Anya sat cross-legged at the center of the training ground, his mind still as a calm pond, adjusting his breath and focus.
Since this "Nocturne" was so formidable, Anya naturally had to give it his complete attention.
Like this, he waited from morning until nightfall, until the moon had risen halfway into the sky, yet still no one appeared.
Anya rose with a hint of confusion. Looks like no one would come today. He sighed and sprang upward, preparing to leave.
At that moment, however, a powerful sense of danger surged within him. Three fierce sword auras, like illusions, shot toward the distracted Anya with lightning speed. At this instant, Anya had one foot on a branch while the other dangled midair, just about to leap forward—there was absolutely no support beneath him.
"Boom!"
Unsurprisingly, the branch shattered instantly under the blade aura's force. After the smoke cleared, Anya's figure was gone.
"Hn?"
A low voice, full of surprise and suspicion, cut through the night. Clearly, those earlier sword attacks were his doing—Konoha's Nagare Style, Dance of the Sword. Suddenly, the attacker twisted his long blade, sending dozens of sword auras slicing toward a nearby tree trunk as his cold voice called out, "Are you hiding here?"
"Crash..."
The tree snapped in an instant. Anya burst forth, his Anbu mask concealing eyes that now coldly locked onto his opponent.
Without a doubt, this "Nocturne" had arrived much earlier but simply couldn't find the right moment to strike. He made his move the very instant Anya turned to leave, aiming straight for a killing blow. If not for the terrifyingly sharp danger-sense Anya had honed during the Second Battle, he would surely have been injured just now.
Clutching his long blade, Nocturne was entirely shrouded in thick black mist, making it impossible to tell whether this was his true form. A bloody scent emanated from him, and the entire space filled with an oppressive blade aura. The forest seemed to fall silent under his overwhelming presence.
Anya's expression darkened, his eyes narrowing slightly. Now he somewhat understood why Third Hokage had so many concerns. This was a terrifying person—in fact, more accurately, a terrifying assassin.
From Nocturne's earlier swordplay, Anya could see they shared the same goal—kill in one strike, no room for error. However, he had infused his swordplay with Ninjutsu, taking a dark detour from traditional swordsmanship. In terms of pure swordsmanship alone, he was at least two tiers below White Fang, even somewhat weaker than Anya himself. But when it came to killing effectiveness, he was absolutely no weaker.
After holding their positions for a minute,
"Clang."
For the first time, a soft metallic sound rang through the arena. A blade aura gleamed in Nocturne's hands, its glow like autumn waters—greenish-cold, eerie, and piercing—intensifying beneath the unnatural moonlight shining upon it.
Then came Nocturne's sharp cry from within the field: [Secret Technique: Moon Shadow].
As the blade swung, numerous afterimages formed where Nocturne stood, deliberately confusing Anya and masking his true position. Meanwhile, Anya's entire surroundings became engulfed in deadly sword lights. One slight misstep would mean certain death.
Understanding this was Nocturne's most concentrated sword technique, Anya held nothing back either. The light of his Three-Comma Sharingan flickered briefly in his eyes as he entered an absolute defensive stance.
Finally, a flash of blade cut through the shadows as Nocturne unleashed his sword. A surge of power swept outward. After two seconds of silence, the chilling blade light seemed ready to destroy everything in front, leaving no room for escape.
"Good swordsmanship."
Anya earnestly praised. This strike was much stronger than the previous strike. Clearly, the first attack had merely been a probing strike. This time, he had truly turned lethal.
Nocturne's blade was fast, but Anya's was faster.
With Dance of the Blade fully activated, all that could be seen were two afterimages darting up and down. The sound of clashing steel rang in their ears. This was a life-or-death fight—should one falter, instant death would follow.
After a rapid clash of bladework, realizing he hadn't gained any advantage, Nocturne deliberately retreated. Then his entire body shot into the air. He raised his long sword beneath the moonlight and spun it around his torso once.
Countless blades formed by Hazy Moon surrounded him now. These illusions made it impossible to distinguish reality from illusion as they rushed toward you together.
"Secret Technique: Hazy Moon."
A new sword skill had appeared, born from the Hazy Moon. With so many illusions raining down, how could you tell which was real and which was fake? And even if you knew, how many blades could you possibly defend against?
To Anya's eyes, although these blades seemed entirely illusory, the cold aura they exuded clearly warned—if you didn't resist, being pierced by them would definitely result in bleeding wounds.
What kind of sword technique was this? How had he done it?
Unable to penetrate its mystery, Anya decided there was only one way—to attack head-on. Regardless of truth or illusion, he would strike them all down.
Anya narrowed his eyes. His body trembled—not from fear, but excitement. Since the Second War, aside from his mentor White Fang, this was the first swordsman capable of pressuring him with his blade alone. This pressure thrilled him.
[Sword Art: Breaking the Blade]
Without hesitation, Anya unleashed his current most powerful technique. He and his blade became one—nothing else existed. As those illusory blade lights descended, they were instantly erased by Anya's shocking slash. Without a single ripple, he even had enough strength remaining to sheath his blade and lock eyes upon the airborne Nocturne above.
[Sword Art: Draw Technique]
A stunning aura gathered in Anya's hand. Undoubtedly, this Draw Technique was his counterattack after having been suppressed earlier. However, seeing his secret technique blocked, Nocturne immediately disappeared into the darkness midair without hesitation.
"What happened just now?" Anya stopped his half-drawn tanto, looking around confusedly. He was certain Nocturne had no time at all to use Shunshin.
Nocturne's voice came seemingly from all directions: "That'll do for today. Shall we continue tomorrow?"
Hearing this, Anya stood shaking his head slightly: "No need. One experience is sufficient."
After saying this, all fell silent again. It seemed Nocturne had already left.
Anya relaxed his tense posture and called toward a dark part of the forest: "Come out."
When nothing stirred in the shadows, Anya continued: "If you don't come out now, I will have to make you."
"Don't! Don't attack—we're coming!"
A boy and a girl, both around Kakashi's age, stepped forward. The boy looked rather frail, coughing occasionally, while the girl had long purple hair and appeared very cute.
"Well, well, look who it is — just a couple of kids. Who're you two? Sneaking up on me can be pretty risky, y'know," Anya casually remarked.
"My name is Hayate Gekko, and this is Yugao Uzuki. Actually, I tagged along after my dad out here. Never expected to witness such an amazing battle," Hayate Gekko said with an eager grin. "Oh, and what's your name? Honestly, I've never seen anyone survive all of my dad's deadly moves before!"
<><><><><><><><>
Thank you for reading! Your support will keep me updating!
~ Every 50 Powerstones = **4 Bonus Chapters** this weekend!
<><><><><><><><>
Want to read the subsequent content in advance?
Please follow my Patreon:patreon/Tansnovel
Tans Novel - The Fastest-Updating Naruto Fanfiction Account
Read 100+ chapters in advance, with at least 3 new chapters updated every day! More free chapters! 20+ Naruto fanfictions!
Just three steps:
1. Download and open the "Patreon" app
2. Search for "Tans Novel"
3. Click on the collection and enjoy to your heart's content
<><><><><><><><>