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 merely "equal to Itachi Uchiha"…
Was over.
From this moment 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 faint smile tugged at his lips.
This—
Was the true beauty of having a cheat.
One random mission—
And his strength had undergone a qualitative leap.
After all—
This was the ninja world.
Hard work alone?
Meaningless.
Some awaken ocular cheats.Some awaken soul-based hacks.
If you don't cheat—
You end up as cannon fodder in the Fourth Great Ninja War.
Besides 『Truth』—
He had also obtained 『BGM』.
Who would have thought—
A personal theme song…
Could be weaponized?
That "demonic sound" tormenting Danzo—
That was its origin.
Shenyue Yuan had deliberately chosen a track—
"Blue Lotus Ha."
Paired with 『Radio』—
He forcefully established a mental connection with Danzo.
No permission required.
And looped it.
Endlessly.
The system was… surprisingly sophisticated.
Playback modes.Volume control.Full customization.
Which meant—
This technique could be used on anyone.
At the right moment—
Max volume.
It could rupture eardrums.
Temporarily shut down hearing.
In this world—
That was a god-tier ability.
A true "divine combo."
Very few could withstand that kind of sensory assault.
All in all—
He was satisfied.
As for the fight with Danzo?
No need to revisit it.
Without "Equality of All Beings"—
Danzo could crush him with a single finger.
His chakra—
Barely mid-Chūnin level.
His base nature—
Only Earth Release.
Very few standard techniques.
As for Wood Release?
With his current reserves—
Even building houses like Yamato would be difficult.
The reason he could unleash such overwhelming Wind Release—
Was entirely thanks to 『Cut』.
And toward the end—
Danzo trying to gouge a blind man's eyes?
…Understandable.
After all—
This was the same man who would one day stab Susanoo with a kunai.
Shenyue Yuan shook his head.
For the next seven days—
"Equality of All Beings" would be unavailable.
Which meant—
He needed to grow stronger.
Fast.
How?
Aside from the system—
He needed to increase his chakra reserves.
And acquire more Kekkei Genkai.
His elemental affinity was limited—
But perhaps the system could compensate for that.
In the meantime—
He needed to use 『Cut』 more frequently.
Copy stronger techniques.
Expand his arsenal.
And if he joined Akatsuki—
Every day would become a feast of high-level jutsu.
The only question—
How to get in?
"…Hmm."
He leapt from branch to branch—
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 residence.
At a quiet street corner—
Asuma Sarutobi leaned against a wooden pole.
Restless.
A cigarette hung loosely from his lips.
He rehearsed his words—
Again and again.
Last night—
His father had given him an order.
One he couldn't refuse.
He would leave the village this morning.
With no idea when he would return.
So—
At dawn—
He came here.
Waiting.
As the first rays of sunlight touched the street—
The door finally opened.
He straightened immediately.
Cleared his throat.
And walked forward.
Knocking gently.
"Red… are you awake?"
"It's me. Asuma."
Creak—
The door opened.
And she stepped out.
Like sunlight breaking through clouds.
Her red eyes—
Bright like gemstones.
Purple eyeshadow accentuated her mature charm.
Her usual outfit—
Red sleeves. White dress.
Bandages wrapped neatly around her hands—
And along the roots of her long, flawless legs.
Smooth. Elegant. Perfect.
No excess.
Seeing him—
She frowned.
"What are you doing here, Asuma?"
He froze.
Staring for a moment too long—
Then scratched his head awkwardly.
"Ah… well, Red—"
Before he could finish—
She smelled it.
Smoke.
Secondhand.
Her expression darkened instantly.
Without another word—
She turned around.
Walked back inside.
Bang—
The door slammed shut.
Locked.
"Red!"
Asuma panicked.
Knocking quickly.
"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—do not contact me unless necessary."
A pause.
"I'm afraid Yuan might misunderstand."
…
Boom.
Asuma stood there—
Frozen.
As if struck by lightning.
His face—
Pale.
Lifeless.
…
Meanwhile—
Kurenai had already exited through the back door.
A swift Body Flicker—
And she was gone.
She didn't even give him the chance to follow.
Both of them—
Were leaving the village.
Both—
Came to say goodbye.
But the difference…
Was everything.
Yuan—
Came the same night.
Asuma—
Waited until morning.
Yuan—
Brought her favorite late-night snacks.
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 softly.
Asuma—
Was quickly erased from her thoughts.
A typical second-generation ninja.
Rebellious since youth.
Smoking early.
Pretending maturity.
His only real advantage—
A powerful father.
Originally—
He might have succeeded.
Slowly.
Relentlessly.
Wearing her down—
Until something changed between them.
But—
Shenyue Yuan appeared.
And everything shifted.
Thinking of her favorite student—
Her expression softened.
Then—
Gradually turned into concern.
Her hand slipped into her pocket.
Touching something cold.
Metal.
Keys.
The ones Shenyue Yuan had entrusted to her.
All his properties.
All his assets.
And before leaving—
He had said—
If he didn't return…
Everything would be hers.
"…You foolish child."
She shook her head lightly.
Back then—
When he went all-in on real estate—
She had tried to stop him.
Even hinted—
That he could live with her instead.
But he refused.
Saying a man should rely on himself.
She knew—
How much he valued those properties.
So to entrust everything—
To someone else…
That kind of trust—
How deep did it run?
If it were Asuma—
He could never do this.
Never.
"Yuan…"
She looked ahead.
Her voice softened.
"Do your mission properly."
"Your teacher…"
"Will be waiting for you in Konoha."