*Chapter 120: The Jockey Scorns the Ancestor - Yūhi Kurenai*

By the time the paperwork for Team 8's participation in the Chūnin Exams was completed, it was already almost dark.

As usual, after returning home, Yūhi Kurenai took a bath and started her nightly drink, with her favorite dish of wasabi octopus by her side.

Suddenly, a hand silently snatched her cup away.

"Why are you drinking again tonight? A hangover isn’t a good habit," a calm and pleasant voice whispered in Kurenai’s ear.

Startled, Kurenai quickly turned to see who it was. But when she recognized the person, her face immediately lit up with joy.

He wore a simple gray outfit, exuding a cool vibe. His standard black short hair, dark pupils, fair skin, and handsome face complemented his height of about six feet (1.8 meters), giving him a well-proportioned and slender physique.

Five years had passed, and Aizen had completely grown up. He was no longer the flirtatious boy from before.

He now had an air of calm and maturity, giving off a more refined, grounded aura.

Kurenai instantly recognized the young man she had longed for and called out in surprise, "Aizen."

"Long time no see, Kurenai," Aizen nodded slightly, gently swirling the drink in his hand, about to take a sip, when Kurenai pressed a kunai to his neck.

Aizen continued swirling the glass, a faint self-mocking smile appearing on his face. "You’re really ruthless. After five years of being apart as teacher and student, I didn’t expect your first reaction would be to greet me with a blade."

Kurenai’s shoulders trembled slightly, a trace of pain flashing through her eyes as she spoke coldly, "You must be a rogue ninja by now, right?"

Hearing this, Aizen’s expression turned serious. "Kurenai, you’ve changed."

"How have I changed?" Kurenai was taken aback, a hint of panic flickering in her sorrowful eyes.

Although their relationship had begun to shift from teacher and student to something more ambiguous before Aizen had left, time hadn’t dulled Kurenai’s feelings. If anything, it had only intensified them.

To her surprise, she had realized she was fully in love with this genius young man.

In fact, there were times when she even considered accepting Uchiha Izumi’s presence to avoid causing him any trouble.

In the past, this would have been impossible for her to imagine.

Later, when she learned from Kakashi that Aizen had been declared dead, and had been labeled an S-rank rogue ninja for allegedly murdering the Sarutobi and Shimura clans, she was devastated. It felt like her entire world had collapsed. She even considered giving up her life as a ninja.

However, knowing that Konoha had just lost the Uchiha, Sarutobi, and Shimura clans, it was a critical time when the village needed as many skilled people as possible. There was no way they’d accept her resignation as a Jōnin at such a time.

So instead, she joined the medical division, choosing to distance herself from the conflicts of ninja life, hoping that time would heal the unbearable grief in her heart.

It wasn’t until Hinata, Kiba, and Shino graduated that, under the direction of the Third Hokage, she reluctantly returned to the front lines.

Could it be that this young man had already seen through the changes in her heart?

"You’ve become more beautiful," Aizen said seriously.

"Stop joking around," Kurenai’s face flushed red in an instant. She had forgotten that the young man in front of her had a knack for flirting.

"I'm serious. You may not have noticed because you see yourself every morning in the mirror. But it’s different for me. I haven’t seen you in nearly five years, so I can tell."

"Really?" Kurenai’s face turned even redder, with even her neck tinted a soft pink. For a moment, Aizen’s words made her heart flutter.

But she quickly snapped back to reality, clearing her throat and sternly saying, "You still haven’t answered my question."

"Kakashi must’ve told you, right? That guy is such a busybody," Aizen’s smile faded, and he didn’t deny it. "So, what will you do now? As a Konoha Jōnin, will you chase me down as a rogue ninja? Or, as my former teacher, will you punish your student?"

"I..." Kurenai lowered her head, her voice trailing off, and her expression became somber.

Just then, a notification rang in Aizen’s mind.

*[Congratulations, Host, for triggering a system choice.]*

*[1. Grab the kunai, take control by force. Reward: 10 Senzu Beans]*

*[2. 'Convince' Yūhi Kurenai. Reward: Armament Haki] (P.S. The reward from Tsunade’s earlier mission has been changed.)*

*[3. Do nothing and run away like a coward. Reward: 999,999 Viagra pills]*

Seeing the choices pop up in his mind, Aizen glanced at the kunai by his neck. A glimmer of light flickered in his dark eyes as an idea came to him.

He lifted his face and stepped closer, bringing the kunai even nearer to his neck while trying to summon tears.

The kunai was now nearly pressed against Aizen’s neck when Kurenai’s soft, melodic voice spoke again, this time much gentler. "Aizen, if you’re going through something difficult, you can tell me. No matter what happens, as your teacher, I’ll face it with you. But you shouldn’t have done something so reckless as to betray the village."

Aizen slowly lowered his head and looked directly at Kurenai. Using his chakra, he made a tear roll down the right side of his face. "No... I deserve this. I should be dead."

Seeing Aizen, who had always been so carefree and shameless when flirting with women, now shedding tears, Kurenai grew increasingly flustered, her shoulders trembling.

Sensing her emotional shift, Aizen thought to himself, This might work, and mentally recalled the expressions of the character from Famous Movie. With great emotional depth, he spoke the famous line:

"Once upon a time, there was a sincere love in front of me, but I didn’t cherish it. It wasn’t until I lost it that I realized my deep regret. There is no greater pain in this world than that."

As soon as he finished, Kurenai’s hand holding the kunai began to tremble, her breathing growing faster. A glimmer of tears appeared in her dark red eyes.

Feeling hopeful, Aizen pushed through his embarrassment and quoted another famous line

"Go ahead, cut my throat with your kunai! No need to hesitate! If heaven were to give me another chance, I would tell that girl three words: 'I love you.' And if I had to put a time limit on that love, I would want it to last for ten thousand years!"

When he finished speaking, Aizen slowly closed his eyes.

After all, the Naruto world lacked the emotional resources of a more affluent society.

The moment Kurenai heard these flirtatious words, her hand could no longer hold the kunai. With a thud, it dropped to the wooden floor, piercing through it, but she was too lost to notice.

Kurenai slowly closed her eyes, tilting her head back slightly, trying hard not to let her tears fall.

After a long moment, she finally regained her composure and, breathing heavily, looked at Aizen with deep emotion and tears in her beautiful eyes. "Then why did you leave the village and become a rogue ninja?"