Kurenai's Secret Crush: A Forbidden Love in the Shadows

"Danzo, I am the Hokage!"

Knowing Danzo's attitude, Sarutobi Hiruzen immediately flew into a rage in the Hokage Office.

"So, you want to make this a matter of public knowledge?"

He actually dared to use the full weight of the Konoha Council to pressure him, the Hokage.

Was Danzo planning a rebellion?

"Hmph, isn't it because you want to monopolize Teacher's treasure!"

Of course, Danzo wouldn't tell others about this, but he had the guts, and plenty of it, to use it to blackmail Sarutobi Hiruzen.

"I said, after the Chunin Exams are over, I will naturally give you the item, but not now."

"After the Chunin Exams? Don't think I don't know what you asked Jiraiya to do!"

Today, Danzo was uncharacteristically assertive in front of Sarutobi Hiruzen.

Mainly because he really couldn't wait any longer.

Who knew what that old geezer Sarutobi would do during the Chunin Exams? By then, it might be too late!

"Secretly mobilizing the army to lurk at the Border... did you discuss this with everyone?"

What was Sarutobi Hiruzen trying to do?

Launch a Ninja World War without revealing a single word to them, the core members of Konoha?

"This is Teacher's instruction; I can't tell you."

"Teacher also appeared in my dreams, not just yours!"

Trying to control me with our deceased Teacher?

Danzo wasn't buying it.

"Can't you wait a little longer, Danzo!"

Before the Chunin Exams were settled, Sarutobi Hiruzen really didn't dare to hand over that Future Diary to the other party.

"Since you say it's Teacher's instruction, then why can't you tell me?"

What was there to hide? Teacher clearly said that they should both possess that treasure.

Now this Sarutobi wants to monopolize it, not to mention hiding it from me, hiding it from everyone in the Village, preparing to start a war with other Shinobi Villages?

Too crazy, right? Hiruzen...

"In short, as long as you obediently wait until the Chunin Exams are over, you will understand everything."

No matter how aggressive Danzo was, Sarutobi Hiruzen had no intention of backing down.

Itachi...

His original intention was to have Itachi, disguised, reveal his identity to Danzo, in order to divert Danzo's attention, but Itachi came back without doing anything.

This Uchiha was no longer as obedient as he used to be.

"Hiruzen, you will regret this!"

*Bang!*

Slamming the door of the Hokage Office shut, Danzo returned empty-handed again.

But this only strengthened his determination to obtain that "treasure."

He had already said so much, but Sarutobi Hiruzen still wouldn't budge.

The more he acted like this, the more it proved the preciousness of that 'treasure'!

He, Danzo, was determined to have it!

"Go call Kakashi and Tenzō, and... let Uchiha Kage come too."

He didn't expect Danzo to be so restless at this critical juncture.

Sarutobi Hiruzen could only send more people to guard against this guy.

----

"Arm wrestling?"

"Don't you think that Teacher's Illusionary Technique and Body Art can't do anything to you? Then let's compete in strength!"

Arriving at the Training Grounds, Yuhi Kurenai walked to a wooden stake.

She wanted to restore her reputation as a Teacher, no matter what.

"This way, Hinata won't have to worry about me hurting you."

"I, I didn't..."

Hinata hurriedly retorted shyly.

Teacher was really...always saying embarrassing things in front of Kage-san. What if Kage-san started to dislike her?

If Kage knew that he was liked by a woman as gloomy and shameless as her, he would definitely avoid her.

"Alright then."

Since he had nothing else to do, Uchiha Kage had no choice but to grab the Female Teacher's hand.

----

"Sure enough, she's a scheming and despicable woman, actually using this method to sneakily hold Kage's hand. It's truly impossible to guard against."

Ino, who had been following them all the way to the Training Grounds, was hiding behind a large tree, watching the two pairs of hands clasped tightly together with a look of resentment.

"Learn anything, Teach?"

She also reminded Asuma, who was beside her.

"Learn... cough, cough, this is just ordinary physical contact, Ino..."

Asuma thought to himself that he really didn't know that move.

