Sarutobi Asuma's pupils reflected a shard of chilling light. A coldness seemed to pour straight down from above his head.
Yūhi Kurenai lifted her gaze… and saw a short blade stabbing toward the crown of her skull.
Warm liquid slid down from the top of her scalp.
Kurenai's world turned red.
A strained, suffocated rasp escaped her throat, the sound of breath forced through tightened airways.
Her consciousness swayed, vision trembling, and every shape before her blurred like smeared paint.
Her first reaction was to look behind herself.
There was no figure.
No blade.
She raised a hand and touched her face, her palm was damp.
But it wasn't blood, only cold sweat.
So…it was a dream…
Even awake, Kurenai's heartbeat pounded like a drum.
She swallowed and realized her throat was painfully dry.
"Hey, what's wrong with you?"
Asuma stared at her with something between confusion and concern.
Kurenai looked abnormal, her eyes darted nervously, veins showing red, her whole body tense.
Feeling chilled, she shook her head. "It's nothing."
Just a dream.
She couldn't disturb everyone's rest over a dream.
Seeing her calm down little by little, Asuma didn't press further.
Kurenai steadied her breathing, forcing her pulse and lungs back under control.
She focused on the campfire in front of her… but her mind wouldn't stop returning to that dream.
Asuma had a nightmare earlier too.
Kurenai blinked her tired eyes.
Quite normal.
For shinobi who had never truly experienced war, anxiety-induced nightmares were hardly surprising.
Comforting herself with this thought, she let her gaze rise from the fire.
Her pupils contracted sharply.
Goosebumps climbed up her entire body.
The person sitting across from her wasn't Asuma.
It was her own face.
The "Kurenai" across from her smiled,a stiff, unnatural smile, as if the corners of her mouth were being pulled up by wire.
"This is a dream!
This is a dream!"
Kurenai whispered repeatedly, trembling uncontrollably.
"Wake up!"
"Wake up!"
"Kurenai!"
But she couldn't move; her body was frozen.
Her shaking fingers hooked around a shuriken.
A sharp sting shot through her arm, jolting her eyes wide open.
Warmth slid down her arm; she couldn't tell how much was real.
The figure opposite her spoke softly:
"You really want this to be a dream?"
"What a pity. This isn't a dream."
In the blink of an eye, the other "Kurenai" appeared directly before her.
A kunai sliced past her face, close enough to sever a lock of her hair.
Left a light cut on her cheek.
At the same time, Kurenai's own kunai thrust forward, striking the apparition's body.
The figure twisted its lips into a grin and then dissolved like smoke.
Kurenai exhaled shakily.
"Hey, what's going on with you?"
Asuma hurried toward her, eyes widening as he saw her trembling state. "Why are you stabbing yourself?"
He stared at the blood on her leg.
Even if she wanted to wake herself up, this was too much.
Kurenai stared at him approaching…was this dream or reality?...yet the more she looked, the more his features warped.
His face rippled like water...slowly turning into that same unnatural version of "other Kurenai".
Her eyes darkened.
She tightened her grip on her weapon and lunged toward him.
"Hey! Woman, What the hell are you doing?!"
Asuma stumbled back in alarm.
No…
Wait.
Something was wrong.
Even Asuma couldn't tell whether this was dream or reality anymore.
A short distance away, Amamiya Rei lay with his eyes shut.
Night stirred the demon blood in his body like restless whispers.
Truth was, he was never asleep.
He simply watched chaos unfold before him.
First Asuma.
Then Kurenai.
Then every shinobi on watch slipped into illusions one by one.
A faint rustling sounded...the signal he had been waiting for.
Rei opened his eyes instantly.
A perfect flicker of confusion mirrored in his red pupils.
His gaze locked on Asuma and Kurenai fiercely clashing.
He sprang upright, shouting repeatedly as he rushed toward them:
"Stop!"
"Don't fight!"
"Don't fight anymore!"
"Stop, please!"
"Don't fight anymore!"
"Kurenai!"
"Asuma!"
"I'm begging you!"
"Don't fight!"
Rei threw himself between them, grabbing hold of Kurenai and pulling her back, his voice breaking with desperation.
If they kept going, he really would have to beat the both of them senseless.
Held tightly in a strong embrace, Kurenai's mind began crawling back to clarity.
She stared at Rei's anxious crimson eyes, dazed and shaken.
She didn't even have time to understand the situation before she saw a shadow rushing toward Rei from behind.
She wanted to push Rei away, but her body was drained, as if she had fought for hours.
A sudden rush of wind cut toward Rei's back.
Rei also sensed another idiot attempting a sneak attack.
"Rei!"
Kurenai's voice cracked.
A hard sound split the air.
Time seemed to freeze.
No one noticed when Yamashiro Aoba had slipped behind Rei.
Rei fully intended to send this sneak-attacking fool flying into the next life, but an unfortunate soul had appeared to take the blow meant for him.
Rei turned in surprise and caught the person collapsing into him.
He glanced down at the stranger wearing dark sunglasses.
Brother…who even are you?
Do we know each other?
Not that it mattered.
What mattered was that the attacker behind him still looked eager to swing again.
Rei's expression darkened sharply.
He raised his hand.
Wooden thorns gathered in his palm, one move would be enough to erase the enemy completely.
But he hesitated.
Would that be too cruel?
Rei reminded himself, he wasn't a killer.
After all…he was "just an innocent girl who had never killed anyone".
The thorns melted into vines instead, snapping out and binding the attacker like a neatly wrapped rice dumpling.
"There's… so much blood… You're hurt… Why would you do something so reckless?"
Only after securing the attacker did Rei bother looking at the person who took the blow for him.
He gazed at the sunglasses-wearing youth, voice trembling with dramatic grief.
The young man stared back at him with dramatic solemnity. "To take a blade for you is my supreme honor."
Rei: "…"
His statement was so over-the-top that Rei almost felt tempted to stab him.
***
If you enjoyed the chapter, please leave a vote and share your thoughts in the comments. I'd love to hear what you think! 💕
Don't forget to check out my Telegram channel for more fresh updates and newly added novels.
https://t.me/starlitscript