"This is your teammate for this mission, Kurenai Yuhi."
As expected, it really was Kurenai!
Gento's heart immediately grew heated.
After all, as one of the most popular Kunoichi in Naruto, Kurenai would definitely meet the system's criteria.
According to the original storyline, Kurenai would eventually become Asuma Sarutobi's wife.
As for now…
Gento certainly had no intention of following the original plot.
As for what would happen to Asuma after he intercepted Kurenai…
Gento could only say: Sorry about that!
Kurenai stood still, her gaze meeting Gento's as a curve formed at the corner of her lips.
Gento politely stepped forward and shook her hand.
"Hello, I'm Gento Uchiha."
"I've heard much about you. I'm Kurenai Yuhi."
Gento felt that Kurenai's small hand was cool and soft.
Standing closer, he could also smell a very pleasant floral fragrance.
"With the village short on manpower, most shinobi have been dispatched to the battlefield, so for now you can only be assigned one teammate."
Hiruzen explained.
"However, Kurenai has been a Chunin for many years, and she specializes in genjutsu. She should be able to coordinate well with your Sharingan."
"In any case, the situation is urgent. After the two of you familiarize yourselves with each other, depart immediately."
"Yes, Hokage-sama!"
The two accepted the order and withdrew.
After leaving the Hokage Tower, Gento briefly explained the mission to Kurenai:
"The mission is to investigate abnormal movements of Hidden Sand shinobi in the Kikyo Pass area. Kikyo Pass is located in the northwest of the Land of Fire.
"It's a key border stronghold and a necessary route for any Hidden Sand invasion. The journey will take about two to three days. We have one hour to prepare before we meet at the village gate and depart."
Kurenai listened carefully and nodded.
"Understood."
---
An hour later, fully equipped, the two met outside the village and immediately set off toward Kikyo Pass.
Along the way, Kurenai did not speak much.
Gento deliberately tried to close the distance between them, so he took the initiative to start a conversation:
"Since we're traveling, let's get to know each other's abilities."
He began by introducing himself:
"I possess the Three-Tomoe Sharingan. I have a solid foundation in taijutsu, genjutsu, and combat perception.
"As for ninjutsu, aside from basic techniques, I specialize in Fire Release and Lightning Release. "In addition, I also know medical ninjutsu and can perform emergency treatment."
Listening to Gento's introduction, Kurenai was somewhat surprised.
She hadn't expected that her Uchiha captain was not only handsome, but also so well-rounded in ability.
Especially his proficiency in medical ninjutsu.
After all, during missions, shinobi inevitably get injured, and many deaths occur simply because wounds are not treated in time.
Having a medical ninja in a team at such times becomes extremely important.
However, medical ninjas are difficult to train, so not every team can be equipped with one.
Kurenai could not help but feel a bit more favorable toward Gento.
She also began introducing herself.
"I specialize in genjutsu."
Thinking that her introduction was too brief, a faint redness appeared on Kurenai's cheeks.
Gento keenly noticed her emotions and immediately reassured her:
"This mission mainly focuses on gathering intelligence. Your genjutsu will be very useful."
Gento's words were not merely flattery.
In fact, setting aside bloodline limits, Kurenai's genjutsu talent was already top-tier.
Considering that in the original, she was able to exchange moves with Itachi Uchiha using genjutsu!
Of course, how many moves… better not ask.
Even though the current Kurenai was still young and might not yet have reached her peak strength, it was more than enough for cooperating with him in intelligence gathering.
Thus, the two continued forward toward Kikyo Pass while conversing.
Under Gento's guidance, they gradually became more familiar with each other, and their conversations increased.
Three days later, the two finally arrived in the Kikyo Pass region.
"Stop."
Gento lowered his voice, signaling Kurenai to conceal herself.
"Ahead is the Kikyo Pass area. It would be unwise for us to investigate directly as Leaf shinobi."
"Why is that?"
Kurenai asked with a puzzled expression.
"If the Hidden Sand realizes that Leaf has become suspicious, it may provoke them. Even if they are not fully prepared, they might launch an attack ahead of schedule.
"Leaf is not yet fully prepared, so we must avoid that situation as much as possible."
Gento took out the Hidden Stone Forehead Protectors and the clothing that he had prepared in advance.
"Put this on. Even if we're exposed, we can disguise ourselves as Hidden Stone Village shinobi passing through and avoid direct conflict."
As he spoke, Gento handed Kurenai a set of Hidden Stone shinobi clothing and a forehead protector he had already prepared.
Kurenai also felt that Gento's reasoning made sense, so she took the clothes and moved behind a tree to change.
Gento likewise took out the Hidden Stone Village outfit he had prepared earlier.
After changing, following Gento's plan, the two first circled around to the north, disguising themselves as Hidden Stone shinobi coming from the Land of Earth, and only then began conducting a careful investigation of the surrounding area.
The Kikyo Pass outpost was a group of abandoned castles, originally built during the era of the Second Hokage and gradually abandoned after the Second Great Shinobi War.
They carefully investigated both inside and outside the castle, but found no obvious traces.
Over the next few days, the two gradually expanded their search range.
On the third day, relying on the keen perception of his Sharingan, Gento finally discovered something unusual at the edge of a forest.
A patch of soil appeared to have been a bit distorted.
He signaled Kurenai to stay alert and used a kunai to carefully dig open the surface layer. Beneath it, there was a layer of cooled plant ash.
"About ten days ago, three to five people made a fire here."
After observing various details, Kurenai made her judgment.
Gento nodded, then restored the scene to its original state.
During missions, shinobi usually rely on Soldier Pills for energy replenishment. Only during long-term missions would they make a fire.
This trace alone was enough to reveal many things.
Over the next two days, they discovered three more similar traces.
These traces varied in scale, with the smallest being a three-person squad and the largest approaching ten people.
All of this indicated that a group of unidentified shinobi had been carrying out long-term missions along the border of the Land of Fire!
As the clues increased, Gento had already roughly determined the general range of the enemy's activities.
A plan took shape in his mind.
…
That night, three figures dressed in Hidden Sand attire appeared among the dense forest.
At the front was a middle-aged shinobi with a sharp and capable appearance.
As he moved forward cautiously, he complained in a low voice to his companions behind him:
"After getting the reward for this mission, I'm definitely going to spend a few days enjoying myself at the Red Sand Tavern!"
"Akawa, I heard you're still a virgin? This time I'll take you to the tavern to experience it properly. The girls there are all very sharp. You'll definitely not want to leave!"
However, no one responded behind him.
He suddenly turned around, only to find that there was no one there.
The alertness of a seasoned Chunin made the hairs on his body stand on end instantly.
His right hand quickly moved toward the signal launcher at his waist.
But before his fingertips could touch it, a soft female voice had already gently sounded:
"Genjutsu: Demonic Illusion, Fake Residence~"
Damn, it's genjutsu!
He realized, struggling to resist the effects of the illusion while reaching toward his waist.
Yet the sensation in his hand made him freeze.
The expected cold, hard touch did not appear; instead, it was replaced by a warm, soft sensation.
He looked down, only to find a lightly dressed woman lying before him.
"Oh my Iwasaki-sama, where exactly are your hands wandering"
The woman spoke in a coquettish tone, yet did not avoid him. She deliberately brushed against his hand, letting out soft, ambiguous breaths.
Iwasaki looked around and discovered that he was actually inside a familiar private room of the Red Sand Tavern!
Moreover, soft and fragrant bodies surrounded him; four barely dressed women were nestled beside him.
The four women were making various seductive gestures toward him, causing the long-deprived man to feel his blood surge uncontrollably!
...
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