Anko's Hand Trembled Slightly

Anko Mitarashi crossed her arms and leaned back against the edge of the stone pier.

The evening breeze stirred the stray hairs on her forehead. She took the bamboo skewer out of her mouth, her tone tinged with impatience.

"I am a Special Jonin; don't think I'm just some glutton who only eats dango." She pointed the skewer at Sasuke Uchiha.

"Taijutsu, tracking, Orochimaru-style snake ninjutsu—I can hold my own in every field. After the treatment, I will try to arrange whatever assistance you need."

Her tone was deliberately kept professional, yet something in her eyes began to waver.

Sasuke did not respond immediately.

He looked down at Round Deer, whose four eyes were darting back and forth between Anko Mitarashi and himself.

"Fine," Sasuke said. "Round Deer, try treating her."

Round Deer shifted its four legs restlessly on the spot. It lowered its head and brought its mouth close to Sasuke's ear, whispering in a voice only he could hear.

"She looks very fierce. What if she bites me?"

"She won't bite a deer."

"How can you be sure?"

"Because she is a human."

"Humans bite deer too," Round Deer replied with absolute seriousness.

Anko Mitarashi leaned against the stone pier, watching this giant deer whispering to Sasuke, her mind filling with more and more questions.

"What is that deer of yours muttering about?"

"It's assessing your bite risk," White Dog interjected.

"Huh?"

Round Deer finally shuffled out from behind Sasuke.

It walked extremely slowly, as if testing the ground with every step, its hooves dragging long marks across the gravel.

Once it reached Anko Mitarashi, it lowered its head so that its four eyes were level with hers.

"Hello," Round Deer said, its voice tight. "My name is Round Deer."

"...My name is Anko Mitarashi." Anko Mitarashi watched the four eyes inches away, her shoulders tensing involuntarily.

"I can treat you. But I might not be able to finish it. I can only do a little each time. It will take many sessions."

"Shut up, you're rambling. Just treat it. Even if you can't finish, it's still treatment."

Anko Mitarashi cut off Round Deer's nonsensical chatter.

She looked at Sasuke and took a deep breath. "Will it be cured?"

Sasuke actually wanted to say "it will be cured," but the words seemed to hold a strange power, and he really didn't want to say them out loud, so he simply nodded.

Anko Mitarashi's expression softened considerably. She closed her eyes and tilted her neck slightly, exposing the location of the Cursed Seal.

"Come on."

Round Deer took a deep breath, and its antlers began to glow.

A pale blue light covered Anko Mitarashi's neck.

Anko Mitarashi gritted her teeth, her shoulders visibly tensing.

A wave of warmth seeped into her skin.

Anko Mitarashi's breathing rhythm was disrupted, and her fingers instinctively clenched the hem of her trench coat.

Five minutes passed. Round Deer retracted its antlers and stepped back two paces.

"That's all for today. Your mark seems different from the black ones; it has a deeper, more primitive feeling. If you want it fully treated, you'll need to come back several times."

Anko Mitarashi opened her eyes and touched the Cursed Seal on her neck.

Although there was still some pain, the faint, burning sensation had indeed improved significantly.

She pulled her hand back, but her fingers couldn't stop trembling.

Anko Mitarashi used her other hand to grip her shaking wrist, forcing it down onto her thigh.

Silence.

Then, she looked up and revealed that playful smirk once again.

"You really are a little monster, Sasuke Uchiha."

Anko Mitarashi stood up and put the bamboo skewer back in her mouth. She pointed at Sasuke's nose, her tone carrying a distinct note of warning.

"But listen. Even if this thing can be suppressed, that man Orochimaru will never let it go."

"That guy has a pathological obsession with things that interest him. Now that you're carrying around this group of strange ninja beasts and can even counter the Cursed Seal..."

"Let him come again," Sasuke said. "The debt from last time hasn't been settled yet."

Anko Mitarashi's movement of chewing the toothpick paused.

She looked down at Sasuke, trying to find even a trace of bravado on his seven-year-old face.

But Sasuke showed none; there was only a sense of indifference on his features.

