Kurenai didn't seem too pleased, and Hinata had a resigned smile on her face. Yet, neither of them said anything as I approached Yakumo.

"Of course! Even if your Genjutsu might become real - there's no issue if what you're showing isn't harmful!"

Yakumo was taken aback. The Kurama clan mainly focused on Genjutsu that mimicked common things found in nature, like trees or plants if they wanted to restrain their target, or fire if they wanted to inflict pain. Yakumo had chosen fire for her first Genjutsu too. Not because she wanted to hurt anybody here - far from it! Rather there were a bunch of candles around, and it was the easiest element to picture and imagine.

Simple things like this were used for Genjutsu because they were both easily imagined and lacked a sort of specific structure that might be a dead giveaway to the enemy that they might be under a Genjutsu. They were always used in the context of attacking or disabling some enemy. 

However, why did this have to be the case for her? Her Genjutsu turned into reality! Why should it be limited to attacking? What else could she use it for?

"Then... Saul. Thank you."

Yakumo did the seals for the Mind-Body Palm Jutsu and connected with a vastness within. Her palm had a green glow. He could vaguely smell the scent of flowers and trees. A soft breeze caressed his face.

"Actually, I've always wanted to show this to a friend, but I've never got the chance before... Well, would you like to come see, Saul-san?"

Saul smiled. Without a word he reached up and laid his palm on hers. The brown haired girl flinched slightly at the unexpected contact, but then smiled back. 

"Come."

The world around the two splintered. Flowers were growing in rows at the foot of a large tree; light from the now mid-day sun came down and dappled through the leaves of its canopy. Instead of walking along stone Saul now stood barefoot among the grass and leaves. The place felt ethereal - almost magical. 

Yakumo bent down at one of the flowers within the bed. Its petals were slanted slightly upwards in some sort of rounded rectangle, perfectly symmetrical. 

"Do you see these Tulips? My father and I planted them a few years ago." She ran her fingers through the petals smiling with noglastia, "He wanted to show me first-hand how plants grew. Did you know that tulips only bloom once every year for a mere 7 days?" 

No... Saul didn't know. He had heard of a tulip before, but he was no flower connoisseur. He literally had no idea what they looked like before this! Still Saul pretended interest for Yakumo's sake.

"That's fascinating...!" He exclaimed.

Yakumo plucked the yellow petaled flower. It swayed gently in her hands, the soft yellow matching the gentle brown of her eyes. Then she sniffed. Saul felt it; the world was suddenly suffused with a sweet, honey-like yet slightly citrusy smell.

"We kept it a secret from my mother. Day after day, my father and I came out to take care of these flowers. Patiently. Yet eagerly anticipating their eventual bloom. Even when I was sick, I never skipped a day. When they bloomed it was the most beautiful thing!"

But my mother. Once they bloomed, she... The flower in her hands withered away, fading into ash and dissipating into the wind. Yakumo smiled. She had to remain strong. She would show her mother that she was wrong about her. That her Kekkai Genkai would revitalize the clan, just as her father had imagined!

Saul sensed her shifting mood. With Hinata he would have shifted the subject to preserve her mood - the Hyuuga girl's background and motivations were already clear to him from watching the show. Yakumo however was mostly unknown to him. Getting a clearer picture of the girl would be necessary. He started with a seemingly innocent statement,

"I'd love to look at them in reality with you someday, Yakumo. Could you tell me when they're going to be in bloom?"

Her expression darkened. She struggled for a few moments before finally answering.

"I'm sorry, I can't. The flowers were trampled," Recalling her mother's horrid countenance as she worked to destroy the entire field, she grimaced, "by some sort of stupid animal."

Interesting... Saul thought. It wouldn't be good to push her further.

"If that's the case don't worry then!"

It's time to cheer her up now.

He smiled. "You're really impressive though, to be able to make something like this just from memory! When I put Hinata under Genjutsu, I had to mimic the inside of the room. Otherwise I wouldn't be able to make it seem good at all. This forest... It's almost magical."

Yakumo blushed. "You really think so? I guess you'll have to let me practice Genjutsu on you more often!"

Saul grinned, "It'd be my pleasure. There's still one thing however we have yet to practice. Kai!"

His view of the world turned static, flickering, blurring. Then the vibrant colors went back into place. Failed...?

Yakumo giggled. "The illusions born of the Kurama clan's Genjutsu are not so easy to release. Did you think you had any hope of escaping here without my permission?"

Saul played along, "Okay then! Please release me, oh great Kurama clan heiress!"

Oh he was fun! Yakumo smiled. She had finally made her first friend!

"As long as you ask nicely!" With that, she playfully tapped his chest, and they both exited the Genjutsu.

Kurenai and Hinata awaited them as they awoke. Genjutsu required most of the user's focus in order to implement properly, so one was not able to both cast Genjutsu and make complex movements / cast other ninjutsu while it was active. After all, a portion of your consciousness was also sent into the Genjutsu to subdue your target's consciousness.

It seemed Yakumo had sent her entire consciousness into Saul's because she ended up waking in Kurenai's arms just as he did in Hinata's.

"Already back, Saul-kun? That wasn't very long."

Kurenai clarified to Hinata, "The world of Genjutsu doesn't follow the same rules as reality. You could be in a Genjutsu for minutes while only a few seconds pass in the real world. It's all dependent on the strength of the Genjutsu and that of its participants."

Wait, how long did Saul-kun spend in there with that woman?

Oblivious to Hinata's thoughts, Saul mused internally. It was time to develop some plans for Yakumo. He didn't want her to end up like the tragic disaster she ended up becoming in Canon - stoic, depressed, and crippled - unable to do anything but draw her paintings.

Or should he? Her incredible talent with Genjutsu could be a huge asset to him if she was properly used - but also liable to be a huge danger if improperly managed. The potential risks seemed to outweigh the rewards at the moment. After all, Yakumo was undoubtedly a good woman - she wouldn't have the same dependency Hinata had on him. Yet as a potential Genjutsu expert, she had a very high chance of discovering his true character. Would she remain on his side even then?

This is also why he kept Kurenai at an arms length away, never crossing any line yet not attempting to push the boundaries either. She could read minds with her Genjutsu - she just hadn't had a good enough reason to use it on him. Yet. Saul wished to keep it that way.

Saul searched his heart for answers. Yet his mind always arrived at the same place. He wanted her, wanted Yakumo. If he was the kind of man to take no risks - he would never be with Hinata in the first place. Alright. If that was the plan then, he decided, let's take the first step.

"Kurenai-sensei. Can Yakumo come to train with us after missions? I'm sure she'd love the company, and that way you wouldn't have to run all over the place between us and the Kurama clan!"

Kurenai's eyes narrowed. She suspected his motives, but he made a good point about Yakumo. The girl had always wanted to go out, to meet new people, but she was often too sickly to do so. Kurenai just wanted to make the girl happy.

"I'd be happy to have you Yakumo, if you can come!"

Yakumo's eyes curled into two crescents as she smiled tearily, "I'd love to!"

Author's Note: Alright there we are! I hope this chapter provides more insight into how Yakumo is as a person and Saul's motivations for the events going forward. I've also noticed that the popular response for Shadow clones in NSFW seems to still be no - so I'll be planning with that in mind going forward.

I hope you all enjoyed the chapter. There will be more coming soon!