A Quiet Shift in the Heart
What surprised Kamizuki Gen the most—
was undoubtedly the new trait:
"True."
Complete immunity to all genjutsu.
It was absurdly powerful.
With this alone—
his era of being "on par with Itachi" officially ended today.
From now on—
he would be the natural enemy of all genjutsu users.
The ultimate nightmare of every illusion specialist in the shinobi world.
Without this trait, even with "Equality for All" balancing things out, he would never have dared provoke Danzō—especially after obtaining Kotoamatsukami.
"Getting stronger feels good."
A smile tugged at Gen's lips.
This—
was the charm of having a cheat.
One random task—
and his strength underwent a complete transformation.
After all, this was the shinobi world.
Hard work alone led nowhere.
Some awakened ocular powers.
Some cheated with souls.
If you had no cheat at all—
no wonder you'd end up as cannon fodder in the Fourth Great Ninja War.
Aside from "True," he had also gained the "BGM" trait.
Who would've thought—
a personal theme song could become a weapon?
That maddening noise tormenting Danzō—
was its doing.
Gen had deliberately chosen a track—"Blue Lotus Ha"—and paired it with "Radio."
Without needing consent, he forcibly linked to Danzō's mind—
looping the song endlessly inside his head.
The system was surprisingly intelligent.
Playback modes.
Volume control.
All adjustable.
With a bit of creativity—
this could be used on any enemy.
At maximum volume—
it could even rupture eardrums, temporarily stripping opponents of their hearing.
In its own way—
this was a divine technique.
A truly "divine" combination.
Few in the shinobi world could withstand such relentless mental bombardment.
Gen was more than satisfied with these gains.
As for his fight with Danzō—
there was nothing worth reviewing.
Without "Equality for All," Danzō could have crushed him with a single finger.
After all—
his own chakra reserves were only at the level of an average chunin.
He had a single chakra nature—Earth Release.
And very few conventional techniques.
Even Wood Release—
without sufficient chakra—
was barely enough to build a house, let alone fight effectively.
The terrifying Wind Release he displayed—
came entirely from "Cut."
As for Danzō attempting to gouge out a blind man's eyes at the end—
Gen found it oddly reasonable.
After all—
this was the same man who would one day try stabbing Susanoo with a kunai.
Gen shook his head.
For the next week—
he wouldn't be able to use "Equality for All."
Which meant—
he urgently needed to grow stronger.
How?
Aside from relying on the system—
he needed to increase his chakra reserves as quickly as possible.
And collect more kekkei genkai.
His chakra nature might be limited—
but perhaps the system could change that.
In the meantime—
he should make frequent use of "Cut" to copy powerful jutsu and expand his arsenal.
Of course—
if he successfully joined the Akatsuki, he'd have access to high-level techniques every day.
The key question was—
how to join?
"…Hmm."
Leaping from branch to branch, Gen fell into thought.
After a moment—
he stopped thinking entirely.
"…Forget it. Once I reach the Land of Rain, I'll just contact them directly and ask if they're recruiting."
…
…
Morning.
Konoha Village.
Near Yuhi Kurenai's residence.
At a street corner, Asuma leaned against a utility pole, cigarette in his mouth, his expression tense.
Over and over—
he rehearsed what he would say.
Last night, his father had given him a mission he couldn't refuse.
He was to leave the village this morning.
And he didn't know when he would return.
So at dawn—
he came here to wait.
As the sun rose—
the house he had been watching finally stirred.
He cleared his throat, stepped forward, and knocked.
"Kurenai, are you awake? It's me—Asuma!"
Creak—
The door opened.
Yuhi Kurenai stepped out like a beam of morning light.
Her crimson eyes gleamed like jewels. The purple eyeshadow accentuated her mature beauty.
She wore her usual outfit—a white dress with red sleeves.
Bandages wrapped around her hands—
and around the upper parts of her long, flawless legs.
She looked at Asuma—
surprised, her brows knitting slightly.
"Asuma? What are you doing here?"
He stared at her, momentarily stunned.
Then scratched his head awkwardly.
"Ah… well, Kurenai…"
Before he could finish—
she caught a whiff of secondhand smoke.
Her expression tightened.
Without a word, she shook her head in disappointment and turned back inside.
Bang—
The door shut.
Locked.
"Kurenai!" Asuma knocked urgently. "My father's assigned me to guard the Fire Daimyō! I'm leaving today—I don't know when I'll be back, so I wanted to—"
From inside—
her calm voice came:
"Asuma, don't contact me unless it's necessary."
"I'm afraid Gen might misunderstand."
Boom.
It hit like a lightning strike.
Asuma froze at the door, his face drained of color.
Meanwhile—
Kurenai exited through the back.
The moment she stepped out, she used the Body Flicker Technique—
leaving instantly, giving Asuma no chance to follow.
Both of them—
leaving the village on long-term assignments.
Both coming to say goodbye.
Gen came to see her that very night.
Asuma—
waited until the next morning.
Gen had brought her favorite late-night snack—
wasabi octopus—
and a bottle of sake.
Asuma—
came empty-handed.
Didn't even think to bring breakfast.
"…Even my student shows more consideration than this."
Kurenai sighed.
It didn't take long for her to push Asuma from her thoughts.
A second-generation shinobi—
rebellious since his Academy days, smoking early, trying too hard to appear mature—
with nothing but a famous father.
Originally—
things might have developed differently.
Back in the Academy, Asuma had already begun pursuing her persistently.
After graduation, he only doubled down.
By the time the main story began—
they would have been together.
But—
Kamizuki Gen had appeared.
That changed everything.
Thinking of her most cherished student—
Kurenai's expression softened with concern.
Her hand slipped into her pocket, touching the cold metal within.
A set of keys.
Gen had entrusted them to her last night before leaving.
He had even said—
if he didn't come back—
the houses and shops would all be hers.
That was everything he owned in Konoha.
"…Foolish child."
She shook her head gently.
Back when Gen invested everything into real estate, she had tried to stop him.
She had even hinted—
if he needed a place to stay, he could live with her.
But he refused.
Saying a man should rely on himself.
She knew how much he valued those properties.
So to entrust all of it to her—
required absolute trust.
Kurenai was certain—
Asuma could never do something like that.
"…Gen."
"Do your mission well."
"I'll be waiting for you… here in Konoha."
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