After the meal, Kurenai strongly insisted on joining their two-person training team.
"You don't train in swordsmanship, so what's the point of tagging along? It's a waste of time," Yami said in confusion.
Kurenai argued, "I can train in genjutsu. Yami, your mental strength is so strong—you can be my sparring partner."
Yami looked at her with disdain. "You just want to take advantage of me for free, don't you?"
Pfft!
Yugao, who was drinking water, spat it out. Luckily, no one was sitting across from her—otherwise, it would've been a disaster.
"Yami, that… that kind of dirty talk, where did you even learn it?"
She immediately thought of two suspects—Hizashi and Jiraiya. Those two pervy old men must've corrupted cute little Yami.
"Then what do you want? At worst, I'll treat you to barbecue once a week," Kurenai blushed, gritting her teeth as she made the promise.
"No matter how tasty something is, you'll get sick of it if you eat it every day." Yami shook his head slightly. With Yugao already here, plus Hizashi still being a fat sheep, if Kurenai joined, he could basically live in a barbecue shop.
"What do you want then?"
"Can you cook as well as Yugao?" Yami asked.
Kurenai's face turned pale. She turned away, both embarrassed and angry. "No, but it's edible. I've been eating it for years and haven't ended up in the hospital."
She had seen Kurenai's cooking earlier. It wasn't any worse than the restaurants in the village, and it had a homely warmth to it. If she wasn't embarrassed, she would've wanted to pay Yugao to cook long-term.
Yami and Yugao both frowned.
What do you mean by 'haven't ended up in the hospital'? Are you proud of that?
Yami started counting on his fingers, complaining, "Your cooking isn't as good as Yugao's, you're not needed to clean, and you're not as gentle as her… so why should I help you?"
"Aahhh!" Kurenai screamed and lunged at him. "You little brat! I'll fight you!"
[Host and Kurenai have reached stage two of the 'Rivalry Bond'. Reward: Genjutsu – Tree Binding Death]
…
After the chaos, Yami still agreed to let Kurenai join him and Yugao's training team. The reason? During the fight, he discovered that Kurenai's strength was just right for massages.
Also, he had recently obtained Shisui's genjutsu talent, so Kurenai could serve as a sparring partner.
The two struck a deal—two massages per week.
However, Yami didn't share the medicinal bath formula. Their relationship hadn't reached that level yet.
Over the next few days, Yami lived a nine-to-five lifestyle, heading out to train at nine in the morning, and picking up Izumi from school at five in the afternoon.
Nothing changed until the seven-day period ended and Hizashi returned to his post.
Outside the Hokage building.
Hizashi saw Yami approaching with two girls and rolled his eyes dramatically, not caring who saw.
"You really are heartless. Were you hoping I wouldn't survive? You actually went and tattled to my brother about the Red District incident."
Hizashi spoke with deep resentment. His legs were still wrapped in bandages and plaster. Of course, most of that was for show, meant for his brother Hiashi. In reality, the minor injuries could've been treated at Konoha Hospital.
"Just giving Hizashi-sensei a little lesson," Yami replied with a bright smile. "My old man always said—people can't teach people, but things can teach people. That's the future."
Hizashi savored the words, then nodded in awe.
"As expected of Elder Danzō. He really does speak in proverbs."
Yami muttered to himself. How many times have I had to praise that old man by now?
He was really breaking his back trying to make Danzō's reputation look good…
…
After some banter, Hizashi led the three of them inside to pick a mission.
Yugao quietly said, "Hizashi-sensei, we'd like to take missions near the village, so we still have time to train. We also don't want to take them too frequently. Is that okay?"
This was a plan the three had agreed on.
The purpose of taking missions was just to accumulate experience and practical combat opportunities.
They were currently in a period of rapid growth, so it would be a waste to spend too much time on missions.
As long as they fulfilled the village's minimum requirements, that was enough.
Hizashi nodded without hesitation. "Alright. After each mission, we'll take three days off. Let's also avoid time-consuming escort or guard missions."
"Thank you, Hizashi-sensei." Yugao and Kurenai smiled gratefully.
Another week passed in the blink of an eye. During that time, Hizashi's team only took on two missions, eliminating a rogue ninja and taking down a bounty hunter from Kankinso. Both were completed smoothly.
The rest of the time was spent training in the village.
Thanks to the substantial increase in physical strength and chakra, Yugao's Dance of the Crescent Moon had improved significantly. After using Shadow Clones, even Yami couldn't tell which was the real body or which was the main attacker, and he could only rely on brute force to counter them.
Although this sword technique was named after the Konoha style, it wasn't the typical Konoha swordsmanship seen everywhere.
It was actually an A-rank technique created by Senju Tobirama. It definitely had its unique traits, but the flaws were obvious too. The technique relied on trickery, and its true lethality depended on the user's own level.
What Yugao needed now was a sword technique with stronger killing power.
After learning she had both Fire and Lightning attributes, Yami suggested she start with chakra nature transformation and try infusing chakra into her blade to enhance its power.
Yugao discovered a new direction and began practicing enthusiastically.
But Kurenai was suffering.
She had watched Yami evolve from a genjutsu novice to someone almost on par with her—in just a few days!
She had always thought she was a rare genjutsu prodigy in the village.
But compared to Yami, she was nothing!
Thankfully, she wasn't someone who collapsed easily from setbacks. After a short slump, she reignited her fighting spirit.
Even if she would eventually be surpassed, she hoped that time would come later. Otherwise, it'd be way too embarrassing.
In the blink of an eye, it was already the 14th of the month.
That night, Yami stood on the windowsill, looking toward the Land of Water.
"Shisui-senpai, don't let me down."
"Otherwise, I really will kill Uchiha Itachi..."
(To be continued.)
***
For every 200 PS = 1 extra chapter. Support me on patreon to read 30+ advanced chapters: patreon.com/Blownleaves.