Anko bent down, pinched both sides of Sasuke's cheeks with her hands, and pulled outward.

"Kids—should—act—like—kids!"

Sasuke's face was pulled into an irregular shape.

"Stop acting so cool!" Anko increased the pressure of her fingers.

"The next time you see Orochimaru, the first thing you do is run, not settle any scores! Do you hear me!"

"Slap."

Sasuke swatted Anko's hand away.

He rubbed his reddened cheeks and curled his lip.

"If you're done, leave quickly." Sasuke patted White Dog, signaling it to get ready to go. "If you pinch me again, I'm going to lose my temper."

Anko crossed her arms, watching Sasuke's retreating back.

The smile on her lips slowly faded, replaced by a complex expression that was hard to define.

Anko said nothing more and simply left in silence.

Round Deer cautiously sidled up to Sasuke.

"That was terrifying. How did we meet so many strangers in the last two days? I don't want to come out anymore!"

"Her fingers were trembling when she left." Black Dog shook the fur on his neck.

"That's not our business."

Sasuke glanced toward the entrance, where Anko's back was disappearing around the corner of the Uchiha Compound.

"She's a Konoha ninja, not mine. Since she doesn't want to talk to me, there's no need for me to shamelessly offer to solve her psychological issues, is there?"

White Dog curled its lip: "Heh, your psychological issues are far more severe than hers, aren't they?"

"White! You guy!"

Most of the lanterns on the shopping street had already been lit, and the noren at the entrance of the Dango Shop swayed in the evening breeze.

Anko walked up to the entrance of the Dango Shop.

She stopped and looked up at the sign.

Usually, she would lift the curtain, go inside, order a few skewers of Three-Color Dango, and finish them alone while sitting in the corner against the wall.

Now, she stood at the shop entrance, looking down and raising her right hand.

The glowing antlers of Round Deer, the lingering warmth on her skin, and the sensation of the Cursed Seal being peeled away layer by layer.

These overly concrete things filled her mind, leaving her without even the spare capacity to take out her wallet.

She took the toothpick out of her mouth, tightened her fingers, and snapped it in two.

"Damn it."

Anko tossed the broken toothpick into a roadside trash can, turned around, and strode toward the Hokage Building.

Her footsteps struck the stone path heavily.

The crowd on the shopping street gradually thinned.

Sasuke walked up to the entrance of the Dango Shop.

"It's this one." Black Dog followed at his heels, sniffing the gap beneath the noren.

"Are you going in?"

"Her hands were trembling when she left." Sasuke lifted the noren and entered the shop.

"What about your excuses?" White Dog's ears perked up.

"She really isn't our business." Sasuke picked up the packed paper bag. "However, we already know something is wrong with her... what are you laughing so wildly about?"

"Nothing. This Seat was just remembering someone saying that I am too easily driven by emotions."

"You remembered wrong. I never said that."

Sasuke pushed open the door to the apartment.

Naruto was squatting in the hallway, holding a piece of chalk, staring blankly at a crooked target circle he had drawn on the floor.

All of his shuriken had missed the target, with the furthest one stuck in a crack at the base of the wall two steps away from the bullseye.

Hearing footsteps, Naruto sprang up from the floor.

"Sasuke! You're finally back! This Great One—"

Naruto's voice caught in his throat.

He saw Sasuke set down the paper bag in his hand, revealing over a dozen skewers of Three-Color Dango inside.

"Dango?" Naruto's gaze remained glued to the dango.

"Train all night with Black Dog, or have the dango. Choose."

Naruto held his breath for a long time before finally blurting out:

"...Do we have to train at night too? Ah, no, wait—the dango, obviously!"

Naruto swiftly grabbed a skewer of Three-Color Dango and shoved it into his mouth.

Black Dog lay by Naruto's legs, thumping his tail.

Sasuke entered the dormitory and tossed a paper bag to Escaping Rabbit: "Go deliver these dango to Teacher Mitarashi."

Escaping Rabbit blinked: "Okay? I won't sneak a bite, I promise..."

"...Who said you would sneak a bite."