Malphegor
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YTS: Ch. 05
🕑 Added 2025-03-28 15:31:13 +0000 UTCSince she specialized in genjutsu, Kurenai had a far deeper understanding of it than Guy and Genma. And the more she understood, the clearer it became just how powerful the genjutsu this young jonin had just cast truly was.
That subtle, unique fragrance had drawn them into an illusion without them even realizing it, using a technique similar to scent-based genjutsu. Within a single breath, it had disrupted and influenced their sense of smell, sight, touch, taste, and hearing—yet none of them had noticed they had fallen under a genjutsu.
Just this alone was already beyond what an ordinary A-rank illusion could achieve.
Then there was that completely unreasonable, bone-chilling killing intent, as if they were facing a real giant serpent. It clearly affected something beyond the five senses, triggering the deepest, most primal human instinct for detecting danger.
And the last, most critical point—this was a multi-target illusion.
It simultaneously affected all three of them, maintaining perfect synchronization so there were no inconsistencies in their perceptions or communication. This had to be a complex genjutsu with an A-rank illusion at its core. The level of control and effectiveness… it might even rival an S-rank genjutsu.
Her own squad leader had actually used a genjutsu this difficult and powerful, likely comparable to an S-rank technique, just to deal with three rookie genin?
The more she thought about it, the worse it seemed.
"You look like you're thinking something pretty rude," Kei remarked, narrowing his eyes slightly as he bent forward, meeting Kurenai's ruby-like gaze.
"N-no, of course not!" She averted her eyes, flatly denying the silent complaints she had just been making about her own squad leader.
Seeing that his sudden attack and quick-witted words had successfully made the three rookies forget all about his earlier tardiness, Kei inwardly noted how easy kids were to fool. As he turned to walk out of the training ground, he called back over his shoulder.
"Since you passed the test, let's celebrate the formation of our squad. My treat—grilled skewers. Let's go."
"Decided then! Handstand walk all the way to Yakiniku Q! If you can't do it, two thousand kicks!" Guy responded with his usual enthusiasm.
"Sensei said grilled skewers, not barbecue. That means we're going to Shushu-ya," Genma mumbled around the senbon in his mouth, his half-lidded eyes showing mild correction.
"Oh? I heard it's really expensive! Just one plate of venison costs fifty ryō," Kurenai's eyes lit up slightly as she secretly resolved to set aside her image for the night and eat to her heart's content.
After all, it would be a waste not to make up for the shock she had just suffered.
Hearing their casual chatter behind him, Kei smirked slightly. Their mental resilience wasn't bad.
The three of them undoubtedly had talent.
Might Guy had the strongest potential, with three traits: [Burning Youth (Blue)], [Extreme Recovery (Blue)], and [Thick-Browed Kappa (White)].
The first gave him an unparalleled level of self-discipline and indomitable willpower, the second allowed him to recover from exhaustion far faster while reducing the risk of hidden injuries, and the third, despite lowering his charm and chakra stability, increased his focus and efficiency in taijutsu training.
The combined effects of these traits put him far beyond the vast majority of Konoha's shinobi.
Kurenai came next in terms of talent, possessing [Strong Mental Power (Blue)] and [Illusion Enhancement (Green)].
The former increased her mental strength and endurance, while the latter improved the effectiveness of her genjutsu. If developed properly, she might avoid another infamous "Itachi schooling her in genjutsu" moment in the future.
As for Genma, he had only one trait: [Influenced by Greatness (Blue)].
Its effect significantly boosted his learning speed and potential, but only when he had someone guiding and pushing him. Though he had fewer traits, when put to proper use, his talent might not be any weaker than Kurenai's.
Mindset and talent—these three had no shortage of either.
Kei was certain that as long as he put in even a little effort in guiding them, and if they didn't fall along the way like some did in the original story, their future achievements would surpass what had originally been written.
Looking at ten-year-old Kurenai, eleven-year-old Guy, and twelve-year-old Genma, he couldn't help but sigh.
Back when he watched the anime, all he saw was passion and camaraderie. But after spending more than a decade struggling through the bloodstained, war-ridden shinobi world, the only thing he could see now was cruelty.
Eleven or twelve years old—back in his previous life, kids this age wouldn't have even graduated elementary school. But here in Konoha, they were already expected to face combat and bloodshed.
This damn world… there's really nothing to like about it. He muttered inwardly.
Having lived two lifetimes, he had long passed the age of youthful rebellion. But whenever he encountered things that felt utterly wrong, he still couldn't help but ask himself—should he do something about it?
As Martin Luther King Jr. once said: Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.
Before, when he lacked the strength, all he could do was drift along with the shinobi world's rules, not daring to step out of line. But now that he had the system…
"Fifty ryō for a plate of venison?! That means one meal would cost as much as several D-rank missions!" Guy gasped, continuing his handstand walk while struggling to count just how much money they were about to spend.
"Stop calculating. I heard before that if you don't order anything too extravagant, the average cost per person is around three thousand ryō—about three times more than Yakiniku Q."
"Three... three thousand?! Is this place a scam?!" Guy, who had never come from a wealthy background, was so startled that he nearly lost balance, almost face-planting into the ground.
Kurenai glanced cautiously at Kei, who had remained silent for a while now. Seeing the heaviness in his expression, she assumed he hadn't realized just how expensive Shushu-ya was and had simply wanted to treat his subordinates to something nice—only to be just as shocked by the price as they were.
After much internal debate, she decided to temporarily forgive him for almost scaring her to death earlier. Carefully, she spoke up to ease the tension. "Um… Sensei, actually, I think ramen is really delicious too."
"Hm? Ah—hahaha!" Kei paused, then immediately understood her meaning and couldn't help but laugh. He reached out and ruffled the little girl's hair.
Watching her blush, wrinkle her nose, and hastily fix her hair, he made a decision.
He really should do something.
Not for that vague and pretentious so-called Will of Fire. Not for the ridiculous and impossible dream of world peace.
But simply because today's sunlight was warm, the breeze was gentle, and the people he met… were just too endearing.
