Chapter 10: Chapter 10

“Thanks, Kitazawa.”

Kurenai slipped the scroll into her bag.

“I’ll make sure to study it carefully when I get home.”

“Want a lollipop?”

Kitazawa casually popped open a bag of snacks, offering it her way.

Kurenai laughed, a soft, musical sound.

“Isn’t that a bit childish for someone my age?”

“It’s childish for kids, sure—but perfect for grown-ups.”

Kitazawa unwrapped a lollipop and held it teasingly toward her lips.

“You’re as ridiculous as ever.”

Kurenai rolled her eyes, but leaned in and bit the offered lollipop, her lips brushing his fingers.

“How’s it taste?” Kitazawa asked, already unwrapping another for himself.

“Sweet,” she murmured, narrowing her crimson eyes playfully. “Why are you always carrying snacks around, anyway?”

“They’re rewards for my students.”

Kitazawa shrugged. “It’s my secret weapon for motivating them to study.”

Kurenai thought briefly of Yakumo Kurama.

But… that girl was the heiress of the wealthy Kurama Clan and certainly didn’t need bribes of sweets.

“What do you want for dinner tonight?”

Kurenai twirled her tongue around the candy and said, “My treat. Don’t hold back.”

“Let’s go for barbecue,” Kitazawa decided after a moment of consideration.

“Perfect.”

Kurenai nodded, then grew a bit wistful.

“It’s been ages since we went out for barbecue. The last time was during the Chunin Exams… all of us together.”

By “all of us,” she meant Kakashi, Obito, Rin, and Asuma.

But now, only a handful of them remained.

“Why the sudden nostalgia?” Kitazawa teased, raising an eyebrow. “Careful—too much reminiscing makes you sound old.”

“Are you an idiot?”

Kurenai glared, giving his arm a playful shove.

“Talking about age is strictly off-limits for women.”

“My mistake,” Kitazawa said with a grin.

He knew she wasn’t truly angry. This was just how they bantered.

“Seen Kakashi lately?” Kurenai asked as they began walking side by side.

“How’s he doing?”

“Saw him last month.”

Kitazawa gave a resigned shrug.

“He’s still the same… looking like life’s sucked all the joy out of him.”

That class of theirs, he thought, really was full of extraordinary people—each cursed in their own way.

Kakashi Hatake: a prodigy who made Jonin at twelve… yet marked by tragedy. His father, his teammates, his teacher—all gone, leaving him hollow and detached.

Uchiha Obito: Who, driven by grief over Rin’s death, plunged into darkness and tried to forge a world where Rin still lived. He betrayed his sensei, helped Itachi wipe out their own clan, and ultimately became the masked man who sought to destroy the Ninja World as Uchiha Madara.

And then there was Might Guy, who nearly kicked the world to oblivion, and Asuma Sarutobi, son of the Third Hokage.

“I wonder when Kakashi will finally crawl out of that dark pit,” Kurenai said softly, after a brief silence.

“What about Asuma?”

Kitazawa shifted the topic with a sly grin.

“Is he still chasing after you?”

“I get a letter from him every few days.”

Kurenai pouted, her lips twisting in mild annoyance.

Kitazawa, ever observant, caught the faint hint of impatience in her tone.

In the original timeline, he remembered, Asuma had pursued Kurenai relentlessly—and eventually won her heart, right before the Fourth Great Ninja War. But that was still nearly a decade away. For now, the two were merely circling one another.

“He’s persistent, I’ll give him that,” Kitazawa said, chuckling.

“Even all the way out in the capital of the Land of Fire, he hasn’t forgotten about you.”

Asuma Sarutobi—the rebel prince of Konoha.

After the Third Great Ninja War, he’d abandoned village life to join the Twelve Guardian Ninja in the Land of Fire, seeking purpose beyond the shadow of his father.

A Guardian Ninja served as the personal protector of the Daimyo of the Land of Fire.

