The Familiar Thing on Anko

The gravel ground of the training field was stained red by the setting sun, with a few withered vines hanging from the perimeter wall, swaying gently in the breeze.

When Anko pushed open the gate, Sasuke was sitting cross-legged on a stone pedestal in the center of the training field.

She stepped inside, the soles of her shoes making a faint, rustling sound against the gravel.

"This place of yours is certainly bleak enough," Anko remarked, glancing around at the dilapidated walls and the overgrown, weed-choked edges.

"The Uchiha compound is so massive, yet you don't find it creepy living here all by yourself?"

Sasuke jumped down from the pedestal: "I don't live here. You're quite punctual."

"A teacher can't exactly keep a student waiting, can she?" Anko walked over to a stone pedestal at the edge of the field, tossed her backpack onto it, and plopped herself down.

She pulled a paper bag from her trench coat pocket, drew out a skewer of three-colored dango, took a bite, and asked indistinctly, "Where's the dog?"

Shadows surged, black mud spreading outward, and Black Dog stepped out from the darkness.

Its four paws landed firmly on the gravel, and the fur on the side of its neck parted, revealing the grayish-white skin of the Cursed Seal beneath.

Anko's chewing stopped; she took the bamboo skewer from her mouth and casually stuck it into the edge of the paper bag.

Then she jumped down from the pedestal and walked over to Black Dog, crouching down.

She strode up to Black Dog, knelt on one knee, and reached out to brush aside the fur on its neck.

"Don't move, let me see." Anko reached out, her fingers parting the fur on Black Dog's neck.

The moment her fingertips touched the edge of the Cursed Seal, the skin on her fingertips suddenly began to turn white—the same pallor as Orochimaru's skin.

The three tomoe marks on her own neck began to heat up beneath the collar of her trench coat, a burning sensation crawling upward along her meridians.

The resonance of the same source of chakra confirmed it; this was definitely something left behind by Orochimaru.

Anko's fingers lingered on Black Dog's neck for a long time, only pulling back when Black Dog let out an impatient whimper.

She stood up, the carefree, joking expression gone from her face, replaced by a quiet, intense anger in her eyes.

She didn't shout or make a scene; she simply stared fixedly at the Cursed Seal on Black Dog's neck.

"What else did he do?" Anko's voice was much lower than before.

"He wanted to place the Cursed Seal on me," Sasuke said.

Anko whipped her head around, her gaze sharp.

"I didn't let him bite me," Sasuke continued, "so I let him bite the dog instead."

Anko froze; her mouth opened, closed, and opened again.

Then she clutched her stomach and doubled over.

"Hahahaha!" Anko laughed so hard she swayed back and forth, tears streaming down her face.

"You let him bite a dog? Orochimaru! That Orochimaru! He actually bit a dog!"

She braced one hand against her knee, while the other pounded the nearby stone pedestal.

Her laughter echoed through the empty training field, startling a few Crows in the distant treetops.

"That bastard, that self-righteous genius..." Anko's voice grew increasingly hoarse from laughter.

"To think he'd have a day like this. To think he actually went and bit a dog!"

She laughed until her eyes were wet and glistening at the corners.

Before long, she lowered her head, her shoulders still trembling slightly, but the laughter had ceased.

Silence spread; something was caught in her throat, and she wasn't sure if it was better to speak or remain silent.

She pulled another dango from the paper bag, bit off a piece fiercely, and crunched the bamboo skewer between her teeth.

Sasuke watched this series of emotional shifts without interrupting.

He saw something in her.

The hatred for Orochimaru, the frustration at her own helplessness, and the void left behind after being betrayed by someone she trusted.

Having a common enemy was enough.

"I already have a way to deal with this Cursed Seal," Sasuke said, taking the initiative.

Anko's chewing faltered.

"I already have a way to deal with this Cursed Seal," Sasuke repeated.

