Senju Toka, Genjutsu Scroll

Ever since he was little, the boy had tried to sneak under her covers whenever he got the chance, treating her like a body pillow.

But the adorable, irresistible look in his eyes

really was impossible to refuse.

"Got it. I won't!"

Rikuto was overjoyed and nodded repeatedly, giving her his word.

The world was so cold.

Only Sister Kurenai's embrace

could warm his heart.

Chapter 21: Senju Toka, Genjutsu Scroll

That afternoon,

Rikuto slept especially soundly.

When Kurenai Yuhi woke up at four,

she felt a weight in her arms that made her a little uncomfortable.

The restless boy had buried his face in the lovely softness of her chest.

His boyishly handsome face wore a look of satisfaction,

leaving her caught between laughter and exasperation.

"This little rascal really does think I'm a body pillow, huh?"

She checked the time.

Kurenai tapped someone on the head. "Rikuto... time to get up!"

"Morning, Sister Kurenai~..."

Rikuto rubbed his eyes as he was roused from his sweet dreams.

He yawned as he looked at the beautiful, lovely face so close to his.

Holding Kurenai's soft, warm body with easy familiarity, he gave her a habitual kiss on the cheek.

The practiced way he did it

made it clear this wasn't the first time.

"Morning? It's already four..."

She wiped the saliva from her face.

Kurenai wasn't angry at all.

She pinched Rikuto's handsome cheek.

Her ruby-like eyes were full of laughter and indescribable affection.

"Is that so?"

Rikuto raised an eyebrow.

He didn't continue clinging to Kurenai.

Although he had always held himself back and hadn't dared do anything too outrageous,

for fear of upsetting Kurenai and losing that wonderful embrace,

his two little hands had still taken plenty of liberties whenever they had nowhere to rest.

"Are you really not going to school anymore?"

Kurenai, dressed in a red camisole nightgown, stretched.

She looked languid and alluring, radiating endless charm.

"No, I'm not. Honestly, there isn't much they can teach me there..."

Admiring the beautiful view, Rikuto said with a smile, "Sister Tsunade said she'd take me to Konoha Hospital to learn in a couple of days!"

He had long since stopped wanting to attend the Ninja Academy.

The trouble was the old Hokage who liked to peep and his Telescope Technique.

He couldn't very well send a Shadow Clone to class in his place while he stayed home every day.

And if Root happened to notice him, that would be trouble.

He was sure Danzo wouldn't mind taking in a gifted kid and brainwashing him into a useful asset.

The three Ino-Shika-Cho clans had always supported the Sarutobi Clan, but even the Yamanaka Clan had been unable to turn Danzo down and had been forced to send their genius, Yamanaka Fū, to Root, where he was brainwashed and trained into an emotionless killing machine.

Part of the reason was certainly that they didn't want to offend Danzo.

But it also showed just how much the Third Hokage indulged his "Hokage advisor," Shimura Danzō.

At Kurenai's urging,

Rikuto, who was a little worried about Chiya Nao, stopped lounging around and promptly got up and washed.

"Then I'll head home first, Sister Kurenai!"

"Okay. I'll come visit her in a little while!"

"Okay..."

Chiya Rikuto understood.

Women needed some time to get ready.

"Cough, cough..."

He said goodbye to Kurenai.

As soon as he reached home,

he heard Chiya Nao coughing rather violently.

She was clearly awake.

"Rikuto, cough, cough, you're back, cough, cough..."

"Grandma..."

Chiya Rikuto hurried into the old woman's room and helped her sit up.

A gentle green light shone from his palm as he nourished her body,

trying to make her feel as comfortable as possible.

"Cough, cough, where's Lady Tsunade?"

Chiya Nao asked.

"Sister Tsunade and Sister Shizune left a while ago. They said they'd be staying in the village for a few days... Also, she told me to go with her to Konoha Hospital for some practical training in a couple of days!"

Chiya Rikuto hid nothing and gave her a brief account.

"Mm, Lady Tsunade is a master healer renowned throughout the Shinobi World. Her medical skills reached the pinnacle long ago, so make sure you seize this opportunity and learn from her humbly..."

Chiya Nao didn't say much more.

She trusted Tsunade to make arrangements for his Wood Release training.

"Got it..."

Chiya Rikuto didn't know whether to laugh or cry.

He had never thought that just because he had a little talent,

he could look down on Tsunade.

She was one of the renowned Sannin, after all.

In medical arts alone, she had at least twenty or thirty years of extensive experience.

How could a kid like him, who could only be considered a frog in a well, working behind closed doors, compare?

"Cough, cough, mm, that's good..." Leaning on her cane, Chiya Nao pointed under the bed. "Cough, cough, Rikuto, help me get that box out from under the bed!"

Rikuto was astonished.

But he did as the old woman asked

and took a dusty, rust-covered, locked iron box from under the bed.

He smiled and said, "I've never seen you open this box before, Grandma. Could there be some kind of treasure inside?"

He had noticed the iron box before and had been curious about it.

But since it was locked, he hadn't opened it without permission.

Besides, Chiya Nao had said her dowry was inside.

She would give it to him when he graduated from the Ninja Academy.

"My mother, your great-grandmother, gave me this box before I got married... It's been with this old woman for decades!"

Holding the rusted iron box,

Chiya Nao's cloudy eyes filled with memories.

"Great-grandmother?"

Chiya Rikuto was bewildered.

His grandmother had never mentioned that great-grandmother of his before.

He had only learned recently that she came from the Senju Clan.

"Cough, cough, don't be fooled by the fact that your grandma was just an ordinary, little-known Chunin when she was young..."

From around her neck,

Chiya Nao took a key she wore close to her body.

Stroking the iron box, she said with deep feeling, "Cough, cough, your great-grandmother wasn't as famous as the First Hokage, Lord Hashirama, or the Second Hokage, Lord Tobirama, cough, cough, but she was also a renowned powerhouse of the Senju Clan, a trusted confidante of Lord Hashirama, famous throughout the Shinobi World..."

"Even ninja from other countries knew how powerful she was!"

"Her name was Senju Toka!"

"Senju Toka?"

Rikuto raised an eyebrow.

The name sounded somewhat familiar.

She seemed to have been a powerful member of the Senju Clan who specialized in genjutsu.

She had briefly appeared in the original story, and he remembered her because she was quite attractive.

She had once stood behind Hashirama Senju, with Tobirama Senju on his other side.

That alone spoke to her status.

"Yes, she was a genjutsu expert. Even the Uchiha Clan's Three-Tomoe Sharingan couldn't easily break the genjutsu she cast..."

Chiya Nao opened the iron box, which had been sealed for so long.

Inside, besides some finely crafted gold and silver jewelry,

there was also a scroll.

Chiya Rikuto's eyes narrowed as he ventured a guess. "Could that be..."

A starved camel really was still bigger than a horse.

Each one had hidden more than the last.

"That's right. This is the dowry your great-grandmother gave me before I got married..."

Chiya Nao didn't keep him in suspense. She nodded with a smile. "It records most of the genjutsu she knew, including some advanced ones, as well as her insights on training in them!"