Chapter 153: Small World

Emotions... How can they be described as deceitful?

Upon hearing the teasing remark from the person beside him, Yu's lips curled into a bitter smile of helplessness.

"Oh right, about what happened with Asuma this afternoon..."

Sitting on the branches of a tree in the evening forest, gazing at the starry sky and distant lights, the two conversed and laughed for a while. Suddenly, Kurenai's gaze focused on Yu's face, revealing a fox-like smirk. "Are you... jealous?"

Jealous?! At Kurenai's ambiguous gaze and words, Yu was momentarily stunned, realizing almost too late that he almost choked on his own saliva. It turned out that Kurenai had always thought he was jealous and that was what led to the battle with Asuma in the afternoon.

"Cough, cough... You misunderstood. It was just a previous misunderstanding between us..."

Understanding the cause and effect, Yu coughed awkwardly a few times, intending to explain the sequence of events to the girl beside him.

However, at this moment, two delicate lips, accompanied by a gentle breeze, lightly pressed against his cheek. Yu couldn't help but widen his eyes, frozen in place.

"No need to explain..."

"In fact, I really like the way you look when you're jealous..."

After lightly kissing Yu's cheek, Kurenai's fair and charming face blushed slightly, and she whispered softly into Yu's ear.

"I really like it... Like it a lot..."

Listening to Kurenai's gentle tone, feeling the fragrant warmth the girl exhaled that seemed to electrify his ear, Yu felt as if his entire being had turned into wood.

'I'm actually been teased!!'

This was Yu's initial reaction, followed by thoughts of another girl, Yugao, who had deep roots in his heart.

Both girls were so beautiful and captivating. If Yugao was like the violet in white and purple, then Kurenai was like the sunflower in white and red.

One was an orchid in a secluded valley, and the other was a bud waiting to bloom. Just like their names, one was like a cool and solitary moon, and the other was like a seductive and radiant sun, both equally captivating, making it impossible for people to look away.

"Kurenai-Nee, I..."

Feeling the ambiguous yet expectant gaze from the stunning beauty beside him, Yu stared blankly, mouth agape, contemplating what to say to her.

"Rustle, rustle, rustle..."

Just then, a faint sound of footsteps echoed from the nearby forest. Although the sound of crushing dry branches and leaves on the ground was almost imperceptible due to the great distance, Yu's Observation Haki still caught it.

"At this time, Konoha's ninja shouldn't be appearing here."

Sensing the unusual activity in the nearby forest, Yu lightly furrowed his brows and said to Kurenai beside him, "Kurenai-Nee, wait here; I'll go take a look and come back!"

Whoosh!!

Before Kurenai could respond, Yu had already disappeared in an instant among the trees.

"Be careful..."

Watching Yu vanish from her side, Kurenai, with her pearl-white teeth lightly exposed, spoke in a barely audible voice, her gaze hiding complexity and anticipation.

...

"Finally succeeded!!"

Within the forest on the outskirts of Konoha, a ninja in dark attire swiftly moved through the darkness. Cradled in his arms was a little girl fast asleep. Despite their dark and resolute countenance, with a cloud-shaped forehead protector, this ninja turned out to be the same Cloud Ninja who had provocatively challenged Yu during the day as part of the Hidden Cloud envoy!

"If my estimation is correct, the Captain should already be dead at the hands of the Hyuga Clan ninjas..."

"Hmph, but it doesn't matter. I've obtained the Byakugan from the Hyuga Clan's main family. All these sacrifices are worth it!"

Sprinting through the dark forest, Hidden Cloud Jonin Mokai glanced at the little girl still sleeping in his arms, a smug smile playing on his lips.

Clang!!

However, just at that moment, as Mokai sprinted, his heart suddenly tightened. Driven by his battle-hardened instincts, he abruptly halted!

Thud!!

Immediately, a crisp collision followed. In the split second that Mokai stopped, several large trees in front of him seemed to fall out of nowhere.

As if being cleaved by an invisible blade in the middle, the ground nearby erupted into a tumultuous cloud of dust.

"Well, life is full of unexpected encounters, isn't it?"

"Aren't you one of the envoys from the Hidden Cloud peace negotiation team?"

Accompanied by a tone of nonchalance, a voice echoed, and in the air before Mokai, a ninja had appeared, seemingly out of nowhere.

With disheveled pale hair, dressed in black ninja attire, and stepping on an invisible, fine thread, the youth displayed a playful smile on his handsome face as he looked at Mokai.

"It's you?!"

Illuminated by the gentle moonlight, Mokai recognized the ninja standing before him as Yu, who had mocked him during the day. Mokai's pupils contracted in that instant.

Damn it... How did this guy end up here?!

Though he had taunted Yu during the day, counting on Yu not daring to act against him during the Konoha celebration, Mokai hadn't anticipated encountering this formidable opponent in this situation.

Konoha's Scarlet Yu—Mokai naturally had heard of this name, the legendary ninja capable of facing ten thousand enemies alone. Even their Hidden Cloud's strongest Raikage fell at the hands of this individual.

"Oh?"

"Isn't this the young lady from Konoha's Hyuga Clan main family?"

Sensing the uneasy gaze beneath him from Mokai, Yu's eyes shifted to the little girl sleeping in his arms.

With her cute and fair little face, black bangs framing her short hair, she looked like a peacefully sleeping baby. Yu immediately recognized the identity of this little girl—Hyuga Hinata, the heiress of the Hyuga Clan main family, one of the main heroines in the anime.

"I see. It seems that Hidden Cloud intends to seize ninjas from the Hyuga clan during these peace talks, aiming to lay their hands on the Byakugan Kekkei Genkai."

Observing the current situation combined with the anime's plot, Yu quickly deduced the Cloud Ninja's objective. Looking down at the somewhat uneasy Mokai, the devilish curve at the corner of Yu's mouth gradually lifted.

"In that case, I can't afford to let you off easily..."

Clang!!

Feeling the intense killing intent in Yu's words, a streak of light flashed in the darkness. Mokai instantly produced a sharp kunai in his hand, pressing it against the slumbering Hinata in his arms.

"Don't come any closer!"

With vigilant eyes fixed on Yu before him, Mokai's kunai was perilously close to cutting the delicate skin of the small girl, Hinata.

"Hmph, Scarlet Yu, though I hate to admit it, I know your capabilities..."

Taking a slight step backward, aware of the various legends circulating about Yu in the ninja world, Mokai revealed a sinister expression. "So, if you take one step closer, I'll kill this little girl immediately!"

"Holding such a young girl hostage?"

"At least, as one of the ninjas from the Five Great Ninja Villages. Can't you show a bit of shame?"

Facing the expected coercion from Mokai, Yu's face displayed a hint of helplessness. Seemingly harmless, he opened his hands, but in his amber-colored eyes, a chilling sharpness emitted. 

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