Konoha's Hextech Ninja

"Sharing a pair of chopsticks, does that count as an indirect kiss?" Kurenai felt as if she had a fever, her cheeks were burning, and her head was starting to spin.

"It tastes really good," Yagami Yoruichi exclaimed, picking up a piece of freshly grilled beef, dipping it in the sauce, and bringing it to Yuhi Kurenai's lips: "Ah~ open your mouth~"

Kurenai numbly accepted Yoruichi Yagami's constant feeding, her attention unconsciously drifting away, her mind already wandering off somewhere else.

Chapter 83 Kurenai Wants to Become Stronger

The banquet ended late at night.

The other students all said goodbye one after another, leaving only Yagami Yoruichi and Yuhi Kurenai in the restaurant.

Looking at the gift boxes piled up in the room, Kurenai Yuhi hesitated and said, "How am I going to take all these gifts home?"

The students who came to the birthday party all brought gifts.

Dozens of gifts, of varying sizes, were piled together like a small mountain.

"It's nothing." Yagami Yoruichi called over Akimichi Torifu and said, "Uncle Torifu, could you lend me a sealing scroll? I received too many gifts from my classmates, and it's not easy to take them back. I'll return it as soon as I'm done using it."

A sealing scroll is quite valuable, but Akimichi Torifu said nothing. He simply took out a scroll and handed it to Yagami Yoruichi, asking, "Do you know how to use it?"

"Uncle Kosuke taught me," Yagami Yoruichi said, beginning to form hand seals.

"Wait a minute." Kurenai suddenly interrupted Yoruichi Yagami, her face slightly flushed, and asked, "Yoruichi-kun, which one did you prepare? I want to open it and take a look first."

The gifts were not opened, and Kurenai Yuhi had no interest in opening them either.

However, Kurenai couldn't wait to open the gift from Yoruichi Yagami and see what it was.

"This is it." Yagami Yoruichi took a box out of the pile of gifts and handed it to Yuhi Kurenai, saying with a smile, "Open it and take a look."

Kurenai eagerly opened the box, and upon seeing what was inside, her expression turned to surprise: "A necklace?"

"Shall I put it on for you?" Yagami Yoichi sniffed the necklace, but had already picked it up from the box, walked behind Kurenai Yuhi, and fastened it around her neck.

A perfectly cut red gemstone dangled from a silver necklace, hanging on her snow-white neck, looking perfectly matched with her ruby-like eyes.

"Look, do you like it?" Yagami Yoruichi pulled Yuhi Kurenai to the mirror.

Kurenai looked up and saw herself in the mirror, noticing the happy and shy expression on her face. She couldn't help but be slightly lost in thought for a moment before turning her attention to the necklace.

"This necklace... must be very valuable, right?" Kurenai Yuhi hesitated.

"It's not expensive," Yagami Yoruichi said honestly. "Even the most expensive things aren't as precious as you."

The most expensive part of this necklace is the gemstone, but it's only of ordinary quality and not considered a rare item. The price is just over ten thousand taels.

It would be incredibly expensive for ordinary people, but with Yagami Yoruichi's current income, it is something she can easily afford.

As for those rare items that even nobles would scramble to buy, their prices would skyrocket, and Yagami Yoruichi is not even in a position to even think about them right now.

Upon hearing Yagami Yoruichi's words, Kurenai Yuhi seemed startled, lowered her head shyly, and muttered, "Smooth talker! All she does is say nice things to flatter me!"

Yoruichi Yagami took the sealing scroll and walked to the side, made a few hand seals, put away the mountain of gifts, took Kurenai Yuhi's little hand, and said, "You've had enough fun, it's time to go home. If it gets any later, Uncle Shinku will be getting impatient."

Yoruichi Yagami and Kurenai Yuhi made a promise that no matter what happened, whether it was training or dating, Yoruichi had to take Kurenai home before 10 p.m.

It's already past nine o'clock, we can't delay any longer.

Kurenai Yuhi, dragged along by Yoruichi Yagami, left the yakiniku restaurant in a daze.

He only came to his senses after stepping out of the store, and looked up to ask, "Yoruichi-kun, did we forget to pay?"

Seeing Kurenai's dazed expression, Yoruichi Yagami couldn't help but smile: "I already paid for it, you fool."

"You must have spent a lot of money?" Kurenai Yuhi pulled a small purse from her pocket and handed it to Yoruichi Yagami: "I've saved up a lot of pocket money, take this first."

“No need, Uncle Torifu gave us a discount, we only paid the cost price, it didn’t cost us much.” Yagami Yoruichi stuffed the wallet back into Kurenai Yuhi’s hand and said with a smile, “Kurenai, keep your allowance to buy things you like. Don’t worry about money, my teacher can let me take on ninja missions early, so I can earn money very quickly. In a few years, when I can take on more difficult missions, I might earn money even faster than Uncle Shinku.”

“My dad’s a Jonin! He’s carried out S-rank missions many times!” Kurenai Yuhi couldn’t help but say, “Yoruichi-kun is a genius, but isn’t it too dangerous for him to take on S-rank missions now?”

