A Scheming Heart is Dirty

"Holy crap, is the Third Hokage, that old geezer, kidding me?"

Assigning Anko Mitarashi to protect him.

And the target of that protection was Orochimaru...

Old man Third, are you really not afraid of Anko Mitarashi being lured away by Orochimaru!

"Shiranui Genma, have Anko Mitarashi come here."

However, the Third Hokage paid no heed to Yun Xi, whose face was full of resentment, and instead sat back down at his desk.

He ordered Shiranui Genma to go and fetch Anko Mitarashi.

Meanwhile, Yun Xi...

Gazed at the pale blue sky in the distance, a trace of conflict and helplessness flashing across his face.

Clearly.

Yun Xi couldn't quite grasp the Third Hokage's bizarre maneuvers right now.

After all, he had dropped such obvious hints; the old fox that was the Third Hokage must have guessed that the "uncle" he spoke of was Orochimaru.

Furthermore, from the moment he had described Orochimaru's appearance earlier, Yun Xi had noticed a fleeting change in the Third Hokage's expression...

From that detail alone, Yun Xi was certain that the Third Hokage knew the culprit he mentioned was indeed Orochimaru.

So then...

Thinking of this, Yun Xi understood even less why the Third Hokage would put Anko Mitarashi in charge of his safety.

What on earth is the Third Hokage thinking...

Does he intend to use the bond between master and student to reform Orochimaru?

Or does he have some other crazy scheme up his sleeve?

In an instant, several different thoughts flashed through Yun Xi's mind.

But...

After careful consideration, Yun Xi felt that he might be overthinking things...

"Lord Hokage, greetings. Do you have a mission for me?"

Just as Yun Xi was deep in thought, Anko Mitarashi arrived at the Hokage's office. After greeting the Third Hokage, she noticed Yun Xi standing to the side.

A look of curiosity immediately appeared on her face. She quietly walked over to Yun Xi and asked in a curious tone, "Hey, Yun Xi, do you know why Lord Hokage called me here?"

"Probably a mission..."

For a moment, Yun Xi didn't know how to explain it, so he could only look at the Third Hokage with a pleading gaze...

"How inexplicable..."

Seeing the bitter smile flash across Yun Xi's face, Anko Mitarashi didn't press further. She merely left him with a reminder that he still owed her several meals of dango and that he should remember to pay up, before walking over to the Third Hokage.

Looking at the somewhat solemn expression on the Third Hokage's face, Anko Mitarashi thought for a moment and finally asked with curiosity, "Lord Hokage, do you have a mission for me?"

"Yes, there is indeed a mission."

This time, the Third Hokage did not hesitate. He nodded directly and pointed his finger at Yun Xi, who was standing in the corner: "Your mission is to protect this kid, Yun Xi."

"Protect him?"

Anko Mitarashi was stunned, then asked in a curious tone, "Doesn't this guy already have three Anbu protecting him?"

"They're dead."

The Third Hokage answered himself.

"Dead?!"

Anko Mitarashi finally realized that the situation might have exceeded her expectations. The relaxed expression that had been on her face transformed into an inexplicable tension.

"Hoo..."

After taking a deep breath, a flash of shock appeared in her eyes.

She knew about the protection Yun Xi had previously.

Three Anbu Chunin with solid strength and rich mission experience.

One of them had even reached the strength of a Jonin, only lacking some mission experience, which was why he hadn't officially become a Jonin yet.

And the other two Anbu Chunin were considered absolute powerhouses among Chunin.

In a direct confrontation, even an average Jonin wouldn't be able to gain any advantage against the defense of those three.

And now, the Third Hokage was telling her.

They were all dead...

How could Anko Mitarashi not be shocked!

"What's the matter?"

Seeing Anko Mitarashi standing before him without speaking for a long time, the Third Hokage pressed for an answer.

"It's nothing!"

"I, Anko Mitarashi, guarantee the completion of this mission!"

Suppressing the chaotic thoughts in her mind, Anko Mitarashi's face returned to its usual calm, and she accepted the mission.

Meanwhile, Yun Xi...

Felt an indescribable sense of discomfort...

"Taking this girl, Anko Mitarashi, along..."

The true thoughts currently in Yun Xi's mind were...

Rather than Anko Mitarashi protecting him, it was more like...

He would be the one protecting Anko Mitarashi.

In terms of combat power, relying on her unique snake-style ninjutsu and an incomplete Cursed Seal, Anko Mitarashi's strength was already comparable to some average Jonin.

This was also why Anko Mitarashi had already become a Special Jonin at the beginning of the original story.

But...

At this point in time, Anko Mitarashi was truly no match for Yun Xi.

Therefore...

Yun Xi felt a trace of inexplicable pressure.

"Could the old man Third Hokage be..."

Suddenly.

A bold idea flashed through Yun Xi's mind.

One was a little guy who had piqued Orochimaru's interest.

And the other was Orochimaru's former favorite student...

The connection was not hard to guess, and it wasn't difficult to figure out what the Third Hokage was actually thinking...

Looking at the Third Hokage again, he noticed that beyond a grave expression, a look of deep deliberation had appeared in the old man's eyes...

Upon seeing this.

Yun Xi had basically guessed the reason why the Third Hokage had assigned Anko Mitarashi to carry out this mission!

Bait...

"That old man Third Hokage isn't planning to use me and this girl, Anko Mitarashi, as bait to lure Orochimaru out, is he..."

At first, Yun Xi's take on the Third Hokage's intentions was merely a guess...

Until...

The Third Hokage kicked the two of them out immediately after Anko Mitarashi accepted the mission.

Yun Xi was now certain that this was the case...

"As expected of an old fox..."

After silently grumbling to himself, Yun Xi didn't linger.

Instead, he took Anko Mitarashi and left the Hokage's office directly.

However, not long after Yun Xi and Anko Mitarashi had left, Shiranui Genma, who had been standing beside the Third Hokage without saying a word, spoke up: "Lord Hokage, that kid Yun Xi seems to have sensed something..."

"Let him sense it. This is an opportunity; it is worth it for those two to take some risks!"

"Lord Hokage..."

Hearing this, Shiranui Genma didn't know how to respond for a moment.

After a long silence, he finally asked: "Is it really Orochimaru?"

"If it is, that's for the best. If not, it doesn't matter."

Gazing out at Konoha in the distance, the Third Hokage gave his answer, then spoke directly to Shiranui Genma: "Have all ninjas at the Chunin level and above in Konoha lie in ambush at Yun Xi's house, and wait for my command!"