On the outskirts of the Uchiha Clan, Anko looked around, her eyes full of envy.
"Every time I come to your house, it makes me mad. You live so close to several Dango Shops. It's a shame such a prime location went to a lazybones like you."
"Is that so? Then do you want to move in with me?"
Anko's expression grew harder and harder to maintain. Unable to hold back, she started cursing.
"Damn it, Hanazuki! You've been like this from the start, always saying things that make no sense. Come to think of it, that's exactly how you acted the first time we met!"
"You went on about some Imperial Release: Nine-Clan Detachment Technique, but you were just treating everyone like idiots. Just thinking about it makes me furious!"
The corners of his mouth lifted slightly as he recalled what he'd said the first time he met Anko at the Shinobi Academy.
"You asked me what the most terrifying ninjutsu was?"
"Of course it's a causality-rewriting technique. Of all the ones I know, that forbidden technique is the most dangerous."
"If you mention certain forbidden words, you won't just lose your life. Your family and friends will be wiped out by an ancient, mysterious force, along with the family and friends of your friends."
"The name of the technique? Well... Imperial Release: Nine-Clan Detachment Technique!"
Young Anko had been completely taken in. The two of them gradually became close afterward. Remembering this, Hanazuki turned around and said with a serious expression,
"The Imperial Release: Nine-Clan Detachment Technique is real, just like the One Piece at Laugh Tale, the Grim Reaper who maintains the balance of the Three Realms, and the Millennium Items sleeping in the desert kingdom. They're all in worlds too distant for us to reach!"
"Ah! There you go again! When are you ever going to— Forget it. Let's leave it at that. I'm tired. The Tale of the Gallant Anko comes to an end!"
Lying on the sofa like a beached fish, Anko had completely lost her fighting spirit. No matter how many hints she dropped, the guy in front of her was like a block of wood and never caught on.
"We can't just end it here. Didn't you say you still wanted to test the technique?"
"Let's just do it. If it can be tested indoors, it can't be all that powerful. Do whatever you want. I give up resisting."
Before Anko could react, a cool substance flowed into her neck and traveled with her blood toward her heart.
"What's this?"
"A special technique that acts on chakra and spiritual energy. It was developed to make up for the lack of natural defenses in the human body. This is what it does."
Ding!
The black, specially made kunai tapped her exposed elbow. With each instinctive breath and heartbeat, pale blue ripples and lines appeared and disappeared, as though joining the surface of her body into one whole.
Anko stared in shock. She hadn't formed any Hand Seals or molded chakra, so how had chakra gathered on its own and blocked Hanazuki's kunai?
"It doesn't require Hand Seals. Compared to the chakra other ninjutsu consume, the amount it uses is almost negligible. This is the defensive technique, Blut Vene."
"Blut Vene isn't finished yet. With just a few scattered inspirations and the results of Teacher Orochimaru's research, it can still block ordinary kunai and Explosive Tags."
"Most importantly, even a Genin can use it. It can improve a ninja's odds of survival to a certain extent. Not bad, right?"
Gazing at his smile, warm as a spring breeze, Anko was dazed for a moment before asking softly,
"Blut Vene... where did you get the inspiration?"
"In a dream."
Hanazuki glanced at the Book of Vermilion Moon beside the pillow. It was now shining with a light no ordinary person could see.
Ever since he started carrying the Book of Vermilion Moon around, strange knowledge had occasionally entered his mind. It seemed Black Nine-Tails hadn't been lying.
Still, Hanazuki had no idea why the Book of Vermilion Moon could draw in Quincy knowledge. But Blut Vene was the most comprehensive knowledge he'd gathered in the past few days.
All he had to do was formulate a special solution that could automatically combine the body's energy with spiritual energy and inject it into the blood vessels. That would greatly improve the body's defenses.
That was how the Quincy could fight Hollows and the Grim Reaper. They were all human, after all, and their blood vessels weren't all that different.
Unlike the Quincy, who injected Reishi directly into their blood vessels, Hanazuki's Blut Vene included an extra step to combine the body's energy with spiritual energy. The difference wasn't all that great.
"You... I feel like you've started to become a little like Teacher Orochimaru. Anyone who can develop a secret technique makes me feel like an idiot in comparison."
Anko repeatedly jabbed at her own skin, trying every angle, from her usual blind spots to her fingertips. Her near-total defense left her deeply discouraged.
"No, Teacher Orochimaru and I are fundamentally different. I'll do everything I can to make sure my techniques don't harm people. Teacher Orochimaru wouldn't care whether his test subjects were safe."
"When do you think the war will end, Anko?"
"With Teacher Minato there, it should end soon."
Like a child—because she was a child—Anko had found a new toy and was busy testing Blut Vene over and over. She answered Hanazuki's question without thinking.
"Is that so? We disagree, then. This war might last surprisingly long. Teacher Orochimaru is stubborn when it comes to achieving his goals."
Meanwhile, in the Land of Bears, at the border between the Land of Fire and the Land of Water,
Nara Shikaku's brow relaxed. Ever since the Iwa ninja in the Land of Grass had been intercepted by Namikaze Minato and Hatake Kakashi, the pressure on the various battlefields had eased considerably.
There was no doubt that as long as their own front held steady, the Third Shinobi World War would finally come to an end by the end of the year.
In an unnoticed corner, a snake slithered away after looking around.
Several days later, shocking news reached Konoha. The situation, which had been going so well, once again became shrouded in uncertainty.
"What did you say? Kirigakure destroyed our war supplies at any cost, leaving their own forces in dire straits. How did they find out where the supplies were? Was there a leak?"
In the Hokage Office, Sarutobi Hiruzen had been leisurely practicing calligraphy when the brush trembled in his hand. Ink splattered across the paper as disbelief filled his eyes.
"How could Shikaku make such a mistake? What happened? Did a spy infiltrate us?"
His mind raced with possibilities, and Sarutobi Hiruzen fell silent. Minato was stationed at Kannabi Bridge, while Uchiha Hanazuki was temporarily staying in the village but had been tasked with holding off the Third Tsuchikage. Did he have no one left to send?
"Among the latest graduates, are there any Genin who have shown promise?"
Just then, a member of the Intelligence Division hurried over, brimming with excitement.
"Reporting, Lord Third Hokage! Uchiha Shisui discovered and defeated Kirigakure ninja who had infiltrated the area near the Land of Fire. Their squad leader was Ao, the Kirigakure Jonin who stole the Byakugan!"