Chapter 1-16
"Alright." I said and shook my head, still drenched and on my ass. I wasn't going to get into any kind of discussions in such an uncomfortable position.
"Just…give me a second, please." I asked and saw her raise one delicate eyebrow when I formed a one-handed seal and concentrated.
'Water Clone' Just a single clone started to form slowly right at my feet, I kept my concentration up and was careful to use only the moisture on my body and my clothing. The clone was now up to its waist and I felt suitably dry, so I kept going with the moisture in the ground I was still sitting on.
Satisfied with the progress I tried to ignore the raven-haired goddess in front of me in favor of producing healing chakra on my palms and gently guided them along my thighs and calves.
I couldn't help but sigh in relief and close my eyes in bliss.
Despite feeling her gaze on me I kept my eyes closed and carried on with my little wellness treatment.
"Say, do you have any preferences for lunch? I feel like talking about whatever this is going to be is easier over something tasty." I asked, eyes now open and meeting her piercing gaze.
"My treat." I offered easily with a little shrug and noticed a small smirk forming.
Seafood it was.
Kurenai went with takowasa, raw octopus heavily flavored with wasabi, which frankly, looked like it was an acquired taste while I stuck with boring but delicious nigiri sushi.
It was a surprisingly comfortable atmosphere between us, which I honestly hadn't expected, as we ate our food in silence.
I also hadn't expected her to order a big cup of sake with her food to which I thankfully kept my thoughts and reaction to myself. I was pleasantly surprised as she seemed way more relaxed than I had initially thought of her. Better to treat her like a highly attractive blank slate than the chick that ended up facing Itachi Uchiha with Genjutsu.
"So…" I began and waited for her to savor the little sip of rice wine and to put down the cup. "why can't I sense you?" I asked the questions, that had been burning inside me since she introduced herself.
"I will admit, it had been a bit of a headache to get a closer look at you Daiki. But I saw my chance three days ago." She stated and I saw her small, satisfied smile grow.
"Do you remember those playing children?" She asked.
'Oh no!' I knew that she noticed my eyes widen by the tiniest fraction, given her steady gaze, obviously waiting for my reaction to that implication. Her mesmerizing red eyes still meeting mine, her smile still in place she carried on.
"That was me and a handful of Shadow Clones. I had them obviously in Henge and more importantly in various states of exhaustion to present small and different enough chakra pools you wouldn't immediately pick up on." She explained calmly, her elbow now on the table and her cheek now resting gently in her palm. She took another slow and small sip from her cup and I couldn't help but squirm.
'Is she doing this intentionally?' I thought my mouth suddenly very dry. Of all times I had to start reading premium smut in my free time it had to be now, I thought with dismay.
"With more focus, you would have easily spotted the similar characteristics, but luckily for me, you had seemed rather engrossed in your new…book." She finished with emphasis, but without any obvious judgment. Still, I somehow suddenly felt the urge to defend myself.
"I…see." I mumbled instead, every excuse had felt more and more farfetched even to me.
"So, when I had been running past and bumped into you, I had planted a…" She paused for a second, seemingly searching for the perfect word. "a suggestion, with my own chakra as an anchor so you would subconsciously disregard my chakra whenever you do your sensing."
"I admit that I was unsure if it would stay intact when you opened what seemed like Inner Gates," She paused again and leveled an unreadable stare at me.
"Uh, yeah, I stumbled over them when I did my research for Genjutsu and used an old medical textbook to help me along." I freely admitted the truth.
"Impressive, but please don't push that technique alone from now on." She stated firmly, and I was about to ask what the 'from now'-part exactly meant when she held up her hand.
"I will come to that shortly, but as I said, I wasn't sure if my little trick would hold strong, which it seems it still does. I guess because I had planted my chakra right in the part of the brain responsible for the sensing ability and it's still present." She hummed in thought and rested her head in her other palm.
"Try focusing your chakra exclusively in that area and try to disrupt it again. If you want, I can do it for you of course." She offered and I thought about it for a second.
"Yeah, that would be nice. I don't want to mess with my chakra in the middle of a restaurant and I kinda want to get this talk back on track." I explained and shrugged my shoulders. There were a time and places for training, and this wasn't one of them.
"Very well." She sipped the last of her sake in one go and I raised my eyebrow in amusement. In a swift motion, she reached across the table, gently tapped my forehead with her index finger, and instantly it was like the light was switched on in a dark room given the close proximity to her decently seized chakra.
"Wow." Now with my senses complete again, I could detect, that the woman in front of me must have incredible chakra control.
"Have you ever thought about looking into medical chakra?" I couldn't help but ask.
She gave me genuine smile, obviously picking up on the complimentary nature of my question.
"I'm more than passable with the basics, but I had always been more focused on my chosen profession. Speaking of profession, let us get back to the reason why we are here." Gone was the slightly sultry flirty mannerism, now she sounded all business and I sat straighter as she began to explain what the higher-ups were planning with us.
I listened and became increasingly uncomfortable when I understood that one main focus of this apprenticeship was to further my Genjutsu skill.
"That's the gist of it." She finished and waited for my response, which I hesitated to give.
"Look, I don't know what to say." I began and scratched my head. "Don't get me wrong, I'm immensely grateful that the village is giving me the chance to learn from someone as capable as you, but I'm not sure I'm the right guy for this whole endeavor."
"I…have the feeling the people around me or the higher-ups are overestimating me and put me in the same box as some certified geniuses. Frankly, while certainly not average I'm just a normal guy, who started really early with his stuff and still thinks ninja skills are badass." I stopped and heaved a big sigh. I looked her straight in the eyes, prepared to tell her my greatest secret.
"You see, I have this special power, some might even call it kekkei genkai," I paused for dramatic effect. "but I call it self-awareness. I'm painfully aware of what I can, what I am good at or what I shouldn't even attempt to do. I know that I lack the academic mindset and creativity to be truly great at Genjutsu so I don't want you to waste your time with me." I finished and my eyes involuntarily wandered over her face and her alabaster skin.
Suddenly it hit me, and I regretted everything I just said.
'Why exactly was I arguing against learning from one of the hottest woman in town?'
We stared at each other, I didn't know what she was thinking, but I was uncomfortably reminded of a rather in-depth passage in my new favorite book; our table deathly quiet while the restaurant around us bustled along.
"That was an…interesting speech, but I will be the judge of what you can or cannot do." Kurenai finally said firmly.
Suddenly she crossed her arms on the table and leaned forward, and I had to use all my willpower to keep my gaze from slipping.
"You are not an unpleasant boy, despite your reading choices, and that means you and I can make the most of this little arrangement. We stick to the plan and at the end of the day you will be Chunin and I a full-fledged Jonin, get it?" She finished with a raised eyebrow, daring me to argue.
The boy-part rankled a bit, but the rest sounded great.