"This is Kurenai Yuhi, your teammate for this mission."
It really is Kurenai Yuhi!
Nero's heart immediately grew fervent.
One had to know that Kurenai Yuhi, as one of the most popular Female Ninja in Naruto, could definitely meet the system's judgment criteria.
According to the original plot development, Kurenai Yuhi would eventually become Asuma Sarutobi's wife.
As for now...
Nero certainly would not follow the original plot's development.
As for what Asuma would do after Nero snatched Kurenai Yuhi...
Nero could only say: Sorry, Old Ma!
Kurenai Yuhi stood still, her gaze meeting Nero's, a faint curve at the corner of her lips.
Nero politely walked forward to shake her hand.
"Hello, I am Uchiha Nero."
"It's an honor, I am Kurenai Yuhi."
Nero felt Kurenai Yuhi's small hand was icy cold and very soft.
Up close, he could also smell a very pleasant floral scent.
"The village is short-staffed; most Ninja have been dispatched to the battlefield, so we can only assign you one teammate for now."
Hiruzen explained.
"However, Kurenai has been a Chunin for many years, and she excels at Genjutsu, so she should be able to cooperate with your Sharingan."
"In short, the situation is urgent. After you two familiarize yourselves with each other, please depart quickly."
"Yes, Hokage-sama!"
The two accepted the order and left.
Walking out of the Hokage Building, Nero briefly explained the mission to Kurenai:
"The mission is to investigate the abnormal movements of the Sand Hidden Ninja around the Mount Kikyo area. Mount Kikyo is located in the northwest of the Land of Fire, a crucial border pass, and the mandatory route for Sunagakure to invade. The journey is about two to three days. We have one hour to prepare, and then we meet at the village gate to depart."
Kurenai Yuhi listened seriously and nodded in agreement:
"Understood."
One hour later, the fully equipped pair met outside the village and immediately sped towards Mount Kikyo.
Along the way, Kurenai Yuhi didn't speak much.
Nero intentionally tried to close the distance between them, so he proactively initiated conversation:
"While we travel, let's get to know each other's abilities."
He introduced himself first:
"I possess the Three-Tomoe Sharingan, and I have a solid foundation in Taijutsu, Genjutsu, and combat observation. In Ninjutsu, besides the basic Jutsu formulas, I specialize in Fire Release and Lightning Release. Furthermore, I have also mastered Medical Ninjutsu and can perform emergency treatment."
Listening to Nero's self-introduction, Kurenai Yuhi was somewhat surprised.
She hadn't expected that this Uchiha captain of hers would not only be handsome but also so well-rounded in ability.
Especially his proficiency in Medical Ninjutsu.
One had to know that during a mission, it was inevitable for Ninja to get injured, and many Ninja sacrifices were due to wounds not being treated promptly.
Having a Medical Ninja on the team at such a time was very important.
However, training Medical Ninja was extremely difficult, so not every Ninja squad could be equipped with one.
Kurenai Yuhi couldn't help but develop a better impression of Nero.
She also began to introduce herself.
"My greatest strength is Genjutsu."
Thinking her introduction was too brief, Kurenai Yuhi's cheeks couldn't help but flush slightly.
Nero keenly noticed Kurenai's emotion and immediately comforted her:
"This mission is primarily about gathering intelligence, and your Genjutsu is perfectly suited for the task."
Nero's words weren't entirely flattery.
In fact, setting aside the Bloodline Limit, Kurenai's Genjutsu talent was already top-tier.
One had to remember that in the original work, Kurenai could exchange blows with Uchiha Itachi using Genjutsu!
Of course, how many exchanges she managed was another question.
Even though the current Kurenai was young and might not possess the peak strength from the original plot, it should be enough to cooperate with his intelligence gathering.
Just like that, the two advanced towards Mount Kikyo while conversing.
Under his guidance, the two gradually grew familiar, and their conversations increased significantly.
Three days later, the pair finally arrived at the Mount Kikyo area.
"Stop."
Nero lowered his voice, signaling Kurenai to conceal herself.
