"I already have some leads."
Genya interrupted her, his fingers gently brushing her chin and sending a shiver through her.
"It's just... there are a few details I still need to confirm. I believe it won't be long now."
His tone was certain, his gaze sharp enough to cut through any fog.
Kurenai Yuhi's heart gave a sudden jolt.
The truth behind the Night of the Nine-Tails... that mystery that had plagued Konoha for over a decade, one whose darkness she had glimpsed?
Was he really close to uncovering it? And what would happen afterward?
"You'd better be."
She heard her own stiff reply as she tried to regain a little control.
"Otherwise, what you said back then will become a joke."
Her words sounded harsh, but they were more of a cover.
The smile on Genya's face deepened, tinged with wickedness and absolute confidence.
He leaned a little closer, his warm breath almost brushing Kurenai Yuhi's lips, each breath striking hard at her heart.
"Kurenai..."
"How could I ever bear to... lie to you?"
Watching her trembling lashes and glistening red lips, he repeated the words he had spoken five years ago, his tone earnest.
"Didn't I say it back then?"
"If I can't find it..."
"You can cut off my head."
Those words, spoken again tonight, five years later.
Here, in a room scented with the fragrance of her bath, they came once more from a young man who firmly held her chin, their breaths mingling.
The impact was far more devastating than it had been before that crowd all those years ago.
Kurenai Yuhi felt a buzz in her head, as though all her reason and defenses had been effortlessly shattered in that instant.
She could see her own reflection in Genya's eyes. Her fluster, her shyness,