"Huh? Genya, why do you seem so close to Miss Kurenai?"
Kiba's booming voice broke the brief, delicate silence. He scratched his head, his face full of curiosity and confusion.
Beside him, Shino adjusted his sunglasses and stated calmly.
"Kiba, your memory needs improvement. Five years ago, Genya's 'blood oath' to Miss Kurenai in front of hundreds of Konoha ninja, and the 'special' attention that followed, were widely discussed. The subject merely faded with time and the many incidents involving Genya afterward."
His explanation was as detailed and incisive as ever.
Kiba slapped his forehead as realization dawned.
"Ah! Right, right! I remember now! Back then, Genya said something like, 'If I can't uncover the truth about the Night of the Nine-Tails, cut off my head,' right? I think there was something else, too... Man, everyone was talking about it! But then everything you did was bigger than the last, Genya, so everyone just..."
He sheepishly fell silent, realizing that bringing it up now might be inappropriate.
Genya chuckled softly, cutting short Kiba's recollections, and turned his gaze back to Kurenai Yuhi.
He extended an invitation with an air that brooked no refusal.
"That's all in the past. Come on, Kurenai. Hinata, Kiba, Shino, you too? Let's have a meal together to celebrate your team taking shape, and... our reunion after so long."
His gaze lingered on Kurenai Yuhi's face, seeking her answer with a faint hint of anticipation.
Kurenai Yuhi looked at the boy before her, whose depths she could no longer fathom. The ripples in her heart had yet to settle.
After a second or two of silence, she nodded. Her voice regained its usual clarity, but there was something more in it now.
"All right."
And so, the group left the Training Ground.
Genya took Hinata's small