That woman really was unreasonable. She'd taken his good intentions for granted and even wanted to take out her frustrations on him.
Unfortunately for her, he was completely different from before. She treated him like an opponent, but she'd picked the wrong target.
Still, this might be for the best. Giving her a defeat might help her come to her senses, and keep her from acting on impulse like she had in the original timeline—recklessly going after Orochimaru and putting herself in danger.
So when Anko challenged him to a duel, Hyuga Lan accepted.
That afternoon, at Konoha's dueling grounds.
When Hyuga Lan arrived, he found that besides Anko, who was there to fight him, several other people had also shown up.
Asuma Sarutobi, Kurenai Yuhi, Might Guy, Hatake Kakashi, and the others had come too.
Did this girl really think she had me beat?
She'd even brought a whole crowd to watch. Hopefully, she wouldn't be too devastated when she lost so badly.
Hyuga Lan's assumption was a little unfair to Anko, since of all those people, only Kurenai had been invited by her to watch.
But once Kurenai showed up, Asuma Sarutobi, who was pursuing her, followed along too.
Of course, to avoid looking too awkward, Asuma Sarutobi had brought Might Guy with him.
As for Kakashi, Might Guy had dragged him along.
Ever since the Fourth Hokage and his wife had been killed, Hatake Kakashi had fallen into a complete slump.
Guy, who had always considered Kakashi his lifelong rival, couldn't stand to see him so depressed. He'd spent the past while trying everything he could to bring him around, and invited him along whenever something came up.
When Lan finally arrived, Anko stopped talking with Kurenai and walked toward the center of the dueling grounds to face him.
"With so many old classmates watching, want me to go easy on you? I wouldn't want you to lose so badly you couldn't show your face afterward."
Anko spoke to Lan in a low voice.
Asuma, Kurenai, Kakashi, and Guy had all been his classmates at the Ninja Academy. Of course, Anko had been in their class too.
"No need. This fight will be over quickly."
Seeing Lan speak so confidently, Anko knew there was no point in saying more. They'd just have to settle things with their skills.
"Hyuga Lan, I hope your skills live up to your words. Let's see how much you've changed since before. Here I come!"
As she spoke, Anko drew a Kunai and charged straight at Lan.
She hadn't even tried a probing jutsu, just charged right at him. That woman was as arrogant as ever.
After looking down on her once more, Lan sidestepped Anko's attack and avoided the Kunai she thrust at him.
Then he swayed from side to side in place. It looked as if he were in danger, but he dodged every attack without so much as a scratch.
At first, Anko thought Lan was looking down on her by only dodging and not attacking.
But after she kept attacking without even brushing his clothes, she belatedly realized that he might not be as simple as she'd expected.
That despicable man had read all her movements and dodged them with ease. Was this how terrifying a Dojutsu bloodline ninja could be?
But when she realized Lan still hadn't activated his Byakugan, she froze.
He had such sharp insight without even using his Byakugan. Was he really that strong?
Realizing something was wrong, Anko quickly retreated to put some distance between them.
Then she rapidly formed Hand Seals.
"Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique!"
Anko parted her lips, and a flame shot from her mouth, quickly swelling into a huge fireball that flew toward Lan.
Faced with this Fire Release Ninjutsu meant to block his view, Lan didn't try to defend himself. Instead, he used the Body Flicker Technique to dart around it.
The fireball missed. As Anko searched for Lan, she suddenly heard a rush of air behind her.
She hurriedly turned around—and saw Lan reaching out to tap her with one finger.
When did he get behind me?
How could he move that fast?
Anko wasn't the only one who noticed something unusual about Lan. Asuma, Kakashi, and the others watching from the sidelines had noticed it too.
"Was that the Body Flicker Technique Lan used just now? He's so skilled with it. Anko's in trouble."
As soon as Asuma finished speaking, Kakashi nodded.
Kakashi was no longer as listless as he'd been a moment ago. Lan's performance had astonished even him, a man others called a genius.
Only then did he realize that his classmate had grown so powerful without him noticing. In terms of speed, Lan was every bit as fast as he was.
What surprised Kakashi even more was that Lan still hadn't activated his Byakugan. As someone with a Sharingan, Kakashi knew just how much a Dojutsu bloodline could enhance a ninja. It was like becoming a completely different person.
And from the way things looked, Anko wasn't even worthy of making Lan activate his Byakugan and take the fight seriously. This battle was bound to have a foregone conclusion.
Kurenai, who was close to Anko, began to worry about her. Her friend was about to embarrass herself badly.
Thump!
When Lan's finger struck one of Anko's pressure points, her body turned into a puff of white smoke and disappeared.
It had only been a Shadow Clone.
Crack.
The ground a short distance behind Lan bulged, and Anko emerged from beneath it.
Looking at Lan's back, Anko spread her arms wide.
"Hidden Shadow Snake Hands!"
Two gray shapes lunged at Lan. A closer look revealed they were poisonous snakes.
Seeing Anko use this snake-style jutsu, Lan couldn't help thinking that she really was Orochimaru's prized student. Orochimaru had never taught him a jutsu like this.
Unfortunately, if Orochimaru had used this move, Lan might have given him some credit. But with Anko using it, there was no comparison.
So when the Hidden Shadow Snake Hands came at him, Lan swung his left hand and grabbed them in a flash, gripping both snakes tightly just behind the head.
Then he yanked hard, pulling on the snakes' bodies and dragging Anko toward him.
He stepped forward quickly and, just as Anko was pulled within reach, grabbed her by the throat with his right hand and slammed her to the ground.
Thump!
The force was so great that several cracks appeared in the floor beneath Anko's head.
Pinned to the ground with Lan's hand around her throat, Anko struggled desperately. Her face turned red—whether from being unable to breathe, from the shame of losing so easily, or from both, it was hard to tell.
Then Anko heard Lan lean down and whisper in her ear,
"When you can knock me down like this, then you can start thinking about getting revenge on Orochimaru."
With that, Lan voluntarily let go.
"Cough, cough..."
Freed from his grip, Anko coughed hard, then gasped for air.
Only after she finally caught her breath did she realize that Lan had already walked away without her noticing. Now, all she could see was his distant figure.
Watching Lan's carefree retreating back, Anko couldn't help staring blankly...