The three—Red, Anya, and Kurenai Yuhi—sat around the small table, enjoying their meal. The atmosphere felt warm and cozy. Kurenai kept stealing glances at Anya, her face unknowingly breaking into a silly smile as if lost in some pleasant thought.
Before long, the meal came to a pleasant close. Kurenai took the initiative to clear the dishes and cheerfully headed into the kitchen to begin cleaning.
Red turned to Anya. "I heard from Hokage-sama that you've joined Anbu."
Anya nodded. "That's right."
Red spoke with concern. "Why join Anbu? As Haku's disciple, you should know how dangerous Anbu missions are."
Anya didn't answer directly. Instead, she said, "We're in a time of war. All ninja face danger."
"You've grown a lot lately," Red murmured thoughtfully. "When does your next mission start?"
"In three days."
"Then for these three days, stay at my house. I'll continue teaching you some genjutsu."
Anya looked at Red in surprise, sincerely expressing her gratitude. "Thank you."
A faint smile briefly crossed Red's serious face. "Now that you're part of Anbu, you're technically under my command. No need to be too polite—how much you can learn depends entirely on your own abilities."
"Oh, so you're..." Anya suddenly understood Red's role in Konoha. No wonder he was appointed temporary commander when the Third was away.
Returning to Red's study once again, Anya found that he had already set up a dedicated learning space for her. Several categories of books were neatly arranged—materials she hadn't studied before. It seemed he had planned this all along, stirring a wave of emotion within Anya.
Soon, the two dove into researching and practicing genjutsu together. After finishing her chores in the kitchen, Kurenai quietly approached the door, watching the two focused figures inside. Leaning against the doorway, she smiled dreamily.
Three days passed quickly. At dawn, Anya stepped out of the study. Truthfully speaking, being able to stay in one place peacefully and receive proper guidance felt incredibly fortunate—a feeling that deepened her understanding of genjutsu. Before, when she used the [Bringer-of-Darkness Technique], she knew how to do it but not necessarily why. Now, its effects had definitely improved significantly. At least she could control the range of darkness efficiently, conserving chakra so it wouldn't get depleted after just a few uses.
Glancing outside where the sky wasn't fully light yet, Anya left behind a bird-shaped puppet by Kurenai's doorstep, then put on her Anbu mask and departed silently.
At the very moment Anya left, Kurenai—who had been asleep—seemed to sense something. Drowsily pushing open her door, her eyes immediately landed on the little bird puppet on the floor. Realizing something was off, she hurried straight to the study. There she saw her father, Red, organizing some scattered books. Looking at his daughter, he said, "He has now become a true ninja. Kurenai, if you wish to keep up with him, you must work even harder."
Hearing these words, Kurenai Yuhi understood that Anya had departed once again on a mission. Clutching the small bird in her hand, she said, "I'll study hard and graduate from the academy as soon as possible. I want to become a ninja too."
"Yep, I believe in you."
After leaving Konoha, Anya soared into the sky. However, right before reaching her destination, she retracted the Eagle Puppet. This wasn't the battlefield of Iwagakure Village, and if someone with ill intentions spotted the puppet, it might expose her identity and cause unnecessary trouble.
Back on the ground, Anya obediently began walking and soon arrived at the stronghold of her mentor, White Fang.
Upon seeing Anya, White Fang immediately asked, "Why did you choose to join Anbu?"
Anya naturally replied, "I think Anbu suits me well. Wearing a mask, nobody can recognize me."
White Fang seemed curious about Anya's choice and continued, "It looks like you're worried someone might find out you're from the Uchiha Clan. Why is that?"
Though she knew her identity couldn't be hidden from White Fang, when he asked, Anya beneath the mask gave a bitter smile and said, "I don't know how to explain it. I can only say that I don't have much hope for the future of the Uchiha Clan."
White Fang fell silent for a moment before replying, "So you suddenly wanted to come here. It seems something has happened these days that has changed you quite a bit."
Anya admitted, "Yeah, ever since you've been gone, I've been completely lost."
White Fang chuckled, somewhat speechless, "Then it seems you've been too idle lately. Since you can't decide what kind of life you want for your future, why feel lost? Striving forward and strengthening your abilities will always be the top priority."
Indeed, with just a simple sentence from White Fang, Anya suddenly saw things clearly, "It seems my teacher truly sees more clearly than I do."
After saying this, Anya let out a long cry, as if trying to release all her emotions, and then spoke with renewed determination, "Do you have any missions? I'm ready to kill."
Hearing this, White Fang suddenly realized, "Come to think of it, you spent the longest time undercover in Sunagakure. You're already very familiar with this harsh environment. Given your personality, I suppose you've learned a thing or two about the trickiest puppeteer in Sunagakure. Now that I think about it, this place truly is your best battlefield."
Anya chuckled and said with a grin, "Haha, you really do understand me, Teacher."
White Fang wasted no time and handed Anya a map, "This is a map we've put together over the past few weeks showing several possible enemy locations. The areas marked with red lines are extremely dangerous. If you want to fight on the front lines, go ahead and do as you please. Go all out and wipe out every enemy in sight."
"Understood." Anya took the map, adjusted her equipment, grabbed the tanto in her hand, and set off directly.
Just as White Fang had said, the desert here was already thoroughly familiar to Anya; she knew how to navigate its directions well. She was also well-acquainted with the ninja of Sunagakure. Now that she was alone on this mission, able to advance or retreat as needed, this place would be her ideal training ground to sharpen her swordsmanship.
Soon, she arrived at the location of the first stronghold. A figure suddenly appearing in the desert was always particularly noticeable. From a tower atop the distant stronghold, a voice rang out, "Who goes there? State your identity, or we won't be courteous!"
Anya curled his lips into a cold smirk, forming hand seals with both hands before calling out, [Fire Release: Great Fireball Jutsu!]
A massive fireball blasted toward the origin of the noise, only to be blocked by a thin, membrane-like column of light.
"Enemy attack!" The figure on top of the tower wasn't hurt, but still found cold sweat pouring down his back.
A barrier? Seriously?
Anya bent low, then in an instant, his left leg snapped straight as he burst forward explosively. His right arm gripped the hilt, veins bulging as his shoulder, upper arm, forearm, wrist, and even fingers all exerted force in unison to draw the blade.
[Sword Art: Draw Technique!]
The tanto, powered by immense force, slashed through the air like it was tearing the heavens apart from the earth. A blinding flash erupted as the blade swept through. The barrier barely lasted a second before shattering like glass. The figure behind it didn't even have time to react before being consumed by the fading glow. A single crimson droplet dripped from Anya's blade tip…
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