Genjutsu: Tree Binding Death!

"Taro! What do we do? They recognized us!"

The short man asked the bald man, a dim-witted look on his face.

The Shimura Clan had strict rules. If their clan head, Danzo, learned that the three of them had come out to bully students who had not even graduated, he would certainly fly into a rage.

"So what if they recognized us? Enough talking! Beat him up!"

The bald man gritted his teeth and decided to go all in.

Besides, young master Baoguo had their backs. He would surely put in a good word for them with Danzo.

"Got it, Taro!"

The other two men answered, their faces turning vicious again as they charged straight at Obito and Kurenai.

"Kurenai! Watch out!"

Obito called out. His black eyes turned red, three tomoe spinning rapidly in his pupils.

The bald man clenched his fist and drove a vicious punch toward Obito's face.

His attack was incredibly fast, carrying an overwhelming sense of pressure.

Although they had only just exchanged blows, Obito already had a rough gauge of his strength. He was probably above Chunin level.

Yet Obito did not panic in the slightest.

With the Three-Tomoe Sharingan's perception and predictive abilities, he easily sidestepped the heavy punch.

As the rush of air swept past his ear, Obito seized the opening and kicked the bald man in the stomach.

Thud!

The kick landed squarely, drawing a pained "Ow!" from the bald man.

But he was a Special Jōnin, after all, and a grown man. His strength far surpassed Obito's.

Though the kick hurt, he only retreated half a step before abruptly grabbing Obito's ankle with both hands.

"You brat! You've got a death wish!"

Humiliated and furious, the bald man gripped Obito's ankle and swung him hard, hurling him toward a wall several meters away.

Obito instantly lost his footing.

But even as he was thrown, he did not forget to attack. He lashed the top of his other foot hard against the side of the bald man's face.

"Ow!" the bald man cried out again. A trace of blood seeped from the right corner of his mouth.

That kick had clearly packed quite a punch.

Meanwhile, Obito had been flung into the air, with nothing to push off against.

But just before he crashed into the wall, he braced both hands against it, absorbing most of the impact.

Then he performed a graceful flip in midair and slid down the wall, landing firmly on both feet.

The bald man wiped his mouth. When he saw the blood on his palm, his fury only grew.

He roared at his two companions, "What are you standing around for? Beat that brat up!"

"Yes, Taro!" they answered, charging at Obito.

Seeing Obito surrounded, Kurenai Yuhi stamped her feet anxiously at the sidelines.

She desperately wanted to help, but they outnumbered her, and all of them looked strong. She still hesitated.

"Obito! I'll help you!"

At last, Kurenai Yuhi gathered her courage and rushed forward, blocking the fat ninja's path.

"Genjutsu: Tree Binding Death!"

Kurenai Yuhi's small hands flew through a sequence of genjutsu hand seals.

A fierce wind whipped around her, and her body instantly vanished from the fat ninja's sight.

Then a large tree appeared behind him.

Vines sprouted from the tree and wrapped tightly around his body.

Kurenai Yuhi, who had vanished moments earlier, emerged halfway out of the trunk.

Holding a kunai, she tried to press it against the fat man's neck and force him to surrender.

"Damn you! You little brat!"

The fat man roared and struggled desperately.

The vines binding him could not withstand his strength. Cracks spread across them.

Finally, with a sharp snap, all the vines shattered.

With her genjutsu broken, Kurenai suffered a mental backlash, and a trickle of blood spilled from the corner of her mouth.

"Ah..." she cried in pain, clutching her chest as her body crumpled toward the ground.

Kurenai Yuhi had learned one of her father's signature genjutsu techniques.

But she was still too young, and her mental strength was not powerful enough.

Fully controlling a Chunin like the fat man was still far too difficult for her.

Although Kurenai's genjutsu had taken hold successfully, it had lasted less than two seconds before her opponent forcibly broke free.

"You little girl! With that pathetic skill, you thought you could use genjutsu on me? Dream on!"

The fat ninja was furious too. He did not care who Kurenai Yuhi was and raised his foot to deliver a flying kick at her.

"Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!"

But the fat man had only just lifted his enormous foot.

A massive fireball rolled straight toward him, leaving a long scorch mark across the concrete.

If he continued attacking Kurenai Yuhi, the fireball would burn him.

Though he was not particularly bright, the fat man immediately knew which choice to make.

He rolled toward the road beside him, dodging out of the fireball's path.

Whoosh!

The fireball rolled across the road and struck the wall on the other side, erupting in a burst of flames.

The villagers who had been watching from that side of the road cried out in fright.

Fortunately, they were far enough away to escape unharmed.

Meanwhile, Obito had scooped up the fallen Kurenai Yuhi and leaped a considerable distance back, landing atop a wall four or five meters high.

"Kurenai! How are you?" Obito asked, looking worriedly at Kurenai Yuhi in his arms.

"Cough, cough... I'm fine, Obito." Kurenai coughed twice, her breathing slightly labored.

For some reason, looking at Obito's profile from this angle, Kurenai felt he was much more handsome than usual.

"You're still saying you're fine? You're bleeding!"

Kurenai had been injured trying to help him, and Obito felt guilty.

Then he lowered his gaze to the three ninja standing below, a ruthless glint flashing in his eyes.

"You three! None of you are leaving here in one piece today! You're losing at least one thing!"

The fat man scratched his head and asked, "Losing what?"

The bald man kicked him in the backside and snapped, "Are you stupid? Why are you answering his threats? Just beat him up!"

Obito sneered. "Anything will do! An arm, a leg, a finger!"

Hearing that, Kurenai Yuhi looked worried. "Obito, let it go. They're probably all at least Chunin. Let's get out of here."

Kurenai Yuhi knew perfectly well how much influence the Shimura Clan wielded in Konoha.

Apart from the Sarutobi Clan, the Shimura Clan probably held more power in Konoha than any other.

She did not want Obito to blow this up over her and end up being ostracized by the Shimura Clan.

"Kurenai! Don't worry! I can handle these three!"

Obito gently set Kurenai down, leaving her seated atop the wall.