With Anya's word of agreement, the massive weight that had been pressing on Mikoto's heart for years finally lifted. She exhaled in relief, her body nearly collapsing in exhaustion.
Luckily, Anya reacted quickly and caught her in time.
"How did your soul become this weak?" Anya asked in confusion. While using the Spirit Control Technique earlier, something had felt off. Now she finally understood—it was a dual exhaustion of both soul and body.
Physical recovery could be slowly achieved through Sage Chakra, but the damage to her soul energy was irreversible.
The Mangekyō—this must have been the cause.
Anya's heart pounded with urgency as she hurriedly said, "After you awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan, did you use it excessively? This eye technique will push your body past its limit. Please never use it again."
Mikoto gave a slight nod and replied, "I understand. I won't use it anymore. I just…really missed seeing my two boys."
"Your Mangekyō can actually see them?" Anya asked in astonishment.
"Yes," Mikoto responded. Though she didn't fully understand the power of her Mangekyō, she knew it was a mutated form of the Sharingan with unique abilities. Fugaku himself had once possessed a Mangekyō. She hadn't expected that after going through life and death, her intense longing would awaken the same power within her.
"When I channel chakra into my eyes, my soul can extend endlessly outward, allowing me to see whomever I desire. That's how I know Sasuke is living well in Konoha while Itachi continues to wander."
"This…this is what they call the Celestial Eye (Tianyan)—all-seeing vision said to transcend mortal limits."
Anya inhaled sharply. Though seemingly useless in battle, this dōjutsu was terrifyingly powerful. It was like having an all-seeing radar—nothing could remain hidden from it. One might even anticipate movements based on observed patterns and lay ambushes without ever being seen or understood.
Anya couldn't help but exclaim, "Miss Mikoto, your Mangekyō ability is absolutely amazing. It must be draining your spiritual energy—that explains why your soul feels so weakened now. From now on, if you want to find anything out, just ask me. I have my own intelligence network. It might not be as quick as your eyesight, but at least it's safe."
"That's good to hear. Once we return to Konoha, I'll settle down there peacefully with Sasuke."
"This…" Anya hesitated. "Have you spoken with Sasuke already? Is he truly planning to stay in Konoha?"
Clearly, along their journey, Sasuke had grown tired of Konoha's missions. He was intensely seeking more power, and Orochimaru's worsening physical condition only deepened his reliance on the Sannin. They truly shared the same dark ambition at this point.
"He said he wants to pursue strength at any cost. So I've decided to leave him under your tutelage—just like I entrusted Shisui to you back then. With your capability, training him shouldn't be a problem."
There was something else Mikoto hadn't voiced yet—she had hoped Sasuke would accept Anya as his foster father. Unfortunately, Sasuke strongly resisted the idea, even denying her maternal bond entirely, insisting that everything in his dreams was fake.
Anya could only offer a bitter smile. Teaching Sasuke wouldn't be difficult, but the boy had a stubborn streak a mile long—ninety-five out of a hundred pounds' worth. His mind lacked steadiness, making him, in truth, far better suited to remain under Orochimaru's guidance.
However, since Mikoto had asked it, Anya could only nod and say, "Alright, once we return to Konoha, I'll start teaching him swordsmanship."
Mikoto looked at Anya gently and said, "That's good. Never thought that the child from those days would grow up to become my final pillar of support. Anya... I'm sorry. Actually, I shouldn't have asked so much from you. But there's no one left behind me except for you."
Anya smiled. "Miss Mikoto, there's no need to apologize. None of these requests mean much to me. You're the first person who ever sincerely cared for me. I just hope you can live on happily."
"I will."
After saying those words, Mikoto weakly closed her eyes and fell into a deep sleep.
After bringing Mikoto back to her old courtyard, Anya made his way to the village headman's office, where Genzo and Shibuki had already been waiting.
When they saw Anya arrive, both men quickly greeted respectfully, "Greetings, Young Master."
"There's no need to be so formal. From now on, just call me by my name," Anya said gently, gesturing for them to sit. "As for Miss Mikoto, this time I plan to take her with me. You've done well governing Takigakure, but this village will never truly be hers. Looking back, I suppose I was being too presumptuous before."
Hearing that Anya wanted to take "Daibutsu" away, Genzo and Shibuki both secretly breathed a sigh of relief. They had naturally noticed Mikoto's worsening health and had even invited many people to treat her, but unfortunately none worked. Genzo himself had turned gray from worry because he clearly understood how important this woman was to Anya—if she died here in Takigakure, the whole village might suffer the consequences.
The bloody lesson of more than twenty thousand Allied Ninja Forces soldiers' corpses and the creation of the Deadly Poison Valley still haunted them vividly. Though Anya seemed kind and courteous now, if provoked to anger, he would undoubtedly drown everything in blood. From their very first meeting, Genzo had understood exactly what kind of person he was, hence why he remained so respectful without a hint of rebellious thoughts.
"Genzo, how much money does Takigakure have left? Leave a certain amount behind, give the rest to me."
"At your command. There's nearly ten billion ryo total. Leaving one billion as backup funds for the village should suffice."
Since Kakuzu joined the Akatsuki Organization, the logistical work of Zero Organization had been handed over to Genzo, whose bookkeeping rivaled Kakuzu himself—meticulously precise. Yet something seemed off...
Genzo secretly took out an account ledger and handed it to Anya cautiously, saying, "Please take a look at this. It's my calculated record of income and expenditures for the Hot Springs Country stronghold."
Anya knew full well that Genzo wouldn't bring up a ledger without cause—it must contain some hidden issues.
Sure enough, problems appeared within the records of income and expenditure from Hot Springs Country. Logically, that region boasts beautiful natural scenery and tourist attractions, making it the most suitable location among all nations for hot spring bathing; its annual revenue should be substantial.
Yet according to the accounts, recent years showed gradually increasing expenses while income continuously declined. Where had all this missing money gone?
Clearly, someone was bleeding the funds dry. Aside from the leader of the Hot Springs Country stronghold—Hanzo—no one else had the capability to pull off such a feat.
Anya's face revealed no emotions whatsoever as he casually asked, "Have you sent people to verify this already?"
"There has been contact, but all our messages were brushed aside. At one point, the envoy was sent in person but didn't even catch sight of Hanzo." Genzo said with doubt in his voice, "I believe this demigod must've gone rogue."
Anya asked again, "Does Sasori know about this?"
"I didn't dare tell him," Genzo was well aware of Sasori's personality; if that ledger ever got to him, the Zero Organization would descend into full-blown civil war. At that point, the losses would be far more than just financial.
Anya affirmed, "You made the right call, Genzo. I understand now. Let's drop it here."
Genzo caught on right away—Anya had delayed action against Hanzo and allowed him to keep draining resources for some important underlying reason. The future of this demigod must have already been calculated by Anya, hence why she's been keeping him close. What a poor soul.
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