Snake Sage Power Assimilation

"A contract that'll let you completely break free of Orochimaru—and get stronger while you're at it." Chiba stood in the waist-deep hot spring, one arm around Anko's waist as he rapped her forehead irritably.

"A contract? What contract? Stop being so mysterious." Anko gritted her teeth, thrashing desperately in the water and clawing wildly with both hands.

"A contract that can save your life. Other than trusting me, do you have any other choice?" Chiba's right hand pressed steadily against the back of Anko's neck, where a raised black tomoe mark radiated scorching heat.

"Why should I trust some brat from the Senju Clan? You're barely old enough to grow hair." Anko widened her eyes and stared at the handsome face inches away.

"Whether I've grown hair or not, didn't you feel it just now? The temperature of this water was all heated up by my chakra." Chiba raised a brow, his right hand still resting on her soaked shoulder with no intention of pulling away.

"Shameless! Take your hand off me!" The tips of Anko's ears flushed brightly, whether from the hot spring or the strange sensation inside her body.

"Take it off? The moment I do, the snake venom in your body will attack your heart. Then Orochimaru will revive through your body, and the first person he kills will be you." Chiba sneered as the green glow in his palm intensified.

"That's still better than letting a pervert like you take advantage of me!" Anko trembled in the water. She could feel the cold, sinister power inside her steadily devouring her chakra.

"Pervert? This is a legitimate medical procedure. This is how Aunt Tsunade teaches me—patients need comprehensive physical and mental care." As Chiba spoke, he increased his chakra output.

"Lady Tsunade would never teach you such indecent tricks!" Anko turned her head away and bit her lower lip hard enough for a trace of blood to seep out.

"That's because she's never met a patient as troublesome as you. Enough nonsense. Are you signing or not? Sign it, and you won't have to suffer from this curse mark anymore. Refuse, and I'll toss you back onto the shore right now and let you fend for yourself." Chiba snorted, the Strength of a Hundred Seal on his forehead shining with a dazzling green light.

"Wait... what exactly do I have to do under this contract? I'm a Konoha special jōnin. I won't betray the village!" Anko looked at Chiba's somewhat domineering expression, a complicated emotion flashing through her eyes.

"Who asked you to betray the village? I just want you to be my personal guard and help look after the Senju Clan's new residence. As for anything else, that depends on my mood." Chiba leaned closer, his warm breath brushing against Anko's ear.

"That's all?" Anko awkwardly shrank back, looking at his roguish smile.

"What did you think? Did you want to become the young mistress of the Senju Clan?" The smile at Chiba's lips deepened.

"Pah! Keep dreaming!" Anko glared at him irritably.

"Then it's settled." Chiba issued a command to the system in his mind.

[Special bloodline/fate bearer detected: Mitarashi Anko! Bind Beauty Contract?]

[Binding successful! Favorability +20. Current favorability: 20.]

[Reward unlocked: Ryūchi Cave Snake Sage Body adaptability (combined with Wood Release to evolve into a prototype Dual Sage Body)!]

As the system's voice fell silent, Chiba felt the cells of his Perfect Sage Body release a deep, resounding hum.

The Wood Release chakra flowing through his body suddenly became extraordinarily hungry.

The lingering Ryūchi Cave sage power within Anko's body was wildly absorbed and assimilated by Chiba's body.

That energy, originally cold and violent, was instantly purified by the vitality of the Perfect Sage Body after entering Chiba's body, transforming into the purest natural energy.

Within the green glow of the Strength of a Hundred Seal on Chiba's forehead, a strange purple pattern faintly appeared.

His senses increased severalfold in that instant, and every cell in his body seemed to be undergoing a transformation.

The prototype Dual Sage Body was completely formed at that moment.

Anko only felt an unprecedentedly warm chakra surge into every part of her body like a tide.

The pain that had seemed to tear through her chakra pathways rapidly faded beneath the soothing touch of that chakra.

The three tomoe marks on her neck completely dimmed, no longer carrying that burning, stabbing pain.

Anko's body went limp as she leaned against Chiba's chest, gasping for breath.

"Th-this... what kind of power is this? It feels so good..." Anko's voice trembled. She could feel that the curse mark which had tormented her for years was now as quiet as a dead dog.

