When Shizune arrived, it made a real difference.
As a result, Anya ended up completely alone in the lab. Tsunade had given him a mountain of tasks—neatly listed on a note pinned to the wall. Then she walked away entirely, taking Shizune with her to her usual medical room. Before leaving, she even gave Anya what was supposed to be an encouraging look—but it felt more like a warning than encouragement.
Anya stared at the creepy poisonous substances filling the room, feeling teary-eyed yet helpless.
Well, maybe this wasn't so bad. Alone wasn't so bad after all. If Tsunade had stayed around, she'd only keep breathing down his neck. It might actually be easier for him to figure things out by himself. Just to be safe, Anya summoned Katsuyu beforehand.
As soon as Katsuyu appeared and took in the familiar surroundings, she remarked with admiration, "Anya, you really are true to your word. You came here earlier than I expected."
Unimpressed by Katsuyu's praise, Anya rolled his eyes. What choice did he have but to keep his word? Even the Third Hokage avoided Tsunade when she flew into a rage—how much more so for someone as insignificant as him?
While flipping through notes carefully organized by Tsunade, Anya casually said to Katsuyu, "Lady Katsuyu, I'm about to start working on the task assigned by Lady Tsunade. If anything unexpected happens, you know what to do, right?"
Katsuyu replied uncertainly in her gentle voice, "I can't guarantee your safety completely."
"That's fine. Just make sure I don't die, then go notify Lady Tsunade." Anya understood Katsuyu's abilities well, and truthfully speaking, he was quite satisfied with this summoned creature—at least she made sense and showed reason, something Tsunade sorely lacked.
Katsuyu agreed immediately: "Okay."
Although complaining slightly under his breath, Anya was still willing to learn. He'd always been interested in poisons. Once he truly started studying them, he realized how amateurish his previous experiments with Sasori had been—what he had now before him were genuine master-level materials. Soon enough, he became deeply engrossed in Tsunade's notes, gaining greatly from them.
After acquiring some knowledge, it was time to begin practical experimentation. Proportions were the most critical aspect of alchemy. For certain poisons, merely adding one extra drop could completely change its properties—that was where the real difficulty lay.
Time passed slowly yet surely. By the time Anya finally finished the first poison-making assignment given by Tsunade, it had already grown pitch-dark outside. At this moment, he couldn't help thinking about Hayate and Yugao. He wondered if Hayate and Yugao would still go to the training field tonight—he guessed probably not. If Hayate continued training like before, he might collapse entirely.
Well, whatever. He might as well take a quick look—it had been a week-long promise after all.
Anya put on his mask and formed hand seals: [Shadow Clone Jutsu]
One of Anya's shadow clones left the hospital and headed toward the training field. Sure enough, exactly as expected, there was nobody within the entire training area. That wasn't necessarily a bad thing—given Hayate's current physical condition, sending him onto the battlefield would simply turn him into cannon fodder.
Just as he was about to release the clone, a lonely figure emerged from the shadows. Holding a wooden sword, the person launched straight at a training dummy. With a Series of Punches, the wooden blade accurately hit both shoulders of the dummy—down to the exact spots Anya had specified.
Wait—is this Yugao? She came alone? Her progress has become too great—Or had she been hiding her abilities all along?
Anya was prepared to continue watching. Observing quietly, she saw Yugao practicing diligently by herself. Clearly, Yugao was imitating the strike Anya had performed earlier. As practice continued, her movements became increasingly proficient.
Not bad talent, Anya judged. Compared to Hayate, Yugao's talent was even better. Even a physically intact Hayate might still fall short of Yugao in swordsmanship.
Anya was intrigued. With Yugao's current potential, after merely two and a half years of training, she would easily be capable of joining Anbu to assist me.
Now that a suitable recruit had appeared, Anya simply needed to see if she agreed. He wasn't in a rush, patiently waiting for the moment when her stamina finally ran out. He wanted to test just how much potential Yugao had; after all, women naturally faced disadvantages in physical confrontations, though abnormal cases like Tsunade did exist.
One strike, two strikes... As training progressed, admiration gradually increased within Anya's gaze. Just as Yugao could no longer support herself and began tilting toward the ground, Anya instantly appeared beside her with a Shunshin, catching and supporting her.
Green healing chakra flowed from his hands into her back, nourishing her body and slowly restoring some strength.
Anya broke the silence first. "Your training is impressive. I didn't expect you'd return here."
Yugao didn't seem surprised by Anya's appearance as she calmly replied, "Because I want to learn sword techniques from you."
"Why?"
After a brief silence, Yugao responded, "Uncle Nocturne's sword techniques are too dangerous. I want to learn your sword style instead so I can teach Hayate. Because he really likes the sword."
Anya sighed lightly, "Have you ever considered that, given Hayate's condition, it might be better for him to live as an ordinary person?"
Yugao hesitated before shaking her head. "He'd never accept a life as an ordinary man. A ninja's path is his destiny."
Fine, Anya decided not to persuade further. Everyone had their own aspirations, and there was no need to force others to follow one's thoughts. Enough had been said on the matter. He directly stated his purpose: "I can teach you sword techniques, but I hope you'll join Anbu and become my team member. How does that sound?"
"Join Anbu? Am I really qualified?" Yugao didn't appear reluctant at all.
Anya guaranteed her, "Not yet, but as long as you train every day under my guidance, joining Anbu won't be far away."
Yugao nodded, "Okay, I agree."
Behind his mask, Anya's expression brightened slightly. It hadn't been easy—finally, his first team member had arrived.
"Next, I'll show you the thirteen fundamental sword forms. These forms contain all the basics of sword techniques. Since the day I first held a blade, not one day has passed without practicing them."
Anya took the wooden blade from Yugao's hand and showed her the foundational forms. At this moment, he resembled Haku — the one who once trained him — back in the past. Years of practice had allowed these basic sword skills to match—and artistically even rival—Haku's level, displaying a kind of breathtaking beauty. Yugao stood spellbound, amazed by the elegance and grace of sword techniques. In that moment, her entire perspective on sword art shifted.
After finishing the demonstration, Anya asked, "How was it? Did you memorize everything?"
Hearing this, Yugao suddenly snapped out of her daze and murmured somewhat embarrassedly, "I remember a little."
"A little? So you didn't really remember anything. You weren't focused at all," sighed Anya. "Well then, since you're my top team member, I'll demonstrate again. Don't let your mind wander. With your talent, you'll pick it up quickly enough."
"Yes, I'll focus well," Yugao replied, eyes widening as she fixed her gaze on Anya.
Under the moonlight, two figures—one tall, one small—stepped onto the Training Field and began practicing swordsmanship.
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