Misunderstand
Among all his gains—
The one that truly shocked Shenyue Yuan…
Was the trait:
『Truth』
Immune to all genjutsu.
Absolutely broken.
With this—
The era of him being "equal to Itachi Uchiha"…
Was over.
From today onward—
He would become the natural enemy of all genjutsu users.
Their nightmare.
Without this trait—
Even with "Equality of All Beings" balancing things out—
He would never have dared provoke Danzo Shimura with Kotoamatsukami.
"…Getting stronger feels good."
A smile tugged at his lips.
This—
Was the beauty of having a cheat.
One random mission—
And his strength underwent a complete transformation.
After all—
This was the ninja world.
Hard work alone?
Pointless.
Some awaken eye-based cheats.
Some awaken soul-based cheats.
If you don't cheat—
Of course you'll end up cannon fodder in the Fourth War.
Besides 『Truth』—
He also gained 『BGM』.
Who would've thought—
A personal theme song…
Could be turned into a killing move?
That "demonic sound" tormenting Danzo—
That was the source.
Shenyue Yuan deliberately chose a track—
"Blue Lotus Ha."
Paired with 『Radio』—
He forcefully connected to Danzo's mind.
No consent required.
And looped it.
Endlessly.
The system was… surprisingly refined.
Playback modes.
Volume control.
Everything adjustable.
Which meant—
This trick could be used on anyone.
At the right moment—
Max volume.
It could even rupture eardrums.
Temporarily disable hearing.
In this world—
That was a god-tier move.
A true "divine combo."
Very few could withstand that kind of auditory bombardment.
All in all—
He was satisfied.
As for the fight with Danzo?
No need to review.
Without "Equality of All Beings"—
Danzo could crush him with a finger.
His chakra—
Barely mid-Chūnin level.
Only Earth Release by default.
Very few conventional techniques.
As for Wood Release?
With his current chakra—
Even building houses like Yamato would be difficult.
The reason he could unleash such terrifying Wind Release—
Was entirely due to 『Cut』.
And toward the end—
Danzo trying to gouge a blind man's eyes?
…Understandable.
After all—
This was the same man who'd one day stab Susanoo with a kunai.
Shenyue Yuan shook his head.
For the next week—
"Equality of All Beings" would be unusable.
Which meant—
He needed to get stronger.
Fast.
How?
Aside from the system—
He had to increase his chakra reserves.
And collect more Kekkei Genkai.
His elemental affinity was limited—
But maybe the system could fix that.
In the meantime—
He needed to use 『Cut』 more.
Copy stronger jutsu.
Expand his arsenal.
And if he joined Akatsuki—
Every day would be a buffet of high-level techniques.
The only question—
How to get in?
"…Hmm."
He leapt across branches—
Thinking.
Then—
Stopped.
"…Whatever."
"I'll just go to the Land of Rain…"
"And ask if they're recruiting."
…
…
Morning.
Konoha.
Near Kurenai Yuhi's house.
At a street corner—
Asuma Sarutobi leaned against a pole.
Nervous.
A cigarette between his lips.
He rehearsed.
Again and again.
What he would say.
Last night—
His father gave him an order.
One he couldn't refuse.
He would leave the village this morning.
No idea when he'd return.
So—
At dawn—
He came here.
Waiting.
As the sun rose—
The door finally opened.
He cleared his throat.
Walked forward.
Knocked.
"Red… are you awake?"
"It's me. Asuma."
Creak—
The door opened.
And she stepped out.
Like sunlight.
Her red eyes—
Like jewels.
Purple eyeshadow accentuating her mature beauty.
Same outfit as always—
Red sleeves. White dress.
Bandages wrapped around her hands.
And at the roots of her long, flawless legs.
Smooth. Perfect.
No excess.
Seeing him—
She frowned.
"What are you doing here, Asuma?"
He froze.
Stared.
Then scratched his head awkwardly.
"Ah… well, Red—"
Before he could finish—
She smelled it.
Smoke.
Secondhand.
Her expression darkened.
Without a word—
She turned.
Walked back inside.
Bang—
The door slammed shut.
Locked.
"Red!"
Asuma panicked.
Knocking rapidly.
"I've been assigned to guard the Daimyō!"
"I'm leaving today—"
"I don't know when I'll be back!"
"So I wanted—"
From inside—
Her voice came.
Calm.
Flat.
"Asuma."
"In the future—don't contact me unless necessary."
A pause.
"I'm afraid Yuan might misunderstand."
…
Boom.
Asuma stood there.
Frozen.
Like he'd been struck by lightning.
His face—
Ashen.
…
Meanwhile—
Kurenai had already left through the back door.
Instant Body Flicker.
Gone.
She didn't even give him a chance to follow.
Both of them—
Leaving the village.
Both—
Coming to say goodbye.
Yuan—
Came the same night.
Asuma—
Waited until morning.
Yuan—
Brought her favorite late-night snack.
Wasabi octopus.
And sake.
Asuma?
Came empty-handed.
Didn't even think to bring breakfast.
"…Even my student shows more care than you."
"And you think you can pursue me?"
She sighed.
Asuma—
Quickly erased from her thoughts.
A typical second-generation ninja.
Rebellious since the Academy.
Smoking early.
Pretending to be mature.
Only advantage—
A powerful father.
Originally—
He would've worn her down.
Slowly.
Relentlessly.
Until they became something more.
But—
Shenyue Yuan appeared.
And everything changed.
Thinking of her favorite student—
Her expression softened.
Then—
Turned worried.
Her hand slipped into her pocket.
Touching something cold.
Metal.
Keys.
The ones Shenyue Yuan entrusted to her.
All his properties.
All his assets.
And before leaving—
He said—
If he didn't return…
They would all be hers.
"…You foolish child."
She shook her head.
Back then—
When he went all-in on real estate—
She had tried to stop him.
Even hinted—
He could live with her instead.
But he refused.
Said a man should rely on himself.
She knew—
How much he valued those houses.
So to entrust everything—
To someone else…
That kind of trust—
How deep was it?
If it were Asuma—
He could never do this.
Never.
"Yuan…"
She looked ahead.
Softly.
"Do your mission properly."
"Your teacher…"
"Will be waiting for you in Konoha."