Seeing Uchiha Obito already reaching the private room's door, Yūhi Kurenai finally snapped.
She grabbed a glass of wine from the table and downed it in one gulp, then strode up to Obito and slammed her fist into the door with a loud bang.
Feeling the icy killing intent rolling off Kurenai, Obito staggered back several steps.
"Hey, Kurenai, that's a bit much, isn't it?"
"I just turned you down. There's really no need to kill me to silence me, okay?"
Kurenai took a deep breath and said coldly, "Obito, can you listen to me first?!"
Seeing her face pale with anger, Obito obediently sat back down.
With the earlier misunderstanding already in the air, Kurenai skipped any pleasantries and went straight to the point. "Obito, I want to ask you for a favor."
Obito scratched his head. "What kind of favor?"
Kurenai said seriously, "Can you help introduce me to Lord Yuzuru?"
"Huh? So you like Big Brother Yuzuru?"
At Obito's booming voice, Kurenai immediately slapped the table. "Can you keep your voice down?!"
Obito let out a sheepish laugh, finally relaxing.
"Kurenai, sorry about that. I totally misunderstood you."
"If you'd just said you wanted to pursue Lord Yuzuru, you nearly scared me to death."
"But don't worry. Big Brother Yuzuru is actually really easy to chase. He's also carrying the responsibility of marrying and having lots of children to set an example for the clan. With your looks, you'll definitely get what you want."
Kurenai took another deep breath and said expressionlessly, "Obito, you're still misunderstanding me."
Obito froze. "You don't like Lord Yuzuru?"
Barely holding herself back, Kurenai enunciated every word. "This isn't about liking someone. I need Lord Yuzuru's help with something."
"Why do you always drag everything into romance? Don't tell me you're one of those hopeless lovebrains?"
Before Obito could say anything even more outrageous, Kurenai quickly explained her purpose.
"I have a student. Her greatest dream is to become a ninja, but she's been plagued by illness her entire life. I've tried everything, and nothing has worked."
"So I want you to introduce me to Lord Yuzuru and see if he might be able to help that child."
Hearing this, Obito waved his hand. "Leave it to me. I'll find a time to talk to Lord Yuzuru."
"Then thank you very much."
Kurenai stood up happily and left. In the blink of an eye, she vanished from the private room, leaving Obito staring blankly.
Wait, that's it? She's just leaving?
She could've at least grilled some meat for him or had a drink together.
But thinking about how he'd misunderstood her earlier and gone on rambling by himself, Obito lost the urge to complain.
Women were just too much trouble. He was way happier hanging out with Kakashi and the others.
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Konoha.
Satomi Hill Villa.
Once the ancestral land of the Kurama clan, the estate had been preserved despite most of the clan relocating after Uchiha Yuzuru decreed that ninja clans could no longer live clustered together.
Murakumo Kurama and Uroko Kurama warmly welcomed the excited Kurenai as she arrived to visit.
"Senior Murakumo, Senior Uroko, where is Yakumo?"
Hearing this, Murakumo sighed. "Kurenai, that child Yakumo is the same as ever. She's shut herself away in the villa on the back mountain and refuses to see anyone."
Uroko said worriedly, "It's thanks to you coming by from time to time to talk to her. Otherwise, I really don't know what foolish thing that child might do."
"Kurenai, we've really been troubling you."
Murakumo and Uroko were Yakumo's father and mother, as well as the current leaders of the Kurama clan.
Because the Kurama clan possessed a bloodline limit known as Five Senses Control, they had always excelled in genjutsu and were once one of Konoha's foremost ninja clans.
However, the power of this bloodline limit was too strong, and fewer and fewer clan members awakened Five Senses Manipulation.
On top of that, the Kurama clan suffered devastating losses in the previous ninja wars.
Now, the entire clan numbered fewer than two hundred members.
Later, as Yakumo grew up, she displayed talent far surpassing that of other clan members, effortlessly wielding the Kurama bloodline limit.
Everyone in the clan regarded her as the hope for the Kurama clan's revival.
Yet fate was cruel. Yakumo's health deteriorated by the day, to the point where even walking left her gasping for breath.
For this, Murakumo sought out countless doctors, but none had any solution.
Even Danzo Shimura, who was notorious for seizing talented youths from various clans under different pretexts, gave up on recruiting Yakumo into Anbu after personally examining her condition.
Under these repeated blows, Yakumo gradually closed herself off, never stepping outside the back mountain villa.
Only when Kurenai, who was both her teacher and her friend, came to visit would Yakumo step out to get some fresh air.
Seeing the worry on their faces, Kurenai comforted them. "Senior Murakumo was my father's close friend, and I've always treated Yakumo like my own little sister. There's no such thing as trouble between us."
"And this time, I came with some good news."
Murakumo and Uroko asked curiously, "What good news?"
Kurenai smiled. "I have a friend from the Uchiha clan who's been by Lord Yuzuru's side since childhood."
"I've already asked him to speak with Lord Yuzuru. Maybe Yakumo's situation will finally see a turning point."
"Lord Yuzuru?!"
Murakumo and Uroko were startled, then leapt to their feet in delight. "Kurenai, thank you so much!"
They had tried every possible method to cure Yakumo's illness, all without success.
They had already resigned themselves to letting her live as an ordinary person.
Yet Kurenai had managed to reach Lord Yuzuru.
If it was Uchiha Yuzuru, then perhaps there truly was hope to cure Yakumo.
Seeing hope rekindled on their faces, Kurenai stood up. "I came today just to prepare you mentally. Once there's any news, I'll inform you immediately."
"It's getting late. I'll take my leave."
Murakumo and Uroko nodded with smiles and saw Kurenai out of Satomi Hill Villa.
If Yakumo could be cured, then the Kurama clan might finally rise again.