Chapter 193: Kurenai's Obsession with the True Spirit Seal
"I'd advise you not to move. Otherwise, the next thing coming down this wire will be my Fire Style."
Sasuke sat in a tree, holding a steel wire in his hand, his strength not the least bit inferior to Temari's.
Nearby, Gaara, hanging upside down from a branch, was just about to make his move when a strange power trapped him. It was the Water Prison Technique.
The one who had cast it was, naturally, Sakura.
"Once you're caught in my Water Prison, don't even think about escaping. You have one minute until you suffocate and drown. I'd advise you to think carefully before you act."
Naruto had also arrived and was listening to Konohamaru's complaint. He rolled up his sleeves, spoiling for a fight.
Temari quickly said, "Wait! We surrender!"
"We were just coming to Konoha to participate in the Chūnin Exams. What just happened was a misunderstanding."
"My brother was already sent flying and seriously injured by that guy. We're even, so let's just call it quits, alright?"
While apologizing, she was looking at Gaara. He was indeed suffocating, but he was not one to give in so easily. If this continued, he would probably go on a rampage and release Shukaku.
Akiyama Makoto naturally also sensed the violent chakra stirring in Gaara's body. "Let him go, Sakura. It's just a misunderstanding."
"Right, right! Just a misunderstanding!"
Temari gave him a deep look, deciding to remember his face and get her revenge later.
As for Kankurō, he had slowly climbed down from the wall by this time. The punch he'd taken had seemed powerful, but it was actually very skillful. Most of the force had been absorbed by the 'Crow' puppet on his back. He himself had only suffered superficial injuries. Of course, how he was going to repair his puppet was his own business.
That guy could have taught Konohamaru a lesson, that was fine. But he had dared to lay a hand on Moegi. That was something he could not tolerate.
Temari also saw that Kankurō didn't seem to be in bad shape and sighed in relief.
On Sakura's side, she also released the Water Prison.
But the current Gaara was a ferocious beast. How could he be the one to suffer a loss? Sand flew out from the gourd on his back, and the next second, he was about to attack them.
A kunai was pressed against his neck. Kurenai Yūhi's cold eyes stared at him. "If you want to die, just try and move."
Temari's pupils constricted. It was Kurenai Yūhi!
They were here to make war, so they had naturally familiarized themselves with Konoha's intelligence beforehand.
Seeing that even a Jōnin had been drawn out, Temari quickly put on a smile and apologized, while also trying to persuade her brother. "Gaara, this is the famous Jōnin, Kurenai Yūhi! We absolutely cannot make an enemy of her, understand?"
Gaara's face was dark, and he was clearly unhappy. But he was ferocious, not stupid. He knew that these famous Konoha Jōnin were not to be trifled with. He could only obediently withdraw his sand, land on the ground, and look at Kankurō. "Are you still alive? If you are, let's go. Stop embarrassing the Sand Village."
"Ah, sorry. It was my fault."
Blood trickled from the corner of Kankurō's mouth. He had just checked his condition and naturally understood that Makoto had held back. At this point, he didn't dare to cause any more trouble, not just because he was afraid of Gaara, but also because he was afraid that exposing Gaara's condition now would cause their plan to fail.
"Little girl, can you forgive me?"
Moegi looked at him. Only after seeing him spit up blood did she nod.
Since the main party had nodded, the incident was over.
He waved his hand. "Since you're all here, why don't you come to my house as guests?"
"From today on, Big Sister Kurenai will be staying with me for a while. You're all in for a treat."
Kurenai stared at him, dumbfounded, and was about to explain when Sakura had already rushed up excitedly. "Sensei, how come you're staying at Makoto-kun's house? Could it be—"
"Ahem. He invited me to train you all. I just couldn't resist his pestering."
Kurenai quickly found a seemingly suitable reason. But if one thought about it carefully, with a Jōnin's foot speed, was it really necessary for her to live at his house just to travel a few steps?
However, Naruto and Sasuke naturally wouldn't think that far. They were only interested in training.
