A quiet, secluded grove.
Mitarashi Anko leaned lazily against a wooden post, a relaxed smile tugging at her lips. Her eyes, sharp yet playful, studied Yoruha with unhidden interest. Every now and then, she licked the corner of her mouth like a predator sizing up her prey.
"Wow... I really didn't expect my first student to be this cute."
"You're thirteen this year, right? Doesn't look it at all. You've already got that grown-up vibe going."
"My little sister's only ten years older than you, y'know. And hey—there's a saying: 'a younger man is like holding a gold brick.'"
"Stick with me, and you won't just be holding a brick—you'll be holding a mountain of gold!"
She let out a hearty laugh.
Yoruha sighed.
Veteran kunoichi drivers are truly the most exhausting kind.
But then he remembered Anko's appearance in the Boruto era.
That once-feisty young woman had... ballooned.
Yoruha's mood instantly dropped a few degrees.
"Sensei Anko, it's getting pretty late," he said calmly. "Should we go through the motions? Or skip ahead and confirm our relationship directly?"
Whoosh!
Anko vanished from her post in a blur and reappeared right in front of Yoruha.
She looped an arm around his neck, her smirk curling even higher.
"Careful how you phrase things, kid," she purred.
"Otherwise, Sensei might think you're being serious."
Yoruha didn't flinch. He returned her gaze, his tone just as bold.
He reached out, placed a finger under her chin, and smiled.
"You guessed right. I am serious."
Of course, there were protocols at the Academy.
Any student paired with a Jōnin instructor had to go through a preliminary test—usually the classic bell test.
Only by passing would their team officially be recognized.
That was what Yoruha meant.
Anko blinked as she felt the faint warmth of his fingertip.
For just a moment, her body stiffened.
She backed off quickly, coughing once to hide her flustered reaction.
"Tch... Little flirt," she muttered, folding her arms. "Looks like being your teacher won't be as easy as I thought."
For all her bravado, Anko was still just a 23-year-old woman.
Like a flower on the cusp of bloom—used to being the one who teases, not the one getting teased.
It was different being on the receiving end.
Especially from a sharp-eyed, confident boy like Yoruha.
Her chin still tingled from where his finger had touched it.
She cleared her throat.
"Alright then. Let's stick to tradition. I've got a bell here."
"If you can snatch it from me within an hour, you pass the test."
"If not… back to the Academy you go."
Professionalism returned to her tone.
She was still a trained ninja, after all. And this part had to be done right.
The bell test begins.
As a disciple of Orochimaru, Anko's true nature surfaced the moment she got serious.
Gone was the flirtatious, carefree woman—replaced by a lethal kunoichi with wild, unpredictable energy.
"A Tokubetsu Jōnin proficient in Fire Release, and trained in Orochimaru's snake techniques…"
"Best counter? A blade."
Yoruha's mind worked fast.
Having knowledge of Naruto's story gave him an edge in understanding his opponent.
"Wind is weak to fire. Can't risk that early on."
Then, a breeze stirred the grove.
Yoruha's figure vanished in an instant.
Whoosh!
A flash of silver split the air as his sword swept through where Anko stood—
Slash!
Her body split in two.
But instead of blood—
Hisssss!
The severed halves writhed, twisted—
—and turned into a fat, wriggling snake.
"Snake Substitution Technique," Yoruha muttered with a calm smile.
"Of course. You are Uncle Snake's student, after all."
Anko reappeared a few meters away, beads of sweat forming on her brow.
"Hey!! What the hell, kid? It's just a bell test! Were you trying to kill me?" she barked.
That sword strike just now—
If she hadn't reacted in time, if she'd used any other substitution—
She might've actually died.
And she knew it.