Konoha Light

"Sushi, sashimi, and tempura..." A middle-aged ninja wearing a scarf looked at his masterpiece with satisfaction and nodded. "Tonight's celebratory dinner is truly a great success!"

"Father, I'm home." A lively voice rang out from the entrance. The middle-aged ninja's eyebrows twitched with joy as he quickly poked his head out from the kitchen. "Kurenai, guess what's for dinner toni—"

His words trailed off when he saw his precious daughter being supported by a young male student.

"Uncle, sorry for the intrusion," the boy said politely.

The man's face stiffened, and he rushed forward in his apron, looking deeply concerned. "Kurenai, are you hurt?"

Kurenai blushed slightly, hesitating before answering, "I... had a little scuffle with a classmate."

"Are you alright?" he asked with even more concern.

"I'm fine. I just wasn't careful when using my Genjutsu and almost seriously injured someone," Kurenai admitted, a trace of lingering fear in her voice.

The middle-aged ninja, Shinku Yuhi, immediately tensed up. "Is your classmate alright?"

"They're fine," Kurenai reassured him. "Shimizu helped treat them."

"It wasn't that serious," Shimizu added. "Mai just fainted."

Hearing this, Shinku finally relaxed.

As a ninja, taking a life was not unheard of, but harming someone from the same village was another matter entirely—it would bring no end of trouble. He could hardly imagine the weight Kurenai would have to carry if something truly terrible had happened.

With a sigh of relief, he turned his gaze toward the boy. "Kurenai, aren't you going to introduce your friend to me?"

Kurenai straightened her posture with a hint of pride. "This is our class leader, Rikuseki Shimizu. He's super strong!"

Shinku's eyes flashed with intrigue. Was this the same Rikuseki Shimizu who had defeated the Hokage's son?

For the generally peaceful Hidden Leaf Village, this had been big news.

"Shimizu, I appreciate what you've done."

"Actually, I should be the one apologizing," Shimizu replied.

"Apologizing?" Shinku raised an eyebrow.

"What do you mean?" Kurenai puffed up her cheeks.

Before she could say anything else, Shimizu admitted, "I found out that Mai and the others confronted Kurenai because... I kept secretly watching her during class."

"Y-you were watching me?" Kurenai's cheeks turned bright red, and she suddenly found it difficult to meet Shimizu's eyes.

Shinku's face instantly darkened. Any goodwill he had just gained toward Shimizu plummeted.

He knew kids at the academy could be quite precocious, but his daughter was only five! This little brat—was he some kind of pervert?!

"I should put him under a Genjutsu and make him rethink his life choices..." Shinku's mind raced.

Sensing the awkward atmosphere, Shimizu quickly waved his hands in denial. "You've misunderstood! I wasn't watching Kurenai for that reason! I know Senior Shinku is the strongest Genjutsu user in the village, so I was hoping to learn from Kurenai and improve my skills!"

Shinku's tense expression softened slightly. "Ah, so that's what you were after. At least this kid has good judgment."

Just as he was about to relax, however, he noticed his daughter looking disappointed.

His heart clenched. No way—she wasn't actually hoping that he was peeping at her, was she?!

Unable to figure it out, he quickly shifted the topic. "I heard you wanted to become a medical ninja. Why are you suddenly interested in learning Genjutsu?"

Shimizu's face turned serious. "I do want to be a great medical ninja, but I also want to study Genjutsu. At first, I thought Genjutsu could be used to numb pain and assist in surgery, but then I realized something even more important. Pure medical ninjutsu can heal the body, but it can't heal the scars left on someone's heart. Healing the mind is just as important as healing the body."

Kurenai's eyes sparkled with admiration. "Shimizu, you're amazing!"

Shinku, too, was momentarily moved. "This kid... he really thinks like that?"

But just as he started to feel a sense of respect, he caught sight of the way Kurenai was gazing at Shimizu with open admiration.

Immediately, his mood soured again.

He hesitated for a moment before nodding. "Fine. I can teach you Genjutsu. However, it's a very difficult art. You'd have to leave the academy and train under me full-time. Don't worry—even without academy training, with my guidance, you'll gain more than you ever would there."

His true intention, of course, was to separate Shimizu from Kurenai. Kids tended to forget people they didn't see for a while.

"Wait, I haven't agreed to leave school," Shimizu said firmly.

Shinku was surprised. "What? I thought you wanted to learn Genjutsu?"

"I do," Shimizu said, his eyes unwavering. "But I also made a promise—to face every challenge alongside my classmates. How could I abandon them?"

"That's right!" Kurenai nodded. "Just because I learned Genjutsu from my dad doesn't mean I had to leave school."

Shinku gritted his teeth. "If he studies with me, it'll just strengthen their bond!"

He sighed and finally relented. "Fine. Since you're so determined, I'll give you two hours of training each evening when I'm free. But I refuse to take you as my disciple."

"Understood. Thank you, Senior Shinku!" Shimizu said excitedly before turning to Kurenai. "And thank you, Kurenai!"

Kurenai beamed. "Heehee, no need to thank me—we're friends, right?"

Watching this, Shinku felt like he had just swallowed a bitter pill.

"Shimizu, why don't you stay for dinner?" Kurenai offered.

Shinku's face twitched. No!

But before he could protest, Shimizu politely declined. "Thank you, but I still have things to do at the hospital."

"Alright, see you tomorrow!"

"See you tomorrow."

As Shimizu finally left, Shinku let out a huge sigh of relief. But before he could truly relax, Kurenai suddenly said, "Father, can you teach me Genjutsu too?"

Shinku perked up in delight. "Kurenai, are you finally ready to take your training seriously?"

He had spent so much effort provoking her into using her natural talent, only for her to lose interest before. If she was ready now, he'd happily teach her.

But Kurenai simply nodded and said, "Of course! I don't want to fall too far behind Shimizu!"

Shinku's expression froze.

His hands clutched his chest.

"It hurts..."

Meanwhile, as he walked away, Shimizu let out a deep sigh of relief.

"Whew... I finally convinced him!"

In truth, if he had just demonstrated his talent, Shinku might have agreed to teach him anyway. But a formal mentorship would have prevented him from learning under someone else.

A ninja team's advisor was one thing—but a personal mentor was a lifelong bond.

He wasn't ready to give up on another potential teacher.

"Everything went smoothly," Shimizu murmured. "Now, it's time to find her..."

His eyes gleamed with determination.

"But first, I need to master Genjutsu. That might just be my way in."