"This is your teammate for this mission, Kurenai Yuhi."
It really was Kurenai Yuhi!
Xuandou's heart immediately filled with eagerness.
As one of the most popular female ninja in Naruto, Kurenai Yuhi would definitely meet the system's criteria.
According to the original storyline, Kurenai Yuhi would eventually become Asuma Sarutobi's wife.
As for now...
Xuandou certainly wasn't going to follow the original storyline.
As for what Asuma would do after he swooped in and won Kurenai Yuhi over...
Xuandou could only say, Sorry, old buddy Asuma!
Kurenai Yuhi came to a stop, meeting Xuandou's gaze as her lips curved into a faint smile.
Xuandou politely stepped forward to shake her hand.
"Hello, I'm Uchiha Xuantou."
"I've heard a lot about you. I'm Kurenai Yuhi."
Xuandou felt how cool and soft Kurenai Yuhi's small hand was.
Up close, he could also smell a very pleasant floral fragrance.
"The village is short on manpower. Most of our ninja have been sent to the battlefield, so for now, we can only assign you one teammate."
Hiruzen explained.
"But Kurenai has been a Chunin for many years, and she specializes in genjutsu. She should be able to work well with your Sharingan."
"In any case, the situation is urgent. Once you've gotten acquainted, please set out as soon as possible."
"Yes, Lord Hokage!"
The two accepted their orders and withdrew.
After leaving the Hokage Building, Xuandou briefly explained the mission to Kurenai:
"Our mission is to investigate unusual movements by Sunagakure ninja around Kikyo Mountain. Kikyo Mountain lies in the northwest of the Land of Fire. It's a strategic border location and a route Sunagakure must pass through to invade. The journey will take about two to three days. We have one hour to prepare, then we'll meet at the village entrance and set out."
Kurenai Yuhi listened carefully, then nodded in acknowledgment:
"Understood."
An hour later, fully equipped, the two met outside the village and immediately headed swiftly toward Kikyo Mountain.
Kurenai Yuhi said little along the way.
Wanting to bring them closer, Xuandou took the initiative to start a conversation:
"While we're traveling, let's get to know each other's abilities."
He introduced himself first:
"I have the Three-Tomoe Sharingan, with some grounding in Taijutsu, genjutsu, and combat observation. As for ninjutsu, besides the basic techniques, I specialize in Fire Release and Lightning Release. I've also mastered Medical Ninjutsu and can provide emergency treatment."
Kurenai Yuhi was a little surprised by Xuandou's introduction.
She hadn't expected her Uchiha captain to be not only handsome, but so well-rounded in his abilities.
Especially his proficiency in Medical Ninjutsu.
After all, ninja inevitably suffered injuries during missions, and many died because their wounds weren't treated in time.
At such times, having a medical ninja on the team was very important.
However, training medical ninja was very difficult, so not every ninja squad could have one.
Kurenai Yuhi couldn't help feeling a little more favorably toward Xuandou.
She began introducing herself as well.
"My specialty is genjutsu."
Thinking about how brief her introduction was, Kurenai Yuhi couldn't help blushing slightly.
Xuandou keenly noticed Kurenai's feelings and immediately reassured her:
"This mission is primarily about gathering intelligence anyway. Your genjutsu will be just what we need."
Xuandou's words weren't entirely flattery.
In fact, setting Kekkei Genkai aside, Kurenai's talent for genjutsu could already be considered top-tier.
After all, in the original story, Kurenai had been able to exchange moves with Uchiha Itachi using genjutsu!
Of course, don't ask how many moves she lasted.
Although Kurenai was still young and might not have the peak strength she had in the original storyline, she should be more than capable of helping him gather intelligence.
And so, the two chatted as they headed toward Kikyo Mountain.
With him guiding the conversation, they gradually grew more familiar and began talking much more.
Three days later, the two finally reached the Kikyo Mountain area.
"Stop."
Xuandou lowered his voice and motioned for Kurenai to conceal herself.