To be able to grab a girl's hand so easily.

Damn it, he hadn't even held Kurenai's hand yet.

"I also think Ino is overthinking things."

Sakura didn't even know why she had followed Ino here.

"If you think so simply, then you'd be making a big mistake."

At this moment, Ino seemed to have transformed into a master of romance.

"Girls are very resistant and hate any physical contact with boys, especially the palm of the hand, which has special significance."

"That seems to make sense, but sometimes there are unavoidable situations, like arm wrestling..."

Sakura still didn't think that the beautiful and gentle Jonin would fall for her student.

"She was the one who suggested it, how could it be unavoidable? Moreover, this completely shows that in her heart, holding hands with Kage is a very normal thing."

As Ino spoke, she also...

"Asuma-sensei, how many times have you held Kurenai-sensei's hand?"

"This, this..."

Asuma was a little embarrassed.

"See? Not even once, which shows that Asuma isn't even a male she can be close to in Kurenai-sensei's heart."

"It's not like never... when we were very young, there might have been one or two times..."

Accidentally touched Kurenai's hand, right?

Asuma searched through a large number of childhood memories, barely trying to save face.

"Teacher, there's no need to say such embarrassing things. Saying it only makes it more embarrassing."

"Yes..."

Asuma really wanted to find a crack in the ground to crawl into right now.

----

"In short, let's first test your attributes with Chakra paper."

Ignoring the Female Teacher, who was sitting on the grass in a dejected manner, looking as if she had been ravaged, Uchiha Kage distributed a piece of Chakra paper to each of Hinata and Shino.

He wouldn't show mercy to women, unless they were in bed.

Therefore, the result of the arm wrestling match naturally ended with his crushing victory.

"Channel Chakra into the paper. If it's Lightning Release, the paper will wrinkle. Fire will burn it. Water will wet it. Wind will cut it in half. Earth will crumble it..."

As for special attributes, this ordinary paper couldn't detect them.

"Okay..."

Without saying a word, Hinata used Chakra on the paper.

"Ah!"

It burned up.

"Wrinkled first, then burned, so it's Lightning and Fire."

Just like in the original story.

"Mine got wet and then crumbled, so it's Water and Earth?"

Shino, who was next to her, also completed the test.

"Yes, knowing your attributes makes it easier to learn Ninjutsu."

Although you could cultivate other attributes after reaching the Jonin level, at the Genin stage, you could only learn based on your attributes.

However, Shino's attributes were a little different from the original story, but that was fine.

Uchiha Kage had a very special Ninjutsu he could teach him.

"However, before I teach you Ninjutsu..."

"I need to drive away some eavesdroppers!"

Yuhi Kurenai looked towards Ino and Asuma's hiding place, while Uchiha Kage looked towards the large tree next to them.

"Kurenai, we didn't mean to eavesdrop..."

Asuma hurriedly scratched his head, leading Ino and Sakura out from behind the tree.

But before he could finish speaking, four figures suddenly flashed out from the treetops of the nearby large tree.

"Konoha's Azure Beast is here!"

A ninja wearing a green jumpsuit with a watermelon haircut appeared in front of everyone with a hearty smile.

"It seems our stealth operation has to end here."

Behind him were three other Genin similar to Hinata and the others.

Hyuga Neji, Tenten, and Rock Lee.

"Gai?"

Yuhi Kurenai only now noticed that there were people hiding in the trees.

"Why are you here too?"

"Well, Team 3 was originally training at this Training Grounds, but we didn't expect you to be here too, so we took the opportunity to hide and watch."

Might Guy gave a thumbs up to the people in front of him and revealed his reflective white teeth.

"That was a good match just now, young man. How about another one with me?"

"No, this..."

Arm wrestling with a young and beautiful Female Teacher was fun, but Uchiha Kage had no interest in Gai, this big man.

"You don't want to? Kurenai, then let's have a long-awaited duel!"

Hearing that Yuhi Kurenai had been performing brightly in missions recently and had even repelled Uchiha Itachi, the youth in Might Guy's heart couldn't help but burn again.

"I refuse."

Yuhi Kurenai also flatly refused.

