"Hmm? Asuma, why are you here? Is something wrong?"
Ren suddenly turned around and asked Asuma with a puzzled expression. As for Kurenai, she turned her head away directly, not even bothering to acknowledge Asuma. This made Asuma feel as if he had fallen into a deep abyss.
His eyes were vacant, his gaze listless.
"It's nothing, I'll go now."
Asuma turned around, pulled open the tent flap, and walked out. Outside, the sun was bright, and the sky was cloudless. But Asuma felt as though he had lost his life's goal, walking through the Konoha Camp like a zombie.
"Hmm? Asuma, what's wrong with you?"
Yuhi Shinku, in a good mood, was humming a tune as he walked through the Konoha Camp when he suddenly saw Asuma pass by, emitting an aura of dejection. He asked with some confusion.
"Uh... it's shinku Uncle."
Asuma turned his head, his head drooping, and forced out a weak joke before reverting to his previous state, continuing to walk forward listlessly.
"Uh, what's wrong with this kid?"
Yuhi Shinku's mouth twitched twice. This kid, who was usually quite normal, had suddenly become like this.
Although Yuhi Shinku felt that something was amiss, He didn't think much of it, simply assuming Asuma was going through a moody teenage phase, and being overly sentimental was normal.
...
"What's wrong with him?"
After Asuma left, Ren looked at Kurenai in his arms with some confusion and asked.
"Hmph, I don't know, who cares about him?"
Kurenai snorted coldly, turned her head back, and gently rubbed against Ren's chest.
"Cough, cough, cough, well, Kurenai, aren't you going to introduce us?"
Mei said sourly, looking at the sweet couple, while feeling a strange pang of sadness. Even a young girl like Kurenai had a partner; when would I get one...?
A voice from behind interrupted the tender moment between the two. Kurenai, realising they were still in the tent, immediately darted out of Ren's embrace like a rabbit. Just as she was about to stand a bit further away, Ren grabbed her hand. After several failed attempts to break free, she could only reluctantly give up the struggle. Kurenai merely gave Ren a charming glare.
The others, who had just been force-fed a wave of public display of affection, all had dark lines on their faces. It was bad enough being shown off by couples in the Village, but even on the battlefield, they couldn't escape the fate of being fed a public display of affection.
"Ah, ah, ah, I can't take it anymore! Why do I have to suffer like this first thing in the morning!"
Mei, who had been forcibly fed a mouthful of public display of affection, clutched at her hair, her face full of exasperation as she looked at the two.
"Alright, Mei, someone's still resting, don't make so much noise. Kurenai, aren't you going to introduce us?"
The girl with face paint walked helplessly to Hoshino Mei, covered her mouth, then turned to Ren and Kurenai and smiled.
"Um... he's Ren, he's my..."
"Boyfriend."
Just as Kurenai was unsure how to introduce him, Ren leaned close to Kurenai and said with a smile.
"Hmph..."
A faint blush flashed across Kurenai's face, but she didn't deny it, which surprised the others even more.
"Eh? Kurenai, is he the person you've always talked about, your beloved?"
The girl with face paint asked Kurenai while also scrutinising Ren up and down, a curious expression on her face.
"Ren? That name sounds familiar..."
Mei rubbed her chin, muttering.
"Hello everyone, I am Hoshimi Ren. I was just transferred here from the Sand village Battlefield. Thank you all for taking care of Kurenai. Thank you."
Upon hearing Ren's self-introduction, the middle-aged Jonin who had been silent until then, his eyes lit up, and he said with some surprise.
"Hoshimi Ren from the Sand village Battlefield? Is it the Hoshimi Ren who, along with Uchiha Ryufeng of the Uchiha and Kakashi Hatake, is known as Konoha's Three Great Geniuses?"
"Eh?!"
The three exclaimed in unison, but then, remembering the others still resting in the tent, they quickly lowered their voices. Mei's tone carried a hint of excitement.
"Is it the Hoshimi Ren who apprenticed under Lady Tsunade and fought the Sunagakure bloodline Strong for three hundred rounds without falling behind, alongside Uchiha Ryufeng?!"
"Am I that famous?"
Ren muttered, his smile growing brighter. Kurenai, hearing Ren's muttering, quietly nudged Ren, telling him not to get carried away.
"Cough, cough, cough, alright, let's go. It's time for patrol."
The Jonin coughed, stood up, and walked out.
"Right, right, right, let's hurry up. Being late has consequences."
"Captain, wait for us!"
The girl with face paint and Hoshino Mei paused for a moment before reacting, immediately standing up and following their captain's footsteps.
Soon, only Ren and Kurenai were left in the tent. Oh, right, and a few of Kurenai's teammates who were "sound asleep" not far away. Of course, it wasn't impossible that they had already woken up. For example, the two girls on the beds had their heads exposed and were "snoring loudly," their eyes narrowed to slits, watching the two. Ren, whose sensory abilities far surpassed ordinary people, noticed this but didn't expose them. Instead, he secretly gave them a thumbs-up.
These teammates of Kurenai's and the ones from just now were indeed excellent Ninja who had inherited the "fire will."
"Kurenai, you... hiss!"
Just as Ren was about to ask Kurenai how she had been doing, he didn't expect that she had secretly placed her hand on his soft spot at his waist. With a twist, Ren instantly gasped sharply.
"Who did you just say was your girlfriend?"
Kurenai smiled while continuously tightening her grip. Ren quickly grabbed Kurenai's hand to stop her actions. He said with a forced smile.
"Gently, gently, it hurts a lot. Besides, isn't this going to happen sooner or later? Don't mind these small details."
"You say that again!"
Kurenai gritted her teeth, but she also released her hand from Ren's waist. She gently punched Ren's back.
Ren suddenly noticed a faint layer of dark circles under Kurenai's eyes, clearly indicating a lack of sleep.
"Uh, did I disturb your rest?"
Ren asked cautiously, as it seemed Kurenai's team was resting when he came in, likely from a night patrol mission. But due to the joy of reunion, Ren hadn't paid much attention.
"What do you think? It's nine in the morning. According to the schedule, I can rest until noon. Last night, the patrol time changed, and we only returned to the Konoha Camp at three in the morning."
Kurenai said while continuously rubbing her eyes, a clear hint of sleepiness in her red pupils.
"Sorry about that. Then you rest. I'll come find you after work tomorrow."
"Alright..."
Although Kurenai was a bit reluctant, she didn't try to keep him. After all, both of them were in the same Konoha Camp now, and they could meet whenever they wanted. Also, Kurenai was truly too sleepy; she felt like she could fall asleep standing up.
"See you tomorrow, Kurenai."
"Mm-hmm, see you tomorrow."
Ren lifted the tent flap, waved goodbye to Kurenai, and left.
As soon as Kurenai lay down on the bed to sleep, her two female teammates pounced closer, their four eyes filled with intense gossip.
"You, what are you doing...?"
"Little girl, spill the beans!"
As for what happened next, Ren, who had already left, had no way of knowing...