At the Door

After completing his day's duties with the Security Force, Shuichi returned home a little earlier.

Before he even stepped through the gate, he noticed someone standing motionless in his garden, completely unaware of his approach.

"Anko, why are you here at this hour?" Shuichi said with a hint of helplessness. His private training ground has many functions, and some of his friends and acquaintances know about the Barrier Spell Formula on the wall. They often come here to train together.

"And you actually fell asleep? Your vigilance as a ninja is terrible."

Anko opened her eyes groggily, yawning as she woke up. "What does it matter? The enemy definitely can't get in anyway. Senior Brother, your home is so comfortable. I definitely wouldn't be able to fall asleep outside."

After regaining her senses, she suddenly remembered the purpose of her visit and said somewhat angrily, "By the way, you haven't guided my training yet, and the teacher is often nowhere to be found. And you guys are going too far! I could clearly be promoted to Chunin, but the Lord Hokage said you didn't agree..."

Shuichi cursed the Third Hokage in his heart for being cunning. Anko had participated in the Chunin Ninja Exams last month, and judging from her performance, she was neither good nor bad. Her strength was sufficient, but her team leadership skills were somewhat lacking.

Just then, a document from Sunagakure arrived in Konoha, announcing that the Joint Chunin Exam would be held again in the middle of this year. It is estimated that the Third Hokage wanted Anko to participate as a strong contender, so he found an excuse not to promote her.

At the same time, he shifted the blame to Shuichi and Orochimaru, tricking Anko into seeking their guidance—a two-birds-with-one-stone strategy.

"No way! You've been fooled by the Third Hokage!" Shuichi said, heartbroken. "Actually, your strength is barely passable. It's just that other ninja villages will be sending people to participate in the next Chunin Ninja Exams. To make our village appear strong, he secretly suppressed your promotion spot."

"Is that so?" Anko's mood improved considerably upon hearing this "top secret" news, as it indirectly proved her excellence. However, she quickly reacted and jumped up in anger. "What do you mean 'barely passable'? So that's how you all see me?"

"Damn it, they clearly just didn't want to take time to give guidance, and they even talked badly about me behind my back..."

Shuichi was speechless. "Teacher Orochimaru has already taught you quite a few Ninjutsu. Fire Release and Snake Ninjutsu are enough for you to use until you Jonin level. What more do you want?"

"But I've heard that you're proficient in all four elemental attributes and know so many Advanced Jutsu at less than 10 years old," Anko said, somewhat unconvinced.

Orochimaru and Shuichi saw that she was an innocent and lively girl, so they spoke to her in a teasing manner and were too embarrassed to tell her the cruel truth about the difference in their talents.

As Shuichi carefully chose his words, Anko's expression suddenly changed, revealing a fawning look. "Senior Brother, although I only know fire-style ninjutsu right now, don't you still have many powerful non-style Ninjutsu? Teacher said your Body Flicker Technique is already the strongest in the Shinobi World. Like the Flying Thunder God Technique or the Rasengan, could you teach me just one of them?"

Well, so it was all foreshadowing all along... Shuichi admits he underestimated Anko. Now she's even learned to use cunning to lay the groundwork, and she's even done some intelligence gathering. It seems she's really improved quite a bit.

"Where did you hear about these Ninjutsu..." He scratched his head. "The Flying Thunder God Technique isn't suitable for you, and the Rasengan requires a certain amount of chakra and control. I think you'd better focus on improving your existing techniques..."

After saying that, Shuichi glanced at her quickly, wanting to tell her that 12 years old is a crucial period for the development of both spheres, and that overuse of chakra would lead to a lack of Body Energy, turning her into a real Anko bun in the future, which would be a huge sin for him.

Seeing the indignant look on Anko's face, Shuichi knew he had to offer her something to appease her. "However, my teacher and I have been busy with our mission lately, so let me take some time today to give you some guidance."

"Okay, okay, which skill should we learn?"

Shuichi took out several Shuriken from his person. "These are it. I think you should improve your Shuriken throwing skills. It will save chakra and allow you to better coordinate with Fire Release and Snake Release techniques."

"What? You're so stingy..." Anko became extremely frustrated again. This was so different from what she had imagined. Shurikenjutsu was a basic skill that every ninja knew, and no matter how much she practiced, she wouldn't get much stronger.

Shuichi ignored her thoughts and walked to a certain spot on the training field. "I'll do it first, watch closely."

"Brush!"

With a light step, Shuichi soared into the air, her hands flicking to produce several more Shuriken. Her arms moved like phantoms, creating a continuous sound of wind breaking through the air, along with clanging sounds.

"Knock knock knock..."

Almost simultaneously, the sounds of hitting the bullseye rang out from all around the targets. Anko quickly ran closer and her mouth gaped open in an "O" shape. Six Shuriken landed perfectly in the center of the bullseye, and two more had hit hidden spots behind trees. Could a normal ninja do that?

Shuichi calmly replied, "After a day at work, I'm not feeling very motivated. I probably only used about half my strength."

"These techniques are quite difficult for you. You can try hitting half of the target first, and then gradually improve. Once you master them, your strength will increase slightly, and you'll be rewarded with a new Ninjutsu."

"Look closely, this is an A-level move." To motivate Anko to practice, he was going to throw out a particularly appealing piece of advice.

He casually tossed out a Kunai, and as his body caught up, his hands flashed out hand Hand Seals, "Ox-Dog-Dragon-Rat-Dog-Pig-Snake-Tiger, Shuriken Shadow Clone Technique!"

"Whoosh whoosh whoosh..." A large number of Kunai were stuck directly into the wall in the distance, and the densely packed mass looked quite terrifying.

Given that Anko lacks the harsh realities of life, Shuichi, hands on his hips, said, "This technique is Advanced Jutsu developed by the Third Hokage. Teacher Orochimaru and I both mastered it in just a few days. It will be perfect for testing your Ninjutsu talent."

He actually asked Orochimaru about this, and it turned out that he didn't learn it on the spot after watching it once, but it took him several days, which he couldn't remember because it was so long ago.

"Hehe, get ready, if you still haven't learned it in a year..."

The naive Anko was indeed frightened; if she performed poorly, she might be expelled from the sect.

Seeing her start practicing with such enthusiasm, Shuichi secretly rejoiced. This girl is so easy to fool; he just hoped he wouldn't overstimulate her.

Back in his Villa to rest, he felt that staying cooped up in the village all the time wasn't a good idea; indeed, humans are just rather perverse creatures.

"Let's wait until Anko has practiced for a while, then find a suitable mission to leave the village and explore. Only real combat can fully unleash a ninja's potential."