Sakura was also very happy. After all, Kurenai was a real Jōnin. She definitely wouldn't be as lazy as their team leader, Kakashi.
Afterward, the group went to his house, and it became lively.
He and Kurenai then established some rules for the upcoming training.
First, the ninja had their own team leaders with their own training plans. Those were the priority. If they had no other plans, then they could ask her for pointers on their strengths, spar with her, or have her share her experience. Of course, if any of them were interested in genjutsu, she would also guide them.
As for Naruto and Sasuke, they weren't very interested in genjutsu. He agreed to their request readily and decided to send a shadow clone to spar with them in taijutsu starting tomorrow. When the two of them could defeat his shadow clone, they would have passed.
At first, Sasuke was dismissive of this challenge, but they would soon understand that while they were growing rapidly, he was growing much faster. It wasn't just the gap in their basic attributes, but also the gap in taijutsu experience that he had accumulated over so many simulations. He could confidently say that in terms of taijutsu combat experience, he was already among the most seasoned in the ninja world. In his last simulation, he had fought those muscle-bound brutes from the Cloud Village an unknown number of times.
The training began in a flurry of activity. After all, they had just seen the Sand Village ninja.
As for Moegi, she was a little reluctant to leave. He promised that she could come and play anytime, and only then did she leave happily. As for Konohamaru and Udon, he had no interest in being friends with them. Perhaps in ten years, they would also become talented young men of Konoha, but by that time, he would have long since started at the Six Paths level.
The next day, Sakura, Ino, and Hinata all gathered to receive Kurenai's guidance, which surprised her quite a bit.
After chatting with them, she shook her head and sighed, mourning for Sakura and Ino.
Sakura's talent had already been revealed, and Kakashi was naturally not stingy in guiding her. But alas, he was not very good at Water Style or genjutsu. (Although Kakashi had the Sharingan, he didn't dare to use its genjutsu lightly.) The moment he heard Kurenai was willing to guide her, he had sent her over without hesitation.
As for Ino's side, after Asuma heard about it, he had also sent her over, and had even asked her to put in a good word for him. When she mentioned this, Ino looked at him with a strange expression, then at Kurenai, which made Kurenai feel so guilty that she blushed.
Ino squinted, then glared at him. He just had an innocent smile on his face, pretending that nothing had happened.
Faced with this situation, Ino could only sigh. He wanted a "big sister," so what could she do? She couldn't turn into one, and even if she did, she couldn't be used as one. She could only lament that her sensei's expectations were probably in vain.
As for Hinata, there was no need to say much. She was already Kurenai's ninja, so she naturally had to train with her. Kiba and Shino, on the other hand, wouldn't gain much from her, so it was more efficient for them to train with their parents and clan members.
As for Tenten, she had gone to train taijutsu with Guy. In that respect, no one in Konoha was more professional than him.
And so, the training continued for three days.
Kurenai was completely shocked by Ino's and Sakura's progress. In her eyes, their growth was almost without any weaknesses. What surprised her most was that both of them seemed to be holding back a trump card, and this trump card had been learned from him.
Of course, what made it impossible for Kurenai to look away was when they all bathed together, and she saw the "flowers" on their stomachs.
Those beautiful flowers... they were proof of the power he had given them, and they had been tattooed on them by him personally.
When she heard this, she felt the blood in her brain flow in reverse. Had they already...
But after carefully observing the two girls' movements and expressions, she realized that he had indeed only placed this strange "True Spirit Seal" on them. As for its specific effects, she didn't ask, and they didn't say. This was a tacit understanding between ninja.
However, every time she saw the flowers on their bodies, faintly visible under the water, she couldn't help but feel her body start to heat up.
If he were to tattoo such a flower on me, what would I choose...
"Kurenai-sensei?"
Hinata's voice by her ear made her jump.
"Hinata, what is it?"
Hinata blushed, stammering, and finally said, "Um... Makoto-kun asked me to ask you... if you would like to watch the process of him engraving the True Spirit Seal."
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