The night.
Anko and Ebisu were fleeing through the dense forest, pursued by countless pursuers.
"Where's the kid?" Anko asked urgently.
"I don't know. He never seemed to expose himself. He probably ran," Ebisu replied.
"Damn it! Did he really just abandon us?!" Anko cursed.
Swish!
Swoosh!
Projectiles rained down from behind. They were on edge, unable to pause for a moment.
But constantly dodging kunai and shuriken only allowed the pursuers to close the distance.
Rumble!
The ground suddenly trembled, and a deep chasm appeared in the earth. It was a large-scale Earth Release jutsu that felled countless trees in the forest.
Anko and Ebisu, leaping through the branches, lost their footing and tumbled down.
The pursuers swarmed in, blocking all escape routes.
"Damn!" Anko landed on her feet, back-to-back with Ebisu.
"This is really a death sentence," Ebisu said, adjusting his glasses, his hand slightly trembling. "I told you we should have reconsidered the plan."
There were too many enemies. A head-on fight would be suicidal.
"Stop the whining! Let's break through!" Anko retorted, pulling a smoke bomb from her ninja tool pouch and smashing it on the ground.
Bang!
The thick smoke billowed out, obscuring everyone's vision. The Hannya Group immediately began throwing ninja tools into the cloud.
"Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!" Ebisu quickly formed hand seals and spat out a blazing fireball, breaking through the smoke and smashing into the enemy ranks.
"Hidden Shadow Snake Hands!" Anko used her secret technique. Snakes shot from the sleeves of her right arm, tearing into an enemy with lightning speed.
But the flames were quickly blocked by a follow-up Earth Release. After Anko took down an enemy, several more charged forward, their relentless attacks overwhelming her.
Bang!
Under the fierce assault, Ebisu was the first to fall, knocked to the ground and captured. The enemy didn't kill him, likely wanting to take them alive.
Seeing her comrade fall, Anko's last sliver of hope vanished.
It seemed like this was the end. There was no way she could take on so many enemies.
She parried enemy attacks with her kunai while retreating, finally backed up against a large tree, the enemy closing in.
Swoosh!
A sharp, piercing sound rang out. Anko saw something burst from the throat of the enemy before her. It was a blood-stained kunai, sticking into the tree trunk next to her face.
What…
Blood spurted, splattering Anko's face. The warmth stunned her. The enemy clutched his throat, gurgled, and collapsed, lifeless.
"Another enemy!"
The Hannya Group members immediately woke up, on high alert.
Boom!
A water dragon emerged from the forest, roaring as it charged toward Ebisu.
Seeing the water dragon's swift approach, the enemies holding Ebisu scattered, leaving him alone, eyes wide, thinking he was about to die.
But a black shadow sped over an instant before the water dragon, snatching Ebisu away.
Boom!
The water dragon exploded on the ground, sending waves of water tens of meters high. The enemies retreated.
While everyone's attention was focused on the water dragon, a ghostly figure appeared before Anko. It was so fast that her eyes couldn't follow it.
The sudden commotion made the enemies around Anko look around, but all they saw was a black blur as it disappeared. A few dull thuds and the sound of sharp objects piercing flesh echoed. The attackers were either blasted away or lay dead on the ground.
It all happened in an instant.
When Anko came to her senses, a powerful force was carrying her away.
"Enemy attack! Enemy attack!"
"Don't let them get away!"
"Catch them!"
Some Hannya Group members roared, others screamed. Chaos reigned.
Her body felt like it was being carried through the forest. Trees and bushes flashed past her eyes. Anko, still in shock, felt a surge of relief and joy at the sudden appearance of Kanzuki.
"Didn't you abandon us?"
"Did I say you were beyond saving?" Kanzuki retorted.
The joy of surviving made Anko relax. She had already resigned herself to death.
Anko also saw another "Kanzuki" fleeing in the distance with Ebisu.
Two Shadow Clones—one to make a feint to create chaos, the other to rescue them… How daring!
Anko realized what had happened.
"The pursuers are coming again. Can you run on your own?" Kanzuki's voice snapped her back to reality.
She was about to reply when she realized something and her face flushed red and white.
"Where do you think you're touching?!"
Kanzuki let go, letting Anko land on her own.
"You did that on purpose, didn't you?!" Anko chased after him, snarling.
Kanzuki glanced at her chest. The fishnet armor was seductive, but the slight bumps didn't entice him.
The feel wasn't great either.
"Flat."
"I'm standard size!" Anko exploded, throwing a kunai that Kanzuki dodged.
As she was about to retaliate, the pursuers' approach made her hold back.
I'll deal with you later!
The three reunited. Kanzuki dispelled his Shadow Clones.
"Can't you go faster? We'll be caught," Kanzuki said.
Ebisu awkwardly shook his head. He had been injured and was already at his limit.
Hearing the pursuers getting closer, he knew they would repeat what happened earlier.
Swoosh!
A kunai shot past, landing on the tree trunk just behind them.
"You guys go on!" Ebisu gritted his teeth. "I'm slowing you down."
Kanzuki looked at Ebisu, who seemed unremarkable, but he was surprised to see he possessed this resolve.
"Hey, kid, if you dare do that, I'll never forgive you!" Anko snapped, seeing Kanzuki wasn't responding.
Stupid woman!
Kanzuki frowned slightly.
They came to a river.
Kanzuki immediately crossed it, stopping on the other side.
"What are you doing?" Anko asked, stopping with Ebisu.
