The gravel in the training ground glowed red beneath the setting sun. A few dead vines hung from the wall, swaying gently in the breeze.
When Anko pushed open the gate, Sasuke was sitting cross-legged on a stone stump in the middle of the training ground.
She stepped inside, the soles of her shoes crunching softly over the gravel.
"This place is pretty bleak." Anko glanced around at the crumbling walls and the overgrown edges.
"Uchiha Compound is so huge. Aren't you creeped out living here all by yourself?"
Sasuke hopped down from the stump. "I don't live here. You're right on time."
"A teacher can't keep her students waiting, can she?" Anko walked to a stone stump at the edge of the training ground, casually tossed her backpack onto it, then plopped down.
She pulled a paper bag from her coat pocket, took out a Three-Color Dango skewer, and bit into one. "Where's the dog?" she asked around her mouthful.
The shadows churned, and black sludge spread out in all directions. Black Dog stepped out of the darkness.
Its four paws planted firmly on the gravel. The fur on the side of its neck parted, revealing grayish-white skin marked with a Cursed Seal.
Anko stopped chewing. She pulled the skewer from her mouth and casually stuck it into the edge of the paper bag.
Then she hopped down from the stump, walked over to Black Dog, and crouched.
She strode over to Black Dog, dropped to one knee, and reached out to part the fur on its neck.
"Don't move. Let me take a look." Anko reached out, her fingers parting the fur on Black Dog's neck.
The instant her fingertip touched the edge of the Cursed Seal, the skin on it suddenly began to turn white, growing pale like Orochimaru's.
The three Tomoe marks on her neck began to heat up beneath her coat collar. A burning sensation crept up her meridians.
Chakra of the same origin was resonating. This was definitely something Orochimaru had left behind.
Anko's fingers lingered on Black Dog's neck for a long time. Only when Black Dog let out an impatient whine did she withdraw her hand.
She stood up. The carefree, joking expression from before had vanished, replaced by a quiet anger in her eyes.
She didn't shout or make a fuss. 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 give me a Cursed Seal," Sasuke said.
Anko whipped her head around, her gaze sharp.
"I didn't let him bite me," Sasuke continued. "I let him bite the dog instead."
Anko froze. Her mouth opened, closed, then opened again.
Then she clutched her stomach and doubled over.
"Hahahahaha!" Anko laughed so hard she nearly fell over, tears streaming from her eyes.
"You let him bite a dog? Orochimaru! That Orochimaru! He actually went and bit a dog!"
She braced one hand on her knee and pounded the stone stump beside her with the other.
Her laughter echoed through the empty training ground, startling a few crows from the treetops in the distance.
"That bastard, that self-important genius..." Anko's laughter grew hoarser and hoarser.
"He finally got what was coming to him. He actually went and bit a dog!"
Tears welled in her eyes, leaving the corners damp.
Before long, she had her head lowered, her shoulders still trembling slightly, but the laughter had stopped.
Silence spread between them. Something caught in her throat, and she couldn't tell whether she should say it or leave it unsaid.
She pulled another skewer from the paper bag and bit down hard on a dango, crunching the bamboo stick between her teeth.
Sasuke watched her emotions shift without interrupting.
He saw something familiar in her.
Hatred for Orochimaru, frustration at her own helplessness, and the emptiness left behind by someone she trusted betraying her.
Having a common enemy was enough.
"I already have a way to deal with this Cursed Seal," Sasuke said.
Anko paused mid-chew.
"I already have a way to deal with this Cursed Seal," Sasuke said.
Anko's chewing stopped for a moment. "You said in class that you could treat it. How?"
The shadow beneath Sasuke's feet expanded again. The ground trembled slightly, and the gravel jumped, clicking softly against itself.
A massive figure slowly rose from the black sludge. Round Deer appeared.
It lowered its head. Its four eyes bounced around, scanning everything nearby before settling on the unfamiliar woman chewing on a skewer.
It stared at Anko for a while, then began backing away.
Round Deer's four legs crept backward incredibly slowly, as if it were facing a beast and didn't want to provoke it.
As it retreated, it tried to hide its huge head behind Sasuke.
The problem was that it was nearly twice Sasuke's size, so there was no way it could hide.
It simply stood behind Sasuke, lowering its head to rest above his shoulder. Its four eyes watched Anko warily through the gaps in Sasuke's hair.
"...What is that thing?" Anko asked, holding up her dango, her eyes full of suspicion.
"A Ninja Deer." Sasuke tilted his head slightly, and Round Deer's antler brushed against his face.
"You call that a deer?" Anko pointed at Round Deer's body, at least as tall as a one-story building, and its pair of antlers that could send someone flying.
"What the hell kind of deer is that?"
"Watch your language. You're still a teacher, aren't you?" Sasuke reached back and tried to push Round Deer's head away, but it wouldn't budge.
"His name is Round Deer. Simply put, his healing ability is very strong."
"Round Deer, show her what you can do first. You came all this way, so stop hiding."
Round Deer made a muffled sound. "Okay."
Round Deer came out from behind Sasuke.
Its four legs were still tense, but it had stopped backing away.
It lowered its head, and the massive antlers atop it began to glow pale blue.
Anko watched as those glowing antlers moved toward her. She quickly backed away several steps.
"I'm not treating you. I'm treating Black Dog," Sasuke explained from beside her.
Round Deer stopped. Its four eyes bounced from Sasuke to Anko, then back to Sasuke.
"Sorry. I should've explained first."
Then it turned to Black Dog. The light on its antlers shone again, falling across the Cursed Seal on Black Dog's neck.
Anko straightened and watched the blue light slowly seep into the three Tomoe marks. The aura from the Cursed Seal was noticeably suppressed.
She instinctively raised a hand to touch the Cursed Seal on her own neck.
Anko licked the syrup from the corner of her mouth and stared at Round Deer for a long time.
Then her joking expression faded, and she began to consider things seriously.
"After your dog got bitten, did the chakra that flowed back from the Cursed Seal affect you?"
"A little," Sasuke nodded. "It was a cold, sinister energy, but there wasn't much of it. Now that Round Deer is treating him, the energy flowing back has become beneficial."
"So you're getting the benefits of that seal without having to pay the price?" Anko raised an eyebrow.
"You could put it that way."
Anko crumpled the empty paper bag and casually stuffed it into her coat pocket. Then she walked up to Sasuke and stopped in front of him.
"If Orochimaru knew I was using the Cursed Seal he worked so hard to plant as feed, I wonder what kind of face he'd make."
Anko murmured this, then raised her head and looked Sasuke in the eyes.
"Once he's finished treating Black Dog, could he try treating me too?" Anko's voice was much more serious than before.
"I won't expect you to do it for free. Also, be careful. The Cursed Seals resonate with one another, so he could find you or the dog at any moment."
Round Deer's muffled voice came again.
"Sasuke, why is that woman biting a stick? And why is her hair so messy?"
Anko's mouth twitched.
Round Deer continued, "She's kind of scary. Can I go back now?"
Sasuke said, "No."
Round Deer's four eyes began bouncing again, its gaze darting repeatedly between Anko and Sasuke.
"Is she going to keep staring at me?"
"Of course."
"Then will she say I'm so pitiful, like Escaping Rabbit?"
"...No."
"Then what will she say?"
Before you continue