Meeting Kurenai Again

The moment he was attacked by an Illusion Technique, Hyuga Mirai noticed it. Because he had personally entered the Uchiha Clan, he had kept the Spirit Transformation Clone Technique active the entire time.

A spirit body had been separated from his body. Like a Tailed Beast Jinchuriki, he was unafraid of ordinary Illusion Techniques. Even Sharingan Illusion Techniques had no effect on Hyuga Mirai, because the separated spirit body was not inside the Sealing Space within him. Not even the Sharingan could do anything about that.

Release!

Uzumaki Ayaka immediately dispelled the Illusion Technique, only to discover several Shuriken flying at her from all directions the next moment.

However, weapons like Shuriken and Kunai posed no threat whatsoever to Uzumaki Ayaka, even if Exploding Tags were tied to them.

Six Adamantine Sealing Chains extended from behind Uzumaki Ayaka, nimbly knocking every Shuriken out of the air.

Damn it, she actually made me embarrass myself in front of Lord Mirai…

After breaking free from the Illusion Technique, Uzumaki Ayaka immediately sensed its user, who was some distance away from them.

"Can an Illusion Technique be cast from this far away too? Lord Mirai, I’ll go deal with her right now!"

Seeing Uzumaki Ayaka roll up her sleeves, Hyuga Mirai shook his head and said, "Forget it. The petals we stepped on earlier were probably what triggered both the Illusion Technique and the trap. In the end, you were simply too careless. When we get back, I’ll make a training plan for you."

"But Lord Mirai, that person is already coming toward us. Aren’t we going to deal with her?"

Hyuga Mirai said, "An old friend. I’ll handle this. Ayaka, we’ll withdraw separately and meet at the agreed location later."

"I understand, Lord Mirai."

Although Uzumaki Ayaka was somewhat puzzled, she obediently followed Hyuga Mirai’s instructions. Konoha’s defenses and Barriers were practically transparent to her. Before she left, however, Hyuga Mirai patted her shoulder and shook off the cherry blossom petals resting there.

After the two split up, Hyuga Mirai headed in another direction. Under the observation of his Byakugan, Yuhi Kurenai was rapidly approaching him.

Not long after, Hyuga Mirai abruptly stopped in mid-leap and slightly shifted aside, dodging the Shuriken coming at him from behind. But then, as if he had triggered some chained mechanism, numerous Shuriken and Kunai came flying at him from several directions.

"Kurenai, your Shuriken throwing is a little sharper than before, but you should know it’s useless against me. And your Shuriken techniques are rather simplistic—"

Before Hyuga Mirai could finish, several thick branches suddenly extended from a tree beneath his feet as he landed, binding him in an instant.

"An Illusion Technique? When did she cast it?"

Surprise appeared on Hyuga Mirai’s face as he thought back. Among the Shuriken she had thrown earlier, several seemed to have Chakra attached to them. He had assumed it was meant to increase their power. So that had been the method for triggering the Illusion Technique?

As Hyuga Mirai recalled what had happened, Kurenai’s figure slowly emerged from the tree trunk. When he looked up, he saw Yuhi Kurenai’s familiar, lovely face. Her clear ruby-like eyes were filled with complicated emotions.

"It seems your progress has exceeded my expectations, Kurenai. I shouldn’t have looked at you with the same old eyes."

The two Illusion Technique traps she had just used concealed the activation of Illusion Techniques beneath attacks. Such a method, with one layer in the open and another concealed, was already enough to make it difficult for most Ninja to defend against.

"Is this Yuhi Shinku’s unique Illusion Technique method? Impressive."

Hearing Hyuga Mirai’s words again, Yuhi Kurenai realized that all her past training, all the methods she had used to become stronger and achieve her goals, seemed to have been in vain. Hyuga Mirai was now under her Illusion Technique’s control, yet she still seemed unable to strike.

"Why did you come back after leaving Konoha and abandoning your companions?"

After a brief pause, Hyuga Mirai said, "Come back… Naturally, I had things to do. In fact, I’ve already achieved my goal. If I hadn’t happened to run into you, we would have left Konoha already."

"What did you do?"

Hyuga Mirai shook his head. "Sorry, I can’t tell you that. But if you want to know, ask around tomorrow. You should find out."

"This isn’t a matter of whether you want to talk or not. During the time you were gone, I also learned plenty of interrogation methods from the people in the Interrogation Department."

"Does that include trembling hands?"

Hyuga Mirai chuckled as he teased her. He saw that the hand Kurenai used to hold her Kunai was trembling slightly, as though it had to pass through an immensely powerful electric field across that distance of barely a dozen centimeters.

A trace of awkwardness flashed across Yuhi Kurenai’s face. Although her feelings were already incredibly complicated, having Hyuga Mirai expose it still made her feel embarrassed.

"Don’t underestimate me."

"When fighting an enemy, keep conversation to a minimum, because it can unknowingly leak information. I remember teaching you that back then. Have you forgotten what I taught you, or do you simply not see me as an enemy, Kurenai?"

As Hyuga Mirai spoke, he recalled the help Yuhi Kurenai had given him in the past. Most of it had been small things, but at critical moments, she had never refused him.

