Chapter 109: Kurenai's Progress
The morning in March was neither cold nor hot, just comfortable. Hoshikawa woke up early, changed his clothes, and headed straight for the Konoha Knowledge Bookstore. Three months had passed since he last met with Samui and the others, and his... his friend had come up with a new novel idea and a fresh outline.
"Hoshikawa !" Tsuchihashi saw him and immediately guessed the reason for his visit. "Is there a new book?"
"That's right." Hoshikawa handed him a scroll. "The Redo of a Healing Magician."
Tsuchihashi repeated the title and opened the scroll. After a moment, a strange look appeared on his face. "The male protagonist has such a tragic start?"
"It builds up the character before he rises," Hoshikawa said concisely.
Tsuchihashi continued reading, and his eyes quickly lit up. He was particularly excited when the princess was forced to make a certain choice.
"No problem!" Tsuchihashi closed the scroll. "This will be a huge hit!"
"I want the novel and the manga to be released at the same time this time. It will save a lot of time," Hoshikawa suggested.
"With a normal author, we wouldn't dare take such a risk, but for Raiken, we can give it a try," Tsuchihashi said, pondering for a moment. "We'll get it arranged as soon as possible."
"Thank you, Tsuchihashi-ojisan." Hoshikawa thanked him and said goodbye, returning home.
He opened the door and saw Kurenai standing in the entryway. She was leaning against the wall, bent over as she changed her shoes. Her long black hair fell like a waterfall, and her fair legs were slightly tilted as her feet slowly disappeared into her shoes.
Hoshikawa 's eyes widened. Without him even noticing, Kurenai had grown into a vibrant and charming young woman.
"Hoshikawa , you're so early. What were you doing?" Kurenai asked, noticing him after she had put on her shoes.
"Just taking out the trash," Hoshikawa said, coming up with a quick excuse.
"Do you think I can get third place again this year, just like last year?" Kurenai didn't doubt him and changed the subject to the upcoming practical exams.
"It shouldn't be a problem," Hoshikawa said, analyzing the situation. "Your biggest opponent is Asuma. His overall strength is a bit higher than yours, but you have your own advantages."
"What advantages?" Kurenai leaned in closer. A faint, pleasant scent wafted toward him.
"Genjutsu," Hoshikawa said with a smile. "When you're fighting him, use your Water Style to confuse him first, then catch him off guard with a genjutsu."
"That's a great idea!" Kurenai's eyes lit up.
There was no need to say that Asuma Sarutobi would be consciously guarding against genjutsu, but he couldn't keep his guard up forever during a fight. Asuma and Kurenai's strength was very close, so Asuma would inevitably let his guard down when he was fully focused on dealing with her Water Style. Of course, if he could remain on guard, then he would rightfully win.
"You can do it." Hoshikawa reached out and patted her head.
"I'm not a kid anymore!" Kurenai huffed. "Stop patting my head."
Oh no!
Is my head-patting career coming to an end?
As a ninja of the Head-Patting Village, Hoshikawa felt a deep sense of regret. But Kurenai's body was honest even if her words weren't, and she didn't dodge his hand.
"Let's go get some Ichiraku Ramen," Hoshikawa said, holding out his hand.
Kurenai glanced at him and took his hand.
"I wonder when Shinku-ojisan will be back," Hoshikawa said, closing the door as they left the house. Shinku Yuhi had left for a mission two days ago.
"Soon, I think," Kurenai said, uncertainly.
"I forgot to ask what mission it was," Hoshikawa said, then tried to reassure her. "Don't worry, he'll be fine. At most, it'll just be another week or two." In the original story, Shinku Yuhi died during the Nine-Tails' attack, which was still a long way off.
"Mhm." Kurenai nodded, then asked, "Who taught you how to cook? Your food keeps getting better!"
"My teacher taught me," Hoshikawa said, selling her out without a second thought. "She's lazy, so I'm the one who cooks for her."
Kurenai's image of Tsunade was now very different. Before she met Hoshikawa , she had always thought of Tsunade as the greatest female ninja in the world. But now, that image had completely collapsed. Aside from being an excellent medical ninja, Tsunade was a lazy drunkard who gambled and didn't act like a ninja at all.
"You should teach me how to cook when you have time," Kurenai said, suddenly getting an idea.
"No problem," Hoshikawa said with a smile. He noticed that the girls in the original story were all quite virtuous, like Rin Nohara, Hinata Hyuga, and Ino Yamanaka. As for Tsunade, well, the less said, the better.
"We're here!" Kurenai let go of Hoshikawa 's hand and scanned the menu. "Teuchi-ojisan, one bowl of miso ramen with extra roast pork!"
"Me too," Hoshikawa said, sitting down next to her.
"Coming right up, you two!" Teuchi's voice called from the kitchen. A moment later, two bowls of ramen were served.
"I'm digging in!" Kurenai said, clapping her hands together, picking up the bowl, and taking a sip of the broth. A look of satisfaction spread across her face.
"So cute," Hoshikawa said, smiling and praising her.
"Of course I am!" Kurenai raised an eyebrow, accepting his compliment without any hesitation.
After they finished their ramen and paid, they headed to the Ninja Academy.
