Anko's pupils suddenly contracted, and her heart sank.
He had heard my conversation with Orochimaru. More importantly, he seemed to know Orochimaru quite well?
Anko did not answer. Instead, she cautiously asked, "You know Orochimaru?"
Naruto let out a light laugh and said loudly, "An S-rank missing-nin who, as Lord Hokage's disciple, conducted human experiments without authorization, then defected from Konoha after his crimes were exposed. And during that process, he 'spread his branches,' taking quite a few 'disciples.'"
His eyes lingered on the Curse Mark of Heaven carved into Anko's neck. Her eyelids twitched, and her breathing quickened as her chest rose and fell.
Damn, Anko is so wonderful? This should count as a slightly chubby figure by the standards of my previous life, right?
Naruto restrained his emotions and continued the previous topic. "Having a teacher-student relationship with Orochimaru isn't a major problem. Lord Hokage must have investigated your background long ago..."
"But as an examiner, you're allowing your former teacher, now an S-rank missing-nin, to wander around the examination grounds. What would people think if they found out?"
Anko froze. On one hand, Naruto's words had startled her. On the other, she was baffled by his action of ambushing that senior just now.
Everyone knew he was an S-rank missing-nin, yet he had still charged forward. Was he completely unafraid of Orochimaru's methods?
A person like this either had a screw loose or possessed unfathomable strength—enough to deal with Orochimaru effortlessly even if he showed up.
And judging from his clear and logical explanation just now, the former possibility was extremely unlikely!
Anko suddenly felt that Naruto before her had become impossible to read, despite how young he looked.
She hesitated before asking, "Then, what do you want to do?"
"Two things," Naruto said calmly, neither hurried nor slow. "First, when you encountered Orochimaru, did he carve any words into a tree or say something like 'Hee-hee' to you?"
Although his Shadow Clone had overheard most of the conversation, he wanted to confirm it again, just to be safe.
Anko assumed a thoughtful expression. After a moment, she shook her head. "He didn't carve anything in front of me. As for the 'hee-hee' thing, I can't remember... Why are you asking?"
"Don't answer a question with a question." Naruto cut her off sternly, making Anko instinctively draw her neck back.
"Second, from now on, you must continue searching for Orochimaru's whereabouts and stay in contact with me."
Anko realized how serious the matter was. "Can you tell me why?"
"Heh." Naruto said nothing. He held up one finger and waved it at Anko, while gradually allowing the Nine-Tails' Chakra to seep toward her.
Anko suddenly felt a chill run through her body. "Ah!" she cried out involuntarily, retreating two steps in a burst.
Naruto looked at Anko with an ambiguous smile, and she suddenly realized that she had overstepped herself. She should not have asked such a question.
Naruto, meanwhile, thought, The Nine-Tails' Chakra really is useful. When I meet strangers in the future, I can also use the Nine-Tails' pressure to pose as some big shot and scam food and drinks out of them... Hmm, it looks like I'll have to take a walk near the bathhouse sometime.
Seeing Anko purse her lips and remain silent, he chuckled and pointed at his forehead protector. "Look, as someone from Konoha, would I really do anything detrimental to the village?"
"Don't worry. I simply have a grudge against Orochimaru. People from the same village don't deceive each other."
Judging from the direction of the plot, he did indeed have a grudge against Orochimaru, so this did not count as a lie.
After hearing that, Anko hesitated for a long while. Finally, she summoned a small white snake and handed it to Naruto.
"You can use it to contact me." Anko looked at Naruto with a complicated expression.
Naruto accepted it openly, letting the small snake crawl into his sleeve before nodding slowly.
Suddenly, he said out of nowhere, "By the way, I noticed that your body is especially stiff. How about I give you a massage?"
With that, he walked over and pretended to reach all over Anko. Anko was startled and instinctively retreated two steps, but she soon felt a pair of powerful hands grip her shoulders from behind.
She turned her head, and Naruto's Shadow Clone chuckled under the pressure of the Nine-Tails. "Don't be so nervous."
As he kneaded her shoulders, he also began guiding the Nine-Tails' Chakra toward the area where Anko's Curse Mark of Heaven was located.
Anko first felt a cool sensation around her snow-white neck. Then came an indescribable feeling, and the discomfort Orochimaru had caused her gradually began to fade.
Naruto's true body quietly watched Anko's expression, already forming a preliminary judgment.
The Nine-Tails' pressure could not only intimidate people; it could also shield marks of this kind... Or rather, had the Nine-Tails' Chakra covered up the Curse Mark's effects?
"How does it feel? Comfortable?"
"Good... No, not good!" Anko instantly broke character, a blush appearing on her pointed face.
"Then I'm relieved." Naruto smiled without saying anything. He dispelled the Shadow Clone and left immediately.
The instant it disappeared, the sensation of having touched a woman's skin earlier returned all at once. Feeling the smooth, tender sensation on his hands, Naruto sighed inwardly.
"They say women are made of water, and that really isn't false. Heh heh heh, Anko's taste is truly wonderful... Ahem, this operation wasn't without gains. At least I've established a connection with Anko, and Orochimaru's suspicion has decreased a little more."
Naruto organized the information in his mind and hurried toward Sasuke.
At another tree hollow.
Sakura wrung out a towel soaked with sweat. After checking the surrounding traps for a moment, she returned to the tree hollow.
According to the original story, she would engage in a fierce battle with the Sound ninja during the day that followed. In the process, she would wisely cut off her hair, then be rescued by Rock Lee, before being saved by the awakened Sasuke in a heroic display.
She touched her ponytail, having no intention of cutting it at all. After all, Sakura in the original story had been forced into it, and her situation was different.
"Creak—creak—"
Suddenly, Sakura heard a noise coming from outside the tree hollow, as if someone were constantly scraping a tree with a kunai.
Sakura's eyelid twitched. Could she really have encountered another transmigrator so coincidentally? Or had they chased her all the way here?
Orochimaru? After all, he was not too far from where the previous battle had taken place.
Sakura lost all sense of security. She rose trembling, thinking that Naruto accompanying her for a while should have been enough for her to cope, but the nightmare in her heart had never faded. She still could not fully awaken her combat strength.
"...I'll risk it!" She gritted her teeth, pulled up the thin cords connected to the traps inside the tree hollow, and quickly rummaged through her ninja tool pouch with her other hand. Soon, she pulled out an Explosive Tag.
If that person really was a pervert, discovered them, and broke in, then she might as well die.
At worst, they could die together.
Though she said that, Sakura still held her breath. She could not help wondering: What if that person had not discovered her and was only carving words into the tree trunk? Wouldn't she be safe once they left?
After a long while, Sakura heard the commotion outside nearly disappear. Clutching the Explosive Tag with all her strength, she slowly approached the entrance of the tree hollow.
She suddenly thrust her head out!
There was no one.
There was only a crooked line of small writing.
Sakura walked over and looked closely:
[Found you, hee-hee]
Before you continue