"The Kikyo Mountain area is just ahead. We shouldn't investigate openly as Konoha ninja."
"Why is that?"
Kurenai asked, looking puzzled.
"If Sunagakure realizes Konoha has grown suspicious, it might put them on edge. They might launch their attack ahead of schedule even if they aren't fully prepared."
"Konoha isn't ready yet, so we have to do our best to avoid that."
Xuandou took out the Iwagakure Forehead Protectors and clothes he had prepared in advance.
"Put these on. Even if we're exposed, we can pose as Iwagakure ninja passing through and avoid a direct conflict."
As he spoke, Xuandou took out a set of Iwagakure ninja clothes and a Forehead Protector he had prepared beforehand and handed them to Kurenai.
Kurenai also thought his reasoning made sense, so she took the clothes and hid behind a tree to change.
Xuandou also took out the Iwagakure ninja clothes he had prepared earlier.
Once they had changed, the two followed Xuandou's plan, first circling around to the north to pose as Iwagakure ninja arriving from the Land of Earth, then beginning a detailed reconnaissance of the surrounding area.
The Kikyo Mountain stronghold was an abandoned castle complex whose construction had begun during the Second Hokage's time. It had gradually fallen into disuse after the Second Shinobi World War.
They cautiously searched inside and outside the castles but found no obvious traces.
Over the following days, the two gradually expanded their search.
It wasn't until the third day that Xuandou finally spotted something unusual at the edge of a wooded area, thanks to the Sharingan's keen perception.
A patch of soil appeared to bear faint signs of disturbance.
He signaled for Kurenai to stay alert and carefully dug away the surface with a Kunai. Beneath it lay a buried layer of completely cold plant ash.
"Three to five people built a fire here about ten days ago."
Kurenai reached her conclusion after examining the various details.
Xuandou nodded, then restored the site to its original state.
Ninja usually relied on soldier pills to replenish their energy during missions. They would only be likely to build fires during long-term missions.
This trace alone was enough to reveal a great deal.
Over the next two days, they found three more similar sites in succession.
These sites varied in size, the smallest belonging to a three-person squad and the largest to nearly ten people.
All of this indicated that a group of unidentified ninja were carrying out a mysterious, long-term mission along the Land of Fire's border!
As the clues accumulated, Xuandou had already formed a rough idea of the area where the enemy ninja were operating.
A plan swiftly took shape in Xuandou's mind.
That night, three figures dressed as Sunagakure ninja quietly appeared amid the dense woods.
At the front was a middle-aged ninja with a tough, shrewd face.
As he advanced cautiously, he complained in a low voice to his companions behind him:
"Once I get the bounty for this mission, I'm definitely going to spend a few days having fun at the Red Sand Tavern!"
"Fūshin, I hear you're still a virgin? This time, I'm definitely taking you to the tavern to get a proper taste. The girls there are all so enthusiastic, I guarantee you won't want to leave!"
Yet no one behind him answered.
He whipped his head around, only to discover that there was already no one behind him.
The instincts of a seasoned Chunin instantly made his hair stand on end.
His right hand darted toward the signal launcher at his waist.
But before his fingertips could touch it, a gentle female voice softly rang out:
"Demonic Illusion: False Surroundings Technique~"
Damn it, genjutsu!
Alarm flared within him as he struggled against the genjutsu's influence while reaching toward his waist.
But his groping hand failed to find a Kunai.
He froze instantly.
Looking down, he was shocked to discover a scantily clad woman lying in front of him.
"Oh, stop it~ Lord Iwasaki Shigeru, just where are you putting that hand~"
Iwasaki Shigeru looked around and discovered that he was actually inside a familiar private room at the Red Sand Tavern!
And nestled beside him were warm, soft beauties, four lightly dressed women snuggling against him.
At that moment, the four women were striking all sorts of provocative poses for him.
Having gone so long without touching a woman, he couldn't help feeling his blood race!