Kurenai was quite happy hearing the first half of her mother's response—so long as her mother didn't object, she could be with Ryosuke without worry.
But when she heard the second half, her expression tightened, and she couldn't help but speak up:
"Mother, what does me being with Ryosuke have to do with Sarutobi Asuma?"
"He might like me, but I don't like him."
In every way—appearance, temperament, values—Ryosuke outshined Asuma by far.
Most importantly, Ryosuke respected her feelings. Asuma, on the other hand, had repeatedly irritated her.
Her mother sighed with helplessness and said,
"You're still too young. If Asuma were just an ordinary person, of course it wouldn't matter. But he's not—he's the son of the Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen."
"If Asuma isn't happy, then the Third Hokage won't be happy either. Do you understand now?"
Kurenai fell into deep thought. She felt maybe her mother was overthinking it.
"But Mother, the Third Hokage is known for being wise and kind. He has a good reputation. Would he really get angry over something like this?"
"And even if he did… he can't force me to be with Asuma, right?"
Her mother responded patiently.
"People who become Hokage aren't always as benevolent as they appear on the surface."
"He won't force you openly—he values his image—but just because he won't act in the open doesn't mean he won't move in the shadows."
"You've heard of Danzo, haven't you? He's the one who handles all the dark, dirty work behind the scenes for the Hokage."
"Many ninjas have mysteriously disappeared under his hand."
Kurenai's eyes widened in shock.
"All this… just over something like this? They wouldn't go as far as to eliminate me, right? I've done nothing to betray the village."
Her mother continued with unwavering patience.
"You might not have betrayed the village, but upsetting someone in power can be as dangerous as betrayal."
"They may not act against you directly, but they can trip you up in secret. This world is far more complex than it appears. You must learn to navigate it wisely—avoid making enemies, especially since our Yuhi clan is no longer a powerful one."
Kurenai quietly took in her mother's words.
"Mother…"
"I understand what you're saying. But wasn't Lord Danzo responsible for eliminating traitors and spies within the village?"
"They betrayed us. Isn't that punishment justified?"
Seeing that Kurenai was listening attentively, her mother was pleased. She went on to explain more.
"Kurenai, you've never seen the village's darker side."
"Yes, some of those Danzo executed were indeed spies or traitors. But who can say for sure all of them were?"
Kurenai covered her mouth, stunned. Her mother's words had shaken her deeply.
She hadn't realized the village harbored such darkness.
Her mother had shared this to make sure Kurenai would be more cautious and discerning in Konoha going forward.
"The one person in Konoha you must never cross is Lord Danzo."
"There's even a rumor that he used members of the Senju clan for human experimentation."
"And that's why Lady Tsunade dissolved her clan—forcing its members to live under new names to escape Danzo's reach."
Kurenai was utterly shocked.
The Senju clan—the founders of Konoha alongside the Uchiha, the most powerful family in Konoha's history. Even the Uchiha came second to them.
And they fell because of this?
She couldn't help but ask:
"Was it really Danzo? Could he really have that kind of power?"
Her mother replied calmly:
"They're just rumors… but where there's smoke, there's usually fire. Rumors like this don't appear for no reason."
Kurenai was now genuinely afraid of this so-called dark side of Konoha—afraid of Danzo.
"Don't worry, Mother. I'll make sure to handle things with Asuma carefully."
She hadn't wanted to bother with Asuma before, but now, for the sake of her mother, herself, and Ryosuke, she would make the effort to keep things smooth.
Asuma was the kind of guy who could lose his temper easily.
Seeing that her daughter was willing to listen, her mother smiled.
"That's all I ask. I'm going to bed now—you should rest early too."
Kurenai returned to her room and went to sleep.
After all, Asuma didn't yet know about her and Ryosuke. He was still away serving as a Guardian Ninja for the Daimyo of the Land of Fire.
There was still time to figure things out. No need to worry tonight.
The next morning, Ryosuke woke early and completed another set of his One Punch Man-style training, earning a small boost to his physical stats.
It wasn't a huge gain—but progress was progress.
By afternoon, Ryosuke made his way to find Might Guy.
He wasn't sure if Guy had recovered from their last fight. Unlike Ryosuke, Guy didn't have enhanced constitution stats.
More importantly, Ryosuke was ready to learn the technique known as the Eight Gates.
This wasn't something they could just spar over casually.
Might Guy was either doing laps around the village or training on the familiar clearing deep in the woods.
Ryosuke soon found him—Guy was off alone, drilling his taijutsu techniques.
Strangely, Lee wasn't training with him today.
Guy sensed someone approaching and stopped mid-movement. He turned to see Uchiha Ryosuke, whose bruises had completely disappeared.
His aura didn't look like someone who had recently been injured.
From their previous exchanges, Guy could tell Ryosuke wasn't just healed on the surface—he was fully recovered.
Guy himself had a strong physique, but even so, he was only halfway healed. The bruises on his face had faded, but a close look still revealed traces.
His rapid recovery was thanks to the Uchiha medicinal serum Ryosuke had sold him at a discount.
If Kakashi was a genius of ninjutsu, then Ryosuke was the true genius of taijutsu.
Guy had encountered two prodigies in his life—Kakashi and now Ryosuke—but he didn't feel discouraged. He had long since gotten used to setbacks.
In fact, having such gifted rivals and comrades made him happy.
Looking at Ryosuke, he grinned.
"Here to spar with me again today?"
Once upon a time, he had constantly chased after Kakashi for taijutsu duels. Now someone else sought him out the same way.
His wounds were mostly healed. A spar with Ryosuke wouldn't be a problem.
With no missions on his plate lately, it was the perfect time to focus on training and becoming stronger—so he could take on higher-ranked tasks.
His best friend Kakashi was already doing elite Anbu work. Guy hadn't given up on joining the Anbu either.
If he wasn't strong enough to get in, then he just had to train until he was.
He had the confidence to do it.
He had already risen from a taijutsu-only loser to a respected chunin. In pure taijutsu, he feared no one—not even Kakashi.
And once he opened the Eight Gates, he could surpass him.
He had already found his confidence again from what once felt like failure.
But Ryosuke shook his head and said:
"I'm not here to spar with you today."
"I want to learn the Eight Gates technique from you."
"Would you be willing to teach me?"