This wasn't the first time Kamikawa had teased her—far from it.
At the beginning, Kurenai hadn't taken it seriously at all, dismissing it as nothing more than childish mischief. But as Kamikawa matured… and as he repeatedly stood in front of her during missions—
somewhere along the way, the part of her heart that had long been sealed after her father's death… began to soften.
Just as Kurenai was feeling flustered—
a deep voice called out from nearby:
"Hey… Kurenai…"
She froze.
Like someone caught doing something she shouldn't, her face flushed instantly. She quickly broke eye contact with Kamikawa and turned toward the voice.
Three young men in Konoha jōnin vests were approaching.
The one in front bore a slight resemblance to the Third Hokage. A cigarette hung from his lips as he exhaled smoke lazily.
Behind him were two others.
One wore a tight green jumpsuit, his forehead protector tied around his waist. With a bowl haircut and comically thick eyebrows, he radiated pure "youthful energy"—the kind of person who looked all muscle and no subtlety.
The last one looked more normal by comparison. Handsome, even. But his laid-back, almost cocky demeanor stood out—his forehead protector was tied into his headscarf, and a senbon needle rested casually in his mouth.
They were Konoha ninja of the same generation as Kurenai and Kakashi—
Sarutobi Asuma, Might Guy, and Shiranui Genma.
"Looks like your friends are here. I'll see you tonight."
Kamikawa glanced at them, instantly identifying who they were.
Without lingering, he gave Kurenai a casual wave and vanished with the Body Flicker Technique.
By the time Asuma and the others arrived—
he was already gone.
"Kurenai, was that guy just now also a jōnin from Konoha? I don't think I've seen him before."
Asuma asked, pretending to be casual, though his eyes lingered on the spot where Kamikawa disappeared.
"Oh… him?"
Kurenai replied absentmindedly.
"He's the student I mentioned before—Shimizu Kamikawa. He just completed his assessment and was exceptionally promoted to jōnin."
"A jōnin?!"
Genma's eyes widened in disbelief.
"Are you serious? He's not even twelve yet, right? What is going on with kids these days? Even Kakashi only became a jōnin at twelve."
After all, Genma himself was still only a Special Jōnin.
Kurenai had only been promoted to Special Jōnin a year ago.
And now—
in less than a year—
she had "trained" a full-fledged jōnin?
It sounded absurd.
Meanwhile, the famously face-blind Might Guy looked utterly confused.
"Ten… yuan… qian… ye… who?"
"Anyway, it's the truth, whether you believe it or not."
Kurenai sighed.
"In terms of strength, Kamikawa really has surpassed me."
"So he became a jōnin even before his own teacher?" Genma smirked.
Kurenai lifted her chin slightly.
"Actually, not long ago, the Hokage also promoted me to full jōnin."
"So among our generation, that leaves you, Ebisu, Raido, and Iwashi still stuck at Special Jōnin."
"WHAT?!"
Genma froze on the spot.
"Kurenai, is your student really that strong?"
Asuma tried to steer the conversation back.
"His opponent today was Kakashi. If you're curious, just ask Kakashi."
Kurenai replied.
"By the way, why are you three so free today? Did you need something?"
"We just got back from a mission," Guy said bluntly.
"Asuma wanted to invite you to a gathering tonight."
"Hey—Guy!"
Asuma's face turned red as he shot him an annoyed glare, then looked back at Kurenai expectantly.
"I see…"
Kurenai nodded—but her thoughts were clearly elsewhere.
Her mind was still replaying Kamikawa teasing her earlier.
After a brief pause, she said:
"Sorry, I already have plans."
"I promised my students we'd celebrate Kamikawa's promotion tonight."
"Maybe next time."
With that, she turned away, waved casually, and walked off.
She left behind:
Guy, still looking clueless.
Genma, completely petrified.
And Asuma—
standing there, dejected after being rejected.
News traveled fast.
With Konoha's deliberate push, word of Kamikawa's exceptional promotion to jōnin spread rapidly throughout the village.
To build momentum—and ensure he caught the attention of the Uchiha higher-ups—
the leadership even gave him a title:
"Illusion God Kamikawa."
A genjutsu prodigy said to rival Uchiha Shisui.
They spared no effort in elevating his reputation.
Of course—
Kamikawa neither knew nor cared.
Even if he did, it wouldn't matter.
He understood Hiruzen well enough.
This was nothing more than positioning him—through his connection with Uchiha Izumi—as a spy within the Uchiha clan.
As for Danzō—
His support this time was clearly a setup.
A classic case of raising someone high, only to bring them down later.
A man who trusted no one.
Someone who preached sacrifice, yet feared death himself.
Someone obsessed with becoming Hokage.
From the moment Kamikawa formed ties with Uchiha Izumi—
he had already been marked as "untrustworthy" in Danzō's eyes.
And when the night of the Uchiha massacre came—
once Kamikawa lost his usefulness—
That would be the time of reckoning.
Anyone connected to the Uchiha would be eliminated.
Just like in the original story—
Itachi. Sasuke.
And Kamikawa… would be no exception.
If Itachi hadn't killed the Root operatives sent after him—and threatened to leak Konoha's secrets—
Sasuke might have died long ago.
Or worse—
been turned into nothing more than a weapon of Root.
And then—
none of those later legendary moments would've happened.
No clashes of genjutsu with Itachi.
No blade fights with the Eight-Tails.
No lightning duels with the Raikage.
No eye-to-eye confrontation with Madara.
…Even if he got beaten up almost every time.