Chapter two: It seemed too good to be true and it probably was.
"Hello Naruto." Kurenai said. "What brings you here?"
It was another orange sunny day and Naruto had decided to pursue his idea of learning something about genjitsu from one of the experts. Naruto had already gone through formal training with Jiraya but felt that there was something more he could learn by at least trying to master some basic genjitsu techniques.
"I want to learn more about genjitsu. It's one of my main weaknesses when I'm in a battle. I'm trying to find out if there's anything I can learn that would help me against it." Said Naruto.
Kurenai stood up slowly cradling her pregnant belly.
"First, let's see what you already know." Said Kurenai. "Get ready."
"Okay." Said Naruto.
Kurenai looked into Naruto's eyes and preformed a jitsu with the same aspects someone would expect from Naruto's sexy jitsu. It was a love potion of sorts, designed to give the opponent an illusion of sexual bliss – rendering him or her inert.
Kurenai waved good-bye and disappeared into thin air with Sakura appearing right behind her. Naruto felt a very potent desire to pounce.
"This isn't fair." Naruto said.
Naruto did know it was in an illusion, but didn't care so much to try and stop it. Sakura carefully slipped off her clothing and exposed her breasts. Sakura's image took Naruto's hands and made him touch her. If this was an illusion, it was very well done. The illusion felt as real as life.
Naruto saw that the room around him was blurry. He wondered if the couch Kurenai had been sitting on had changed to a different color. These images, Naruto thought, were coming from his own mind, unless Kurenai knew Sakura as intimately as he did. That meant the intensity of his lust for Sakura was being powered by Kurenai. He still didn't care enough to stop the pleasure of it.
"There's no reason to make this easy on you Naruto." The illusion said.
"Huh?" Said Naruto.
"I guess it shouldn't be a surprise that you picked Saukra." Said the illusion of Sakura. "But you must know her very intimately to have conjured up such an image of her. Your own brain picks the image for this genjitsu. I just have to fill you with a bit of emotion to keep your image alive. It's like falling asleep into a dream and letting your mind wander into a specific subject. But I pick the subject for you."
Naruto was embarrassed. "Kurenai, please don't tell anyone else."
"Just focus!" Kurenai said angerly. Her voice echoed from around the room.
"Are you trying to find out if I can get out of the illusion?" Naruto said.
"Yes," Kurenai said.
Kurenai waited a while for Naruto to do something, but lost patience. She would have to do this the hard way. Normally a person can realize that the person they are staring at isn't real. Naruto was not reacting.
Naruto lost his mind a moment later inside Kurenai's illusion. Something about the way Kurenai was feeding his emotions made him lose control. He had no will to move. A depressed feeling hit him like he was drowning in water.
"Why are you doing this to me?" Naruto said. "I thought-"
Then Kurenai felt awful. Maybe she had pressed Naruto too hard. Perhaps he was tired from all the other training he had done. More than that, Naruto could currently be one of the strongest leaf ninja there is. She could see why he was concerned about being caught in an illusion. There is such awesome power in Naruto's abilities now. It was a shame to be stopped by something that is not even physical.
Kurenai liked Naruto. She was attracted to the boy. If only he were older, she thought. There was a strange carnal desire she felt when she stared into Naruto's eyes. A boy with such strength, so helpless against her right now – she was drawn to him. She touched his hand from across the coffee table.
"I haven't felt this way for a long time." Kurenai said.
Something is wrong, Kurenai thought. She didn't know Naruto. There was some sort of genjitsu working against her illusion.
"Kurenai… Sakura… please, I have to live." Naruto went on. "I thought you were my friend Sakura. I thought you loved me. Why did you kiss me? Don't leave me. I'll protect you. I'll be there by your side. I'll do anything."
"What chakra is this?" Said Kurenai.
"Why are you doing this?" Naruto said. He was changing his tone to anger. He was no longer pleading, but threatening. "I didn't do anything to you. How can you think this is helping me? I won't let you. Stop!"
She was just feeding it. Kurenai had found, perhaps, something that had been a secret from Naruto for some time now. She wondered if anyone had any knowledge of it.
