"What do you mean?" Kurenai asked him.
Yoruichi said, "He's asking you if your eyes are Sharingan, Yūhi." Then she licked one of her cat legs.
"I know that," Kurenai replied. "I'm asking what he meant by 'as well.' Didn't you hear him?" she asked Yoruichi.
"Oh, right. You didn't know," Yoruichi said casually, though she didn't explain further and simply continued licking her other leg.
Then Kurenai heard him speak.
"I thought it was the same. My bad."
That only made Kurenai stare at him more intensely. She didn't understand what he was talking about.
Yoruichi grew curious about Maki's Sharingan and asked, "What about your eyes? What can you do with them?"
Maki turned his head toward Yoruichi. "Well, I can see things in slow motion. I use it to cook with perfect timing."
Yoruichi's cat mouth twitched.
"You're using your eyes just to cook?"
"Well, it's handy. I can even see when the egg is perfectly cooked in slow motion," he added.
Yoruichi simply shook her head in disbelief.
"Hey, I'm still here," Kurenai said, having listened to their odd conversation.
Yoruichi looked at Maki. "You know you can use illusions with your eyes, right?"
"Illusions?" he asked.
"Yeah. Illusions. You should show it to Kurenai. She's good at those."
"Who?" he asked.
Kurenai coughed lightly.
Maki looked at her. "Uh… can I help you?"
Both women stared at him as if something was wrong with his brain.
Yoruichi pointed her paw toward Kurenai. "That's Kurenai, and she's good at Genjutsu. First, show your eyes to her. I want to see her reaction."
Kurenai shot Yoruichi an irritated look before turning back to the man in front of her.
Then she saw him move his hoodie slightly.
She saw his face more clearly.
For a brief second, she gulped.
His red eyes met hers.
Then she saw it.
Black ink-like patterns spun within those crimson irises.
One tomoe.
Two tomoe.
Three tomoe.
Her mind froze.
She subconsciously stepped back.
From the pouch at her side, she pulled out a kunai, spinning it once around her index finger before gripping it tightly.
Yoruichi chuckled.
Maki simply watched her, confused as to why she had suddenly taken a defensive stance.
Kurenai distanced herself, keeping her gaze fixed on his chest rather than his face — especially avoiding his eyes.
Then she heard a male cat's laughter.
The sound snapped her back to her senses.
She looked at the kunai in her hand.
Then at the man standing calmly with a cat resting on his shoulder.
She exhaled heavily and shook her head.
Spinning the kunai once more, she returned it to the pouch strapped to her knee.
She walked slowly back toward them, though she remained on guard.
Yoruichi's voice broke the silence.
"Pretty interesting, right?"
Kurenai stared at her in irritation. "So this is what you meant. You should've just told me. I almost lost control."
Yoruichi only chuckled.
Kurenai looked back at the man and lifted her gaze to his eyes again.
It was real.
A Sharingan.
Now everything made sense — how he asked if her eyes were the same, how casually he spoke about using them for cooking.
This man was using the Sharingan to cook perfect eggs.
It was the most absurd thing she had ever encountered.
"What's your name?" she asked him.
"Maki."
"Maki…" Kurenai repeated the name in her mind.
But they weren't alone in the hall.
Ulti was still there. Riruka was there. Temari was there. Tokoyami and the blonde man were also present.
Each of them had their own reason for staying behind, but none of them expected to witness a teacher and an examinee engaged in such a strange exchange — with a talking cat laughing at the supervisor.
Especially the blonde man.
He had stayed behind hoping Kurenai would notice him.
But she hadn't.
Not even Temari had looked at him once.
Meanwhile, that tall man was casually talking to Yūhi.
His teeth ground together.
He kept asking himself,
Who the fuck is this guy?
Then—
The sliding door opened again.
Princess Mei entered.
They all heard her voice.
"Husband, I'm here to pick you up."
The remaining examinees froze.
Their mouths slowly opened in disbelief.
They watched as Princess Mei walked straight toward the tall man and wrapped her arms around his waist from the side.
The blonde man slammed his fist onto the table.
BAAAAAANG.
The sharp sound echoed through the hall.
Everyone turned to look at him.
( *´・ω)/(;д; )