Anko's chewing paused for a moment: "You said in the classroom that you could treat it? How?"

The shadow beneath Sasuke's feet expanded once more, the ground trembling slightly, causing the gravel to dance and collide with a faint clattering sound.

A massive figure rose slowly from the black mud; Round Deer appeared.

It lowered its head, its four eyes darting around to scan its surroundings before finally landing on the stranger biting a bamboo skewer.

It locked eyes with Anko for a moment, then began to back away.

Round Deer's four legs moved backward with extreme caution, as if it were facing a predator and dared not provoke it.

As it retreated, it tucked its massive head behind Sasuke.

The problem was that its size was nearly double that of Sasuke, making it impossible to hide.

It simply stood behind Sasuke, lowering its head to rest above Sasuke's shoulder, its four eyes peering vigilantly at Anko through the gaps in Sasuke's hair.

"...What on earth is this?" Anko held a dumpling in her hand, her eyes filled with suspicion and shock.

"Ninja Deer." Sasuke tilted his head, his face brushed by the antlers of the Round Deer.

"You call this a deer?" Anko pointed at the Round Deer's size, which was at least a story tall, and that pair of antlers capable of tossing a person into the air.

"Is this a fucking deer?"

"Watch your language, you're supposed to be a teacher." Sasuke reached back and pushed at the Round Deer's head, but it wouldn't budge.

"Its name is Round Deer; simply put, its healing ability is very strong."

"Round Deer, show her your ability first. Since you're already here, don't hide."

The Round Deer let out a muffled sound: "Okay."

The Round Deer stepped out from behind Sasuke.

Its four legs remained tense, but it no longer retreated.

It lowered its head, and the massive pair of antlers atop its head began to emit a pale blue light.

Watching that pair of glowing, massive antlers approach her, Anko immediately scrambled back several steps.

"It's not healing you, it's healing Black Dog." Sasuke explained from the side.

The Round Deer stopped its movement, its four eyes darting from Sasuke to Anko, then back to Sasuke.

"Sorry, I should have explained first."

Then it turned toward Black Dog, the light on its antlers brightening once more, shining onto the Cursed Seal on Black Dog's neck.

Anko straightened her posture, watching as the circle of blue light slowly seeped into the three tomoe marks. The aura emitted by the Cursed Seal was clearly suppressed.

She subconsciously raised a hand to touch the Cursed Seal on her own neck.

Anko licked the syrup from the corner of her mouth, staring at the Round Deer for a long time.

Then she dropped her playful expression, her eyes filled with serious contemplation.

"After your dog was bitten, did the chakra fed back by the Cursed Seal have any effect on you?"

"Some." Sasuke nodded, "Cold energy, but not much. Now that Round Deer is healing it, the energy feedback has become positive."

"So you're essentially absorbing the benefits of that mark without having to pay the price?" Anko's eyebrows arched.

"You could say that."

Anko crumpled the empty paper bag into a ball and stuffed it into her trench coat pocket. She walked up to Sasuke and stood still.

"If Orochimaru knew I was treating the Cursed Seal he worked so hard to plant as livestock feed, I wonder what his expression would be."

Anko muttered this, then she looked up into Sasuke's eyes.

"After it finishes healing this Black Dog, can it try healing me?" Anko's voice was much more serious than before.

"I won't let you heal for free. Also, be careful; there is resonance between Cursed Seals. He could find your location or the dog's location through them at any time."

The Round Deer's muffled voice came again.

"Sasuke, why is that woman biting a stick? Her hair is also very messy."

The corner of Anko's mouth twitched.

The Round Deer continued: "She is a bit scary, can I go back first?"

Sasuke: "No."

The Round Deer's four eyes began to dart around again, its gaze bouncing back and forth between Anko and Sasuke.

"Will she keep staring at me?"

"Of course she will."

"Then will she say I'm so pitiful like Escaping Rabbit?"

"...No."

"Then what will she say?"