I'll Support You, Kurenai. Marry into My Uchiha Clan

"Clink!"

The two clinked their glasses.

Kurenai Yuhi lifted her "wine" and drained it in one gulp.

"Xia Yu, you heard it too, right? Asuma called me a slut in front of everyone today!"

"We grew up together. Other people might not know me, but how could he not? He should know exactly what kind of person I am! But... he actually...!"

At this point, Kurenai Yuhi suddenly paused, her agitated expression gradually turning sorrowful.

"Ah, yes. Hearing so suddenly that I was pregnant, it's understandable that he couldn't accept it..."

"But what hurt me was that he really only cared about saving face, not about me. He wouldn't even listen to any of my explanations..."

"He used to be a delinquent, impatient and deeply prejudiced against his father. When he had just come of age, Asuma once ran away from Konoha to wander the world. He always thought he was some great hero, doing things according to his own likes and dislikes."

"He only wanted to do what he liked, without giving the slightest thought to anyone else's feelings. He left me alone in Konoha and disappeared for several years..."

"Over time, I heard that Asuma was doing fairly well out there. He had become one of the Land of Fire daimyo's Twelve Guardian Ninja. The Land of Fire emblem at his waist was proof..."

"He thought he'd made a name for himself, but I knew perfectly well that without his father, Lord Hokage, pulling strings behind the scenes, why would the Land of Fire's daimyo choose someone with his overbearing, stubborn personality as a bodyguard? Wasn't it just out of respect for Lord Hokage?"

"When he came back this time, Asuma's personality had changed a great deal because so many of his comrades among the Twelve Guardian Ninja had died..."

"Losing his comrades one after another finally made him understand what it meant to be a ninja. He became calmer and more easygoing, and his attitude toward his father softened considerably. He treated me the same way, which made me so glad and filled me with hope for our future life..."

"But then something like this happened."

"Actually, we'd already been having disagreements before this. Xia Yu, did you know? He was even jealous of you for no reason... haha... I'm really going out of my mind..."

"Just this morning..."

Kurenai Yuhi swirled the empty wine bottle in one hand and propped up her groggy head with the other, endlessly recounting the love and resentment between her and Asuma.

Under the influence of alcohol, her deep crimson eyes looked even hazier and more sorrowful...

Xia Yu said nothing, simply listening to Kurenai Yuhi's anguish as the perfect listener.

The more she talked, the more she drank.

The more she drank, the more she talked.

Soon, two hours had passed.

During that time, with three jin of water in her belly, Kurenai Yuhi told Xia Yu almost everything about her past that no one knew.

Including how she had never had her first kiss and was still a virgin, yet could somehow be pregnant!

Where was the justice in that?

Perhaps all the water had gradually sobered her up, or perhaps she was simply tired of talking.

Kurenai Yuhi leaned back in her chair, panting softly, and stammered, "X-Xia Yu, I've been talking for so long. Aren't... aren't you going to say anything?"

Xia Yu chuckled and parted his lips slightly. "I was waiting for you to finish."

"I-I'm finished..."

"All right, then it's my turn to speak."

"Mm..."

Xia Yu shrugged, his expression turning extremely serious, and clearly enunciated each word:

"I'll support you, Kurenai. Marry into my Uchiha clan..."

"!!!"

The moment he said that, Kurenai Yuhi sobered up completely.

"Thump, thump, thump..."

Her wildly pounding heart would not settle down for a long time. Her ample chest, slick with sticky sweat and splashed alcohol, rose and fell, and her whole body began trembling involuntarily.

In truth, she did feel a slight attraction toward Xia Yu.

Xia Yu's handsome, formidable Susanoo in the early hours of that morning had truly left Kurenai Yuhi deeply shaken.

There was nothing to be done about it. Whether human or animal, the most primal instinct was to admire the strong. It was instinctive and impossible to control.

The only thing one could control was hiding that admiration so that no one discovered one's "emotional infidelity."

After a long while, Kurenai Yuhi finally collected herself. Looking flustered, she said:

"X-Xia Yu, don't tease me. You're so perfect, and I'm already pregnant. The way I am now... how could I possibly deserve you...?"

"Kurenai, this child is mine..."

"D-Don't joke around. I haven't agreed yet..."

"No, I'm not joking. Whether you agree or not, this child is mine. I am this child's father."