Though the original story never specified exactly when Asuma returned to the village, it was likely around the year Uzumaki Naruto and his peers graduated from the Academy.

Once back in Konoha, Asuma became the squad leader for Nara Shikamaru, Akimichi Choji, and Ino Yamanaka.

“Enough about that—how many drinks are you planning to down tonight?”

Yuhi Kurenai folded her arms, revealing slender pale wrists as she stretched slightly.

“I’d risk my life to keep a beautiful woman company.”

Kitazawa’s eyes drifted over her graceful figure, and a small smile tugged at his lips.

He’d never seriously entertained thoughts of Kurenai before—not because he was some chaste saint, but simply because, until recently, survival had been his only priority. He’d been too weak to think about romance.

But now that he had the system on his side, power was no longer his biggest concern.

Besides, he was far too kind-hearted to stand by and let Kurenai become a widow in the future.

’Well… cough, cough’.

At the moment, Asuma Sarutobi and Kurenai were barely more than pursuer and pursued. Things hadn’t grown serious yet.

So, as far as Kitazawa was concerned, the playing field was fair game.

“Oh, really?”

Kurenai’s lips curved into a teasing smile. “It’s not too late to run away, you know.”

“Please… be merciful,” Kitazawa said with exaggerated caution.

“Since you helped me today, I’ll spare you—for now.”

Kurenai gave a mock regal wave of her hand, as though pardoning a subject.

With that, the two stepped into the barbecue restaurant together.

“You get to try my cooking tonight,” Kitazawa announced once they were seated. He wasted no time arranging meat on the sizzling grill.

“I’ve always been curious about something,” Kurenai said. She picked up the sake bottle and poured two cups, the amber liquid catching the glow of the restaurant lights.

“Why did you decide to become a teacher?”

In the ninja world, few careers were as respected as that of a skilled shinobi—especially powerful ones.

Teaching at the Ninja Academy was hardly the pinnacle of prestige. Many ninja still believed that only average-level Chunin who weren’t suited for higher-level missions became Academy instructors.

“Out of interest,” Kitazawa said casually, flipping a piece of pork belly. Delicious aromas wafted between them.

“Is that so?”

Kurenai nodded thoughtfully.

“You’re definitely a natural teacher, Kurenai. Have you been tutoring privately all this time?”

“Pretty much,” Kurenai replied, tending the grill.

Kurenai paused, then added, “But I still have to take missions for the village.”

Outside of Ninja Academy teachers, all ninja were expected to complete missions regularly.

Of course, Konoha’s higher-ups could make exceptions.

Look at Tsunade, for example. After developing hemophobia, she’d roamed the world gambling and drinking—and even ran off with Shizune in tow. She refused to return to Konoha or take any missions, and the village had been powerless to drag her back.

Jiraiya was another special case, always wandering the world at his own whim.

“When you’ve got some free time, come find me.”

Kitazawa grinned, recalling the Yakumo Kurama incident from the original timeline.

“I could help you with that particular student of yours.”

In the canon story, Yuhi Kurenai had spent years trying to solve Yakumo Kurama’s problem, eventually succeeding with help from Naruto and the others.

“Then I’ll take you up on that.”

Kurenai didn’t protest.

“It’s settled, then. If anything comes up, come see me.”

Kitazawa raised his cup in a toast.

Whether he could complete the mission ahead of him might depend on moments like this.

Kurenai stared at him for a moment, caught off guard by the earnest look in his eyes.

A strange feeling flickered in her chest.

Kitazawa somehow seemed different today. Warmer. More attentive.

Could it be…?

She quickly shook off the thought.

It didn’t fit the image she’d always had of him.

To her, Kitazawa was gentle with everyone. And despite his good looks, he’d never shown any romantic interest in anyone—so surely, that hadn’t changed.

“Cheers!”

Kurenai lifted her cup, clinked it against his, and tossed back the sake in a single smooth gulp.

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