Kurenai's cheeks flushed as Yasu caught her in his arms, her body tensing from the sudden closeness.
But the roaring sound of Fang over Fang quickly brought her back to reality.
"Run! I'll hold them off!"
Kurenai tried to break free, but Yasu pulled her back, holding her even tighter.
"I already said I'll handle it!"
Her heart raced. The impact of an out-of-control Fang over Fang was far beyond what even a kid could endure. And Yasu was holding her with just one arm—trying to stop dual tornadoes with that was sheer madness.
Yet, to her surprise, she couldn't break free from his grasp.
"Let me go! Run!"
"Stay still. Watch closely," Yasu said with a faint smile, extending one hand.
Kurenai sighed helplessly.
Though Yasu's chakra protected his hand, it was so thin it was almost negligible. Trying to intercept the jutsu head-on would have crippled his arm.
Instead, Yasu lightly tapped one of the drills in midair.
With that subtle touch, one of the drills shifted, colliding with the other drill instead of continuing toward him.
Bang!
The fierce clash whipped the wind around, sending Kurenai's hair flying.
Her eyes fixed on the scene, ignoring the stones scattering around them.
"This kid… he actually did it!" she muttered in disbelief.
So Yasu wasn't bluffing.He had been confident from the very beginning.All her doubts had been for nothing.
"How did you do that?"
"Using softness to overcomes hardness. A slight push can redirect great force. Once you understand this, it's actually easy," Yasu explained calmly.
Kurenai almost spat out a mouthful of blood.
Easy? Anyone could understand the theory, but when it came to actually doing it, the brain may have learned it, but the body often can't keep up.
Moreover, using softness to overcome hardness was part of the Gentle Fist techniques—a style easy to learn but extremely difficult to apply in real combat.
To execute it so calmly… within the entire Hyuga clan, only a handful of shinobi could manage that.
"A genius… he really is a genius!"
[Ding! Kurenai – Favorability +5! Current favorability: 64 points! Can sign-in!]
"Sign in Kurenai!"
[Ding! Kurenai – Sign-in successful! You've obtained Shuriken Jutsu! Favorability +4! Current favorability: 68 points!]
[Ding! Duplicate technique detected! Low-level Shuriken Jutsu experience added into high-level Shuriken Jutsu!]
"Hey, how long are you going to keep hugging me?"
Yasu, still checking the system, was snapped back by Kurenai's voice—and realized his hand was still on her waist, their bodies close together.
Startled, he quickly let go.
"Sorry, I forgot."
Kurenai didn't get angry. She smiled slightly.
"How about joining Team 8? You can hug me as much as you want. And if that's not enough, I'll set Hinata up with you. Don't underestimate her—she's got potential!"
"H-hey, what are you talking about, Kurenai-sensei?!" Hinata's face turned crimson, and she shyly looked away, her eyes darting between Naruto and Yasu.
Hinata hesitated.
At first, she didn't want to come to the evening gathering at all. But Yasu's earlier move—a high-level taijutsu which looks similar to Gentle Fist technique, performed while holding Kurenai casually in one hand—was far beyond ordinary.
And Yasu had become even more amazing in her eyes.
"I have to come tonight!"
Sakura, standing nearby, couldn't take it anymore. She shouted:"Yasu-kun was brought here by Kakashi-sensei! Kurenai-sensei, before you claim him for yourself, shouldn't you ask Kakashi-sensei first?"
"That bastard Kakashi… I'll settle this with him eventually," Kurenai gritted her teeth, then turned to Yasu. "So, what do you think?"
Yasu swallowed nervously.
Kurenai was seriously asking him to risk death.
If Asuma Sarutobi found out about this, he'd probably give Yasu a physical lesson he wouldn't forget.
Yasu was still young—he had no intention of becoming a saint just yet. At least he needed more time in the world first.
"Sensei… shall we continue the match?" Yasu coughed to break the awkwardness, trying to change the subject.
"Yes! Of course we continue!" Kurenai snapped.
Yasu blinked, bewildered by her sudden mood shift.
One moment she was gentle, the next she was like a thunderstorm. Such a quick change…
Kurenai stormed off, leaving Yasu frozen.
While intercepting Fang over Fang, Shino hadn't stopped summoning insects. By now, the field was completely swarmed.
The sky was nearly dark, blocked by countless insects.
"Whoa… so many insects!"
Yasu didn't have a fear of swarms, but this was overwhelming even for him.
"Give up. You can't win," Shino said evenly, his voice flat, almost blending with the soft hum of his insects around him.
"Even if it looks impossible, I still have to try." Yasu drew White Fang.
He would face many shinobi in the future, each with different techniques.
If he cowered at a simple sparring match now, how could he ever fight for his life later?
This battle—he couldn't afford to lose.
"Even drawing your blade now won't help much," Kurenai said with a faint smile, still recovering from her earlier anger.
Kakashi had praised Yasu's swordsmanship, and she believed that if he had used it earlier, Shino would've been defeated.
But now, Shino's insect swarm was fully deployed. Even a jōnin would struggle.
No matter how strong Yasu was, he could only gain a few extra seconds.
It was his own fault for hesitating too long.
"Let him taste defeat early. Otherwise, it won't just be a loss—it'll be his life!" Kurenai nodded in satisfaction.
Although she'd lost some face earlier, as long as Shino won, she would have one-upmanship over Kakashi. Her pride would be fully restored.
Yasu gathered chakra in White Fang, and the blade began to glow.
With the added chakra, its light shone much brighter than before.
"Give up. In this sea of insects… I'm untouchable," Shino said quietly, his words calm but carrying an unmistakable edge of warning.
"You won't know unless you try," Yasu said calmly.