Against all of the logical thoughts in her brain Kurenai felt sorry for Naruto. She felt that she was doing wrong to him. She wanted him to forgive her. She wanted his friendship back. Her respect, love, and adoration for him must have increased ten fold over a matter of minutes. She had to stop or else this crush she was forming could turn into something dangerous.
God just look at those blue eyes, she thought.
"I can't hurt him." She said. "Amazing."
The illusion disappeared from Naruto's vision.
"What was that?." Naruto said.
"What did you see?" Kurenai said.
"Everything – I saw everything. At first I saw Sakura. But, then I felt all sorts of emotions, like anger and sadness. And I started saying things that I didn't understand. I felt like you were being mean to me or something, but now that I've snapped out of it – I realize you didn't do anything. So I'm not sure what's going on." Naruto said.
"Naruto, I know it might be a mistake to tell you this, because it could bring you worry." Kurenai said. "It seems that something has slipped through the cracks as you were growing up. You are coming to me for help on genjitsu, so I'm going to assume you don't know. You have been unknowingly using genjitsu on me since you walked in the door."
"I don't understand. I thought I just wasn't talented enough to use it." Naruto said.
"It must have seemed that way in training." Kurenai said. "If you are constantly using chakra flow for this jitsu, then other attempts at using genjitsu must have failed. Naruto, what I am trying to tell you is that you must have acquired some sort of bloodline technique from your parents. The jitsu you use is so subtle, that no one noticed it when you were growing up. Only someone like me would have noticed."
"What does it do?" Naruto said.
"Ever since you've been here I've felt closer to you. I feel feelings of camaraderie, kinship, trust, and even love." Said Kurenai. "Those effects are small and unnoticeable to a normal person. But over time, those feelings would surely lead to a friendship or a relationship. I felt more of it because I was feeding the fire."
"How could I not know? How could nobody have noticed?"
"Plenty of people had awakened powers inherited by their parents at your age. However, your jitsu is unique. Most genjitsu are violent and torturous. Yours seems to be peaceful. Have you noticed that when you really try to make friends with someone, that it's easy to do? Have you noticed that you can change people? This kind of thing would be so subtle that even Jiraya would not have noticed."
Naruto stood up straight then and tightened his fist. "No, it can't be."
"What is it?" Kurenai said.
"If what you're saying is true." Naruto said.
"Don't Naruto. Don't read too much into it." Kurenai expected this but didn't have the energy to chase after him if he ran.
"Oh my god! Sakura, Sauske, Jiraya, Kakashi, how many people believed in me. People have died for me. People have sacrificed. Gaara, Kiba, Hinata, all my friends."
"Naruto wait!"
"They aren't my friends are they..." Naruto moved back out to exit Kurenai's house.
"Naruto! It's not what you think! These people love you for who you are! Don't do this! What you have is a gift!"
Naruto stopped in the doorway. "What about Sakura-chan?"
"If she loves you, then it doesn't matter." Said Kurenai.
Naruto slammed the door. That was the wrong answer apparently.
"She's not affected!" Kurenai said. She knew this because Sakura had come to her a similar problem a while back. There wasn't a very good chance that Naruto could have affected her. There was also only a very slim chance that Naruto heard what she said after he closed her door.
Naruto stormed down the stairs of the house and out the front walkway. He bumped into Shikamaru around the corner. Shikamaru turned startled seeing that Naruto was angry. Naruto gave him a nasty look.
"What's your problem Naruto?" He said.
"Nothing." Naruto said, walking off into the distance.
"Naruto!" Shikamaru said.
"What is it?" Naruto said yelling back at him.
"There's a problem." Said Shikamaru. "Our intelligence network brings word that Sauske is returning home."
Naruto felt a fire burning inside him. He had tried his hardest with Sauske to save their friendship. Naruto wondered what the friendship was worth now that he had always been cursed with this ability to manipulate people.
"On his own accord?" Naruto said.
"We don't know why he's coming back, but yes." Shikamaru said. "We also know that he has affiliated himself with the Akatsuki. We don't know what his intentions are. And I figure if our spy network knows of this, that there's a possibility he wants us to know he's coming."
Naruto's village had already been half destroyed. This was bad timing.
"Damn you Sauske!" Naruto said.
"Naruto," Said Shikamaru. "We need your help."
***
Chapter three: I will gain power in my own way.