vstars Chapter 805 Crimson
Chapter 805 Crimson
Since he couldn't find Shinku, Zhang Hai decided to ask Kurenai Yuhi. He had overheard Konan mentioning that Shinku and Kurenai Yuhi often practiced together at the training grounds, so he decided to go there and take a look.
After walking through several streets, Zhang Hai arrived at Konoha's training ground. At a glance, he spotted that familiar figure.
At this moment, Kurenai's face was filled with determination as she practiced her taijutsu around the wooden stake, wielding a shuriken. Although her movements were somewhat clumsy, they were full of power. Several cuts had appeared on her hands, blood seeping out and staining the shuriken red, but she seemed oblivious to the pain, gritting her teeth and persevering. Completely immersed in her training, she was completely unaware of Zhang Hai's arrival.
Zhang Hai stopped, not wanting to disturb her, but instead stood attentively observing her from a short distance away. This was the first time he had seen Yuhi Hong train so hard, and he felt a sense of relief.
He believes the Konoha defense battle instilled a sense of urgency in Kurenai Yuhi. Recalling his time with her, he felt she was far more fortunate than Konan, her peer, and therefore her desire for strength was much lower. Consequently, her strength had fallen far behind Konan's, and even Kakashi, several years younger than her, was far ahead. Zhang Hai believes this is due to both talent and, more importantly, the result of personal effort. He has always admired hard work, knowing that while talent is important, effort is the only path to success.
"That's enough, Hong, stop practicing!"
A loud shout filled with anxiety and heartache suddenly broke the silence of the training ground and interrupted Zhang Hai's thoughts.
"That's enough, Hong, stop practicing!"
With a loud shout, a boy about the same age as Kurenai Yuhi ran over from a distance. He had spiky brown hair and a cigarette dangling from his mouth; he was none other than Asuma Sarutobi, the son of the Third Hokage. He suddenly blocked the wooden stake, stopping Kurenai Yuhi's frenzied training.
Kurenai stopped, her face full of displeasure.
"Get out of the way, Asma!" she said coldly, with a hint of impatience in her voice.
Asuma shook his head, looking with heartache at Kurenai's hands, which were cracked in several places, covered in blood, a shocking sight.
"No! Look at your hand, you'll get hurt if you keep going like this!" Asuma urged anxiously. "Go get it treated quickly!"
Kurenai Yuhi coldly replied, "That's none of your business." She raised her shuriken again, preparing to continue her training.
Asuma felt a pang of bitterness in his heart upon hearing Kurenai's cold words. He sighed, turned sharply, and roared at Zhang Hai, who had been watching from the sidelines, "Don't think I won't know who you are just because you're wearing a mask! She's injured, can't you see?!" His voice was filled with anger and resentment.
Upon hearing this, Kurenai Yuhi abruptly turned to look in the direction Asuma was pointing. When she saw that familiar figure, tears instantly welled in her eyes. She recognized the ANBU member as Zhang Hai, the one who had always haunted her dreams. Thinking of him always standing behind her, watching her train, her eyes reddened, and she hesitated, unable to speak.
Zhang Hai stepped forward and walked to Xi Ri Hong's side. He reached out and gently patted her shoulder, his eyes filled with encouragement.
"Train hard," he said softly, his tone completely flat.
After saying this, Zhang Hai prepared to turn and leave. He believed that injuries during training were normal; they were an essential part of becoming stronger. In this battle to defend Konoha, he had been so close yet almost failed to save them. What would he do if he encountered danger again? During the Third Shinobi World War, there was no shortage of fighting and death; only by becoming stronger could one survive.
However, Zhang Hai's actions completely enraged Asuma. He saw that Zhang Hai not only did not stop Kurenai Yuhi from training, but also "added fuel to the fire," which made him so angry that his face turned ashen.
"Bastard!" Asma cursed, swinging his fist and punching Zhang Hai hard. His fist, filled with furious power, aimed straight for Zhang Hai's face.
Zhang Hai's eyes turned cold. Facing Asma's attack, he merely flicked his finger. A tiny arc of electricity flashed at his fingertip, then instantly struck Asma's body.
"Well--!"
Before Asuma could react, he felt a numbness throughout his body, instantly losing all strength and collapsing to the ground with a thud. The paralysis effect of the Lightning Release technique prevented him from getting up for a short time, leaving him only able to struggle on the ground.
Asuma, lying on the ground, roared, "As expected, those who join the Anbu are all cold-blooded bastards! Just because she likes you, does that mean you can be completely indifferent to her and never consider her feelings?!" His voice was filled with resentment and anger.
Upon hearing this, Kurenai was filled with shock and anger. She stepped forward, trying to stop Asuma from continuing.
"Asuma! Stop talking, you..."
"Let him speak." Zhang Hai interrupted Xi Ri Hong, his voice cold and calm, his eyes behind the mask turning indifferent.
Looking into Zhang Hai's cold eyes, Asma steeled himself and decided to go all out and say what was buried deep in his heart. He gritted his teeth and struggled to his feet. Although his body was still numb, the anger in his heart sustained him.
"Fine! You want me to talk? Then I'll talk!" Asuma pointed at Zhang Hai and roared emotionally, "You carried Yuhi Hong to school when she was very young, right? And what happened after that? Did you ever take her shopping? Did you ever play with her? Did you ever go on missions with her? Do you even know what she likes and dislikes? What right do you have to make her like anything?! You don't deserve it!"
Zhang Hai listened quietly to Asma finish speaking, his face remaining completely expressionless. He calmly replied, "Whether I am qualified or not is not for you to judge."
Asma stood up with a maniacal laugh, pointing at Zhang Hai's mask with a defiant look in his eyes.
"If you've got the guts, take off your mask!" Asuma roared. "Let me see if there's even a trace of remorse in your eyes! I really want to know, what exactly does Red like about you!"
"I don't know." Zhang Hai took a deep breath, shook his head, and his voice carried a hint of complexity that was hard to detect.
Yuhi Kurenai was already in tears. She quickly went to Zhang Hai, reached out her scarred hand, and gently touched and tightly grasped his large hand. Her expression was resolute, her eyes filled with unwavering determination.
"You don't understand anything at all!" Kurenai shouted at Asuma, her voice choked with emotion. "Our relationship is none of the business of outsiders. You have no right to lecture him! And I never want to see you again!"
Asuma's body stiffened. Looking at Kurenai's swollen, red eyes and her tightly gripping Zhang Hai's hand, he felt an inexplicable fire surge to his head. Heartache, anger, resentment... a whole host of emotions welled up inside him in an instant.