Chapter:17

Not far away, Kurenai Yuhi noticed that Kirito didn't even bother calling her teacher. Annoyed, she sighed impatiently, "Have you all finished discussing? I'm in a hurry."

"Oh, we're ready now," Kirito replied with a smile.

"Then let's begin." Kurenai's demeanor changed instantly, her aura shifting into a combat-ready state.

Kirito exchanged glances with his teammates. Akizuki Airi took the lead, throwing several shurikens and drawing her kunai.

Kurenai didn't even need her own kunai; with a few quick sidesteps, she easily avoided Airi's attacks.

Suddenly, someone appeared in front of Airi, grabbed her kunai, and punched her in the stomach.

Airi gasped as the force sent her flying backward, immediately incapacitating her.

At that moment, Ponji's oversized fist, enlarged through his clan's technique, came crashing down with a roar, shaking the ground and creating a shallow crater, dust billowing everywhere.

"Did it work?" Ponji retracted his fist, swallowing nervously as he stared ahead.

"Not yet," Kirito's voice sounded next to him, followed by Kurenai's voice, "Too naive."

Before Ponji could react, Kurenai's foot landed squarely on his neck, kicking his large body away.

A dull thud echoed in the shallow pit, where a decaying wooden log had replaced her. It was clear Kurenai had used the substitution jutsu.

"Now it's your turn, Kirito," Kurenai finally addressed the last member of the team, who hadn't moved since the fight began.

"Alright. But if I manage to win, Sensei, you'll have to promise to go on a date with me when I'm older." Kirito grinned mischievously.

"If you can pull it off!" Kurenai's competitive spirit flared, and she dashed forward. While Airi had said Kurenai was an expert in genjutsu, her taijutsu was still formidable as a Special Jonin.

But Kurenai quickly regretted engaging Kirito in close combat. Despite his age, Kirito handled her physical attacks with ease, his strength far beyond what she had expected from a child under twelve.

Every time their limbs clashed, a numbing sensation shot through Kurenai's body, as if she were fighting someone made of steel.

"Who is this kid? Does he train like Guy?" Kurenai thought in shock.

Airi and Ponji, watching from a distance, were equally stunned. "He's holding his own against Sensei!"

"Sensei, it looks like you're destined to be my second wife," Kirito teased as he continued to dodge and counter her attacks with basic physical techniques.

"Don't get cocky," Kurenai retorted, frustrated by how the battle was unfolding. She needed to remind him who was in charge.

Quickly retreating from the fight, she formed hand seals and vanished into a pool of liquid, disappearing from sight.

At the same time, a small sapling sprouted beneath Kirito's feet, rapidly growing into a massive tree that bound his limbs.

She had activated her Narakumi no Jutsu.

"Too naive, kid," Kurenai's voice came from the ground as her real body floated up.

"Is that so?" Kirito's voice whispered in her ear. Kurenai's eyes widened in shock, and a chill ran down her spine as she felt the cold touch of a kunai against her neck.

From a distance, Airi and Ponji were utterly confused. They couldn't understand what had just happened.

"What's going on? How did Kirito get the upper hand?" Airi asked Ponji, who was still nursing his bruises while eating potato chips.

Ponji shook his head, mouth full of chips. "No idea, but it looks pretty cool."

"How did you do it?" Kurenai asked, trying to maintain her composure despite her defeat.

Kirito removed the kunai and pointed at the clone still tied to the tree across from them. He chuckled. "Sensei, the textbook says genjutsu disrupts chakra and interferes with the senses, right? Knowing you specialize in illusions, I started disrupting my chakra before the fight even began. That made your genjutsu ineffective. Then I used a clone to throw you off."

"You let your guard down, Sensei."

As soon as Kirito finished speaking, both his clone and the tree vanished, the ground returning to normal.

"I see… I was careless." Kurenai sighed, a self-deprecating smile crossing her face. "You beat me using just the basic clone technique. The Third Hokage wasn't wrong—you really are a genius."

"Sensei, you're too kind. You were just going easy on me. If this had been a real battle, I wouldn't be standing here right now," Kirito said humbly, though a flicker of coldness passed through his eyes.

He knew the Third Hokage had ordered people to monitor him, but Kirito's sharp senses had always detected them. Over the past few years, Kirito had made it a habit to cast illusions on himself, ensuring that most of what the Third Hokage saw was just a false image.

Thanks to his mastery of senjutsu and chakra control, Kirito had managed to keep his true abilities hidden. His display of power today was merely a preview of what he could truly do.

"A loss is a loss," Kurenai admitted, smiling slyly as she suddenly added, "But… why not just call me 'Kurenai' now?"

"Are you serious?" Kirito asked, raising an eyebrow. He met her gaze with a playful grin.

The two stared at each other for a long moment, until Kurenai finally looked away, blushing. "You really are something. I don't know what you've been learning at school."

Turning to Airi and Ponji, Kurenai added, "What happened today stays between us. Be on time tomorrow; we won't wait for stragglers."

With that, she glanced back at Kirito one last time before disappearing into the trees.

As she vanished, Kirito's smile faded, and he muttered to himself, "She's still just a kind-hearted girl."

(End of Chapter)