It wasn't until Nocturne's body hit the ground with a heavy thud that The Third finally realized—this was never a duel or sparring match. Both sides clearly intended to kill, yet Anya's method cut deeper into the soul; it was pure emotional devastation, an act of sheer rage.
Thinking about his darkened spirit, his status as a member of the Uchiha Clan, and his Mangekyo Sharingan...
The Third took a deep breath before giving the order, "Anbu, seize Anya."
Looking at Anya with a complicated gaze, The Third wanted to see exactly how he would respond.
Others also came to their senses. Minato, who had just regained mobility, stared at Anya in shock, unable to believe what he had just witnessed—slaughtering a comrade. Even though they had signed what's known as the Death Agreement, this kind of action still constituted a capital offense in Konoha.
Had it been because he had lost something important? Minato fell silent for a moment, filled with sorrow.
Several Anbu surrounded Anya, hands already resting on their sword hilts. One sudden move from him would trigger immediate bloodshed—the situation grew unbearably tense.
Tsunade couldn't help but call out, "Old man…"
The Third waved his hand, cutting her off mid-sentence. His sharp warning glance was one Tsunade had never seen before. She now understood—this time, the old man was truly serious.
Danzo, who had already suffered the loss of a valuable general, wore an amused expression, seemingly anticipating Anya's next move.
Faced with the encroaching Anbu, Anya simply smiled and directly tossed the White Fang Blade toward Minato, saying, "Since it belonged to my teacher, please return this blade to Kakashi. And if you have the time in the future, do me a favor and check up on him occasionally, Minato. I entrust this to you."
Minato held the sword tightly, eager to question him aloud—if he knew the consequences, why did he still take such a step? Yet seeing Anya's composed and serene expression, he found himself speechless. This wasn't some impulsive act of fury—Anya had never been so deliberately calm.
The Anbu seized Anya without much difficulty. One among them performed hand seals and immediately sealed all of Anya's chakra, binding him in chains. After completing these actions, The Third exhaled in relief—at least Anya hadn't resisted, indicating there was still hope.
The Third turned to the Anbu and ordered coldly, "Confine him in the maximum-security wing."
"Yes," responded the Anbu. In a flash of the Shunshin technique, they disappeared—with Anya in tow—right before everyone's eyes.
At that moment, Tsunade could no longer hold back and confronted him, "They had already signed the Death Agreement. Even if punished, shouldn't it be less severe than being locked away in high-security confinement?"
"Come with me," The Third sighed lightly. Tsunade's repeated strange reactions had convinced him something was going on. If left unexplained, it would continue to be a troubling issue in the future.
The two walked into an uninhabited area when The Third bluntly asked, "Are you falling for Anya?"
Caught completely off guard by the question, Tsunade flushed red, denying, "Impossible! I only admire his talent—he learns everything quickly, and staying by my side helps me well enough."
After she spoke, Tsunade reflected momentarily and reaffirmed to herself: Yes, that must be exactly what it is.
Whether The Third believed her or not remained unclear as he continued asking, "Then do you know he's part of the Uchiha Clan?"
Tsunade hadn't fully recovered from her earlier emotions and casually replied, "I know."
The Third was surprised. "He didn't hide it from you? It seems your relationship is closer than I imagined."
Tsunade flushed slightly. "I found out by accident too. He doesn't wanna have anything to do with his clan."
"But he's already awakened the Mangekyo Sharingan—the most powerful kekkei genkai of the Uchiha Clan."
"So what? Isn't it a good thing for Konoha that he's gotten stronger?" Tsunade asked, puzzled.
The Third bluntly stated, "What if one day he betrays the village? Have you considered that he might become another Madara Uchiha?"
"That's impossible." Tsunade instinctively rejected the idea. When she saw the faint flicker of killing intent in the Third's eyes, she finally understood the old man's intention.
She just couldn't understand his thinking at all. "It's your approach that might push him toward betrayal. If the Professor were still alive, he would never act like this."
Sighing bitterly, the Third said, "At the Professor's level—having repeatedly suppressed even Madara Uchiha—there would certainly be no fear toward an undeveloped Uchiha member."
In truth, the Third himself felt conflicted about dealing with Anya. The issue was complicated. Most crucially, if Anya continued cooperating with the village's punishment and appeared completely harmless, then it would make *him* the real villain.
Right now, he couldn't understand the boy's intentions at all. If he wanted revenge on the village, he wouldn't act like this. If he simply wished to lay low, he wouldn't have attacked so openly in such a public setting.
Finally, the Third sighed lightly and said, "As for Anya's punishment, we will decide after discussion among the village's higher-ups. For now, he will be detained in the lowest level, and no one will be allowed to visit him."
After the Third left, he immediately went to find Minato.
Minato respectfully greeted, "Lord Hokage."
The Third asked, "Earlier, your Flying Thunder God Technique had approached those two, but why did you suddenly stop? Was your body restrained?"
Minato had been deep in thought about Anya. With the Third's reminder, he recalled that strange moment and frowned slightly. "It wasn't exactly restraint. To be precise, it was more like… a pause. Yeah, a pause."
His body showed no adverse reaction, but despite being right there, he couldn't reach them—as if that space operated on a different timeline entirely. A thought suddenly struck Minato. Could it be—
The Third understood. This must be a special ability of Anya's Mangekyo Sharingan. With such an ability, anyone daring to engage him in close combat would surely meet disaster.
"Minato," the Third asked expectantly, "in your opinion, what kind of person is Anya?"
The two had studied together at the Ninja Academy, graduated together, and completed missions side by side during the Second Battle. They understood each other very well.
Minato pondered carefully before replying, "If he's your friend, you'll find him a great guy. But if he becomes your enemy, he will be that enemy's worst nightmare."
"I see."
A fair assessment—and indeed high praise. As for Anya's punishment, the Third now had his own ideas.
The following day, the Konoha leadership hastily convened a small emergency meeting. At the meeting, Anya was condemned to three years' imprisonment for the brutal slaying of fellow Konoha shinobi—the sentence was enforced without delay.
As for White Fang's death, the village authorities decided to suppress the matter entirely, forbidding anyone from spreading news of the incident. From then on, the Legend of the White Fang became a thing of the past. As for his imprisoned disciple, he vanished from memory entirely, never to be spoken of again.
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