"You are not permitted to enter this private room, Lord Asuma."
Ryun was neither subservient nor arrogant, but impatience flashed in Asuma's eyes.
"We know each other quite well. I just wanted to come in and sit for a bit. You're really not giving me any face here, are you?"
As he spoke, Asuma threw an arm around Ryun's shoulders, attempting to forcefully pull him inside.
Ryun, however, seemed to have taken root, remaining completely immobile.
Asuma hadn't yet used chakra, but as a ninja who specialized in taijutsu, very few could match his physical strength, let alone a young man who, in theory, hadn't even attended the Ninja Academy?
He stared at Ryun in shock, his alcohol-addled mind struggling to process it for a moment.
Was it because he had drunk so much that he could no longer control his own body?
Ryun shook his head slightly and said, "Lord Asuma, it seems you've had too much. Let me get you a room so you can rest."
It wasn't that Asuma was incapable of controlling his body; rather, Ryun had used the [Ranshinshō], interfering with the electrical signals in Asuma's body.
The Ranshinshō could directly render an opponent unable to control their body, but it could also just make their body somewhat unresponsive, depending on Ryun's mastery of the technique.
With Ryun's current level of hand seals at 9 and his medical ninjutsu skill, achieving this was effortlessly simple.
This was also a face-saving opportunity Ryun was offering Asuma, a way to repay the favor from when Asuma had helped him resolve the Shimura Taiji incident.
Unfortunately, Asuma clearly had no intention of accepting this kindness.
His appearance here, reeking of alcohol, meant he was prepared for a confrontation with Ryun.
He wanted Ryun to understand that no matter what ideas Ryun harbored, he must keep his distance from Yūhi Kurenai.
Asuma forced his strength, unleashing the formidable power of his taijutsu, driving an elbow towards Ryun's head.
If this blow connected, and given that Ryun was not an ordinary person, it would likely land him in Konoha Hospital for a good while.
Yet the next second, a kunai pierced through his chest.
Asuma looked at this in disbelief, turning to see Ryun, who also wore a terrified expression as he stumbled backward.
Only then did Asuma struggle to turn around and see Yūhi Kurenai holding the kunai, her face utterly resolute.
"The man I like would absolutely never be as dirty, smelly, and petty as you are."
"This strike is a farewell to our relationship."
With that, Yūhi Kurenai withdrew the kunai and hurried to Ryun's side, cupping his face in her hands.
"Brother Ryun, are you alright? Did he scare you?"
"Good boy, come into your sister's embrace—"
Yūhi Kurenai pulled Ryun into a tight hug, using her own warm heart to soothe his injured spirit.
As for Asuma, he slumped weakly to the ground, blood continuously draining away, his life reaching its end—Release!
With an angry roar, Asuma erupted with powerful chakra, barely managing to break the genjutsu he was under.
Ryun, meanwhile, still maintained the hand seal for casting the illusion.
It turned out he had just used the [Demonic Illusion: Hell Viewing Technique].
This was only a D-rank technique, with low learning difficulty and generally not very effective in practice.
It made the target see what they feared most, but such visions often appeared illogically and suddenly. Any trained ninja with a normal mindset could quickly see through it.
The problem was that Sarutobi Asuma was not in a normal state: his spirit was weary, his mindset unstable. Combined with Ryun's full 10 in genjutsu aptitude and high-level Yin Release chakra talent, this single technique had actually managed to ensnare Asuma.
Although he reacted quickly, Ryun's objective had already been achieved.
Rage swept across Asuma's face. Having already released his chakra, he saw no reason to pull it back now. Instead, a large hand shot out to grab Ryun's neck.
He would use his strength to make Ryun understand just how dangerous it was to use such an illusion on an elite jonin.
Ryun had attacked him first, so his counterattack was justified, wasn't it?
But the moment he decided to strike, the one who would act against him next was no longer Ryun.
A tree grew from beneath Asuma's feet, entangling him, and Yūhi Kurenai's figure emerged from the trunk.
Naturally, it was Yūhi Kurenai, awakened by Asuma's loud shouting and who had hurriedly intervened.
"Asuma, what are you doing! This is not a place for you to cause trouble. Go back and come again after you've sobered up!"
Asuma stared at Yūhi Kurenai, a flicker of doubt in his eyes—was this another Hell Viewing illusion cast by Ryun?
