A fine rain drifted down through the thick mist, deepening the dampness of the already fog-enshrouded village.
Anya and Haku successfully reached the outskirts of Kiri beneath a single concealing cloak, their faces and silhouettes entirely hidden.
Though Kiri stood among the Five Great Villages, its surroundings appeared even more desolate than Sanshouo Hanzo's territory (also known as Rain's Hidden Village in old records). Along the way, they encountered almost no travelers—only some orphaned beggars at best—and even unburied skeletons lay beside the road, creating an extremely bleak scene.
Anya and Haku continued forward as if nothing unusual surrounded them. Right at the moment they were about to enter the village, someone finally blocked their path: "Who goes there? Stop sneaking around and reveal yourselves."
Two ninjas emerged from the fog, watching them with caution.
Anya coughed twice, then handed out an identification tag from beneath his robe: "I've suffered burns before; it's inconvenient for me to remove my clothing. Here's our proof of identity. Can we be allowed in?"
Somewhat curious, the two shinobi reached forward to accept the tag. But just as they let their guard down slightly, Haku instantly launched several ice needles straight into their throats.
Fast, precise, and deadly—just like that.
Anya inwardly expressed admiration. Don't be fooled by her gentle demeanor—her strength was nothing short of formidable.
"Let's go."
Without glancing at the two fallen ninja, Anya turned and walked away.
Looking puzzled, Haku wondered why they weren't entering after eliminating the guards—but she didn't ask questions, silently following behind Anya instead.
Another admirable trait—she obeys orders quietly, never causing unnecessary complications.
They hadn't walked for more than several seconds when several other ninjas came rushing toward the entrance. One examined the wounds on the victims' bodies and shouted in alarm: "These injuries were caused by Ice Release techniques! So their bloodline survives after all! Hurry and inform the Anbu leader—they probably infiltrated the village seeking revenge!"
Soon notified, Kiri's Anbu quickly arrived at the corpses. One of them formed hand seals and then placed a single finger onto the ground. After a short while, he stated, "Cunning bastards. They never entered the village, but instead fled in the opposite direction."
"That's odd. If they weren't heading into the village, why kill the sentries at all?"
One of the Anbu members commented, "Regardless of motives, we can't allow them to escape. Pursue immediately."
"Exactly," another agreed. "We'll get answers once we catch them."
Ten masked Anbu, led by the lead Sensor Anbu, swiftly chased in the same direction Anya had fled.
Less than ten minutes later, the pair found themselves intercepted near a lake. Ten Anbu perched atop high trees surrounding them like a net, long blades already drawn, emitting unmasked killing intent.
Haku calmly faced Anya, appearing to await instructions.
Anya gripped the hilt of his tanto tightly while quietly whispering to Haku: "Don't move. Just stay right here."
Ever since he learned about White Fang's fate, Anya had been carrying a storm beneath his calm surface—an anger ready to erupt at any moment.
Ten Anbu members naturally saw Anya's hand move toward a blade. Without hesitation, they leapt down from the high trees and launched furious attacks at the pair.
[Sword Art: Draw Technique.]
The tanto unsheathed with a dragon-like roar. A single slash, faster than thought, cut through the air with an aura of death and destruction, striking before their attacks could land.
All ten Anbu fell practically at once. That one strike was terrifying beyond words.
One Mist Anbu among them struggled to rise, his trembling voice filled with disbelief as he asked, "Just what are you? How can you possess such horrifying swordsmanship?"
"Now it's my turn to ask questions," Anya's Sharingan instantly transformed into its three-tomoe form. With powerful ocular techniques, he immediately placed the enemy under genjutsu control. "Tell me your codename and your exact position within the Anbu."
Under this influence, the Anbu answered mechanically. Once satisfied with the information obtained, Anya decapitated him with one swift stroke.
After finishing this, he stripped the man's uniform and mask and quickly put them on himself.
He had deliberately spared him because, among the ten Anbu, their builds were nearly identical, making the deception difficult to detect. With this identity, infiltrating Kiri would become no difficult task—in fact, no matter which village it was, Anbu always worked alone and didn't get involved with others, avoiding many complications.
From the moment he first saw Haku, Anya had already made his plan—using her Kekkei Genkai heritage to lure out the Anbu, then utilizing their identity to infiltrate Mist Village. So far, everything had gone smoothly.
Haku watched for a moment, clearly getting what Anya was planning, and started stripping another Anbu's clothes.
"Wait," Anya stopped Haku's actions, saying, "Your role bringing me here has been enough. The rest I'll handle alone. Just find somewhere safe to hide."
Upon hearing this, Haku shook her head violently, asking tearfully, "Are you saying you don't want me anymore?"
"No, quite the opposite. Once I finish my mission here, I'll take you with me."
Originally, Anya had manipulative intentions that led to the villagers turning against Haku. However, through their time together recently, he realized she exceeded his expectations by far. Someone like her dying here would be an enormous loss.
"Take me with you? Where would we go?" Haku seemed confused, reaching out to grasp Anya's sleeve.
"Come home with me. Pinky promise." Anya extended one finger from beneath his sleeve.
Instinctively, Haku also raised her finger, and the two completed their mutual vow midair.
After their pinky swear, Anya turned and walked away. Haku impulsively rushed forward to say one final thing: "I'll be waiting nearby the village entrance."
Dressed in Anbu attire, Anya once again approached the main gate. This time there were more guards—eight men total. One stepped forward, asking, "Anbu-sama, have the remnants been captured yet?"
Anya coldly snorted with obvious annoyance in his tone. "Hmph. They had traps and allies waiting. I've returned seeking reinforcements. You needn't ask further questions—just guard the village properly."
"Yes, sir!" Immediately following this response, the guards indeed dared not ask more, stepping aside obediently.
Anya successfully infiltrated the village. As for what happened next, Haku wouldn't know. From here onward, he'd have to rely entirely on himself.
For Anya, bearing the Sharingan eye, this was no difficult task at all. In one-on-one situations, very few could escape the Sharingan's genjutsu, which was exactly why the Uchiha Clan commanded such fear and respect.
Time was short. The moment she infiltrated, Anya began searching for isolated ninjas. Under the power of the Sharingan, she soon targeted a Jonin.
"Hey you — get over here."
The Jonin turned to see an Anbu member suddenly calling him. His heart tightened slightly. Confused, he approached. Then everything went black.
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