"Why did Jiraiya-sama say this route was dangerous? It looks perfectly safe to me—ah?!"
A bead of cold sweat slid down Anko's forehead. Her hand quietly moved to the kunai at her waist.
Shukaku!
Damn it—why was a tailed beast here?!
She exchanged a glance with Shiranui Genma, instantly reading the same fear and confusion in his eyes. And then, the same question arose in both their minds—
Who stays behind to hold it off?
Their thoughts collided violently.
Anko needed only a second.
"Your attacks won't draw its attention. I'll distract it—run and notify the Research Division! For now, only the Guard Corps and the kikaichū in the forest can help me!"
"…Got it."
Genma didn't hesitate. Lack of firepower was a fact—throwing his ninjutsu at a tailed beast would probably just make it roll over and complain he wasn't scratching hard enough.
He turned to leave.
Boom!
A Wind Release projectile slammed down in front of him.
The Shukaku—only about the size of a normal tanuki—roared fiercely,
"Mortals! Was it you who disturbed Lord Shukaku's slumber?!"
"I'll hold it off!"
Anko shouted, forming seals as giant serpents surged from her hands.
Shukaku swatted them away with a few lazy swings, then suddenly shook its head.
"Wait, wait—I was just joking! I'm your lord's guest, not an enemy!"
"…Shukaku."
A voice came from deep within the forest.
"Don't joke like that again. It's best if you avoid people—you'll scare them."
"Yes, I understand. You two humans—"
"Hmm?"
"I mean—would you like me to escort you?"
Shukaku hastily corrected itself.
Even though the one in the forest was just a clone, it had recently been researching some fusion technique with that damn bug. Its strength was terrifying.
Last time Shukaku ran its mouth, it nearly got strung up and beaten.
Better be polite.
Anko and Genma were completely lost. By the time they left the forest and reached the Research Division, their minds were still blank.
This was the danger Jiraiya-sama warned them about?
But that tailed beast… didn't actually seem that dangerous.
At least, with Yagyū Souma suppressing it, it clearly didn't dare cause trouble. Detouring around it now felt unnecessary.
They exchanged puzzled looks.
"Maybe Jiraiya-sama's perception is stronger than ours," Genma said diplomatically.
"He probably sensed danger ahead of time."
Anko frowned, then silently nodded.
She didn't understand either.
But worrying about Shukaku wasn't the priority right now. That thing belonged to Sunagakure—if Souma had pulled some trick on it, Konoha shinobi had no reason to be upset.
After all, Sunagakure had killed Konoha ninja before. Neither of them felt inclined to sympathize.
They entered the Research Division.
Finding Souma's residence with ease, they didn't knock.
"Souma-sama can definitely sense us. Let's wait outside."
"Heh, didn't expect you to be so considerate. What, afraid Souma-kun will get mad and refuse to teach you?"
Anko spoke without thinking.
Genma's mouth twitched. He said nothing.
He felt that—
If Anko hadn't once followed Jiraiya, she'd probably have been beaten senseless back at the training base.
Connections really were nice to have.
If he had a teacher like Orochimaru, elders like Jiraiya or Tsunade…
Genma suddenly felt his mouth go sour.
After a moment—
The door creaked open. Souma stepped out, looking slightly fatigued. Seeing Anko and Genma, he wasn't surprised.
With Jiraiya's personality, if Souma didn't "pay him back" after pulling that stunt, something would be wrong.
"You two are here for ninjutsu?"
"I am," Genma stepped forward.
"Jiraiya-sama said you suggested puppet techniques for me."
Souma thought for a moment. He had mentioned it—more as an alternative if Genma didn't pursue space–time techniques.
He explained things clearly.
Genma pondered for a long time, then nodded.
"I understand, Souma-sama. I'm willing to learn puppet techniques and puppet taijutsu."
"Good. And you?"
Souma turned to Anko.
Anko lowered her voice.
"Jiraiya-sama didn't give me guidance. He said it'd be more appropriate for you to do it."
Facing Souma, who was younger than her, she still couldn't quite relax.
"Yours is… tricky."
Souma paused.
Anko's situation was special.
The techniques she commonly used were Orochimaru-style ninjutsu—no one else in Konoha used that system anymore. Beyond that, she knew elemental ninjutsu like Fire Release, and her taijutsu wasn't weak either.
The real thing holding her back from becoming a jōnin was more likely her own limits—personality, ceiling.
As for the Cursed Seal—
Souma had already modified it. Now it slowly leaked chakra to reinforce her body. It lacked the explosive power of Cursed Seal Level One or Two, but—
Its erosion was far lower.
The chakra seeped out gradually; damage and recovery were almost perfectly balanced. There was practically no harm to her body.
Whether it brought benefits… remained to be seen.