But then he discerned from the subtle expressions on Yūhi Kurenai's face that this was the real Yūhi Kurenai.
"Kurenai, I was just worried and came to check on you. But this guy Ryun wouldn't let me in—" Asuma's expression changed as he spoke, realizing he had misspoken.
Sure enough, Yūhi Kurenai's face darkened considerably.
Just yesterday, she and Asuma had argued fiercely over the issue of Ryun. She had stated more than once that she and Ryun were just adoptive siblings.
Asuma not believing her was one thing, but to actually suspect she was sleeping in Ryun's room was an insult to her character.
"Kurenai, listen to me, I just drank too much—"
"Enough!"
Yūhi Kurenai gritted her teeth, holding back the urge to cry, and said, "We're over—actually, we never really began, did we?"
"Kurenai!"
"Call me Yūhi Kurenai, thank you."
Asuma's face darkened, and he stood there somewhat helplessly. This was not the outcome he wanted.
Yūhi Kurenai dispelled the genjutsu and stepped out from the room next to Ryun's, followed closely by Anko.
Yūhi Kurenai looked at Asuma coldly, ready to prevent him from erupting violently again.
Asuma couldn't meet Yūhi Kurenai's gaze, but his eyes fixed on Ryun, his emotions with nowhere to vent.
He was not a man of good temper; he had merely learned restraint.
But facing Ryun now, he felt his capacity for restraint was insufficient.
Finally, he could hold back no longer.
He took out a cigarette and lit it under Yūhi Kurenai's disapproving stare, saying, "Young Master Nojuro, quite the impressive genjutsu. Who exactly did you learn it from?"
"I don't recall you attending the Ninja Academy, nor do I remember you exchanging any merits for it at the Hokage's office. Did you perhaps steal it?"
"That's no small matter. Why not come out and have a chat with me?"
Before Ryun could respond, Yūhi Kurenai stepped in front of him.
"I taught him that genjutsu. The chakra fluctuation just now was the Hell Viewing Technique, wasn't it?"
"Sarutobi Asuma, to think you were controlled by his genjutsu. It seems you've grown far too complacent."
The anger on Asuma's face gradually became harder to control. "I just want to talk to him. I promise not to harm him. Is that still not allowed?"
"I remember you promised me yesterday that you wouldn't bother me again until I calmed down. And then what happened?"
Asuma's temple twitched slightly. Seeing a conflict might erupt, Anko spoke up, "Um, you two seniors, wouldn't saying whatever you have to say here be just the same?"
"Exactly," Yūhi Kurenai continued, "Or is there something you can't let me hear?"
Asuma fell silent for a moment, then finally decided to lay his cards on the table.
He looked at Ryun and said, "Ryun, you're not a child anymore. I can't treat you like one, especially since you're getting so close to Jonin Yūhi Kurenai."
"Now I demand you give an answer: what exactly is Yūhi Kurenai in your eyes?"
"I just want one sentence from you. One honest sentence between men."
Yūhi Kurenai's brows knitted in anger, about to say something more, but Ryun stopped her.
Since Asuma proposed a dialogue between men, Ryun naturally had no reason to refuse.
"Since you want to hear it, Lord Asuma, I'll tell you."
"I am captivated by Sister Kurenai's gentleness and beauty. I like her. I want to become the one she loves most."
"I wonder if Lord Asuma is satisfied with this answer?"
Asuma stared dumbfounded at Ryun, seemingly never expecting him to state such an embarrassing thing so directly. If it were him, he would have stammered countless times by now.
Yūhi Kurenai also felt her face burning. Even though Ryun had said similar things to her before, stating it so bluntly in front of Asuma and Anko now!
Yūhi Kurenai did want a clean break with Asuma, but not necessarily in this way; Anko, who had just started showing signs of improving her relationship with Ryun, now found her best friend stealing him away...
In short, Yūhi Kurenai felt like dying of embarrassment.
Anko stood dejectedly in place, feeling like yesterday's joy and anticipation had made her a complete fool.
And in an unnoticed corner, Moegi was undergoing the biggest ideological baptism of her life.
Asuma thought he was the most aggrieved party. Little did he know that the gap in skill level between him and Ryun spanned three entire battlefields of romance.
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