At 8 a.m., Eiichirō walked into the classroom on time.
"Don't let me be last place!" Obito Uchiha muttered with his eyes closed.
"If you don't work hard, does praying even matter?" Kakashi Hatake asked, shaking his head.
"Who says I don't work hard?" Obito retorted, though his voice lacked conviction. "I train with Rin every day!"
"I was talking about the written exam," Kakashi said calmly.
"I—I'm very serious in class—" Obito's voice grew weaker as he spoke.
"First place will probably be Hoshikawa again," Kakashi said, no longer arguing with him. He looked at Eiichirō at the front of the classroom.
"Not necessarily!" Obito scoffed. "I think Rin will get first place!"
"I'm not as good as Hoshikawa ," Rin said, shaking her head.
"Rin, you have to have confidence," Obito said quickly. "You almost beat him in the last monthly exam!"
"I will now announce the results of yesterday's written exam," Eiichirō said. "First place, Hoshikawa ."
Obito's face froze, and he didn't know what to say.
Rin, on the other hand, remained calm. The only reason she had been close in the last exam was because Hoshikawa had been away on a mission for two weeks.
"Last place, Obito Uchiha," Eiichirō said, closing the list. "In ten minutes, gather on the training field for the practical exam."
"Agh!" Obito said, unwilling to accept his fate. "Last place again!"
Rin looked at him, not knowing how to comfort him. She could understand why Hoshikawa was first place for four years in a row, but she couldn't understand why Obito was last place for four years in a row.
Was the written exam really that hard?
"Let's go to the training field," Kakashi said, looking at Hoshikawa with a hint of fighting spirit in his eyes. Just because he had never won didn't mean he was going to give up. This was his last chance, so he had to give it his all.
Hoshikawa would be graduating in his fifth year. After the Ninja Academy, there wouldn't be any more practical exams, just the Three Basic Jutsu test.
Hoshikawa and Kurenai left the classroom, one after the other.
There were already many students on the training field. He also saw Shisui Uchiha, Yugao Uzuki, and Anko Mitarashi. Since the exam was about to start, he didn't go over to greet them.
"Kurenai, I'm definitely not going to lose this time!" Asuma Sarutobi said confidently, walking over to them.
"What happens if you do lose?" Kurenai asked with a giggle.
"I—I'll treat you to some barbecue!" Asuma said, taking a moment to calm himself after seeing Hoshikawa 's calm demeanor.
"Okay," Kurenai said, pointing to Rin and the others. "You have to treat them too."
"No problem!" Asuma said nonchalantly. "It's just pocket change!"
"Hey, we didn't agree to this!" Obito protested.
"Obito," Rin said, shaking her head. "They're our friends."
"Fine," Obito said, relenting. He had planned to take Rin out for a solo dinner after the exam.
"Time's up! When I call your name, come forward for your match," Eiichirō said, clapping his hands to get everyone's attention. "First match, Shizune versus Kurenai Yuhi."
Shizune hadn't been training with Tsunade, so her strength wasn't a match for Kurenai's, and she was quickly defeated.
One match after another, the exams continued.
The one who had improved the most was Might Guy. He had gradually mastered the Eight Inner Gates and his taijutsu had increased significantly. In the original series, Might Guy had not graduated with Kurenai and the others; he had graduated two years early. But unfortunately, his written exam scores were terrible.
"Kurenai Yuhi versus Asuma Sarutobi!" Eiichirō announced loudly.
"Do you have your money ready?" Kurenai asked with a grin.
"Hmph!" Asuma suddenly realized that Kurenai had become just as infuriating as Hoshikawa .
The two came to the center of the field and formed the hand sign of confrontation. Kurenai followed Hoshikawa 's advice and started with Water Style. Asuma countered with Wind Style. Although he also had Fire Style, it was weak against water.
The two of them launched into a flurry of ninjutsu, drawing gasps from the onlookers. Although they were just repeatedly using the same jutsu, it was a rare sight for students who hadn't graduated yet.
At first, Asuma was wary of Kurenai's genjutsu, but the constant ninjutsu bombardment made him gradually forget about it.
Heart Disturbance Illusion!
When Kurenai felt the timing was right, she formed a hand sign, secretly changing her Water Style to a genjutsu. Asuma, still thinking it was a Water Style jutsu, was fully focused on her and fell into the trap.
Oh no!
He reacted instantly but it was too late. After he released the genjutsu, a water dragon came crashing into him.
Asuma was sent flying and fell to the ground.
"The winner is Kurenai Yuhi," Eiichirō said with a sigh of admiration. Kurenai's progress was truly astonishing. After all, she had defeated the son of the Hokage.
In fact, after taking over the class in their first year, Eiichirō had always believed that first place would belong to Asuma Sarutobi. But the results were far beyond his expectations. Asuma had lost to Kakashi Hatake, then to Hoshikawa , and now to Kurenai. If he kept losing, the son of the Hokage would lose face.
Soon, it was noon. The rankings were almost the same as last year: first place, Hoshikawa ; second place, Kakashi Hatake; and third place, Kurenai Yuhi.
As for Asuma Sarutobi, he kept his promise and treated everyone to a barbecue.
............
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