"What's wrong, Anko? You seem down."
In a cozy izakaya, a few friends from the same generation were gathering, sipping drinks and chatting.
"Who made you mad?" Genma Shiranui, wearing his usual headband, casually asked.
Everyone's attention shifted toward Anko, noticing that the usually lively and energetic girl seemed rather subdued.
Kurenai, sitting nearby, glanced at Anko, who was slumped over the table, and spoke up: "Maybe she's just had a frustrating encounter."
"Nai!" Anko suddenly raised her voice, signaling for Kurenai to stay quiet.
Kurenai just shrugged and went back to sipping her drink. Even though she was a woman, Kurenai had quite the love for alcohol, especially at night, but she always knew her limits and kept herself to a slight buzz in public.
"Did someone really piss you off?" Aoba Yamashiro asked, even while still wearing his sunglasses inside the izakaya.
"What happened, Anko?" asked Yugao Uzuki, a young woman with long purple hair and a graceful demeanor, curious to know the source of Anko's mood. She was the youngest among the women there, a year behind the others.
"Ahem, who's the culprit?" This came from Hayate Gekko, his head also wrapped in a headband. Though his delicate features were youthful, his sickly appearance made one wonder if he wasn't already suffering from some severe illness.
"If someone's been messing with you, we can handle it," Might Guy said, flexing his arms, trying to look dependable.
"I don't need you guys to fight my battles," Anko rolled her eyes in disdain.
"It's not often we see you so riled up. I'm curious who managed to do it," Genma chuckled, glancing at Raido Namiashi for agreement.
Raido stayed silent, not daring to say anything.
"You asking for trouble?" Anko shot a glare at Genma, making him shrug nonchalantly.
"What's going on?" Yugao asked Kurenai again, seeing that Anko wasn't explaining herself.
"Well, I guess I'll tell you," Kurenai cleared her throat after glancing at Anko for permission. Anko stayed slumped, not protesting or stopping her.
"It's about someone," Kurenai started.
"Someone?" Yugao asked.
"Who?" Hayate added.
"An enemy?" Guy wondered.
"An old friend?" Aoba chimed in.
"Maybe… a lover?" Genma raised an eyebrow.
Splat!
A cup of sake splashed right in Genma's face. Anko put the cup down heavily on the table, her face expressionless. Genma awkwardly wiped his face, looking sheepish.
"Just a brat," Kurenai said, unable to suppress a chuckle.
"A brat? Wait…" Ebisu, who had been quiet until now, finally spoke up.
"Yes, that one," Kurenai nodded.
"Who are we talking about?" Guy asked, still confused.
"Yeah, who is it?" Yugao echoed, just as curious as everyone else.
Ebisu hesitated, noticing how Anko wasn't in a good mood.
"His name is Ren."
"Ren?"
"That name… sounds familiar."
"Wait, isn't he…"
Anko, her chin resting on the table, stared blankly at the sake bottle in front of her, as if she could see something in its white porcelain surface. The incessant chattering from her friends was making her even more irritated.
"Would you all shut up already? He's just a brat!" she shouted.
The room went quiet.
"They're just worried about you," Yugao softly said.
Anko didn't respond. She sat up, poured herself another cup of sake, and downed it.
Everyone's eyes were still on her.
"After the war ended, you barely heard that name again," Guy commented.
"So this kid pissed you off?" Genma asked, flicking the senbon in his mouth onto the table, where it embedded halfway into the wood.
"Cough, just give him a lesson then," Hayate said, coughing slightly as Yugao tugged at him, trying to stop him.
Raido and Aoba both nodded in agreement.
Anko gave Genma a sidelong glance. "You all want to gang up on a junior? How noble."
"There's nothing to discuss with someone like that," Genma scoffed. "He abandoned his comrades on a mission, forged fake intel, lied to the village. A coward. The Hokage was too lenient not to throw him in prison back then."
Kurenai quietly sipped her drink, watching the group without intervening.
The atmosphere grew tense.
Anko looked around the room at her friends. They all cared about her, they always did. In any group, she was often the center of attention.
But that damn brat… he treated her kindness like it meant nothing!
Maybe he does deserve a lesson.
"Do what you want," she muttered, drinking another cup of sake. She then pulled out a stack of bills from her clothes and tossed it onto the table.
"I'm heading out."
"Anko…" Yugao called after her, concerned.
"Let her go," Kurenai interjected with a shrug. "She'll be fine."
"Are you really going to go after Ren?" Yugao asked, now looking at Hayate and Genma.
Genma struggled to pull the senbon from the table and then stuck it back in his mouth. "We said we would. Might as well give the kid a lesson."
"I don't feel bad about it," Aoba added, and Raido nodded in agreement.
"I'm not going," Guy announced.
"You were the first one who said we should help her!" Hayate coughed in surprise.
Guy spread his hands. "I didn't expect it to actually happen. Besides, it doesn't feel right."
"Alright, the five of us then," Genma said, waving it off. "Even with this group, we're giving him more attention than he deserves."
Ebisu hesitated, feeling uneasy.
"What's wrong?" Guy asked, noticing his tension.
"Well…" Ebisu started, carefully choosing his words, "Ren might not be exactly what you think."
"What do you mean?" Genma asked, glancing over at him.
Ebisu hesitated again before telling them everything that had happened during the mission. Everyone listened thoughtfully.
"That doesn't change much," Genma concluded. "He did what he was supposed to do as a Konoha ninja. If he hadn't, he'd be in prison already."
"But since you've told us, we won't go straight to a fight. We'll gauge his attitude first."
"Ebisu, you don't have to get involved," Genma added.
Ebisu only gave a weak smile, saying nothing.
"You're really going all out," Kurenai teased from the side.
Genma shrugged. "It's for a friend."
Kurenai remained noncommittal.
"Does it really have to be like this…?" Yugao still seemed uncertain.
"This is men's business. Let's not interfere," Kurenai said.
At that moment, a familiar voice could be heard from outside the booth.
He's here…
"That voice… it's Asuma, right?" Guy had heard it too. He lifted the curtain of the booth and saw Asuma entering the restaurant with someone.
"I'm leaving," Kurenai said abruptly, standing up and throwing her share of money on the table. She didn't take the front door, instead opting to jump out of the nearby window.
The night swallowed her figure as she disappeared into the brightly lit streets.
"What's up with Kurenai?" Raido asked, confused.
Asuma walked in, greeting everyone.
"Hey, everyone!"
"She was dodging you," Aoba said, pointing at Asuma with a smirk.
"What?" Asuma looked puzzled, his gaze sweeping across the table, noticing two empty seats and cups.
"Were there others?"
"Yeah, Kurenai and Anko," Guy replied.
Asuma's eyes lit up. "Where's Kurenai?"
"She jumped out the window when she heard you were coming," Genma replied, trying to suppress his laughter.
"Wha—?" Asuma was dumbfounded.
Why has Kurenai been avoiding me lately…?
He thought to himself, feeling a bit troubled.
After completing a day's mission, Ren returned home, tidying up and preparing to rest.
However, he suddenly noticed that the information in his system's character panel had changed.
---------------------------------------------------------
[Name]: Mitarashi Anko
[Gender]: Female
[Age]: 21
[Affection Level]: 67
[Relationship]: Nemesis
[Difficulty]: B
[First Kiss Reward]: Snake Style
[Full Intimacy Reward]: Sage Power
---------------------------------------------------------
What is this woman up to again? How did her affection level go back up by itself?
And what's with this "Nemesis" relationship?
He hadn't done anything at all!
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