Delicate chopsticks lifted small portions of food from the inn's tray to the table. After a long silence, Kurenai Yuhi finally couldn't hold back her voice.
"Why… why betray Konoha?"
Even though she had only spoken with him for barely ten minutes, Kurenai could already tell—Uchiha Kenya wasn't the man described in Sarutobi Hiruzen's wanted orders.
He wasn't a greedy criminal who sold out the village's secrets for profit.
Kenya's lips curved into a faint smile. He didn't even bother to answer her question. Instead, he asked,
"Unauthorized actions. Killing the Hokage's only son. If you returned to Konoha with Kakashi now, what do you think would happen to you?"
The chopsticks in Kurenai's hand stilled. Biting her lower lip, she whispered:
"Maybe… I'd be imprisoned in Konoha's prison. At the very least, I'd be demoted from Jōnin to Chūnin."
Kenya chuckled. "No, that's not it. Neither you nor Kakashi will face any real punishment. Once you return, Sarutobi Hiruzen will say: 'It wasn't your fault. Asuma acted on his own. Please forgive me.'"
His voice grew sharper, mocking.
"And then? You'll cry, thank him for his generosity, and walk away without a single punishment. On the surface. But in truth? You'll already be blacklisted. Because I didn't kill you, Konoha's higher-ups will suspect you. You'll be watched by the Intelligence Division and ANBU from then on. Forget about ever touching a high-level mission again—you'll forever be under suspicion."
Kurenai's expression darkened. Kenya pressed on.
"After all, the Uchiha are gone, and Konoha's strength has fallen to its lowest point since the village was founded. Even if you were killed, Sarutobi Asuma wouldn't return. So Sarutobi Hiruzen will act magnanimous to keep his power intact. What's lost is lost. The important thing is squeezing whatever benefit remains in front of him. That, Kurenai, is how the Third Hokage rules the village."
By the end, his tone was steeped in ridicule.
"You're spouting nonsense!"
Kurenai slammed her chopsticks to the ground. "The Third isn't that kind of person!"
"Don't mistake me," Kenya replied coldly. "I'm not condemning him. His power isn't like the First Hokage's. He rules the only way he can. And as a politician, he is excellent. Even I admire him."
With a sneer, Kenya set his chopsticks down and stood. "If you don't believe me, you'll see when you return. Goodbye."
"Wait—where are you going?!"
Kurenai rose sharply. But this time, Kenya gave no reply.
Only a fleeting, enigmatic smile as he turned away—then he strode off into the night.
Kurenai remained frozen, unable to follow. Not because she lacked the strength to catch him, but because his words had shaken the very foundations of her belief.
For twenty years, her impression of the Third Hokage had been unwavering: kind, compassionate, devoted to the people. The image most of Konoha held—an old man who sacrificed everything for the village.
But… why were there fewer and fewer true powerhouses in Konoha?
Think of those who had left or perished:
The Sannin—Tsunade, Orochimaru, Jiraiya.
"Konoha's White Fang" Hatake Sakumo.
The "Yellow Flash" Namikaze Minato.
Uchiha Shisui, hailed as the strongest in genjutsu.
Uchiha Itachi, a genius among geniuses.
And even before them, the Senju and Uzumaki clans had all but vanished from history.
The Third preached endlessly of the "Will of Fire" and "all for the village." Yet no matter how noble the words sounded, the truth remained: the strongest cards in Konoha's hand had been squandered—by him and the other three old foxes who ruled alongside him.
…
By the time Kurenai gathered herself, Kenya was already gone.
She stepped outside the inn, determined her bearings, and began her return to Konoha.
Because Kakashi lay collapsed, and Gai's team carried Asuma's lifeless body, their pace was slow. Within half a day, Kurenai had already caught up.
"Red! You're alive?!"
Might Guy and the others gaped in astonishment.
None of them had expected to see her again. After all, Uchiha Kenya was an S-rank traitor—a monster who had betrayed Konoha. Surely she had been killed.
"You escaped? Truly incredible!" Shiranui Genma exclaimed.
Kurenai's expression flickered, Kenya's words echoing in her mind.
"No… he let me go."
"What!?"
The group froze, their shock even greater than before.
"To be honest…" Kurenai murmured, "I don't think he's the kind of man they say he is."
"Don't be naïve, Red!" Kotetsu barked, cutting her off. "That was just his trick!"
"That's right!" Izumo agreed. "He definitely has no good intentions!"
But to Kurenai, their words sounded almost absurd.
Bad intentions? A trick?
What possible benefit did Uchiha Kenya gain by letting her go?
Still—she kept those thoughts to herself.
Even in her gentleness, Kurenai understood. To defend a missing-nin was something she could never say aloud.