Dusk was falling. Nara Yūji looked at Asuma sulking in the shadows of the forest, his mind still dwelling on the vast gap between himself and Kairen.
He turned his head again to glance at the one chatting and laughing with Yūhi Kurenai at the side.
Such a huge gap—how could Asuma ever hope to compete? All he had was the identity of being the Sarutobi clan's young master and the name of the Hokage's son.
But that was precisely his greatest advantage.
"Let's go, Kurenai!" Yūhi Shinku called out to Yūhi Kurenai.
Yūhi Kurenai immediately stood up. "Got it, Dad!"
She turned to look at Kairen, her large red eyes filled with concern.
"Our defense line is right behind you. Don't be afraid of being alone. Whenever I have time, I'll come and talk to you."
Kairen smiled. "I won't let a single Suna-nin get past me to harm Kurenai."
Yūhi Kurenai shook her head, passing on the little "slacking-off" trick she had just figured out.
"When Suna-nin come, just find a place to hide. Let them pass. My dad's a Jōnin, he can handle it."
Yūhi Shinku's ears twitched. Genjutsu specialists had strong mental talents and sharp perception, and he could've sworn he just heard himself being sold out.
Not wanting the girl to worry, Kairen nodded. "Then I'll just hide and slip by when the time comes."
Yūhi Kurenai smiled. "That's better. You're only a Genin—you don't need to push yourself so hard."
"Then, see you later!"
"See you!"
After returning to the team, Yūhi Kurenai followed Yūhi Shinku and the others as they left.
Kairen watched their backs, then quickly formed a Body Flicker hand sign and slowly vanished.
...
That night, as usual, Kairen scouted the forest for any disturbances, but again, he found nothing out of the ordinary.
The Suna-nin seemed to have noticed the strange quiet of Line Eight in Zone A, but who knew what they were plotting?
When the night was quiet, Kairen split off a shadow clone to begin practicing ninjutsu.
Standing atop a large boulder, he formed a hand seal.
"Fire Release: Phoenix Sage Fire Technique!"
Kairen cupped his right hand over his mouth. From his lips, clusters of flames spewed forth, resembling the seeds of phoenix flowers.
This was a basic Uchiha family ninjutsu, only C-rank, and could be exchanged for 300 experience points.
Next, Kairen breathed fire again.
"Fire Release: Phoenix Flower!"
The shuriken hidden in his sleeves quickly merged with the flames. Covered by fire, the shuriken shot forward as clusters of blazing flame.
This was a Fire Release ninjutsu Uchiha Itachi excelled at, a derivative of the Phoenix Sage Fire Technique. Kairen hadn't exchanged for it; he had worked it out on his own using the system's ninjutsu development templates.
Suddenly, Kairen felt the faint sensation of being watched from behind.
"Byakugan, open!"
At once, Kairen activated his Byakugan. Sure enough, behind him, about a hundred meters away, a blue chakra mass hid behind a boulder.
Kairen's hands flashed through seals as his body generated chakra in a steady flow. This Fire Release technique required an enormous amount of chakra.
The ninja hiding in the dark, seeing Kairen about to unleash ninjutsu, immediately leapt out.
"Moku Kairen, wait! I'm a Konoha ninja!"
Kairen didn't care. Someone who'd been secretly spying on him all this time—who knew if he was gathering intelligence or scheming something sinister?
"Fire Release: Great Dragon Fire Technique!"
Kairen suddenly spewed forth a massive dragon-shaped blaze. The dragon's head was lifelike, even more dynamic than the fiery dragon of the Dragon Flame Song Technique.
Put simply, the "special effects" were a level higher.
"This Fire Release!"
The ninja's eyes widened. This was already a B-rank Fire Release, and such power could normally only be wielded by a Jōnin.
"Roooar—!"
The fire dragon roared forward. The hidden ninja immediately formed a seal and flickered away to escape the Great Dragon Fire.
Landing on a boulder, he suddenly felt a steel wire coil around him, the other end clenched tightly in Kairen's teeth.
Kairen's hands flew into a seal. "Fire Release: Dragon Fire Technique!"
The Dragon Fire Technique was another signature Fire Release of the Uchiha, using steel wire to connect to the enemy before releasing a straight blast of flames.
The flames were incredibly fast—before most people could react, they'd already be scorched.
"Whooosh…"
A blazing streak of fire, like a meteor across the sky, hurtled toward the hidden ninja.
But the man wasn't defenseless. His hands clapped together, and at once he unleashed a Wind Release.
"Wind Release: Gale Palm!"
A fierce wind burst from his body, meeting the oncoming Dragon Fire head-on.
For over ten seconds the two forces clashed before the flames slowly dissipated into the night air.
Kairen was ready to unleash another technique, eager to test more of his Fire Release.
"Moku Kairen, enough!"
The hidden ninja slowly approached. Kairen lowered his seals and finally saw his face clearly.
It was Yūten, one of Shimura Masao's two bodyguards.
"What were you doing hiding there?"
Yūten snorted, swallowing his anger.
"Moku Kairen, you've had a stroke of luck. Masao-sama wants to recruit you. From now on, serve the Shimura clan!"
Yūten had no fondness for Kairen. After all, he had worked with Jūjirō for many years, and they had built camaraderie.
He dared not openly criticize Shimura Masao's cold-blooded abandonment of Jūjirō, but that didn't mean he had no resentment toward Kairen.
Kairen smirked faintly and sat leisurely on a boulder below.
"Become a lackey of the Shimura clan, together with you?"
"What did you say?!"
"Get lost! Don't interrupt me when I'm training ninjutsu!"
Yūten still tried to persuade him.
"Moku Kairen! Civilian-born ninja have no future in the village. Joining a great ninja clan is the only path!"
Kairen formed a one-handed seal, flickered instantly behind Yūten, and kicked him hard, sending him sprawling face-first into the dirt.
Yūten's eyes were full of disbelief. "One-handed Body Flicker!"
"I told you to get lost. I already cut off Jūjirō's arm—you don't want to share his fate, do you?"
"You—!"
At last, Yūten remembered his comrade's miserable state. This ten-year-old boy was a ruthless one who dared to do anything.
He scrambled to his feet and fled in disgrace.
Kairen called after him with a final message.
"Tell the Shimura clan this: I don't even put Shimura Danzō, that old guy, in my eyes—let alone a nameless Shimura Masao. Use whatever dirty tricks you like. If you can kill me, then I'll admit your strength!"
Standing in the distance, Yūten could hardly believe the reckless words he was hearing from Kairen.
"Madman! He's lost it!"
To insult one of the Hokage's chief advisors as an old guy—that was the all-powerful Shimura clan head, who controlled the massive Root and ruled Konoha from the shadows.
For Kairen to dare insult him—if that wasn't madness, what was?
"This kid is truly audacious beyond belief!"
Yūten instantly flickered back, determined to repeat Kairen's words verbatim to Shimura Masao, so his master would abandon this reckless brat.
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