Nocturne. Hearing the name, the Third's initial shock gave way to inner turmoil. Was this a coincidence, or intentional?
Only he and Danzo knew about White Fang's partner being Nocturne—knowledge restricted to those involved in top-secret missions. And now, Anya had suddenly requested a duel with Nocturne. Could he know something too? Or was it just...
Seeing that the Third remained silent for so long, Anya didn't rush, waiting patiently.
Tsunade, however, couldn't stand the silence any longer. "Old man, what are you spacing out for? Just call him over! What's wrong with Anya's request?"
Minato glanced around nervously, momentarily confused. He sensed the odd atmosphere. Truthfully, he wanted to train alongside Anya—throwing yourself into training helped forget a lot of pain. But Anya had bluntly said he didn't know how to use a sword, shutting him down completely.
Finally, the Third spoke. "Anya, could you find someone else? Nocturne is on a mission and isn't in the village right now."
"Hokage-sama, why lie to me?" Anya replied calmly. "I know he's still here. You told me earlier that a teacher's sacrifices should never go unrecognized. Then why can't you fulfill such a small wish of his disciple?"
The Third's eyes sharpened. At that moment, he strongly suspected Anya already knew something. Otherwise, why insist like this? If that was the case, then it became even more impossible…
Before the Third could speak again, someone approached—one arm half-wrapped in bandages. It was Danzo. Coldly, he announced, "Nocturne has arrived."
A figure cloaked entirely in shadow followed behind Danzo step by step. Clearly, this was the person Anya had been looking for—Nocturne.
Damn it. The Third shot Danzo a sharp, resentful glance while fury boiled within. Now that Nocturne had come forward, there would be no turning back between them. There was a high chance blood would be shed here.
Anya quickly fixed his gaze on Nocturne. So, you've finally come. Teacher, you truly saved the wrong person. Just wait—I'll send him down below to keep you company soon.
As if sensing Anya's stare, Nocturne turned toward him as well. Their gazes locked midair, sparks of tension flying.
Taking a couple steps forward, Danzo addressed Anya, "Nocturne's swordsmanship is extremely dangerous. Be ready to face death at any moment."
Anya wasted no words. He took out a blank scroll and decisively wrote several large characters, signed his own name, then flicked his wrist. The scroll flew straight toward Nocturne.
After unfolding it, Nocturne clearly saw the bold words written across the parchment: DEATH AGREEMENT. The remaining space was obviously meant for his signature.
"Sign it," Danzo whispered to Nocturne before sending him a murderous glare.
Understanding the meaning behind Danzo's look, Nocturne signed without hesitation.
Except for the Third, everyone standing nearby wore expressions of stunned confusion. They were just supposed to spar, right? Why had it come down to signing a death agreement?
Tsunade hesitated, then held her tongue. Quietly, she slipped Anya a pill and murmured, "Your body can't handle prolonged combat. Take this later, and finish it quickly."
Anya's opinion of Tsunade had improved greatly, but she never expected her to go out of her way like this. At a loss for how to express her gratitude, she simply kept it to herself.
Minato was also deeply concerned—especially when he saw Anya's head full of white hair, clearly a sign of excessive grief. Thinking for a moment, he stepped forward and patted Anya's shoulder in encouragement: "Do your best, but don't push yourself too hard."
Anya gave both of them a grateful glance, then clutching the White Fang Blade, stepped before the tombstone and bowed deeply. Then she turned around and exchanged glances with Nocturne, signaling that it could begin.
Nocturne didn't waste words. With one leap, he jumped directly in front of Anya, his long sword already unsheathed, exuding a chilling aura of murder.
Anya still hadn't drawn the White Fang Blade; even her aura was fully restrained. Under Nocturne's oppressive pressure, she resembled a leaf adrift in the wind—clearly overpowered in this confrontation.
The Third had somehow silently crept beside Minato and quietly said, "Did you plant a Flying Thunder God Mark on Anya's shoulder earlier?"
Minato stiffened slightly, realizing his little trick had been seen through by the Hokage. He nodded.
"Good," The Third said approvingly, then seriously warned, "If things escalate toward a life-or-death fight later, remember to step in and save someone."
"Mm," Minato affirmed with a nod, "I'll save Anya."
"No, not Anya." The Third's brows furrowed as he observed the two confronting each other. Slowly, he continued, "It's Nocturne you must save. Anya intends to kill him."
"What?" Minato was shocked and somewhat disbelieving.
Right at that moment, Nocturne launched the first strike with his sword against Anya—and it wasn't just an ordinary sword technique. Between wave after wave of flashes of sword light was embedded an illusionary art.
From the observer's viewpoint, Anya seemed to vanish among dancing leaves, completely immobilized by the terrifying blade techniques. Seeing this, Nocturne's figure shot forward like lightning, delivering a lethal blow toward Anya.
"This is seriously terrifying!" Minato's hairs stood on end. If he were facing this blade, he figured he would only be able to escape with the Flying Thunder God and look for a chance to counter with a long-range attack.
What should Anya do now? It appeared he was completely trapped within the sword moves. Minato tensed up, ready to intervene at any second.
"This is the [Konoha Nagare Willow sword style] inherited from The Second. He's one of the only two people in the village who can use it. I didn't expect him to bring it out today," The Third cast a subtle glance toward Danzo. He understood perfectly well—Nocturne daring to unleash such a trump card must have been acting on someone's orders.
However, could this move really work on Anya?
Just as Nocturne's blade was about to land on Anya, Minato and Anya moved almost simultaneously.
Minato appeared right between them, holding a special kunai, apparently attempting to shield Anya from the fatal strike. Yet in this exact moment, he found himself unable to move at all.
Nocturne also fell into the same dilemma as Minato, motionless mid-stance with his sword, the seemingly small distance having become an insurmountable gap.
Clang!
The White Fang Blade was finally unsheathed.
Anya casually swung his blade and severed Nocturne's sword-wielding arm. Mockingly, he remarked, "You didn't actually think your third-rate swordsmanship could show off in front of my master, did you?"
Having finished speaking, she slashed backward with the [Single Blade Strike], severing Nocturne's tongue. With a cold voice, she said, "Do you actually think you're qualified to accuse my teacher?"
After the second strike, Anya slashed downward at his neck without hesitation for the final blow: "You should've died the moment you were captured."
Thus, the battle between the two ended beneath everyone's stunned gazes.
[One Slash to Sever the Hand], [Two to Cut the Tongue], [Three to Take the Life].
Three simple slashes—but each one more brutal than the last, a complete domination. Nocturne, who seemed completely dominant just moments ago, hadn't even managed a single counterattack. What just happened?
Everyone was too shocked to utter a single word.
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