Fugaku had originally assumed this was just an ordinary Anbu member. After exchanging blows, however, he realized the truth—this person was definitely an elite among the Anbu. He couldn't help but ask Mikoto, "Who is he?"
"You know the rules—the identities of Anbu members are top secret," Anya mocked. "Looks like you've never really respected that."
"You…" Anger flared up again in Fugaku.
Mikoto quickly stepped between the two, calming Fugaku down before saying to Anya, "Just leave. I won't go with you to the Anbu."
Hearing her answer, Anya asked unwillingly, "Can you at least tell me why?"
Mikoto answered Anya's question, "I'm already engaged to him. We're planning to marry soon, and we might even leave the Military Police Force one day. Naturally, I can't join the Anbu."
So that's how it is. Looks like I arrived too late.
Anya sighed inwardly, then silently turned toward the exit. Just as he was about to leave, he finally couldn't resist glancing back and saying one last line, "I hope you find happiness in the future."
After saying those words, Anya left the Military Police Force with a slightly desolate mood. Since Uchiha Mikoto refused to leave, this sealed her fate. But considering his current rate of improvement, protecting her someday wouldn't be impossible. Thinking thus, Anya felt a bit more relieved.
The mission got off to a bad start—the first recruit had already turned him down. As for the second, Anya hadn't decided yet. Having spent most of his time fighting abroad alone, he wasn't familiar with many of the village's ninja. However…
He'd walked himself straight into a dead end. If he didn't know, there were still people who did! Wasn't there a perfectly good teacher nearby? There was no point wasting time thinking without acting.
Once he made the decision, Anya immediately left the Military Police Force and headed straight toward White Fang's location.
War might have ended, but White Fang was still buried in work. Currently living inside Konoha's interrogation department, he oversaw numerous captured prisoners—an asset rightfully obtained by the winning side. What White Fang currently focused on was extracting intelligence from these captives, preparing for any possible future wars.
When Anya arrived, he happened to see an Iwa ninja tied onto a chair, eyes dimmed, obviously having undergone a round of torture already. At this moment, beside him stood a long-haired blonde man performing hand seals: [Mind Body Switch Technique]!
The bound ninja let out a frightened muffled groan before losing consciousness. Soon after, the blonde man opened his eyes and began writing something onto a scroll, sealing it shut once finished.
Observing everything, Anya instantly recognized this man as a member of the Yamanaka clan—a part of Konoha's Ino–Shika–Cho trio, also known as Ino. This jutsu was indeed perfectly suited for intelligence work.
However, the number of prisoners was simply too great. His chakra reserves were limited, so White Fang tried prioritizing only valuable prisoners for him. Those deemed worthless weren't his concern anymore—in fact, he'd casually given one prisoner away yesterday as a gift for his disciple.
After he finished interrogating the prisoner, White Fang cast a somewhat disdainful glance at Anya and asked, "What do you want now?"
Anya chuckled, her voice muffled by the mask. "You know, sensei, even though I'm the captain of an Anbu squad, I don't actually have a single member under me."
White Fang instantly caught on—Anya wanted him to find someone for her team. After a moment's thought, he said, "You know, Anbu trials are extremely strict. Especially now that the Anbu has been streamlined, it's even harder to get in. Instead of grabbing random people, why don't you just focus on getting stronger during this quiet time?"
Anya sighed. "I know too, but I just don't know where to start right away."
Sword Art was a long-term practice—and she trained daily. She already mastered practically all practical Ninjutsu and continued improving in Genjutsu. Occasionally, she even practiced Puppet Technique. As for Medical Ninjutsu, visiting Tsunade was out of the question or she would definitely be conscripted.
Unable to resist any longer, White Fang rapped Anya lightly on the head and said sternly, "This is what happens when you spread yourself too thin. If you had solely focused on swordsmanship all along, you wouldn't have these problems now."
As a disciple, she naturally couldn't refute her master's teachings. Anya obediently accepted the light smack and started playing the pitiful role.
Finally, understanding his apprentice's personality well, White Fang sighed helplessly. "Take my blade and visit someone called Nocturne at the Third Hokage. I believe you can learn quite a lot from him."
Hearing this unfamiliar codename, Anya felt genuinely surprised. Honestly speaking, among those currently in Konoha, very few possessed the ability to teach her—mainly the Third Hokage, White Fang, the Sannin, and Red. It seemed there was actually another hidden expert around. She must've made the right choice coming to see her teacher today.
With satisfaction, Anya excitedly rushed straight to the Third Hokage's office, presenting White Fang's sword while explaining her purpose.
The Third stared at the sword in silence, the office thick with tension.
Sensing something unusual, Anya cautiously asked, "Lord Hokage, is this person currently not in the village?"
The Third shifted his gaze away from the sword, asking seriously, "Did your teacher really send you here?"
Anya simply nodded. "Yep."
"It almost sounded like he was muttering to himself—'Is it really the right time?'"
Seeing that Anya wouldn't back down, the Third finally answered bluntly, "Nocturne has mastered every single technique of the Konoha Style Sword Art. Even your own teacher once sought advice from him. However, his training methods are extremely risky—you might end up unable to control what you've learned. Once, while teaching his own child, he injured the child severely, nearly killing them. Fortunately, Tsunade managed to save the child's life, though permanent damage remained."
Now Anya finally understood why the Third held so many reservations—he worried about her getting hurt during training. However, Anya herself didn't take this concern seriously at all. For her, the stronger Nocturne's sword techniques were, the better—the more she could learn.
"Please rest assured, Lord Hokage," Anya said confidently. "I have full confidence in my abilities." This confidence stemmed from her countless hard-won victories on the battlefield.
The Third Hokage was also influenced by Anya's confidence and agreed, "Alright, I'll inform him. But you should mentally prepare yourself and be extremely cautious during the training."
Hearing the Third Hokage's agreement, Anya let out a sigh of relief and clenched his fists. "Thank you, Lord Hokage. Please inform him. I'll wait for him at the training field in the Konoha Forest."
"Okay, I understand."
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