"You hid it well enough."
Kurenai Yuhi walked up and elbowed him lightly. "If it hadn't been for today's sparring match, I'd never have known you were this strong."
"I never meant to hide it from you," Kitazawa replied, his gaze falling on her arm. "You just never asked."
"Oh, so now it's my fault?"
Kurenai rolled her eyes at him.
"I wouldn't dare."
Kitazawa caught her wrist. "Let me help you with that bruise."
Kurenai froze for a moment.
Only then did she notice the faint bruise on her pale arm — the mark left when she'd blocked his Leaf Whirlwind earlier.
"It's nothing. Just a scratch. It'll fade soon enough."
She instinctively tried to pull her hand back, but his grip didn't budge.
"I caused it, so I'll take responsibility."
Kitazawa led her into the living room.
Yakumo Kurama stood up, about to speak, but when she saw the scene before her, she quickly covered her mouth.
Her eyes, however, sparkled with curiosity — her gossiping instincts ablaze.
Kitazawa released Kurenai and went upstairs to get the first aid kit.
"I was sparring with Kitazawa just now. Got a little banged up," Kurenai said casually, glancing at Yakumo.
"I thought—" Yakumo coughed lightly. "Ahem. Is it serious, Kurenai-sensei? I can call a medical ninja."
"Just a small bruise."
Kurenai raised her arm to show her.
Kitazawa came back down with the kit — something every ninja kept at home, since visits to Konoha Hospital weren't cheap.
"Sensei, I've already mastered the Truth-Speaking Technique," Yakumo said earnestly. "I'll go up to the roof to paint."
With that, she disappeared upstairs.
"Some people's talent really makes you despair," Kitazawa muttered enviously.
He relied on his system, but Yakumo's ability was pure talent.
"Tell me about it," Kurenai agreed.
She was already considered a genjutsu prodigy herself, yet even she could feel the gap between them.
Only the Uchiha clan's Sharingan users could compare.
"You're not lacking in talent either," Kurenai added.
"Anyway, give me your hand."
Kitazawa sat beside her and opened the kit.
Kurenai loosened the white bandage around her hand and shifted closer, extending her arm toward him.
Kitazawa glanced down — and froze for a second.
They were sitting very close.
Kurenai was kneeling on the sofa, leaning forward. The black mesh under her collar was exposed just slightly.
Keeping his face composed, Kitazawa poured disinfectant on the bruise.
"Ah—it's cold," Kurenai hissed softly.
"Cold's better than pain," he replied, catching the faint scent of her perfume as he finished applying the medicine.
"Thanks."
Kurenai waved her hand lightly — the pain was already fading.
Though ninja were known for offense rather than defense, their bodies were far stronger than ordinary people's.
"What do you think of Yakumo's new genjutsu?" Kurenai asked, shifting from kneeling to sitting cross-legged, facing him directly.
"The Talk Therapy Technique builds trust," Kitazawa explained thoughtfully. "Then the Truth-Speaking Technique identifies the patient's mental issues. After that, the next genjutsu should begin the actual treatment."
"You mean the dream-based therapy you mentioned before?" Kurenai asked, frowning slightly.
"More accurately, dream therapy is the final stage," Kitazawa said. "Ordinary psychological techniques should first work together with Yakumo's bloodline ability."
"How do we combine them?"
"Psychological illness always comes down to negative emotions," Kitazawa said after a pause. "I think we can create a jutsu that pinpoints those emotions directly."
"That sounds complicated already."
Kurenai crossed her arms, feeling a headache coming on.
"It'll definitely be difficult," Kitazawa agreed. "If we had help, it'd be a lot easier."
Kurenai sighed. "Genjutsu users are too rare in Konoha."
"Unless we ask the Uchiha clan," Kitazawa said after a pause.
"No thanks. They're even harder to deal with," Kurenai said flatly.
"Otherwise, our only option is the Hokage," Kitazawa said with a shrug.
At Hiruzen Sarutobi's level, there wasn't a jutsu he didn't know. The same went for legends like Orochimaru, Jiraiya, Tsunade, and Danzo.
"We'll go to the Hokage only if there's no other way," Kurenai said, rubbing her temples.
"Fair enough."
Kitazawa sat cross-legged like her. The two of them faced each other on the sofa, eyes meeting.
Kurenai propped her chin on one hand, lost in thought.
A warm noon breeze drifted in through the window.
Her gaze lingered on Kitazawa, and for a moment, her mind went blank.
After spending time together lately, she'd discovered a new side of him — insightful, capable… and undeniably handsome.
Her heart skipped a beat, and she quickly looked away.
"What's wrong?" Kitazawa noticed her movement.
"Nothing."
Kurenai tucked her hair behind her ear. "Have you thought of anything yet?"
"I… actually have," Kitazawa said, his eyes lighting up. "Do you know the Demonic Illusion: Hell Viewing Technique?"
"Of course," Kurenai said, raising an eyebrow. "It manifests the target's deepest fears before them."
"We could reverse its concept — let the patient's negative emotions reveal themselves voluntarily," Kitazawa suggested with a smile. "What do you think?"
"Genius!"
Kurenai's eyes sparkled. "We can modify the Hell Viewing Technique completely!"
Creating a new jutsu from scratch was hard, but adapting an existing one would make things much easier.
"Then we start research tomorrow!" Kurenai said enthusiastically, slapping her thigh — the sound crisp against her pale skin.
Somewhere in the Land of Fire — A Casino.
"Please stop, Lady Tsunade!"
Shizune pleaded, almost in tears. "You've lost all our food money for today!"
"I'm just about to win it back!" Tsunade snapped, eyes locked on the slot machine. "Come on, pay out already!"
The reels spun wildly before stopping on two sevens and… a toad.
"Damn it!"
Tsunade slammed her fist down. "Stupid toad!"
Three sevens meant a jackpot. Two meant nothing.
"We're doomed… we'll starve again!" Shizune wailed.
"Relax, we won't go hungry," Tsunade said, suddenly smirking. "Our money's already on its way."
"Who'd still lend us money?" Shizune asked, confused.
"My reputation isn't that bad, is it?" Tsunade glared at her.
"…"
Shizune twitched her lips — do you really need to ask?
"Come out already," Tsunade called.
A second later, an Anbu appeared in front of her, silently handing her a letter.
Tsunade opened it and read.
The message was simple — an update about Kurama Yakumo and the creation of a psychological medical ninja system.
"Psychological medical ninja?" Tsunade frowned slightly, intrigued.
Her first instinct was disbelief — but Hiruzen Sarutobi had no reason to lie.
She fell silent, thinking.
Though the letter framed it as a request for her to return and oversee the new system, she could see the real purpose clearly: they wanted to treat her hemophobia.
"Hmph. Trying to trick me back, huh? Not that easy."
Tsunade scoffed, ready to ignore it — until she read the last line.
Konoha will provide unlimited funding for the project.