Naraku noticed someone secretly following Kurenai but didn't react.He simply raised his vigilance quietly.
"The danger around me will only increase from now on," Naraku warned her calmly. "You should also stay cautious."
His main goal was to survive and grow stronger.Yesterday's incident had been too sudden, and only a few people knew that the head of the Cloud escort team was now dead.
"Why? What happened?" Kurenai's eyes widened, clearly startled. She leaned forward, concerned.
"Nothing serious," Naraku shook his head and dismissed it. "Let's begin our training."
Kurenai frowned in silence.
Am I just a tool for Naraku to study Genjutsu?
He always said a few words, then asked her to help him train—so casually.
She was the same age as Naraku, Kakashi, Asuma, and a few others.In her memory, Naraku had always been cold and detached.
Long black hair, pure white eyes, and an emotionless, stoic face.
Kurenai often trained alone, sometimes with her teammates or others.She had always thought Naraku's talent was on par with Kakashi's, yet unlike Kakashi, he never applied for early graduation.
At the end of the Third Great War, Kurenai had once been saved by Naraku.
"Are you uninjured?"The same blank expression.The same flat tone.Yet Kurenai could never forget the strange flutter in her chest at that moment.
"I've been practicing Genjutsu from the scrolls my father left behind," Kurenai said, snapping back to the present with a serious expression.
Naraku nodded. "Not bad. But you don't need to rely on such basic techniques."
As soon as she stepped into the clearing, Kurenai had quietly activated her Genjutsu.Everything around looked unchanged, but if an outsider were watching, they'd notice the surrounding trees had shifted mysteriously.
And Kurenai herself wasn't in front of Naraku—she was to his right.
"You noticed it already? It's really unfair to fight a Hyuga with those eyes," Kurenai's voice came from behind.
She had a kunai at Naraku's neck.The large tree nearby seemed to come alive as countless branches extended and wrapped around him.
"This Genjutsu is called Tree Binding Death. It's a B-rank illusion technique passed down in my family for generations," Kurenai explained with a hint of pride.
Even though Naraku often asked her about Genjutsu, he usually won every spar.But this time, she thought she had him.
"This is a good one," Naraku said with a small smile, then calmly analyzed it."It disrupted my sight, sound, and even my sense of touch simultaneously."
"However, Kurenai... I told you, using Genjutsu against a Hyuga is risky."
As he spoke, the Naraku caught in the illusion vanished like a glitch in reality.
"What?!" Kurenai's eyes widened in shock.
The illusion of the Tree Binding Death was still active—but the one trapped inside was now herself.
Naraku stood in front of her, calm and composed.
"Well then, your turn to cancel the illusion," he said lightly.
[You have studied Genjutsu. Chakra +300][Current Chakra: 8300/10000]
The system prompts appeared in his vision.Naraku could feel his chakra strengthening again.
Ever since the Third War ended, he had often sparred with Kurenai to hone his Genjutsu skills.Now, the system confirmed it—he had completed basic mastery of the art.
"It's not fair!" Kurenai pouted, clearly frustrated. "Why can you always break my illusions so easily, but I struggle with yours?"
"I told you. Genjutsu is ineffective against the Hyuga," Naraku replied.
In the original timeline, Kurenai had even dared to use Genjutsu on Itachi...
Naraku's only comment on that had always been: What was she thinking...
Itachi was a Genjutsu prodigy. With the Mangekyō Sharingan, his illusions reached terrifying levels.Even Orochimaru didn't dare look into his eyes directly.
"I've told you before, the essence of Genjutsu is spiritual energy. The Byakugan uses Yin chakra. Our chakra supports our eyes."
"A person's resistance to illusions ultimately depends on the strength of their spirit."
"If your chakra is strong enough, you can passively resist basic illusions. And if your Yin chakra is stronger, your illusions will naturally become more powerful."
Kurenai listened intently and nodded slowly.
"So... if I want to improve my Genjutsu, I need to focus on strengthening my spiritual energy."
But then her expression turned a little strange.
Wait, wasn't I supposed to be the one teaching him Genjutsu?
Who's the student here?
"Yes," Naraku affirmed. "I have a scroll that explains how to train internal Yin chakra—it's from the Hyuga clan. You can try it, but don't share it with anyone, or you'll be in trouble."
This was Naraku's way of rewarding her for her help.
After all, she had taught him clan-level Genjutsu techniques.
She deserved something in return.
The scroll itself wasn't just Hyuga knowledge—it was a result of Naraku's observations of the Nara and Yamanaka clans' chakra structures.
The reason why the Ino-Shika-Cho trio was so effective was because their secret techniques balanced Yin and Yang chakra types.
Akimichi's expansion techniques were Yang-based—focused on the physical.Whereas Nara and Yamanaka's were spiritual—focused on Yin.
"I... I'm going to Naraku's house?" Kurenai's cheeks turned red.
Her thoughts wandered toward certain inappropriate places. She quickly tried to shake them off.
Just then, a voice rang out behind them.
"Wait a second!"
Asuma jumped down from a tree, looking pale and irritated—as if he'd eaten something rotten.