Departure

"You seem quite hungry, Ye Yuexin." Kurenai Yuhi sat across from him, holding a glass of juice as she watched him wolf down his food.

"That goes without saying. You have no idea, I haven't had a proper meal in two days." Ye Yuexin managed to reply between mouthfuls after hearing her question.

The date proceeded in this fashion: Kurenai sipped her juice with her red lips, watching Ye Yuexin eat at a rapid pace.

It was only after a long while that Ye Yuexin finally picked up a napkin from the table to wipe his mouth.

Having finished his meal, he picked up the juice Kurenai had ordered for him, took a sip, and asked, "Are you heading out again soon?"

Kurenai parted her red lips slightly. "Forget it. I suppose I shouldn't expect any proper date-like conversation from you."

She added with a hint of resigned complaint, "It's wartime, and the village is short on funds, so missions are constant. Today was just a day of rest after handing in my last assignment, but there will be new orders tomorrow."

"What kind of mission is it? Is it far?" No sooner had he asked than Ye Yuexin felt he had been too abrupt.

Had he really run out of things to talk about? Why would he say that?

He knew full well that the Ninja Code strictly forbade discussing mission details with outsiders.

His question already bordered on the suspicion of intentionally gathering intelligence.

Just as he was about to change the subject, Kurenai had already answered, "I'm delivering medical supplies to the border. It's not too far; I won't be leaving the Land of Fire."

Kurenai had shared such classified mission details without a second thought—it was a habit born of trust.

She probably hadn't even realized that what she had just said was supposed to be kept secret.

Ye Yuexin felt a touch of warmth, so he took the initiative to steer the conversation elsewhere. "How is the environment out there? Have there been any interesting things happening on your missions?"

Only then did Ye Yuexin slowly find his rhythm, and the two began to chat idly.

A long time passed, and by the time the shop began cleaning up, Ye Yuexin walked Kurenai home.

They didn't speak on the way, but Kurenai took the initiative to hold Ye Yuexin's hand as they walked.

In truth, Ye Yuexin had been very restrained.

Like many men, he appreciated a beautiful woman.

But the beauty before him was simply too young. Thus, Ye Yuexin suppressed those beastly desires.

Even if he couldn't restrain himself, what could he possibly do at the age of six? Nothing at all.

On the way back, Ye Yuexin didn't take the main road, choosing instead to walk along the edge of the woods. He remembered seeing wild roses there once and decided to pick a few.

Just moments ago, at her doorstep, Kurenai had called him a block of wood.

She said he had never even given her a flower. He hadn't been able to retort, though. Was he a block of wood? No, he was just trying to avoid a life sentence for being a predator.

Still, since Kurenai had brought it up, Ye Yuexin decided to pick some.

He could store them in a scroll once he picked them, so they wouldn't wither.

He was afraid he would forget later; after all, there were so many things going on lately. A task like giving flowers might be pushed to the back of his mind by tomorrow.

He found them before long—white wild roses.

After picking a few, Ye Yuexin headed back, ready to get some rest and prepare for tomorrow's mission.

Early the next morning, Ye Yuexin finished washing up.

Since no one had told him where to assemble, he knew someone would come looking for him.

Sure enough, not long after he finished breakfast, he heard a knock at the door. "Is Ye Yuexin there?"

The voice was full of vigor; it didn't sound like an Anbu operative. That meant it had to be one of the people participating in the mission.

Running through the list of potential teammates, Ye Yuexin already had an idea of who it might be.

When he opened the door, a flash of green was the first thing to greet his eyes. As expected, only the future Blue Beast could possess such a vibrant, energetic voice.

"Is that you, Might Guy-senpai?" Ye Yuexin asked the young man with a smile.

Guy looked incredibly surprised that Ye Yuexin knew his name.

He flashed his signature smile. His eight teeth were so silver and bright that Ye Yuexin could actually see a reflection in them.

"I didn't expect the famous genius genin of Konoha to know my name! I am Might Guy, also a genin of Konoha. Please look after me during this mission!"

He even bowed as he finished speaking.

Ye Yuexin quickly bowed in return. "Might Guy-senpai, you're too polite. Please, look after me instead."

Might Guy was genuinely taken aback by Ye Yuexin's politeness.

Perhaps he was so used to dealing with Kakashi that he had formed an impression of geniuses as arrogant and difficult to get along with.

Seeing Ye Yuexin so humble, his opinion of him improved instantly.

"Let's head to the assembly point, senpai," Ye Yuexin said, seeing that Guy looked like he wanted to say more.

Ye Yuexin took the lead.

Because he was already impatient to see the other characters from the original Konoha storyline.

"Oh, sure, let's head over. By the way, we're both genin, so there's no need to call me senior. Just call me Guy."

Along the way, Guy kept trying to strike up a conversation with Ye Yuexin.

He seemed very curious about Ye Yuexin, the newly emerged top genius of Konoha.

It was starting to annoy Ye Yuexin, but considering that this chatterbox would eventually evolve into the legendary Might Guy, he patiently continued to engage with him.

The meeting point was at the village gate. After Ye Yuexin arrived, he discovered that everyone else was already there.

No, that wasn't right.

The captain hadn't arrived yet. From a distance, he couldn't see the man with the spiky golden hair.

It seemed the Yellow Flash, Minato Namikaze, had not yet arrived.

"Are you that new Konoha genius, Ye Yuexin?"

Just as Ye Yuexin arrived, a boy wearing goggles approached him to strike up a conversation.

Seeing his attire and the style of clothing similar to Itachi Uchiha, Ye Yuexin immediately guessed who he was.

Facing the somewhat dull-looking Obito Uchiha, Ye Yuexin wondered if he should try to butter him up. After all, this was a future boss-level big shot.

But after a moment's thought, he decided against it; it would be too strange and inconsistent with his own character design.

Facing Obito Uchiha's question, Ye Yuexin didn't know how to respond, so he awkwardly scratched his head and said, "I am Ye Yuexin, yes, but I'm no genius. I'm very happy to be teaming up with everyone for this mission today."

Hearing Ye Yuexin's humility, Obito Uchiha was taken aback.

Even the people around them cast sidelong glances at Ye Yuexin.

Once Obito Uchiha recovered, he became even more excited.

He cast a glance toward his teammate, Kakashi, and said loudly on purpose, "I heard your talent has already surpassed Kakashi's. In my opinion, someone as humble as you is what a true genius should be. Unlike some self-righteous, cold-hearted chunin." The implication was clearly directed at Kakashi.

Seriously, Obito Uchiha, I was actually thinking about being friends with you, and you go and use me as a topic of conversation right off the bat? Ye Yuexin thought indignantly as he watched Kakashi slowly turn to look at him.

Without a doubt, Ye Yuexin decided that he would never give Obito Uchiha a pleasant look again.

He finally understood that Obito Uchiha was the type who was just begging to be kicked. If you didn't give him a good kick or two when you met, he wouldn't feel right and would do everything in his power to cause trouble for you.