Rin stopped, her red eyes focused seriously.
"Can I ask why?" she inquired, studying Kurenai. "I don't recall you and Youyu-kun having much of an overlap."
Kurenai met Rin's gaze and answered with equal sincerity. "Because Youyu is simply the best."
A look of admiration filled Rin's eyes. Although Youyu was known for his love of drinking, he was undeniably handsome, and more importantly, one of the brightest talents Konoha Ninja Academy had ever seen. Even Kakashi Hatake, the high-profile son of Konoha's White Fang, couldn't best Youyu. And at only eight years old, Youyu could take down a seasoned teacher in a single move. He was already the undisputed genius of the Academy. For Rin, nothing was more admirable than strength.
"I see," Kurenai murmured, her expression a mix of emotions that quickly solidified into determination. "Well, I won't give up on Youyu so easily."
"Why do you like Youyu?" Rin asked with curiosity. She knew Kurenai wouldn't be drawn to Youyu simply because of his impressive strength.
"That's enough questions," Kurenai replied, her cheeks flushing as she quickly turned away. "Just know that we'll be rivals from now on."
"Huh…?" Rin watched her friend walk off, a bit perplexed.
But she soon clenched her fist, resolved. "Fine. I won't let you have Youyu, either."
…
After running a good distance, Kurenai finally stopped, catching her breath as she leaned against her knees.
"Youyu-kun…" she whispered softly, her senses still lingering on his unique scent.
Kurenai's attraction to Youyu went beyond simple admiration. She'd developed a fascination with the rich aroma that always seemed to surround him. Though she was still too young to drink, the scent of alcohol on Youyu was different from the typical unpleasant smell of drunkenness. It was enticing, and Kurenai found herself drawn to it again and again.
"I won't lose," she murmured, clenching her fist in determination.
…
The Sarutobi Residence
In the Sarutobi household, the Third Hokage, Hiruzen, was in his prime, far from the older man he would later become. He took a long drag from his pipe, looking thoughtfully at his wife.
"Is Asuma still refusing to come out?"
His wife, Biwako Sarutobi, shook her head in exasperation. "The moment he got home today, he locked himself in his room and wouldn't touch any food."
"I see. I'll go check on him."
After a long day of work at the Hokage office, Hiruzen was tired, yet he felt compelled to look in on his son. He'd already heard about what had happened from Asuma's teacher, who had hurried to report the incident.
…
In Asuma's room, buried beneath his blankets, Asuma lay trembling, his eyes filled with lingering fear as he replayed the scene from earlier in his mind.
"Damn it… how could I…?"
Whenever he remembered Youyu's intense gaze, Asuma felt like he was back in that moment, trapped and helpless, with nowhere to run from the monstrous presence before him. He shuddered, the memory of his brush with death etched deeply into his mind.