This made Asuma, who was standing to the side, feel even more depressed.

"I heard that you're the strongest graduate of this year, Uchiha Sasuke?"

Ignoring his Teacher's antics, Hyuga Neji thought he could test the depths of this Uchiha clan ninja of the same age.

"He's not Sasuke. He's Uchiha Kage. It's very impolite to say the wrong name!"

Seeing that this "Byakugan Man" was coming on strong, Ino took the initiative to come in front of Uchiha Kage, acting as a "grass protector."

"Oh, sorry..."

So he got the wrong person. But this guy gave off a very strong feeling too. He thought it was that top student, Sasuke.

Neji wasn't good at dealing with girls like Ino, so he could only take a step back.

"Neji-nii-san..."

Hinata didn't expect Neji to be nearby, but she still greeted him politely.

"For the Heiress of the Head Family to have an Uchiha guy teach her Ninjutsu! It's a disgrace to our Hyuga Clan!"

Neji also routinely started berating this "weak and incompetent" Heiress of the Head Family.

"I..."

"Looks like some guys want to fight."

Uchiha Kage knew the reason why Neji held hostility towards Hinata, but...

Only he could bully Hinata.

"That's right. Since you presumptuously want to guide our Hyuga Clan, you have to have the ability to do so."

Neji adopted the Gentle Fist stance towards the Uchiha youth in front of him, inviting him to fight.

"Kage..."

Watching Uchiha Kage take the initiative to step in front of Hinata, as if to protect her, Ino couldn't help but feel a little empty inside.

It must be because they were in the same Team that he stood up for Hinata, yes, that must be it.

But she still comforted herself.

Seeing this, Sakura could only shake her head, thinking that Ino was hopeless.

Choji was right. Ino was probably like Asuma, completely inept at romance.

----

"A duel between disciples? That's good too. Go for it, Neji!"

"Hmph, my disciple will definitely shock you, Gai."

Although Kage wanted to keep a low profile, dealing with Genin of the same age shouldn't count as showing off, right?

So seeing Hyuga Neji and Uchiha Kage standing against each other, Yuhi Kurenai didn't stop them. Instead, she stood to the side with Gai, acting as temporary referees.

"Impossible. Neji is the strongest of this year..."

But that young man did give off a very dangerous feeling.

Putting away the carefree smile on his face, Might Guy's expression became slightly serious for a second.

"But Teacher, the Chunin Exams are coming up soon. What if he gets injured..."

Hinata didn't want to see her brother and the person she liked... the companion she cared about most, fight.

"It's okay. You need to have confidence in Kage."

Even Uchiha Itachi couldn't do anything to him. Yuhi Kurenai didn't think Uchiha Kage would lose to a Konoha Genin.

"Okay."

But Neji-nii-san is a true genius in the clan...

She hadn't won against him even once so far.

"Hey over there, does anyone else want to..."

"Neji, if you lose, I'll take your place!"

Watching Neji and Uchiha Kage, who were really about to fight, Rock Lee became excited.

"Ah, the Uchiha clan is full of handsome guys!"

Looking at the face of this Uchiha youth, Tenten, who was planning to watch the fight, couldn't help but become infatuated.

"Damn it..."

And Shino, who had spoken before, was ignored once again.

----

"Let's just treat it as a Ninjutsu teaching exercise."

Uchiha Kage certainly wouldn't let go of the Ninja fragments that came to his door.

Neji had Heavenly Spin, Rock Lee had the Eight Gates Formation, and as for Tenten...

Maybe there would be one more NPC tonight?

But let's just let things take their course. Otherwise, at this rate, he felt like he would really end up bathing Konoha in sunlight, or even bathing the Ninja World in sunlight...

"You're really confident. I'd like to see what kind of Ninjutsu you're going to teach the Heiress of our Head Family!"

Feeling belittled, Neji instantly activated his Byakugan.

Then he rushed towards Uchiha Kage in front of him with great momentum.

Gentle Fist, Trigram Sixty-Four Palms!

"Hinata, although the Gentle Fist's attack is fierce, if you can't hit the person, it becomes impotent rage."

