Chapter 29: Taming a dog
At the tender age of budding emotions, Kurenai Yuhi felt her heart racing as if it were about to leap out of her chest.
"It seems you've put in a lot of effort to face me," Shimizu whispered softly in her ear.
The warmth of his breath brushed against her earlobe, causing Kurenai to blush instinctively.
Although she was a year older than Shimizu, her current development was only average.
"Looks like you're not so bad after all."
Shimizu shook his head, continuing with an air of amusement as Kurenai looked at him in confusion:
"To think the genjutsu of Kurenai's so-called master, Yuhi Shinku, is this lackluster."
"What did you say?!"
Kurenai furrowed her brows, shoving Shimizu aside.
Her father was the person she respected the most, a figure she idolized, and hearing Shimizu degrade him like that was unbearable.
Her crimson eyes seemed to glow even brighter with anger.
"I said, the Yuhi clan's genjutsu is trash."
Kurenai trembled, Shimizu's words igniting fury within her. She swung a punch at him, but he blocked it effortlessly.
If she couldn't surpass him in genjutsu, her neglected taijutsu didn't stand a chance.
"Hmph."
Kurenai felt that dressing up and coming to confront Shimizu today was the worst decision of her life.
Shimizu was nothing but an arrogant jerk!
All Uchiha were like this.
Pulling her hand back, Kurenai turned and stormed off.
Shimizu didn't stop her, watching calmly as she left in a huff.
Just as she was about to step out of the hallway, Shimizu's voice echoed from the shadows.
"Kurenai Yuhi, tell me—if I challenge your father tomorrow and humiliate him, tarnishing the Yuhi clan's genjutsu, do you think he'd dare say a word in protest?"
His voice was like the whisper of a devil.
Initially, Shimizu merely wanted to discourage Kurenai from bothering him. But now, he had changed his mind. Perhaps Kurenai could be a useful pawn to influence Asuma Sarutobi and gain insight into the Sarutobi clan.
"What makes you think you can challenge my father? Do you think defeating me means you can defeat him?"
"This."
A pair of three-tomoe Sharingan eyes lit up silently, their sinister glow making Shimizu's sharp features seem even more chilling.
"Three-tomoe Sharingan!"
Kurenai's pupils contracted in shock.
It all made sense now. No wonder Shimizu could easily dispel her genjutsu—he must have been using his Sharingan all along without her noticing.
In his eyes, all her efforts must have seemed trivial and laughable.
"Kurenai Yuhi, you wouldn't want to see your father disgraced, would you?"
Kurenai froze mid-step at his words. Her foot hovered in the air, unable to move forward.
The noisy chatter and bright lights from the main hall contrasted sharply with the silent, dimly lit restroom corridor where they stood.
After a long pause, Kurenai turned to face Shimizu, her gaze conflicted.
She wasn't sure if a three-tomoe Sharingan could defeat her father, but from what she knew, the three-tomoe was the highest level of the Sharingan's evolution.
Possessors of the three-tomoe Sharingan, like Fugaku Uchiha with his fearsome "Demonic Eyes," were undeniably powerful.
Kurenai didn't dare gamble. If Shimizu truly won, what then? Her father's lifelong reputation would be ruined because of her.
The spinning tomoe of his Sharingan filled Kurenai with an inexplicable dread.
Unconsciously, she ignored the fact that Shimizu was merely a soon-to-graduate genin and instead viewed him as a formidable Uchiha ninja with the three-tomoe Sharingan.
This was precisely Shimizu's plan. Using the genjutsu influence of his Sharingan, he disrupted her thoughts and guided her to the conclusion he desired.
"If you tell anyone about what happened today, the consequences might not be as simple as you think."
Shimizu took a step closer to Kurenai, and though she wanted to back away, her feet felt rooted to the spot.
She couldn't discern whether the pressure she felt came from the Sharingan or her own fears for her father's honor.
As Shimizu approached, his Sharingan's sinister glow overwhelmed her, clouding her mind.
"As the victor, isn't it reasonable to ask for a small reward?"
Shimizu cornered Kurenai in the empty hallway, a smirk playing on his lips.
From the shadows of the restroom corridor came faint rustling sounds.
Soon after, a muffled sobbing broke the silence.
Returning to the barbecue table, Shimizu wore a satisfied expression.
"You're finally back. What took you so long?" Asuma Sarutobi grumbled.
"I wasn't feeling well," Shimizu replied with a smile, taking a sip of his orange juice.
"Has Kurenai not returned yet?"
"No, girls are just like that—always taking forever," Asuma said, glancing at the empty seat beside him, wondering what was keeping her.
"Maybe," Shimizu replied nonchalantly, continuing his meal.
Not long after, Kurenai's figure appeared at the table. Her clothes were slightly disheveled, her hair damp and clinging to her temples as if she'd been sweating. Her reddened eyes evoked an air of vulnerability.
"Kurenai, I didn't mean to say that," Asuma stammered, noticing her return and misinterpreting her appearance.
Kurenai nodded faintly, sitting back in her seat and lowering her head to eat quietly.
Panicking, Asuma turned to Shimizu for help, signaling desperately with his eyes. But Shimizu only shook his head, indicating there was nothing he could do.
Draining his juice, Shimizu left the table, leaving Asuma and Kurenai to sort things out themselves.
As he walked away, Shimizu felt invigorated. The outlet he had just found helped alleviate his lingering stress.
"The scenery isn't bad," he muttered, recalling Kurenai's embarrassed yet furious expression, tinged with bashfulness, as he teased her earlier.
Don't misunderstand—he hadn't done anything. He had merely examined the material of her skirt. That was all.
Still, to ensure his safety, Shimizu planted a transcription seal in Kurenai's mind using his Sharingan during their confrontation. If she ever tried to recall or reveal what had happened, her memory would blur, making her believe it was nothing more than a dream.
Ordinarily, this technique required a Mangekyo Sharingan. However, with the additional power of his Byakugan, Shimizu could perform it with his three-tomoe Sharingan.
"Hopefully, this doesn't deter Kurenai from pursuing her path as a ninja."
Shimizu's primary goal was to crush Kurenai's pride. Like taming a dog, only by establishing absolute dominance would she become completely obedient.
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