The instant he fell under the Illusion Technique, he used another spirit body to break it. In Hyuga Mirai’s current view, Yuhi Kurenai stood before him, biting her lip in conflict. The Kunai in her hand was still some distance from his neck.

In the distance, news had already spread through Konoha that Hyuga Mirai had returned and attacked Kushina. Nearly all the Anbu left behind had been dispatched to search for him.

They would probably search this area before long.

"Kurenai, you’ve improved a great deal, but you still have major limitations."

Hyuga Mirai instantly snatched the Kunai from Yuhi Kurenai’s hand. Then, before she could react, he reached out and used the arm holding the Kunai to hook around her fair neck.

Yuhi Kurenai had yet to realize that her Illusion Technique had been broken. The situation between them was instantly reversed. Now she was restrained by Hyuga Mirai, and she could clearly feel the icy touch of metal against her neck.

"When did you break the Illusion Technique?" Yuhi Kurenai asked unwillingly, biting her lip.

The corners of Hyuga Mirai’s mouth lifted slightly. "Right from the start. Illusion Techniques are ineffective against me. That important information, I’ve only told you, Kurenai."

Hearing that, Yuhi Kurenai felt deeply unwilling to accept it. She had trained so hard and had already begun to make a name for herself in Konoha as a Jonin skilled in Illusion Techniques. Yet the gap between them seemed to be growing wider and wider. Now, even her best Illusion Techniques could do nothing to him. Was she supposed to use Taijutsu instead?

"It seems Konoha’s Anbu are about to search this place. Let’s catch up another time, Kurenai. I’ll be leaving first."

At Hyuga Mirai’s words, determination flashed across Yuhi Kurenai’s face. She decided that even if she had to risk injury, she would keep him here.

But the instant that thought formed, Yuhi Kurenai felt a tap on her head. The next second, she lost consciousness.

Hyuga Mirai placed Yuhi Kurenai beside a tree, then left directly.

After a while, a small Anbu squad searched this area and immediately noticed traces of fighting left behind here.

The Anbu squad captain raised a hand in signal, and the four of them immediately spread out to gather information. Before long, one of them called out, "Captain, something’s here."

The other three Anbu hurried toward the one who had called out. When they arrived, they found the nearby trees covered in Shuriken and Kunai, while a Konoha Ninja lay beneath another large tree.

"It’s Jonin Yuhi Kurenai. It seems Hyuga Mirai left through this area. The two encountered each other and fought, and Jonin Yuhi Kurenai was defeated."

The Anbu squad captain gave the order, "Jiali, take Jonin Yuhi Kurenai to Konoha Hospital and notify Hokage-sama. The rest of you, continue tracking him with me."

"Yes, Captain!"

After the assignments were made, the female captain of this Anbu squad carried Yuhi Kurenai on her back and hurried toward the village. Although Yuhi Kurenai had no obvious external injuries, Gentle Fist was Taijutsu that directly attacked the body’s internal organs. She had to be taken to the hospital for examination.

Because of the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki incident, not only had all the Anbu been mobilized, even Root had joined the investigation.

The Uchiha Compound was some distance from the village, but the commotion caused by the Anbu was considerable and was quickly noticed by the Military Police Force.

When the Military Police Force tried to go out and learn what was happening, two Anbu squads directly blocked their entrance and strictly forbade anyone from the Uchiha Clan from going to the village center to gather information.

This had been Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura’s suggestion, and Sarutobi Hiruzen had agreed to it.

Uzumaki Kushina still had not awakened, and Uzumaki Naruto had also been sent to Konoha Hospital. There were now four guard squads there, both openly and secretly, to prevent anyone from attacking the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki again.

Although the Uchiha Military Police Force was furious over this order, they did not want to clash with the Anbu in the middle of the night. Since the matter had nothing to do with the Uchiha Clan either, they accepted the order not to investigate the village center.

However, Uchiha Fugaku had also been awakened. After Tekka came over, he asked, "Tekka, what happened?"

"I’m not sure, Clan Head. The Anbu have strictly forbidden anyone from our Uchiha Clan from going into the village to carry out the Military Police Force’s duties. Should we secretly investigate?" Uchiha Tekka asked.

After thinking for a moment, Uchiha Fugaku said, "Not for now. It will be the same if we investigate tomorrow. What about Yasunori Sakai?"

"There’s no problem. Yasunori-kun went to rest after nightfall. Clansmen check on him at regular intervals, and no one has approached Yasunori-kun." Uchiha Tekka answered with certainty. Before coming here, he had quietly entered the room to check on Yasunori Sakai as well. The disturbance in the village had not woken him, and he was sleeping soundly.

"That’s good."

Uchiha Fugaku nodded, then sighed. "I wonder when things will finally calm down."

"Clan Head, that order from the Anbu earlier was a little too much…"

Although Uchiha Tekka knew this was not the time to say it, something had happened in the village, yet they would not even let the Military Police Force know about it. What kind of distrust was that!?

"I understand, Tekka. Trust me. Before long, I will change this situation."

Before Uchiha Fugaku could finish speaking, a clansman from the Military Police Force arrived, his expression somewhat ugly as he reported to Uchiha Fugaku.

"Clan Head, the Anbu want to come in and search!"

This chapter counts for Saturday’s. I’ll continue after waking up on Sunday!

Could I ask for some votes, dear readers?