Anya, who had originally planned to leave, gave the boy a second glance after his introduction. So this was that unfortunate kid mentioned by the Third. He really did look frail—clearly weaker than most kids his age. At this rate, it would be questionable whether he could even become a Jonin in the future. Honestly, considering what Nocturne had just thrown at him, it was amazing Tsunade managed to save him at all.
The reason Anya didn't want Nocturne to return the next day was because she feared losing control of her temper and killing him. After all, Nocturne's previous moves were all meant to kill—without holding back even slightly. And that was against someone like herself; an average Jonin probably wouldn't have survived.
Seeing that Anya remained silent, Hayate Gekko grew impatient and voiced his request: "No matter who you are, I want to know—can you teach both of us your sword style?"
Anya asked with a skeptical look, "Your father's sword style isn't weak either. So why aren't you learning from him?"
Hayate turned bright red. He opened his mouth—but couldn't bring himself to speak.
Instead, the Little Girl beside him spoke up, "Well, that's not something you need to know. Just tell us if you'll teach or not. If not, we're leaving now."
Was that how someone asked for help? Well, she was just a child. Anya couldn't expect too much. With clear amusement, Anya said, "Actually, I can teach you, but first you have to tell me one thing."
Hayate's face lit up immediately as he quickly asked, "What is it?"
Anya asked, "Earlier, how did your father leave?"
Hayate's expression instantly changed. He tugged Yugao's sleeve and prepared to leave. Obviously, he wasn't willing to reveal his father's secret.
But since Anya had asked, there was no way she'd let him get away so easily.
Suddenly, Hayate stiffened, his face turning blank and expressionless as he slowly spoke, "That's my father's kekkei genkai—[Transparent Release]. It hides his presence and makes his body transparent once used."
Upon hearing this, Yugao's eyes widened. She cried out angrily at Hayate, "Hayate, what are you doing?! You actually told an outsider such an important secret!"
But seeing Hayate's dazed look, Yugao immediately understood. She turned toward Anya in fury, saying, "What did you do to him?!"
"That little girl's reaction is pretty quick," Anya smiled slightly without hiding it. "Just a simple little Genjutsu."
"You're despicable!" Yugao, her face flushed with anger, took a fighting stance. "You'd better remove that illusion right now, or else I won't hold back!"
Sigh. A meaningless threat. Calmly, Anya said, "Now that he's already given me the answer, I can teach you sword art. Do you want to learn?"
Hearing this, Yugao froze for a moment, then gave Anya a suspicious look. She stubbornly insisted, "You have to remove Hayate's Genjutsu first."
"Wait," Anya said casually. "Let me make this clear—I'll lift the Genjutsu, but once I do, he won't remember what happened just now. So don't tell him anything. As for the sword art, I'll give proper lessons. How much you learn depends entirely on your own ability."
Yugao understood Anya's meaning. She hesitated, frowning deeply as she thought intensely. Should she agree? After all, he already knew Nocturne's secret—exchanging sword techniques for silence was probably the best solution. That way, revealing it wouldn't be pointless.
With that in mind, Yugao slowly nodded, her heart heavy, though her eyes betrayed a hint of fear toward Anya. At the very least, she now realized this older boy was definitely not a kind person at all.
Clever girl, knowing how to choose. In truth, Anya hadn't made this decision on a whim—he'd already formulated a plan. If his memory served him right, after the Second Battle would come another war: the Third Shinobi World War. Since he couldn't recruit suitable teammates immediately, training a few himself might work better. Then, they could cooperate more smoothly in the future. Of course, those without talent weren't worth cultivating. Now that someone had offered themselves, trying them out wasn't a bad idea either.
Anya casually released Hayate Gekko's genjutsu.
Regaining consciousness, Hayate Gekko looked at Anya in confusion. What had just happened? Why did he feel like his mind was blank? Before he could think further, Yugao beside him said, "Hayate Gekko, he's agreed to teach us swordsmanship."
"Really?" Hayate Gekko smiled happily, clearly excited—obviously having secretly admired Anya's sword skills earlier.
Anya cooled his enthusiasm, saying, "Don't get too excited. I've agreed to teach you, but if you lack talent and can't even grasp the basics, I'll stop teaching immediately—it'd simply be a waste of time."
Hayate confidently replied, "I'll work hard."
Anya gave no clear response, deciding not to discourage him further. In truth, learning sword techniques required more than just effort; talent was essential. This was why White Fang had initially refused to accept Anya without first testing him—to determine whether his potential qualified him for sword training. For example, if you asked Naruto to practice swordplay or told Sasuke to use Shadow Clones to create Rasengan, they'd likely fail quickly.
"Start with the simplest basics first. Follow me."
Since he'd decided to teach, Anya intended to assess their skills and the strength of their foundations first before revealing anything.
He led both of them to the center of the training field where there stood a wooden training post. Anya swapped the tanto in his hand for a wooden sword, steadied his breath, and sternly commanded, "Watch carefully."
In an instant, Anya dashed swiftly toward the post. As he ran, two shadows trailed behind him. All three struck simultaneously, blades slicing through as they passed the training post.
One slash marked each shoulder, and a third sliced cleanly across the throat—sharp and unmistakable.
Witnessing this, Hayate gasped in awe, "Dance of the Sword! How do you even know that move?"
"Oh, so that's what it's called? Not a bad name," Anya smirked slightly. "But that's not exactly what I used. I only mimicked it. It looks similar because my speed created the illusion of multiple figures."
As she spoke, Anya threw two wooden swords that stabbed into the ground before the two apprentices. She said, "The first step in learning swordsmanship is keeping your hands steady. Once you can slash all three of those marks within three seconds, you'll pass."
They picked up the wooden swords and looked at Anya differently now. Although they had known she was strong before, this moment revealed just how much stronger she truly was than they imagined. Being able to copy a [Sword Art] technique after seeing it just once—and nearly nail it—made those who'd trained for years feel completely outclassed. No wonder she said earlier that talent matters when learning swordsmanship.
At this thought, Hayate Gekko's eyes sharpened. He swore he would definitely pass this entrance exam. With a loud shout, he charged straight toward the training dummy.
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