already close to collapse. He only needed to strike her a few more times and reshape her worldview. Then he could control her with ease.
That way, Kurenai Yuhi would be unable to disobey his orders. If she tried, she would remember this terrifying experience.
And the Transcription Seal Shimizu had placed on her meant Kurenai Yuhi would never be able to ask anyone for help or reveal anything to them.
"Hmph, this time was just a fluke. Just you wait until next time."
Kurenai Yuhi turned her head, revealing her fair collarbone.
Shimizu looked at her in confusion. He'd been about to use his Sharingan, yet she'd still accepted his challenge. Was Kurenai Yuhi addicted to being tormented?
Could it be that the suggestion he'd planted in her mind back then had made her think night and day about what he'd done to her, to an absurd degree?
Still, Shimizu didn't refuse. He would keep pushing Kurenai Yuhi's boundaries step by step. Next time, he'd get her to indirectly reveal some information about Konoha.
Whatever else she was, Kurenai Yuhi belonged to a shinobi clan. Her father was a loyal Konoha shinobi, and the village trusted her far more than it trusted the Uchiha. She could also provide more information that Shimizu didn't know.
The examiner nodded and loudly announced the result to the audience:
"Uchiha Shimizu wins!"
The announcement left the spectators confused.
"Huh? That's it? They only stared at each other for a few seconds!"
"Kurenai Yuhi's genjutsu was completely defeated. If I'm not mistaken, that was the Uchiha's Kekkei Genkai—the Sharingan!"
"That was way too quick. A genjutsu battle isn't entertaining at all."
Many people complained. Shimizu and Pakura's earlier match had raised their expectations, so this one felt anticlimactic.
"This is what a shinobi's battle should look like."
Uchiha Fugaku was in the stands too. He watched Shimizu's performance in silence.
A shinobi's fighting style was all about speed, precision, and ruthlessness.
If they got caught up in a flashy, drawn-out battle in enemy territory, reinforcements would arrive long before it was over.
Only by keeping a low profile and eliminating the enemy quickly could a shinobi live up to the name.
"Third... was he talking about Shimizu?"
Fugaku folded his arms, his expression shifting uneasily.
Shimizu had awakened the Sharingan at some point, without anyone knowing.
He had never used the Sharingan in the clan, and none of the others had ever seen him use it.
When had he awakened the Sharingan?
And what had caused it?
Fugaku pondered the question. Before long, he thought of Shimizu's teammate, who had died some time ago.
Before you continue