Lost in thought, Ren, who had already returned to Konoha, walked towards Kurenai's house with ease. He had often freeloaded meals at her house over the years. He could find her house with his eyes closed.
Passing by the grocery store, he bought some earthworms and small insects, poured them into his clothes pocket, and put the noob inside to "eat."
After solving the slinky lunch problem, it was his turn. Ren couldn't help but quicken his steps when he thought of Kurenai's cooking.
Five minutes later, Ren, who had rushed to Kurenai's doorstep, knocked on the door.
"Kurenai, open the door, it's Ren."
"Oh, wait a moment, I'll be right there."
Kurenai's somewhat flustered voice came from inside. After dozens of seconds, Ren, feeling a bit strange, finally waited for Kurenai to open the door.
"You're here." Kurenai smiled awkwardly, looking at Ren outside the door.
She opened the door and let Ren in.
Ren looked at Kurenai with a puzzled expression, "What's wrong, Kurenai? It took you so long to open the door."
"Nothing, I was just cooking, and it was a critical moment for stir-frying, so I had to make you wait a little."
A blush appeared on her face. She had failed when trying a new dish earlier, and her face was covered in black and white smudges. She hurriedly washed her face before coming to open the door for Ren.
"Hmm? What's that smell? It seems like the soup has boiled over."
Ren, puzzled, sniffed and then said to Kurenai.
Kurenai's face changed, and she immediately ran towards the kitchen.
"Oh no, my Pork Ribs and Seaweed Soup!"
Ren followed closely behind.
Standing at the kitchen entrance, he looked at the mess on the stove...
A pot of Pork Ribs and Seaweed Soup had boiled over, and the stove was covered in spilt soup and ribs, sizzling as they hit the fire. Kurenai stood beside it, at a loss.
"Sigh." Ren sighed softly, stepped forward, untied Kurenai's apron, and put it on himself.
"Leave the rest to me. Kurenai, you can be my assistant."
"Oh." Kurenai stood awkwardly to the side, eagerly watching Ren's next moves.
Hmm... Pork Ribs, got it!
Ren's eyes lit up.
First, he and Kurenai cleaned up the stove.
Then, he placed the twice-washed pork ribs in cold water to soak. Next, he heated oil in a pan until slightly warm, added the pork ribs, lightly fried them, and then removed them, setting them aside.
Afterwards, he switched to a clay pot, added green onions, ginger, garlic, and chilli, and stir-fried them until fragrant. Then, he added the pork ribs. He successively added cooking wine, soy sauce, and two bowls of purified water. He then brought it to a rapid boil over high heat. Once the soup was fully boiling, he covered the pot, reduced the heat to low, and simmered for half an hour.
After half an hour, he added rice vinegar, rock sugar, and a little salt, then turned up the heat to reduce the sauce.
Finally, with a little sauce remaining, he turned off the heat and sprinkled some chopped green onions. It was ready to eat!
"Kurenai, go find me a plate."
"Oh... oh! Got it." Kurenai, whose mind had been blank as she watched Ren's smooth movements, completing a dish of Sweet and Sour Pork Ribs in a short while, finally came to her senses. She took a plate from the cupboard and handed it to Ren.
Ren picked up the clay pot and poured the Sweet and Sour Pork Ribs onto the plate. Each piece was enticing in colour, and both of them involuntarily salivated.
Then, he poured the Seaweed Soup, which had been simmering all along, into a basin, and the meal was complete.
The two sat facing each other at the dining table. After a long time of work, they could finally eat.
A standard three dishes and one soup. Kurenai had already prepared two dishes earlier, but she had suddenly wanted to try a new dish and it had gone wrong.
Three dishes: Fried Tempura, Grilled Eel, and Sweet and Sour Pork Ribs.
One soup: Dried Shrimp and Seaweed Soup.
"Is Uncle not coming back for dinner today?"
Ren looked at the dining table, which only had the two of them, a little puzzled.
"Father went on a mission today. It seems he won't be back for two or three days," Kurenai replied, shaking her head.
"I see. Well then, I'm going to dig in!" they said in unison.
After speaking in unison, the two smiled at each other and began to eat.
Kurenai picked up a piece of Sweet and Sour Pork Ribs and took a bite. The juices spread in her mouth, and the meat was firm, tender, and fragrant. Chewing it left a lingering aftertaste.
"Ren is amazing! It's so delicious (///▽///)."
Kurenai ate the pork ribs blissfully, her eyes sparkling as she looked at Ren.
"Haha? If it's good, eat more."
Ren looked at Kurenai with a smile. He leisurely ate the Grilled Eel. It had been a long time since he cooked, so it seemed his skills hadn't declined much. His cooking was still quite good.
The table of dishes was full of colour, aroma, and taste. Watching Kurenai eat with relish, he too felt his appetite stirred. As the saying goes, beauty is a feast for the eyes.
After some time, the two, full and satisfied, washed the dishes in the kitchen and then sat on the sofa to chat.
Suddenly, Ren said, "Kurenai, I want to learn Genjutsu. Can you ask Uncle for me when he gets back?"
Kurenai froze, looking at Ren with some surprise.
"You want to learn Genjutsu? Haven't you always been training in Taijutsu and Ninjutsu? Why the sudden interest in Genjutsu?"
"Hmm... because I feel my current strength has hit a bottleneck, and I have a faint feeling that the breakthrough lies in Genjutsu!"
Seeing Ren so certain, Kurenai didn't ask further. No other reason than that trust is a living feeling, and even more, it is the bond connecting two people.
"Okay, I'll tell Father when he gets back. Since we have nothing to do now, I'll teach you some Genjutsu theory first. It will make learning faster later on."
"Mhm."
Ren responded and then began to listen attentively to Kurenai's explanation.
Genjutsu, unlike Ninjutsu and Taijutsu, targets the enemy's five senses, causing them to fall into illusions.
Skilled Genjutsu users can even manipulate the flow of Chakra in the enemy's brain nerves at will, a fighting style that requires high intelligence and combat proficiency.
Genjutsu includes those activated using Yin Release and those activated using Bloodline Limit and Bloodline Trait.
Genjutsu is one of the three basic skills of a Ninja, and many Ninja can use it.
However, most use Genjutsu as a supplement and Ninjutsu as the primary. Only a few specialise in Genjutsu, such as Uchiha Itachi, Uchiha Shisui, Yuhi Kurenai, Tayuya, Hōzuki Gengetsu, and Kurama Yakumo.
There are only two ways to break Genjutsu: First, for non-Dojutsu Genjutsu: one can disrupt their own Chakra flow to break the Genjutsu; Second, for Dojutsu Genjutsu: it can only be broken by another person disrupting the Chakra flow.
"That's pretty much the basic theory and application of Genjutsu. For anything else, you'll have to wait for Father to come back and teach you."
Kurenai took a sip of water, moistening her dry red lips, and a hint of fatigue showed in her red eyes.
Noticing this, Ren prepared to bid farewell.
"Then I won't disturb you. Thank you, Kurenai. Get some rest early and take care of yourself."
After speaking, he walked towards the door.
Kurenai followed him outside the door and watched Ren wave to him from a distance. Her bright eyes curved into a smile, and she also waved vigorously in that direction.
Only when Ren disappeared into the darkness did she return to the house, lie on her bed, and soon fall into a deep sleep...
Meanwhile, Ren walked through the brightly lit streets, returned home, and took a hot shower, washing away the day's fatigue.
Then he changed into his pyjamas, sat leaning against the window seat, and began to refine Chakra.
As the Chakra was slowly refined, the outside world's clamour also quieted down...