"Tap. Tap." Orochimaru's footsteps gradually drew closer.
Anko watched the approaching Orochimaru with utmost vigilance. She knew full well that Ueno Kei could no longer move; even twitching a hand or shifting his body took immense effort. Now, she was the only one who still had a chance to fight.
Before this, Anko had originally been prepared to die. In her eyes, dying at the hands of her former mentor might even have been a different sort of release. No matter what the world said, no matter what Orochimaru had done, the fact remained that he had once raised her, taught her, and cared for her.
That time, when they had been like father and daughter, had also been the period Anko missed most and remembered as the happiest. It was a time she did not want to acknowledge, yet could not forget.
Therefore, dying at Orochimaru's hands was not something Anko found impossible to accept.
But in the current situation, Anko could not give up so easily. Ueno Kei had come to save her. Her feelings toward this weakened purple-haired youth were complicated—dislike? Resentment? Gratitude? Admiration? All those emotions had become tangled together. And no matter what, Ueno Kei was still the Third Hokage's disciple.
With such outstanding talent, he would surely become another pillar of Konoha in the future.
So no matter what, Anko believed she had to keep Ueno Kei alive! She would stop at nothing! Anko gritted her teeth and made up her mind.
Just then, Orochimaru, who had been slowly approaching, suddenly froze. A trace of regret and sorrow flashed through his eyes. Right before Anko, his figure flickered, and with a "whoosh," he vanished from her field of vision.
Anko was slightly stunned, unsure of what Orochimaru was planning. Still on full alert, she