*Boom!*

As he spoke, Uchiha Kage's body turned into a puff of white smoke.

And Neji's Gentle Fist only hit a ball of air.

"Such speed..."

Looking at Uchiha Kage's figure quickly distancing himself from him, Neji couldn't help but feel secretly shocked with his Byakugan activated.

Gai and Rock Lee, who were watching the fight, were also a little surprised.

No wonder Kurenai was so confident.

This speed was already no slower than Lee without his weights, no, it was even faster than Lee with the First Gate opened.

"Therefore, you need a Ninjutsu that can bind the enemy."

Watching Neji rush towards him again, Uchiha Kage calculated the time and distance, and quickly began to form hand seals.

Lightning Release: Earth Flow!

This Lightning Release Ninjutsu would release a large amount of electric current close to the ground in a very short period of time. Although the attack distance was very short, once it hit the enemy, as long as the power was greater than the enemy's defense, it could bind the enemy for several seconds.

And these short few seconds were enough for the Gentle Fist to hit the enemy several times over.

"No way!?"

Looking at the electric current that burst out from the ground, Neji hurriedly stopped, wanting to dodge, but it was already impossible.

He wanted to use Heavenly Spin to defend, but it was still too slow.

"Ah!!!"

The rapid electric current instantly paralyzed Hyuga Neji's body.

And Uchiha Kage, who had succeeded, also successfully ambushed Neji, punching him in the face.

"Neji!"

With a *boom*, watching Neji being sent flying, Rock Lee and Tenten exclaimed in worry.

"Hmph, just some clever tricks. Attacks of this level won't make me fall!"

Neji, who stood up again, wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and continued to rush towards Uchiha Kage.

"Still not giving up? Lightning..."

Uchiha Kage began to form hand seals again.

"Don't think I'll be hit by the same Ninjutsu a second time!"

Heavenly Spin!

Before the other party's Ninjutsu could be released, Neji used his proud absolute defense, the Secret Technique that the Hyuga Clan never taught to the Branch Family—Heavenly Spin!

"Who said I was going to use that same technique? Besides, you're too impatient."

Seeing Neji use Heavenly Spin as expected, Uchiha Kage just smiled and curved the corners of his mouth.

Then, after the other party's Heavenly Spin ended, he launched a surprise attack.

Earth Release: Underground Headhunter Technique!

As soon as Neji's Heavenly Spin stopped, Uchiha Kage's Shadow Clone, who had infiltrated the ground, also arrived beneath the other party.

"Ah!"

Neji, who didn't expect Uchiha Kage to change Ninjutsu, could only watch helplessly as the movements under his feet occurred within the Heavenly Spin.

Then, at the moment when the Chakra finally couldn't hold on and the Heavenly Spin disappeared, he was pulled into the earth by the other party.

"Despicable guy!"

Only his head was left outside.

"This is the flexible application of Ninjutsu. Just like the Gentle Fist, even if it's fierce, there are times when you can't fight people head-on, understand?"

With this, Uchiha Kage also completed Hinata's Ninjutsu teaching.

As long as she mastered the Lightning Release: Earth Flow, a binding-type Ninjutsu that was fast and powerful, Hinata's strength could be improved to some extent.

"Yes!"

So, so amazing.

Uchiha Kage's neat and clean subjugation of Neji twice made Hinata watch with rapt attention.

She had even forgotten that the person buried in the earth at this time was her brother.

"That's great, Kage! He totally showed up that arrogant guy!"

Sneaking ahead of Yuhi Kurenai, Ino was the first to hug Uchiha Kage's body, celebrating his victory just now.

"Hinata, why didn't you stop that Yellow-hair?"

Yuhi Kurenai, who wanted to pat Uchiha Kage's head as a "reward," looked at the Yellow-haired Girl who was holding Uchiha Kage's body tightly, and then looked at Hinata, who was standing beside them like a superfluous third party, with an expression full of disappointment.

"Teacher, what are you talking about? Ino, she always..."

Hinata was already satisfied with Uchiha Kage's actions to stand up for her just now.

