Inside Konoha's temporary stronghold, Anya patched herself up using Medical Ninjutsu. She didn't take part in the follow-up pursuit battle. After easing her immediate pain, she finally understood how badly hurt she really was—her bones throbbed, her nerves screamed, and every part of her body felt stretched to its limit. At this rate, she wouldn't be returning to the battlefield for at least half a month. Of course, though she was seriously wounded, the Tsuchikage wasn't in any better shape. Taking two direct slashes from her sword arts, he wouldn't be able to fight anyone anytime soon either.
That battle had been dangerously close. If Minato hadn't shown up when he did, the result might've gone either way.
Afterward, Anya fell into deep contemplation. She discovered a critical weakness in her combat style—the lack of long-range capabilities. The Spirit Transformation Technique technically counted, but using it on the battlefield was far too risky. [Division Technique] was also too risky, since only a fragment of her soul could be safely separated. It worked fine against minor enemies, but against powerful opponents? That remained uncertain.
Her sword art relied heavily on close combat. When facing enemies like the Tsuchikage, they wouldn't even let her get close. Once kept at a distance, her current options required coordination with the Mangekyo Sharingan. But the Mangekyo itself had drawbacks. If only she could master Minato's Flying Thunder God Technique—it'd allow surprise assassinations even against formidable foes like today's coordinated attack.
Unfortunately, Minato had already tried teaching it to her, but she couldn't even begin to grasp it.
Yes, this jutsu had very simple requirements for beginners—one single condition: talent. With it, you could learn the technique. Without it, there was no point in trying at all.
Admittedly, Minato once proposed an idea—to split the Flying Thunder God Technique by forming a collaborative version using multiple people's chakra, allowing Anya to use it together with Shadow Clones. However, its battlefield effectiveness seemed limited, and Anya never developed any genuine interest in it, so the plan got shelved.
Looks like Anya needed to develop an entirely new sword technique. These past three years, while continuously practicing sword arts, her heart hadn't fully committed. To enhance her strength on future battlefields, now was the time to refocus seriously on her blade techniques.
In the Hokage's office, the Third read the latest battlefield report from Iwagakure. The worried expression that had lingered on his face for days finally gave way to a faint smile. Choosing Anya indeed proved correct—her impact became immediately obvious upon reaching the battlefield. The "blade" polished by White Fang had already revealed its sharpness. Now the Tsuchikage lay injured, the command center completely destroyed, giving Konoha absolute superiority over their rivals.
Still, Iwagakure's numerical advantage remained—they dispersed across the battlefield like scattered chess pieces, preparing to engage in smaller skirmishes. Large-scale battles like this one wouldn't happen again soon.
As the Third contemplated these developments, his office door suddenly swung open.
He sighed, the brief smile fading into a bitter one. In Konoha, the only person daring to enter like this could only be Tsunade—no one else.
True to expectations, Tsunade strode in casually. She looked completely different from usual—dressed in Second War-era uniform, her expression unusually serious. "Old man," she said, "I'm heading to the battlefield."
The Third shook his head. "No."
Tsunade raised one eyebrow, puzzled. "Why not?"
"Ever seen someone risk their entire fortune right at the start of a gamble?" Sandaime said leisurely after taking a puff from his pipe.
Tsunade insisted, "You're still there for Konoha."
Knowing her personality well, Sandaime simply sighed. "Alright then, tell me. What exactly happened that made you suddenly want to head to the battlefield?"
She replied confidently, "The Healthcare reforms in Konoha are complete. It's time our enemies saw our strength. After all, the effectiveness of this tactical system depends heavily on actual combat performance—I need to monitor it personally."
Sandaime fell into thought. After weighing the pros and cons, he finally gave in. "Which battlefield do you have in mind?"
Without hesitation, Tsunade answered, "Iwagakure frontlines."
At just the mention of that battlefield, Sandaime already had a rough idea. He gave her a meaningful look, and only after Tsunade showed a flicker of unease in her eyes did he finally say, "Go then."
After Tsunade left, she immediately led the already assembled Medical Division personnel out.
As Sandaime had suspected, one reason was to test the results of the medical reforms. The other was about Anya. Ever since she left, Tsunade had summoned Katsuyu, giving her battlefield updates before even Sandaime learned of them. When she found out that Anya had been seriously injured, she no longer had any desire to stay in Konoha.
The victorious Konoha forces returned to their base to rest and regroup. Right away, Minato went to check on Anya, accompanied by four Anbu squad members.
Minato asked first, "How are you feeling? Are you alright?"
"I'm not hurt too bad," Anya said. "Just can't fight for a bit, that's all."
Minato suggested, "Then maybe we should send you back to Konoha first. With Tsunade-sama there—"
"No need," Anya shook her head, cutting him off. "Where's the sense in leaving so soon after arriving at the battlefield? Besides, I'm a Medical Ninja myself—I can treat my own wounds. Even if I can't fight, I can still analyze intelligence and support tactical operations."
Anya had joined the Third War with a clear purpose: to earn merit and climb the ranks, while also expanding the Zero Organization within the battlefield. Those prisoners were perfect recruits. There was no way she was going back now.
Seeing how firm she was, Minato could only agree. "Fine then."
Noticing the heavy mood in the room, Anya smiled. "I heard the results of this pursuit operation were impressive. Iwagakure suffered great losses. They've even given you a nickname—the Yellow Flash—and issued orders allowing anyone who encounters you to abandon their mission and retreat without penalty. You'll definitely become famous across the ninja world."
Minato didn't care much for fame. Hearing Anya's words, instead of smiling, his expression only grew more troubled. "Although the Iwa forces have retreated, they're far tougher than I expected. Their morale hasn't broken at all. Now their main forces have scattered across the battlefield. It looks like they're preparing for prolonged guerrilla warfare using small squads."
"Then we'll kill them," Anya said coldly, her eyes flashing with malice. "Kill them until they tremble in fear. If they've started a war, they must be prepared for it."
Startled by Anya's sudden burst of killing intent, Minato gave a bitter smile. "Killing isn't the goal. We're after peace. One day, I'll end this war-torn era."
Anya sighed quietly at Minato's words. As long as the Ninja World's system remained intact, true peace would never be possible. She would reshape this world according to her own vision.
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