The battle with the Stone Shinobi had ended over a month ago. For the past month, Yamanaka Tohru had been helping Anko train in Sage Mode.
The first problem they had to solve was how to absorb Nature Energy safely.
To that end, Yamanaka Tohru had even made a special trip to Mount Myōboku to ask Sage Fukasaku how he used a board to knock Nature Energy out of someone's body.
Sage Fukasaku explained that striking someone with a board used pain to interrupt their connection with Nature Energy. Then, by infusing the stick with Senjutsu Chakra, one could force excess Nature Energy out of the body.
After learning how it worked, Yamanaka Tohru tried it himself and found he could do it too. So, after discussing it with Orochimaru, Anko began her first training session in absorbing Nature Energy.
Unlike Jiraiya and the others, Anko had no Toad Oil to help her. Although she could sense Nature Energy, she couldn't absorb it. Yamanaka Tohru told her to clear her mind and think of herself as part of nature.
But Anko was only eleven, and she was naturally lively. She hadn't even sat still for five minutes before she started looking around and fidgeting.
With no other choice, Yamanaka Tohru called Orochimaru over. As her teacher, Orochimaru was far more intimidating than her classmate Yamanaka Tohru. At the very least, Anko sat still obediently.
A dozen minutes later, the two of them watched Anko with exasperation. They had thought she was training seriously, but then she suddenly blurted out, "Dumplings are so delicious!" That was when they realized she had fallen asleep.
"Tohru, wake her up." Orochimaru pointed at the board in Yamanaka Tohru's hand.
Yamanaka Tohru nodded and brought it down on Anko's back.
"Ah! That hurts! Yamanaka Tohru,