Of course, even now, even watching Uchiha Kage being hugged by Ino, she was content enough.

"So useless."

She had created so many opportunities for Hinata, but the Yellow-haired Girl still managed to reap the rewards.

Yuhi Kurenai couldn't help but feel inexplicably angry in her heart.

Especially after seeing Ino deliberately rubbing Uchiha Kage's arm with her pouch...

She even had the urge to forcibly pull the two apart.

No, no way, could it be that I really have that kind of feeling for this Disciple...?

No, no!

Anko would laugh at her, and if this Disciple, who always didn't take her seriously, found out, this guy would definitely ride on her, his Teacher, even more in the future.

"Asuma, let's go out for a walk. Let's leave this place for the students to be together."

She couldn't let Uchiha Kage get too complacent. Yuhi Kurenai decided to calm herself down first, otherwise she was worried that she would really couldn't help but compete with that little girl Ino.

"Also... Kage, Hinata has provisionally passed. And Shino, remember to teach him Ninjutsu. well, you hear me!"

But before leaving, Yuhi Kurenai still managed to separate Ino.

"Kurenai..."

Hearing Yuhi Kurenai's words, Asuma hurriedly stood up straight.

That's great, so it turned out that everything before was just Ino's wild guesses.

He knew that Teacher couldn't possibly fall for a student.

And at this moment, a ninja dressed in Anbu attire suddenly appeared in front of everyone, or rather, in front of Uchiha Kage.

"Uchiha Kage, Hokage-sama wants you to go to the Hokage Building immediately!"

"Understood."

Gently shaking off Ino's cute little embrace, Uchiha Kage nodded to the person who came.

Then he threw a Ninjutsu Scroll to Shino, who had been ignored in the back the whole time.

"This Ninjutsu was obtained from a Kirigakure Ninja. It should be very suitable for your Aburame Clan, but because it came from an illegal source, you'd better not give it to others."

"Okay! Thank you, Kage..."

Shino curiously took the Ninjutsu Scroll that Uchiha Kage threw over, and then quickly revealed a surprised expression.

"This Ninjutsu!?"

It was actually the Hidden Mist Technique, Kirigakure Village's most iconic technique!

Indeed, if he could learn this Ninjutsu that allowed him to hide in the mist, his survival rate in battles with enemies would be greatly increased.

To casually give out such a significant gift, this made Shino, who had always been ignored, feel completely moved.

So, so it turned out that Kage had never ignored him.

Don't worry, Kage, I will definitely be a good light bulb in Team 8, emitting as much light and heat as I can, and I will never make things difficult for you.

In the future, he would no longer complain about missions.

"Hokage-sama summons?"

Seeing Uchiha Kage just leave everyone behind and leave with that Anbu ninja, Yuhi Kurenai couldn't help but frown her beautiful eyebrows.

"Asuma, let's go to the Hokage Building to take a look too."

Although she couldn't help this genius Disciple with Ninjutsu and strength anymore, Yuhi Kurenai still wanted to take care of him more as a Teacher.

Uchiha...and the Hokage, she felt that something unusual was going to happen.

Unable to leave Uchiha Kage alone, Yuhi Kurenai decided to go to the Hokage Building herself to see.

"Huh?"

It was just being summoned by the Old Man, although being summoned as a Genin was indeed uncommon.

But it shouldn't be to the point where she needed to worry, right?

How could the Old Man be detrimental to a Genin...

"Only he and Sasuke are left in the Uchiha Clan in the Village. I'm worried he'll be in trouble."

"U-understood."

What happened to the Uchiha back then was indeed very strange, but it shouldn't be blamed on the Old Man, right?

But...

Asuma had never thought about this question before, but at this time, after seeing the serious expression on Yuhi Kurenai's face, he couldn't help but hesitate.

Wait, it seemed that according to the Old Man's personality, maybe the Uchiha Clan's matter back then was really related to the Old Man?

Damn it, it was originally a wonderful date opportunity with Kurenai, but it was interrupted by the Old Man.

If the matter back then was really related to the Old Man, he would definitely scold the Old Man severely!