After hearing Hinata's gentle reminder, Shinju greeted Kiba and Shino first.
Then he stepped forward, heading toward where Kurenai was standing.
Kiba responded with a polite smile, then quickly pulled Hinata closer to himself and Shino, whispering,
"Why would Shinju suddenly show up at our Team 8 training grounds? Does he have something urgent to announce?"
"Shinju-kun said he wants to discuss some genjutsu-related matters with Kurenai-sensei," Hinata answered honestly.
Shino, standing nearby, found this perfectly reasonable and nodded.
"Kurenai-sensei's mastery of genjutsu is exceptional. If Shinju has questions and wants to consult her, that's only natural."
"Hey! Don't you two forget—Shinju's a student of the same generation as us!!" Kiba reminded them sharply.
"We all started at the same level, yet while we're still struggling with taijutsu and ninjutsu, that guy's already studying genjutsu!"
"We graduated at the same time, and Shinju used to be at the very bottom… but now? Damn it, why's the gap so huge…?"
No matter how hard he racked his brain, Kiba just couldn't figure it out.
Hearing Kiba's outburst, Shino belatedly realized,
"After your analysis… Shinju really is an extraordinary person…"
...
Not far from the three of Team 8, Shinju had already reached Kurenai.
He bowed politely.
"Kurenai-sensei, I've been studying genjutsu these past two days. Kakashi-sensei told me that if I didn't understand something, I could ask you."
"Yes, Kakashi mentioned that to me a couple of days ago."
Leaning against a tree, Kurenai gave him a gentle smile, her voice soft and warm.
"So, what's wrong? Did you come today because you've run into a problem with genjutsu?"
"No."
Shinju shook his head honestly.
"Last night, while looking up at the night sky, I suddenly grasped a new genjutsu. I was hoping you could give me some feedback, Sensei."
"Oh?"
Kurenai raised her brows slightly in surprise.
From what she knew, it had only been two days since Kakashi set Shinju on the path of learning genjutsu.
For a normal person, that wasn't nearly enough time to even fully grasp what genjutsu was.
Yet this kid was boldly claiming that he had already created a new one?!
Who would believe that?!
Kurenai knew Shinju was a rare talent—he had mastered the Flying Thunder God Technique at such a young age.
But still… she couldn't let this genius get arrogant and reckless.
So she put on an encouraging expression.
"Then show me the genjutsu you came up with last night. I'll give you my most honest evaluation."
She nodded slightly.
In truth, she had already prepared how she'd respond.
No matter what Shinju showed, she would point out flaws from every angle—pressuring him to realize his shortcomings, calm down, and focus on genuine study.
"Alright then, I'll start. Please be careful, Sensei."
Shinju crossed his hands, his eyes sharp as he locked his gaze with hers.
In an instant—
Kurenai felt his eyes were like a bottomless abyss.
Just one look made it feel like she was being sucked inside!
But since she had agreed to evaluate him, she let her guard down and allowed her consciousness to sink into the genjutsu flowing from those eyes.
The next moment—
The world before her changed.
Her surroundings turned blood red!
When she raised her eyes, she saw the area swarming with fanged, demonic spirits, each so hideous it was terrifying to even look at them.
The next instant, one of the demons wielding a giant cleaver lunged.
With a vicious swing, the blade slashed down toward the spot where Kurenai stood!
"Ugh!!"
The pain was so real—like her body had truly been split apart—that she cried out.
And at her scream, the other demons surged forward!
Some carried shackles, others red-hot branding irons, others lugged pots of boiling oil. Some were engulfed in roaring flames, radiating blistering heat!
Tormented by the demons, Kurenai's spirit buckled under the crushing assault. Her pupils began to lose focus.
Sensing the danger immediately, Shinju hurried to release the genjutsu.
But it was already too late.
As the illusion broke, Kurenai's body collapsed like a puppet with its strings cut, falling straight toward him!
Quickly, Shinju caught her and called out in alarm.
"Sensei? Kurenai-sensei?!"
But when he confirmed she was unconscious, his heart sank.
Crap… it seemed like… maybe… he'd gotten himself into trouble again!
Not far away, Kiba, Shino, and Hinata had seen Kurenai faint. They rushed over in a panic.
"Kurenai-sensei! What happened to her?!"
"Uh… maybe she's suffering from heatstroke. I'll take her to the hospital right now."
Feeling a bit guilty, Shinju hoisted Kurenai onto his back and vanished instantly using the Flying Thunder God Technique, reappearing outside the hospital.
He carried her inside.
After a long round of examinations, Kurenai-sensei was placed in a hospital observation room.
One of the medical-nin sighed in relief, patting Shinju's shoulder.
"Good thing you brought her here in time. If you'd waited another ten minutes, it could have been dangerous."
Shinju let out a breath of relief.
Luckily, when he visited Sasuke a few days ago, he'd left a Flying Thunder God marker at the hospital entrance. Otherwise, this would've been a nightmare.
He asked carefully,
"Doctor, what exactly happened to my sensei?"
"Her spirit suffered an extreme shock."
The medic answered flatly.
"Her condition has stabilized for now. Just make sure not to stimulate her any further."
With that, the doctor left.
The room was silent, with only Shinju and the unconscious Kurenai remaining.
...
The next day.
Kurenai finally woke up.
But Shinju was no longer there.
The night before, Kakashi and Asuma had come to take him away.
At first, Shinju insisted on staying by her side—after all, he was the one who caused her to collapse.
But Kakashi could already guess the truth: Kurenai had fainted because of Shinju's genjutsu.
He feared that if she woke up and immediately saw this genius student, the shock might worsen her condition. So he forced Shinju to go home.
In the end, Shinju reluctantly left. But before going, he added,
"When Kurenai-sensei wakes up tomorrow, make sure to tell me. I want to apologize to her right away."
Kakashi agreed easily.
But until Kurenai fully recovered, he had no intention of calling Shinju over.
...
"What… what happened to me?"
Kurenai blinked at the sterile white walls around her, confusion in her eyes.
"I remember… I was supposed to be testing Shinju's new genjutsu. Why am I lying here…? Nghh, my head hurts!"
She muttered to herself, then suddenly grabbed her head with a cry of pain.
Kakashi and Asuma quickly called in a nurse.
After an examination, the nurse explained,
"This is normal. It's a side effect of sudden, severe mental trauma. For the next couple of days, don't let anything agitate her. She needs rest."
Hearing this, Kakashi's pupils trembled violently.
That brat Shinju…!
Not only had he sent Kurenai to the hospital, he'd even left her with lingering trauma?!
...
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