Bang!
The kunai was now only a few centimeters from Mitaraishi Anko's heart.
But at that critical moment, a powerful, sinister chakra suddenly erupted.
With the Cursed Seal's aid, Mitaraishi Anko's right hand swung out with astonishing speed and force, landing squarely on Suzuki Hiro.
The immense power behind the blow instantly became a tremendous impact that sent Suzuki Hiro flying.
His body traced an arc through the air before crashing heavily to the ground.
His internal organs had been badly damaged, and a mouthful of blood burst uncontrollably from his lips.
Suzuki Hiro stared in shock, unable to understand what had happened.
He had been on the verge of victory just moments ago. How had the situation changed so drastically in an instant?
At that moment, the wounds all over Mitaraishi Anko's body began to heal slowly, sustained by the powerful chakra.
She had not fully recovered, but her injuries no longer kept her from fighting.
She gazed quietly at Suzuki Hiro, whom she had sent flying with one punch, a hint of bewilderment on her face.
"Although I still hate Orochimaru, I have to admit the Cursed Seal he left behind is extremely useful. I'm quite pleased with it!"
Mitaraishi Anko murmured to herself.
Then she turned her gaze to Suzuki Hiro and said coldly, "Also, thanks for going on and on just now.
I'm sorry for what happened to you, but now that I know for certain you're an enemy, you can die."
Before she had even finished speaking, Mitaraishi Anko vanished from where she stood like a bolt of lightning, reappearing above Suzuki Hiro in an instant.
Her fist slammed toward him like a cannonball.
After taking another heavy blow, Suzuki Hiro could barely breathe. His body trembled, and a trace of blood seeped from the corner of his mouth.
After all, even without using the Cursed Seal, the gap in their strength had not been very large.
But once Mitaraishi Anko activated the Cursed Seal, her strength and speed began to soar wildly, like an erupting volcano.
As he felt his life slipping away, Suzuki Hiro felt neither anger nor fear. Instead, his heart was filled with calm and peace.
It seemed he had long been ready to face death, as though he were about to return to the Pure Land and reunite with his family.
With a relieved smile, he murmured softly, "Tobi, Sakurako, I'm coming to find you..." As his voice faded, so did his breath.
Mitaraishi Anko gazed silently at the lifeless body before her, and the tension that had gripped her eased.
The surging power of the Cursed Seal was gradually suppressed by her formidable willpower.
Once the Cursed Seal's power receded like the tide, Mitaraishi Anko's body went limp. She collapsed heavily to the ground, as if her strength had deserted her.
She struggled to open her eyes, trying to make out her surroundings through her blurred vision.
Feeling how terrible her condition was, Mitaraishi Anko cursed. "Damn it!
I've lost so much blood. Even if the enemy didn't kill me, I might still die from blood loss..." Before she could finish, she suddenly felt an unfamiliar force lift her body.
Startled, she quickly turned her head and saw a figure in a green Jonin vest, his tousled hair fluttering in the breeze, holding her in his arms.
Sunlight filtering through the trees fell across his refined features, making them especially striking. Uchiha Chen's deep gaze and handsome face made him look particularly dashing.
Mitaraishi Anko's cheeks instantly flushed. She was just about to say something when a wave of dizziness suddenly swept over her, and everything before her eyes began to blur.
Seeing Mitaraishi Anko faint from blood loss, Uchiha Chen felt his heart tighten. He thought to himself that he had still arrived too late. If only he had gotten there sooner, perhaps this could have been prevented.
He had been following Mitaraishi Anko the whole time, and according to plan, he should not have been this late.
But on the way, he had run into a teammate from a previous mission.
At first, he had not intended to talk much with him. He only wanted to reach Mitaraishi Anko as quickly as possible.
For some reason, though, Uchiha Chen's very different attitude from the original Chen seemed to encourage the other man, who kept holding him back and chatting incessantly.
After finally shaking off the persistent teammate, he had rushed over at once, but he had still arrived a step too late.
Now Uchiha Chen held Mitaraishi Anko tightly in his arms, feeling her faint breathing and her body gradually turning cold. His heart was filled with worry.
He knew he had to find a safe place to treat her as soon as possible, or the consequences would be dire.
He picked up Mitaraishi Anko and hurried toward Konoha Hospital, hoping to find a medical ninja to treat her as quickly as possible.
Before the two of them had even left, the chakra fluctuations from the battle had already been detected by Konoha's Barrier Team. Its members quickly reported the disturbance and notified the nearby Anbu to investigate.
The Anbu arrived just after the two had left. Seeing Suzuki Hiro's corpse and realizing he was a Konoha Ninja, they began tracking the trail.
Meanwhile, Uchiha Chen hurried along, frantic with worry and racing against time. Just as Mitaraishi Anko's breathing grew fainter and fainter, he finally managed to get her to Konoha Hospital.
As he watched the medical ninjas rush Mitaraishi Anko into the operating room, a weight finally lifted from his heart.
After all, he had carefully examined her injuries on the way and found that they were caused only by excessive blood loss.
As long as she reached the hospital in time and received a blood transfusion, she would wake up before long.
He looked up at the sky. It was still early, and to avoid missing this perfect chance to grow closer to her, Uchiha Chen decided to wait quietly nearby.
Meanwhile, the Anbu who had followed them to the hospital had already found out who had just been treated.
However, since the matter involved a member of the Uchiha Clan as well as Mitaraishi Anko, the Third's grand-disciple, they did not dare act carelessly.
One of the Anbu was therefore sent to report the situation to the Third, while the others were tasked with keeping watch over the two of them.
Before long, word reached the Third, who hurried over as soon as he heard.
Standing outside the hospital room, he looked at Uchiha Chen, who had saved Mitaraishi Anko, and smiled warmly. "You must be Uchiha Chen!
Thank you very much for saving Anko. Would you mind telling me what happened?"
Uchiha Chen looked at Hiruzen Sarutobi. He did not think much of him.
But considering his current position, he did his best to keep his expression calm before answering:
"Reporting to you, Third, I was just looking for a suitable place to train on the outskirts of the village when I happened to pass by and found the two of them.
By the time I noticed them, one of them was already dead, and this young woman had passed out from blood loss. I hadn't had a chance to ask what happened before she fainted, so I had no choice but to bring her to the hospital first.
I was just about to report it to my superiors when you arrived."