Kurenai made the first move.
Her movements were fast—at least, fast for a first-year student.
A Kunai left her hand, flying straight toward Mu's face.
It was a probing attack, and the angle wasn't tricky—she was testing her opponent's reaction speed.
Mu simply tilted his head, letting the Kunai graze past his ear without countering.
Kurenai's second strike followed immediately, and this time it was a real attack—the Kunai slashed toward his side, while her footsteps moved to cut off his retreat.
Mu stepped back half a pace and dodged again.
Still no counterattack.
Kurenai's brows furrowed slightly.
She quickened her pace, stabbing with the Kunai in succession, combining it with taijutsu footwork in a fluid, seamless combo—
All of it missed.
That junior, half a head shorter than her, looked as if he were taking a stroll in his own backyard; one step left, one step right, yet every time he managed to dodge her attacks perfectly.
Kurenai halted her assault, stepped back, and created some distance.
Her wine-red eyes narrowed.
"Are you playing with me?"
Mu blinked, looking innocent: "No, I'm not."
"Then why aren't you fighting back?"
"Uh..." Mu scratched his cheek, looking a bit embarrassed, "I was thinking about how to fight properly."
Kurenai's expression changed.
What did he mean by "how to fight properly"?
She took a deep breath, suppressing the irritation in her heart.
Stay calm.
The opponent is trying to provoke you on purpose.
But that expression... those innocent eyes, it really didn't seem like he was mocking her, but that he was actually thinking about the question.
—And precisely because it was genuine, it was even more infuriating!
Kurenai didn't say anything more.
She lunged forward, thrusting the Kunai diagonally, aiming straight for Mu's shoulder.
Mu still dodged by turning his body, still without countering.
When the first strike missed, Kurenai immediately changed tactics.
She swept the Kunai horizontally, forcing him to retreat, while her other hand reached for the ninja tool pouch at her waist.
Mu's eyes flashed slightly.
A smoke bomb.
The next second, white smoke exploded, instantly swallowing his figure.
Kurenai breathed a slight sigh of relief and was preparing to retreat to create distance—
A hand reached out from the smoke and gently gripped her wrist.
Kurenai's pupils constricted.
From the smoke, Mu walked out slowly, a helpless smile on his face.
Kurenai wanted to pull her hand away, but found that although the grip wasn't tight, it was perfectly positioned at the angle of her exertion, making it impossible for her to apply force.
"You!"
Kurenai's expression changed slightly.
This first-year student...
So strong!
And his eyes—even though he was just looking at her, she inexplicably felt her face heating up.
Mu released her hand and stepped back.
"Again." She gritted her teeth, reset her stance, and tried hard to ignore that strange feeling.
This time, she didn't use those "standard" moves:
The angle of the Kunai was tricky, no longer following textbook routines;
Her footwork varied more, and she began trying some taijutsu moves she hadn't fully mastered herself;
She even started using feints to induce him to dodge in the wrong direction—
Mu's eyes lit up.
He observed while dodging, silently scoring her in his mind.
Good talent. Being able to adjust her fighting style in such a short time shows she's quick-witted.
Quick reflexes. Her body performed some maneuvers before her mind even consciously realized them.
Good combat intuition—she knows how to adapt, how to adjust, and wasn't thrown off by the previous rhythm.
The downside is a lack of experience; her movements aren't smooth enough, and while some ideas are good, her body can't keep up.
But that's just a matter of time; with a few more years of training, she'll definitely be a promising talent.
And...
The way she looks when she gets serious is actually quite pretty.
Her lips slightly pursed from the effort,
Her cheeks slightly flushed from panting,
And those few strands of hair stuck to her forehead by sweat,
Combined with those wine-red eyes...
Thinking this, Mu's thoughts drifted for half a second.
His hand slipped for an instant.
Kurenai caught this instant.
Her eyes focused, and she immediately threw the Kunai in her hand.
The Kunai Kurenai threw grazed his cheek, cutting off a few fine strands of hair.
Mu was taken aback.
Kurenai was also taken aback.
How did I miss?
But she quickly reacted.
Her hands quickly formed seals, the movements clean and sharp—
"Genjutsu: Hell Viewing Technique!"
Mu only felt the scene before his eyes flicker—
And then...
Nothing happened.
It's resistance! I added Genjutsu resistance!
Mu blinked, looking at Kurenai, who was holding her hand seal posture, and then looked around—everything was normal.
He scratched his head and spoke a bit embarrassedly: "Uh... did you just use a Genjutsu?"
Kurenai's expression froze completely.
Genjutsu.
Resisted?
By a first-year student?
And this first-year student, who didn't even look like he formed any seals, just stood there, took her Genjutsu head-on, and then...
And then was fine.
He even tilted his head to look at her, his eyes as innocent as a cat that had just woken up.
Kurenai stood frozen, her mind blank.
She had been practicing Genjutsu for two years; although it wasn't her main specialty, it wasn't something just anyone could withstand head-on.
But this person...
Mu saw her frozen expression and suddenly realized that his words just now seemed a bit mocking.
He quickly waved his hands: "No, I didn't mean it like that, I mean—"
He paused, finding he didn't know how to explain it either.
He couldn't exactly say, "I have Genjutsu resistance given by the system," right?
He could only offer a dry laugh: "Maybe it's because my constitution is a bit special?"
Kurenai didn't speak.
In those wine-red eyes, emotions surged intensely—shock, confusion, and a little bit of defeat from being struck down.
But she quickly suppressed these feelings, took a deep breath, and gripped the Kunai tightly again.
Mu looked at her "I can still fight" expression and suddenly felt a bit of admiration for this girl.
He took a step back and quickly said:
"Actually, your Genjutsu was used well."
Kurenai was taken aback.
"The timing was great, striking the moment I was distracted."
Mu nodded, as if critiquing something.
Kurenai felt extremely complicated hearing this.
Was he praising her?
But why did it sound so much like a teacher critiquing a student?
And this "teacher" was her junior.
Especially since he was looking at her with that "I believe in you" kind of gaze right now.
Kurenai stared at him for two seconds.
This first-year student hadn't initiated a single attack from start to finish.
He was only dodging and blocking.
When she was attacking with all her might, he just stood there, waiting for her to make a move.
This was more uncomfortable than being defeated.
She gritted her teeth and rushed up, really using her full strength this time.
Kunai, taijutsu, feints, diversionary tactics—she used everything she could—
But Mu still just dodged and blocked.
His movements were still light, like he was dancing.
Occasionally, when pushed hard, he would just neutralize it with the smallest possible movement, never wasting an ounce of effort.
Three minutes passed quickly.
When the examiner called for a stop, Kurenai stood there panting, a thin layer of sweat on her forehead, her chest rising and falling slightly.
Her cheeks were noticeably flushed from exercise—and perhaps for other reasons.
While Mu, opposite her, didn't even have ragged breathing.
He even had the mood to smile at her.
"Time's up." The examiner looked at the two of them, his tone complex, "Draw."
Kurenai was stunned.
A draw?
She looked at Mu.
Mu smiled at her, his eyes curving into crescent moons.
"That was a great fight, Senior Kurenai."
Kurenai opened her mouth, wanting to say something, but didn't know what to say for a moment.
She knew she had lost.
She took a deep breath, trying to keep her voice steady: "You... why didn't you attack?"
Mu blinked, his expression as innocent as a small animal: "Does Senior Kurenai want to know?"
Kurenai nodded.
"Because..." He paused, his smile adding a touch of mischief, "Senior Kurenai is too pretty, I couldn't bring myself to do it."
Kurenai's eyes widened.
Her face turned bright red instantly.
"You—!"