The dark forest was silent.
An Yan scanned his surroundings warily, bow in one hand, arrow in the other, his mind racing.
The enemy's identity was unknown, yet they attacked suddenly. Judging by their skill, they probably weren't a Jonin. At An Yan's current level, he wouldn't even have time to react to a Jonin's attack.
He was just a six-year-old academy student. Not just a Chunin, even an ordinary Genin could look down on him.
If it were an enemy ninja, they would have likely shown themselves by now to mock him.
The fact that the enemy was hiding and launching sneak attacks meant they weren't confident in winning a direct fight. Any Genin could easily handle an academy student. So, they weren't a Genin?
Was it one of his classmates who held a grudge against him?
An Yan thought back to all the classmates he might have offended recently. It seemed he had only seriously offended 207.
So, is it 207?
An Yan put the gas and explosive arrows he had just taken out back into his item space. They were too lethal. If it really was a classmate, accidentally killing them would be difficult to explain. The crime of killing a comrade was a serious one.
After deducing that the enemy was likely another academy student, An Yan relaxed a bit and chose a bolder plan.
The path from Training Ground 13 back to the village was about a three-hundred-meter stretch of forest. This meant he would need three arrows to light his way.
An Yan took out a fire arrow. This thing was basically a gasoline arrow; wherever it hit, it would catch fire.
Muttering to himself, "Setting fire to the mountain will land you in jail," An Yan acted swiftly, firing an arrow.
A streak of fire lit up the darkness. An Yan sprinted, following the flaming arrow.
The person in the darkness grew anxious. A figure immediately jumped out to block An Yan's path.
An Yan took one look and smiled.
Although the person was wearing a mask and all-black clothes, An Yan recognized him instantly. The white hair, the height...
"Hiruko, what are you playing at?"
An Yan laughed, but the figure opposite him sneered and launched an attack.
The moment their fists and feet met, An Yan knew he was wrong. This familiar strength... it was Tsunade.
After a few exchanges, An Yan leaped back, landing on a tree branch. "Tsunade? What are you doing?" he asked, confused.
Suddenly, a kick came from behind. An Yan dodged, and in the light of the burning arrow on the ground, he saw the second attacker. It was indeed Hiruko.
Looking at Tsunade and Hiruko's get-up, An Yan almost burst out laughing. They had both changed clothes, worn masks, and even used the Transformation Jutsu. The hilarious part was, Tsunade had transformed into Hiruko, and Hiruko had transformed into Tsunade.
There were only two of them. Transforming into each other was even more pointless than not transforming at all. What a pair of geniuses.
Tsunade, seeing Hiruko's transformation, got angry.
"What do you think you're doing, transforming into me?"
Hiruko replied with a deadpan expression, "You transformed into me first."
Their original plan was to force out An Yan's secret move and then retreat without revealing their identities. However, Tsunade wanted to show off to An Yan the next day, saying, "I know your little secret."
But to show off, she needed a plausible source for her information. So, she decided to leave a small clue to make An Yan suspect Hiruko. If he asked, she would say Hiruko told her.
Unexpectedly, An Yan decided to flee at the first sign of trouble, forcing Tsunade to intercept him, which in turn allowed Hiruko to see her transformation.
What a miscalculation!
Tsunade stomped her foot, her little fists clenched.
She stared at An Yan and said, "I don't care. I need to know what your secret move is."
An Yan smiled gently. "A ninja's battle is a battle of information. Information is a ninja's life. You want my information? What will you trade for it?"
Tsunade hesitated. Did she have anything to trade with An Yan?
"What do you want in return?" she asked seriously.
An Yan smiled. "I want you..."
Tsunade's face turned red.
An Yan thought for a moment and continued, "...to trade a jutsu of the same level from your family's collection."
Tsunade was annoyed but had no reason to be angry. She turned to Hiruko, who was standing nearby.
"An Yan and I are going to trade jutsu. Do you have any secret moves to trade?"
Hiruko was stunned. He was just a first-year student. What secret move could he possibly have?
Why do you two already have secret moves when we're all in the first year?
That familiar feeling returned. Why am I the only one who doesn't?
"Should I leave then?" Hiruko asked, seeming to fall into a state of self-doubt again.
Seeing this, An Yan quickly said, "We're just first-year kids. It's normal not to have a secret jutsu."
Tsunade snorted disdainfully at that.
Hiruko looked bewildered. "Is it normal?"
An Yan nodded affirmatively. "It is."
Tsunade, tired of their banter, punched a nearby tree with a diameter of two or three meters, breaking it in half. She then turned to An Yan and began her introduction.
"This is a ninjutsu-taijutsu hybrid my grandma taught me—Monstrous Strength. By using extremely precise chakra control and an instantaneous burst of chakra, I can deliver incredibly powerful strikes with my limbs."
An Yan expressed his admiration, then it was his turn to show his talent. He held out his right hand, and a pale blue sphere of spiraling chakra, emitting a soft glow, formed in his palm.
"This is the Rasengan, something I developed by chance. This jutsu still has a lot of room for improvement."
An Yan pressed the Rasengan against the fallen tree trunk. A small, two-meter-diameter crater appeared, and the tree broke into two pieces again.
"A no-hand-seal jutsu! How did you do that?"
Tsunade was amazed. To be able to control chakra to such an extent, to form a stable, rotating sphere outside the body, was the pinnacle of shape transformation.
This guy is a true genius!
Tsunade grabbed An Yan's arm, her expression excited. "Don't rush home after school tomorrow. I'm taking you to meet my grandma."
"Huh? Why are we suddenly meeting the parents?" An Yan asked innocently.
For some reason, Tsunade's face turned red. She looked down and said, "Don't get the wrong idea. It's just that if there's a talented person in the village, my grandma might teach you something, depending on the situation."
Hiruko watched their interaction with a deadpan expression. He looked at the sky and decided it was time to go home.
As he was about to leave, he heard An Yan's question.
"Hiruko, do you want to learn my Rasengan? I can teach you."
Hiruko was suddenly moved. His eyes stung, and he almost cried. He took a deep breath, calmed himself, and turned around with a bright smile. "Okay."
-------
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