Wait… did you just say "father-in-law"?
Anya and Fugaku were both stunned upon hearing those words. A strange expression flickered across Anya's face. After a brief moment of thought, she calmly replied, "If the two of you are willing, I have no objections."
In other words, she agreed with Mikoto's suggestion, shifting the pressure onto Fugaku.
Facing their expectant gazes, Fugaku heard himself say without thinking, "Okay."
As soon as the word was out, he regretted it—his own father was still alive. What kind of situation was this, randomly giving his child an adoptive father? But since the word had slipped out, he couldn't bring himself to take it back.
Thus, Mikoto brought Itachi Uchiha forward to kowtow before Anya, officially making her his adoptive parent.
When visiting hours ended, Anya gazed at their retreating figures in deep thought. From what she remembered, Itachi had been quite young when he wiped out his clan. Even with his Mangekyō Sharingan awakened, his strength back then couldn't possibly surpass her current level.
Yet right now, Anya felt no confidence whatsoever in wiping out the entire Uchiha Clan—even unleashing all her hidden techniques might not guarantee success. Therefore, something must have occurred on that fateful night which remained unknown. With this new connection established, she could gather further intelligence. In any case, Sister Mikoto, I'll definitely save you.
At this moment, Anya completely failed to realize that within the Naruto world existed two extremely dangerous professions: parent and teacher—and she'd somehow become both.
Walking away, Fugaku muttered under his breath after just a few steps. "Why didn't you tell me beforehand about your idea?"
Mikoto sensed her husband's displeasure and spoke cautiously, "I made the decision on the spot. It's just that Anya seems so pitiful—lonely all her life, rarely speaking, possibly destined for lifelong solitude. Seeing how much she likes Itachi, I came up with this idea."
Upon hearing his wife's explanation, Fugaku sighed and said nothing more. After all, Anya was still a proud member of the Uchiha Clan—and a formidable one at that. Having such an adoptive parent wouldn't necessarily be a bad thing for Itachi.
After this minor incident, Anya returned to her poison research. Days passed like flowing water—calm yet fulfilling. Day by day, she and Tsunade grew closer as they worked side by side.
Tsunade's medical system reforms were taking shape. Her books were adopted by ninja academies to help identify medical talents early on. Once Anya's research successfully equipped Medical Ninjas with combat capabilities matching regular ninjas, the idea she had proposed during a war council years ago would finally become a reality.
Every time she thought of this, Tsunade would gaze at Anya with affection in her eyes. A solid medical system meant Konoha ninjas stood a much better chance on their missions. In war, even healers could be heroes. And none of these achievements would have been possible without Anya's contributions.
Since being defeated by Anko, Konan had been relentlessly pursued by her. Every time they met, a fierce battle inevitably broke out, though naturally Konan had never lost. Orochimaru was indeed an excellent teacher, teaching without reservation. Under his guidance, Konan improved rapidly, quickly rising to chunin-level proficiency in her mission performance within Konoha. All of Konoha's ninja squads were eager to have her on their team.
On this particular day, after completing a village mission, she arrived at Orochimaru's secret base as usual. As soon as she entered, Orochimaru appeared before her, his pupils suddenly narrowing. "Konan," he said, "your alertness has declined. You were being followed without even realizing it."
Konan's eyes turned cold as she glanced around, detecting no one nearby. Still, she trusted Orochimaru's judgment. She shouted coldly, [Paper Release] – Thousand Needle Rain!
A pair of angel-like wings formed on her back. Infusing chakra into them, countless paper needles shot from the wings, covering an extremely dense and wide attacking range, almost sealing off all surrounding space.
"I found you."
Sensing contact through her paper technique, all the needles transformed into large paper shuriken, firmly locking onto that location. "Who are you? Come out."
A teenage boy appeared before Konan. At this moment, his face bore an expression full of stubbornness, and his gaze toward Konan carried hidden traces of hatred.
Somewhat confused, Konan asked, "Who are you, and why are you following me?"
The boy didn't respond to Konan but instead walked directly to Orochimaru and knelt down.
Orochimaru looked at him with interest and said, "Oh, how amusing. You think you've discovered my secret and now seek mercy?"
"Lord Orochimaru, I have no interest in your secrets. I only hope to obtain power from you," the boy said harshly, his face as cold as ice. The hatred burning in his eyes spread wildly like a spreading fire as he stared fixedly at Orochimaru, his fingers tightly clenched while eagerly awaiting his response.
"Fascinating eyes," Orochimaru's own eyes sparkled with appreciation. "Boy, tell me, what ability allows you to make your body transparent and hide just now?"
"It's my Kekkei Genkai – Transparent Release."
"Oh, so this is that bloodline limit." Understanding dawned in Orochimaru's heart, and a devilish smile surfaced on his face. "Someone who pursues even the darkest power to achieve their goal—that's vengeance. I appreciate this kind of determination and will grant you the power for revenge, though you must pay a price."
Joy flickered across the boy's face. "I'll accept whatever price you name."
Orochimaru smiled sinisterly. "Even if the price is your life?"
Without hesitation, the boy clenched his teeth and replied, "If it grants my revenge, I don't care about anything else."
"Excellent." Orochimaru pulled a vial from his robes and continued, "This potion contains power enabling you to instantly unleash strength rivaling a jonin's. Its effects are limited by time, naturally costing you your life as payment."
Without hesitation, the boy grabbed the potion handed to him by Orochimaru, uttered not another word, and immediately left the scene.
Konan gazed at his silhouette and hesitated before speaking, "Lord Orochimaru, are you sure about giving him the test subject? Could this cause trouble? You don't even know who he's going to kill."
Orochimaru gazed into the distance and replied, "Don't worry. He's just a half-cooked Jonin. This wouldn't even qualify as a hassle for him. Call it an early collection of interest. Thinking about it, his time is drawing near too."
Meanwhile, Anya, who had been researching poison, suddenly sensed a disturbance. The puppet sealed on his arm moved slightly—what was going on?
He summoned the Wooden Bull Puppet and heard rumbling noises from inside. After opening the wooden bull, a small bird flew out. An engraving of Sasori's mark was clearly visible on its body.
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