She didn't think that Yoruichi Yagami couldn't surpass Shinku Yuhi, but rather that she was worried that the mission Yoruichi Yagami was carrying out was too dangerous.

"Don't worry, I definitely won't touch S-rank missions. I'll just take on some simple C-rank and B-rank missions." Yagami Yoruichi knew very well that at this stage, all she needed was time and to speed up her development by killing enemies and getting gold coins during missions.

As for the 'resume' of high-difficulty missions, it is very important to ordinary ninjas, but it is not that significant to Yagami Yoruichi.

Once the equipment is fully acquired, Yoruichi Yagami will have enough strength to easily complete various difficult tasks and create a perfect 'ninja resume'.

"What I told you during the day wasn't all a lie. I do need to leave the village for a while to carry out a mission," Yagami Yoruichi said to Yuhi Kurenai. "It depends on what kind of mission you assign me, but it shouldn't be too long."

Yoruichi Yagami had already mentioned to Tsunade her desire to go on another mission, but she had to postpone it for a while because she wanted to celebrate Kurenai Yuhi's birthday.

We'll see what kind of task Tsunade assigns herself then.

"Yoruichi-kun..." Kurenai Yuhi hesitated, then looked up at Yoruichi Yagami and said, "Could I go on a mission with Yoruichi-kun?"

"Hmm?" Yagami Yoruichi turned to look at Yuhi Kurenai, but didn't speak, feeling somewhat hesitant.

"I just don't want to be separated from Yoruichi-kun." Kurenai turned her face away, saying somewhat awkwardly, "If Yoruichi-kun isn't willing to go on missions with me, then forget it!"

"It's not that I'm unwilling." Seeing the little girl start to sulk, Yagami Yoruichi quickly said, "It's just that your strength is still a bit weak right now, and I'm not confident that I can protect you well."

Insufficient strength is, of course, just an excuse.

In any case, Kurenai Yuhi's overall strength has barely reached the level of a Chunin, and she is more than capable of carrying out this kind of bandit-suppression mission with relatively low combat intensity.

The main reason is that Yoruichi Yagami doesn't want Kurenai Yuhi to be exposed to things like bloodshed and killing too early.

The real ninja world is still too cruel for Kurenai Yuhi to see now.

It's best to wait until she's older, has a more developed set of values, and a stronger will before she gets involved in these things, so that she's less likely to develop mental health issues.

"You just despise me!" Kurenai Yuhi scolded, but in her heart she knew that Yoruichi Yagami was right.

Compared to Kakashi Hatake and Inaho Uchiha, her strength is indeed much weaker.

If they encounter a strong enemy while carrying out a mission together, she might become a burden to the team, bringing danger to the entire team.

"Hmph, I'll have my dad give me special training when I get back! When Yoruichi-kun comes back, I'll make sure you look at me in a completely different light!" Kurenai Yuhi said angrily.

"I believe that your Yin Release talent is very strong, Kurenai. As long as you train hard, you will definitely become stronger quickly." Yagami Yoruichi comforted him with a smile, "As long as your strength can catch up with Kakashi, and Uncle Kurenai agrees, I will talk to my teacher and take you with me when we go on missions in the future. How about that?"

Although she had already made up her mind not to let Kurenai Yuhi get involved in killing and bloodshed too early, Yoruichi Yagami still deliberately proposed a seemingly achievable goal to motivate Kurenai to train hard.

As for whether he can really catch up with Kakashi Hatake?

Yoruichi Yagami never expected anything from her.

Kurenai Yuhi's talents are indeed impressive, but they are mainly concentrated in Yin Release and Illusion Techniques, while she is much less skilled in other areas.

Compared to a genius like Kakashi Hatake, who is incredibly well-rounded and has no obvious weaknesses, he is not even in the same league.

The gap between top geniuses and ordinary geniuses is often greater than the gap between ordinary geniuses and ordinary people.

Moreover, even if Kurenai Yuhi worked hard and actually caught up with Kakashi Hatake,

One of the conditions under which Yagami Yoruichi agreed to take Yuhi Kurenai on the mission was that 'Yuhi Kurenai agrees'.

At worst, we can just make Kurenai Yuhi play the bad guy.

Given his doting nature towards his precious daughter, he probably wouldn't mind... right?

"Kakashi, humph, I'll catch up to his strength soon!" Kurenai Yuhi made up her mind that after returning home, she would ask her father to help her with intensive training.

Although the Yuhi family is not considered a ninja clan, they do have a lineage of genjutsu (illusion techniques).

Kurenai Yuhi is an elite Jonin with genjutsu skills, a rarity even in the ninja world.

With his full guidance, coupled with her own talent, Kurenai was very confident in her growth.

Yoruichi Yagami sensed Kurenai Yuhi's thoughts, and although she didn't think it was a good idea, she didn't show it.

There's no need to compare it to a monster like Kakashi Hatake.