"That is the Mount Kikyo area ahead. It is not advisable for us to scout directly as Konoha Ninja."
"Why is that?"
Kurenai asked with a puzzled look.
"If the Sand Hidden become aware that Konoha is suspicious, it might stimulate their nerves. At that point, even if they aren't fully prepared, the Sand Hidden might launch an attack prematurely."
"Right now, our Konoha is not ready, so we must avoid this situation as much as possible."
Nero took out the Iwagakure forehead protector and clothing he had prepared beforehand.
"Put this on. Even if exposed, we can pose as passing Iwagakure Ninja to avoid direct conflict."
Saying that, Nero handed Kurenai a set of Iwagakure Ninja clothes and a forehead protector he had prepared earlier.
Kurenai felt that what Nero said made sense, so she took the clothes and hid behind a tree to change.
Nero also took out the Iwagakure Ninja clothes he had prepared.
After changing, the two followed Nero's plan, first circling around the north side, disguised as Iwagakure Ninja coming from the direction of the Land of Earth, and only then did they begin a detailed reconnaissance of the surrounding area.
The Mount Kikyo stronghold was a group of abandoned castles, originally built during the time of the Second Hokage, and gradually fell into disuse after the Second Great Ninja War.
They cautiously scouted the inside and outside of the castle but found no obvious traces.
Over the next few days, the pair gradually expanded their search radius.
It wasn't until the third day that Nero, relying on the keen perception of the Sharingan, finally discovered something unusual at the edge of a wooded area.
A patch of soil seemed to have faint signs of being disturbed.
He signaled Kurenai to remain vigilant and carefully dug open the surface with a Kunai; beneath it was a layer of completely cooled plant ash.
"About ten days ago, three to five people made a fire here."
Kurenai made a judgment after observing various details.
Nero nodded, then restored the scene to its original state.
Ninja usually relied on soldier pill for energy replenishment during missions; only during long-term missions would they possibly make a fire.
This trace was enough to explain many things.
Over the next two days, they found three more similar traces.
These traces varied in scale, the smallest being a team of three, the largest approaching ten people.
All of this indicated: a group of Ninja of unknown identity was carrying out a mysterious mission long-term on the border of the Land of Fire!
As clues accumulated, Nero had roughly determined the general area of the enemy Ninja's activities.
A plan quickly took shape in Nero's mind.
...
That night, three figures in Sunagakure attire quietly appeared among the dense trees.
The one in the lead was a middle-aged Ninja with a sharp face.
He cautiously moved forward while complaining in a low voice to his companions behind him:
"After getting this mission bounty, I must go to the Red Sand Tavern and have fun for a few days!"
"Fūshin, I heard you're still a virgin? This time I'll definitely take you to the tavern to properly experience it. The girls in there are very passionate; I guarantee you'll be reluctant to leave!"
However, there was no response from behind him.
He suddenly turned his head, only to find that there was already no one behind him.
The vigilance of a seasoned Chunin made the hairs on his body stand on end instantly.
His right hand quickly reached for the signal emitter at his waist.
However, before his fingertip even made contact, a soft female voice gently sounded:
"Demonic Illusion: Illusion of the Here and Now Technique~"
"Damn it, it's a Genjutsu!"
He was alarmed internally, trying to resist the influence of the Genjutsu on him while still reaching for his waist.
But the sensation on his hand stunned him.
The expected cold, hard touch did not appear; instead, there was a warm, soft sensation.
He looked down and found that a scantily clad woman was lying in front of him.
"Naughty~ Lord Iwasaki Shige, where are you putting your hand~"
The woman pouted coquettishly but did not dodge; instead, she deliberately rubbed lightly against his hand and let out ambiguous gasps.
Iwasaki Shige looked around and found that he was actually in a familiar private room at the Red Sand Tavern!
Moreover, there were soft, warm beauties nestled beside him, four women dressed lightly.
At this moment, these four women were making various seductive poses towards him, which made him, who hadn't touched a woman in a long time, feel his blood surge!