"Ambush," Kanzuki said. "You can run."
Anko paused, flushing slightly.
"No way! Konoha doesn't abandon its subordinates!" Anko declared.
"What jutsu do you know?"
Anko: "Fire Release and some secret techniques."
Ebisu: "Some Fire Release."
Kanzuki looked at the river and didn't know what to say.
Swish! Swish! Swish! Swish!
The enemies burst out of the forest. Kanzuki had already formed the hand seals.
"Water Release: Water Fang Bullet!"
The river suddenly swirled violently, forming several vortexes that charged at the enemies.
The enemies hadn't expected them to ambush them. Caught off guard, many were hit by the water and screamed.
The surviving Hannya Group members stopped on the opposite bank, preparing to fight back.
"Earth Release: Rock Gun Technique!"
"Earth Release: Earth-Style Dragon!"
The Earth Release jutsu were dense and swift, charging at them.
"Water Release: Water Wall!"
Kanzuki changed hand seals. A giant water wall rose from the river. The earth dragons slammed into the rushing water wall, merging with the water and turning into mud, making the river turbid, but they couldn't break through the wall.
"Aren't you supposed to specialize in Taijutsu?" Anko was surprised that Kanzuki was holding off so many enemies.
"My Taijutsu is a little better," Kanzuki replied.
"…"
She and Ebisu saw that Kanzuki was using the terrain to his advantage. They didn't dare use Fire Release for fear of interfering, so they threw kunai and shuriken to help.
Kanzuki took a deep breath, feeling his chakra rapidly depleting. He formed the last hand seal.
"Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet!"
The rising water wall swirled violently, turning into a fierce dragon that roared toward the Hannya Group.
"Withdraw!"
Kanzuki finished his jutsu and fled.
Anko and Ebisu hurried to catch up.
"Weren't you holding them back?"
"Too many people. Not enough chakra."
The chase continued. Kanzuki used jutsu to hinder the enemies, but there were too many Hannya Group members, and he couldn't sustain it.
Anko and Ebisu used Fire Release, setting the forest ablaze, but the fire spread slowly and was extinguished by the enemy's Earth Release.
"These guys are relentless!" Hearing the sounds behind them and the kunai and shuriken whizzing past, Anko cursed.
"This isn't working," Ebisu said. He knew it was his fault, but there was nothing he could do.
He had used up all his courage to suggest that his comrades abandon him.
Kanzuki counted the pursuers. There were over a dozen, and he didn't know their strength. A head-on fight was too risky.
His eyes darkened. "Don't stop. I'll stay behind."
"Eh?" Anko blinked, instinctively refusing.
"No way! We can't leave you!"
"I can handle it. You'd just be a burden," Kanzuki said flatly, not wanting to act out some melodramatic scene.
Ebisu turned pale, feeling ashamed of his initial opinion of Kanzuki.
Kanzuki stopped on a branch, turning to face the pursuers.
Anko and Ebisu looked at Kanzuki, filled with remorse and gratitude. Not wanting to let Kanzuki's "sacrifice" go to waste, they fled.
Kanzuki didn't care what his teammates thought. He looked at the approaching enemies and slowly closed his eyes.
First time in a real fight. Don't screw up…
The Hannya Group, seeing Kanzuki stop, were overjoyed. They swarmed in.
As one person rushed forward, everyone saw a pair of blood-red, cold eyes.
Everyone's minds faltered. They saw that everyone around them looked like "Kanzuki."
Shadow Clones?
The Hannya Group members pulled out their kunai and fought the "enemies" without mercy.
When Kanzuki opened his eyes, the scene was a mess. Corpses lay on the ground; the Hannya Group was still killing each other.
His eyes returned to normal. He felt that he was almost out of chakra.
So, ordinary Dōjutsu consumes chakra too. Looks like there are no side effects on the eyes…
He didn't care about the confused men and chased after Anko and Ebisu.
The forest was too large. He didn't see an exit after running for a long time. Fortunately, he caught up with them.
"Oboro!"
Seeing Kanzuki, Anko was happy.
Wasn't she calling me a kid earlier? Why is she so friendly now?
Kanzuki thought.
"Are you okay?" Anko asked, concerned.
"I'm fine. The enemies are gone."
"Gone?" Anko and Ebisu were shocked.
"There were so many of them. You..."
"I used a Genjutsu. The enemies all fell for it, and I killed them," Kanzuki replied.
"A… Genjutsu?"
"Yeah, but my Taijutsu is better."
"You…" Anko stared at Kanzuki. She couldn't imagine what it was like.
But the enemies who had almost killed them were defeated so easily?
She couldn't accept it.
This guy was her junior and so much younger.
"What's wrong?" Kanzuki asked, uncomfortable with Anko's gaze.
"Nothing… just… you're amazing," Anko murmured.
"If Shisui were here, you wouldn't even need to run," Kanzuki said.
Shunshin Shisui…
Was he in the same class as this guy?
The previous rumors about him now seemed more likely to be mitigating circumstances.
This kid is a mystery. I'm curious…
I need to know more.
Anko decided.
[Name: Mitarashi Anko
Gender: Female
Age: 21
Affinity Level: 70
Relationship: Fellow Villager
Capture Difficulty: B
First Kiss Reward: Orochimaru Style
Sex Reward: Sage Power]
This woman is so carefree. Her Affinity Level rose so quickly.
Kanzuki glanced at Anko and her flat chest, thinking.
Anko noticed his gaze and her expression turned dangerous.
Affinity Level: 69.