A thought slowly formed.
"Wait here a moment. Genma-senpai, I'll fetch what you need. Take it and have a look. If there's a suitable teaching target later, you can pass it on."
"Is that really okay?"
Genma was startled.
Creating a technique took serious effort—and Souma was just handing it over?
"It's nothing profound. The Hokage already has a copy. I'm just worried he's too busy to look at it."
Souma waved his hand and went inside, returning with scrolls on puppet techniques and puppet taijutsu.
"The former can be shared. The latter—practice it yourself first and see how it feels."
"Yes!"
Genma accepted them respectfully.
Then he left.
Since Souma had sent him away first, it was obvious he wanted to discuss something with Anko—something Genma shouldn't hear.
Staying would've been tactless.
Once Genma was gone, Anko grew a little uneasy, but she suppressed it and waited quietly.
"I placed seals on your cursed mark before. How have you been feeling lately?"
"Uh… feeling?"
Anko thought for a long while.
"I think my body's gotten stronger. I'm not sure if it's because of the curse mark—I've been training a lot recently too."
"Use your chakra. Let me see."
"Yes!"
Anko formed seals and released a few jutsu.
After several—
"Enough."
Souma stopped her.
"Your body has improved. That's the curse mark seeping through and slowly remodeling you."
"Ah? Is it dangerous?"
"No. But it has an upper limit. If you want to get stronger, you can further modify yourself like Orochimaru—or train some of my specialized taijutsu."
Anko's problem was similar to Aoba's.
She had many tools and was hard to deal with, but none were overwhelmingly powerful. Compared to Orochimaru, she lacked monstrous regeneration and endless escape options.
Simply put—
She could do everything, but excelled at nothing. She lacked a pillar.
That pillar needed to be raised.
And the template was obvious—
Taijutsu.
Anko fell silent, then nodded.
"I want to learn your techniques. But I don't have any ninjutsu to trade."
"No need. Orochimaru's curse mark is fascinating. You're already half an experimental subject for me—consider this your compensation."
Souma smiled.
He already had copies of Orochimaru's curse mark data. He had no interest in using it for "immortality," but it involved senjutsu.
If he could replicate it and create his own Sen Mark—
Even a defective version that produced inferior senjutsu chakra would be enough. At the very least, it'd be perfect for feeding insects.
As long as it didn't harm the human body.
Compared to Otogakure's curse marks, the one on Anko mattered far more—it was the original Heavenly Curse Mark. Studying the original revealed many things.
Anko touched the mark on her neck, then nodded softly.
"Then—"
Souma went inside and brought out materials on Overlimit State, Breathing Activation Technique, and Chakra Armor.
The first two were older techniques. The last was his latest research.
After glancing at just one of them, Anko felt tense.
These were all incredibly valuable.
Was her curse mark really worth this much?
She lacked confidence.
"Take them and train. You're the only one using them—it's not like I'm letting you spread them everywhere."
Souma didn't say more.
Talking too much about the curse mark would only make Anko worry.
She nodded.
Taking the scrolls, she studied and memorized them nearby. Souma didn't stop her—he trained ninjutsu in the courtyard.
Chakra Armor was still in its early stages.
It worked, but it wasn't complete. There was plenty of room for improvement.
The version he gave Anko borrowed principles from Needle Jizō and the Lightning Release Armor—using chakra to reinforce skin and muscles for basic defense.
In Souma's vision, it should eventually combine with Overlimit, Extreme State, and the Seven-Day Breathing Method, letting muscles and chakra armor strengthen step by step.
What he wanted to develop was the second version—
One that synergized with Overlimit and Extreme State.
He had a reference for that.
A technique from his previous life—
Iron Body.
It wouldn't reach that absurd level, of course. But once the improvement was complete, it'd be far stronger than the first version.
Anko trained there for five days.
At first, she planned to memorize everything and leave to practice on her own.
But—
After memorizing it, she realized she didn't even understand what most of it meant.
So she went to Jiraiya.
Jiraiya was completely lost.
He had no idea how to train something like this—controlling muscles and internal states. Like Might Guy, his path was wild and instinctive.
Unlike Souma, who built theory first, then derived and verified.
Completely different approaches.
So Anko came back.
Meanwhile—
Souma hadn't been idle these five days.
Good news kept coming from the Yamanaka clan. Over a dozen shinobi had already mastered Mind Disruption Technique, and even more were grasping its essentials.
On top of that—
The second version of Chakra Armor, inspired by Iron Body, was complete.
Souma tested it himself.
The first version could block ordinary kunai.
The second version—
Could withstand Anko's snake fangs. Ordinary taijutsu strikes landed without pain or itch.
It was already extremely mature.
Advance Chapters available on Patreon
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