"Kurenai, you've returned from the mission?"
Asuma Sarutobi looked at Kurenai, noticing that only Shino Aburame had accompanied her back.
A flicker of excitement crossed his eyes, hard to suppress.
Honestly, the series of events that had unfolded today had put him in a terrible mood, and now there was finally something that could lift his spirits, even slightly.
That Uchiha Genya didn't seem to have returned with Kurenai.
"Mm." Kurenai lightly nodded, yet her eyes remained fixed on the direction of the Hyuga clan's territory, filled with a searching curiosity.
She seemed determined to understand the situation within the Hyuga clan. More importantly, she wanted to know what had happened after Genya returned early.
But looking at the scene before her, it seemed everything had already settled. The ninja were beginning to leave in an orderly manner.
"That's strange… Where are your other two students, Uchiha Genya and Hyuga Hinata?" Asuma Sarutobi redirected his gaze to Kurenai, teasing in his tone, "Could something have happened to them?"
The moment he spoke, the surroundings fell into a sudden, frozen silence, as if under a jutsu.
Even Sarutobi Hiruzen and Danzo Shimura, who had just stepped out of the Hyuga territory, instinctively turned their gaze toward Kurenai.
In their eyes, it seemed they had already guessed a certain outcome and were eagerly waiting for Kurenai to confirm it.
"You mean Genya and Hinata?" Kurenai's gaze slowly swept across everyone, and then, calmly, she spoke again, "I sensed trouble here in the village and returned ahead of them. They're still behind me."
As she spoke, her eyes casually, yet deliberately, scanned over Hiruzen and the others one by one.
It appeared that what Genya had said was true—there was indeed some calculation behind this by Hiruzen.
Perhaps even when they first accepted the mission, they had already stepped into a carefully laid-out strategy by Hiruzen.
The momentary, incredulous expressions on their faces in front of her could not fool anyone.
"Kurenai, did you fail the mission? Are you saying this because you don't know how to report back?" Asuma Sarutobi looked at Kurenai, who remained calm and composed, and his suspicion deepened. He could not help but question her again.
He could hardly believe it—Kurenai Yuhi had actually managed to lead Uchiha Genya and the others out of the Land of Lightning unharmed.
"The mission was not a failure!" Yuhi Kurenai stared at Asuma Sarutobi, whose expression had already grown somewhat impatient, and squinted slightly, asking, "Asuma, what exactly are you trying to imply?"
There was a faint edge of accusation hidden in Yuhi Kurenai's tone.
"Then, since your mission is complete, did you get the signature from Hideki?" From Asuma's perspective, it seemed very likely that Yuhi Kurenai and the others, having uncovered Hideki's plans and schemes, had turned back midway and returned to Konoha.
But the more he thought about it, something felt off… it wasn't right! His father seemed to have sent several Jonin specifically to intercept them to prevent their return. But… where were those dispatched shinobi?
Why hadn't they come back to report? Could it be that they couldn't even stop this small group?
"Signature on the mission handover?" Yuhi Kurenai blinked her lively eyes, then shook her head slightly and explained, "Genya has it. He'll probably bring it over soon!"
"You're lying…" Asuma Sarutobi blurted out, disbelief written all over his face.
"Yuhi Kurenai, you really didn't encounter any unusual circumstances?" Hiruzen Sarutobi quickly restrained his son, whose temper had already begun to flare, looking at Yuhi Kurenai with gentle eyes and asking softly.
Yet, as he spoke, his gaze was fixed intently on Yuhi Kurenai, as if trying to uncover a hidden secret in those deep eyes.
"Nothing unusual happened!" Yuhi Kurenai blinked in confusion, then calmly met Hiruzen's gaze and asked, "Hokage-sama, do things only meet your expectations if we run into an accident?"
"No… I just wanted to ask because after you left, I found out that Hideki might be a spy from the Land of Lightning. I was worried you'd be in danger!"
Hiruzen's face twitched slightly, forcing a small smile, before finally saying, "I had originally planned to send shinobi to the Land of Lightning to rescue you. Since you've returned safely, I can finally rest easy!"
After a few simple words, Hiruzen Sarutobi turned away with an awkward, dry laugh.
Asuma Sarutobi and Danzo Shimura both glanced at Yuhi Kurenai before quietly leaving the scene.
"You're back?"
At that moment, Kakashi approached with a smile, a different kind of light flickering in his eyes.
"Kakashi, I want to talk to you alone!" Yuhi Kurenai looked at him, then subtly glanced at Uzumaki Naruto and Might Guy, who were nearby.
It was obvious that what she was about to say wasn't meant for others to hear.
Kakashi looked at Kurenai's serious, focused gaze and already understood.
In the end, he signaled Might Guy to take Naruto and the others back, while he led Kurenai to a quiet, secluded place where no one would disturb them.
Once they were seated and the surroundings fell into a deep silence, Kurenai broke the oppressive quiet first. "Kakashi, did you already know about Genya?"
"Seems like you know too!" Kakashi met her inquisitive eyes. Under Kurenai's intense gaze, he let out a soft sigh and slowly said, "Even when he was just a few years old, he could easily defeat me…"
Kakashi then sank into memories, recounting in detail all of his past encounters with Genya.
From their first meeting to the many battles that followed, he revealed everything, even how he had figured out Genya's hidden strength, leaving nothing unsaid.
Kurenai sat quietly, listening intently to Kakashi's words. Her brows remained tightly furrowed the entire time, as if she were constantly connecting the pieces of information in her mind.
When Kakashi finished speaking, he looked up, curiosity and concern in his eyes. "Kurenai, what exactly did you experience on your trip to the Land of Lightning?"
In Kakashi's view, Kurenai must have seen something significant in the Land of Lightning.
At this moment, she held an inexplicable trust in Uchiha Genya, and even in her tone during the conversation, there was a sense of awe and restraint toward him.
"Did something happen?"
Kurenai pondered for a moment before speaking slowly. "Kakashi, do you really think one person alone could suppress a tailed beast?"
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