As long as Kurenai Yuhi is stronger than she is in the original work, the goal has already been achieved.

The two chatted as they walked to Kurenai's house.

Yuhi Shinku had clearly been waiting for a long time, but when she saw Yagami Yoruichi, she didn't have a friendly expression at all, and her attention was completely focused on her precious daughter.

Yoruichi Yagami was also very sensible. She unsealed the birthday gift from the sealed scroll, helped Kurenai Yuhi put it away, and then took her leave.

Kurenai reluctantly saw Yoruichi Yagami off at the door, then returned inside under Makoto Yuhi's resentful gaze.

Instead of immediately opening the gift, she went to Yuhi Shinku and said, "Dad, please help me with my special training. I want to become stronger and keep up with Yoruichi-kun!"

Kurenai Yuhi was somewhat taken aback, wondering what had triggered her daughter.

But in any case, wanting to become stronger is a good thing.

Even an elite Jonin like him wouldn't dare guarantee his own safety in this ninja world. The stronger Kurenai Yuhi is, the more reassured he will be about protecting herself.

“Training isn’t something that can be done in a short time. It’s late, so you should get some rest.” Kurenai Yuhi said to her daughter, “Starting tomorrow, I will ask the Hokage for leave to personally train you. My standards will be very high, so don’t give up halfway!”

Chapter 84 Leaving the Village, The Stalker

The following day, Yagami Yoruichi's squad regrouped.

As always, Yagami Yoruichi is the captain, and Maruboshi Kosuke, Hatake Kakashi, and Uchiha Inahisa are the team members.

Carrying the mission order obtained from Tsunade, the four of them left the village with their luggage and hurried through the dense forest.

But after walking a short distance, Yagami Yoruichi suddenly realized that something was wrong.

There was a subtle, lingering feeling of being spied on.

This feeling has never disappeared since the moment I left the village.

"Kousuke-senpai!" Yagami Yoruichi spoke up, saying to Maruhoshi Kosuke, who was leading the way, "I feel something's not right. Could you please use your sensory ninjutsu to check if we're being followed?"

Maruboshi Kosuke nodded, formed a hand seal with one hand, and used his sensory ninjutsu.

Chakra seeped into the earth and spread outwards, allowing Kosuke Maruboshi to sense chakra reactions from a great distance.

After a moment, Kosuke Maruhoshi frowned: "There is someone following us... I don't recognize this chakra, it's not someone I know. We can't be sure yet whether he's following us or just happens to be on the same road as us."

Yagami Yoruichi was completely bewildered.

He was just a student at a ninja academy and had only carried out one bandit-suppression mission. He had never provoked any enemies.

Kakashi Hatake and Inahi Uchiha are the same.

If they came specifically for our group, the only possible target would be Maruboshi Kosuke.

However, this area is still near Konoha Village, and belongs to the place where Konoha has the strongest control.

Even if there really are enemies, would they dare to venture so close to Konoha to cause trouble for Maruhoshi Kosuke?

Or is it just a coincidence that both sides happen to be heading in the same direction?

Yoruichi Yagami sensed something was off, but didn't have time to think about it too deeply. She said directly, "Change direction. Kosuke-senpai, keep an eye on that person's direction and see if he continues to follow."

To determine whether someone is targeting your group, there's nothing simpler.

Change direction and see if the other party continues to follow you.

If they continue to follow after changing direction, they are definitely targeting your group.

With his vast experience, Kosuke Maruhoshi naturally understood this principle. He made a near 90-degree turn and continued heading away from Konoha.

With such a sharp turn, if it were just a coincidence that the target direction was the same, then the people behind would definitely not chase after us.

……

In a secret base in Konoha.

"My lord, the Yagami Yoruichi you instructed us to keep an eye on has left the village. She received the mission from Tsunade, but the details of the mission are not yet clear. We have already sent people to investigate."

A masked ninja knelt on one knee before Shimura Danzo and reported, "Currently, 'Inu' is following the target team. Should we take action?"

Danzo Shimura asked, "Tsunade isn't with you? Who else is with her?"

"Tsunade hasn't left the village. According to our intelligence, she's currently gambling at a casino." The masked man quickly reported, "The target team consists of Maruboshi Kosuke, Hatake Kakashi, and Uchiha Inahi from the Uchiha clan. All three are targets you instructed us to keep a close eye on, sir."

"Kosuke, this is an old friend."

"And White Fang's son. White Fang has been very disobedient lately, so he needs to be disciplined."

"Uchiha? Hmph, so you've actually mixed up with the Uchiha clan. Tsunade, it seems you've forgotten your teacher's teachings!"

Danzo Shimura muttered to himself, quickly weighing the pros and cons in his mind, and made a decision. He then ordered, "Dispatch two Root teams to capture the targets! Yoruichi Yagami and Kakashi Hatake must be captured alive! As for Kosuke and the Uchiha, it would be best if they could be captured alive, but if they cannot be captured alive, kill them without mercy!"

"For the sake of Konoha, some sacrifices are unavoidable!"