"It's supposed to feel good. Not just anyone gets to enjoy my chakra." Chiba smiled and looked down at her.

"Y-you... what did you do just now? The curse mark inside me really has calmed down." Anko's eyes still held lingering daze and extreme shock.

"What do those old men know? They only know how to seal things, not how to assimilate and eliminate them. Orochimaru's power may be disgusting, but with the right method, it can become nourishment too." Chiba patted her shoulder, signaling for her to stand properly.

"Assimilate? You assimilated Orochimaru's power? Are you insane? It'll turn you into a monster!" Anko widened her eyes, staring at the handsome face right in front of her.

"Do I look like a monster?" Chiba leaned closer.

Anko looked at Chiba's face. His skin was still fair, even more lustrous than before. Though the mark on his forehead looked somewhat strange, his entire body radiated a reassuring vitality.

"Who exactly are you..." Anko murmured absently.

"Senju Chiba, your future boss." Chiba pinched her cheek.

With her face against Chiba's shoulder, Anko only felt that this boy several years younger than her possessed an irresistible charm.

"You bastard, even though you talk terribly... you really do have some skill." Anko's voice grew softer and softer, her body trembling slightly from exhaustion.

"What do you mean, some skill? I'm exceptionally skilled. Once we get ashore, I'll let you see something even more impressive." Chiba lifted Anko with one arm, water streaming down their bodies.

"Y-you... what else do you want to do?" Anko awkwardly shrank back.

"Of course, I'm going to make you fulfill the contract. You're my exclusive guard now, so you have to do something a guard should do." Chiba carried her to a rock by the shore, took his coat, and wrapped it tightly around her.

Anko's black fishnet outfit was completely soaked and clung tightly to her body, revealing every curve. Her shoulders were pale, and her shoulder blades trembled faintly beneath the moonlight.

"What are you looking at? Keep staring, and I'll gouge your eyes out." Anko pulled the coat's collar tight and glared at him in embarrassment.

"You really don't know what's good for you. I just saved your life." Chiba took an exquisite wooden box from a sealing scroll beside him.

When he opened the box, several skewers of sweet-smelling dango were neatly arranged inside.

Anko's eyes immediately lit up.

"Dango? Is it even the special supply from that shop on South Street?" Anko snatched up a skewer and stuffed it into her mouth, a satisfied expression appearing on her face.

"You've got good taste. Eat up and restore your strength." Chiba sat beside her, the corners of his lips lifting slightly as he watched her devour the food.

"Mmm... so good. I suppose you do have a bit of a conscience." Anko chewed the dango while shooting Chiba a sidelong glance.

"Eat slowly. No one's taking it from you. But now that you've eaten the dango and your life's been saved, about this contract..." Chiba raised a brow.

"I know! I'm just becoming your guard, right? Deal!" Anko answered somewhat indistinctly.

"But I'm warning you, don't get handsy with me. In the water just now, that hand of yours..." Anko awkwardly shrank her neck.

"That was emergency protection in the water. If I hadn't held onto you, you would've sunk to the bottom already." Chiba shrugged.

"Hmph, twisting words." Anko turned her head away and took a big bite of dango.

"Enough. Once you're done eating, come back to the Senju ancestral estate with me. Shizune should have your room ready by now." Chiba stood and brushed the water off himself.

"Back to the Senju ancestral estate? I'm an ANBU special jōnin now. If I just go back with you, how am I supposed to explain it to the Third?" Anko looked at him worriedly.

"Explain what? Say you were attacked by Orochimaru and badly injured, then I saved you. You're recovering at the Senju Clan now. If the old man wants you back, he can come negotiate with me himself." Chiba sneered.

"You don't even respect the Hokage?" Anko looked at him in disbelief.

"In Konoha, there are only matters the Senju Clan doesn't want to handle. There are no matters the Senju Clan can't handle. Come on, my great guard." Chiba held out his hand.

Anko looked at Chiba's slender palm, hesitated for a moment, then finally placed her hand in his.

"You brat, you said it yourself. If the Third holds me accountable, you have to cover for me." Anko used his strength to stand, but her body was still weak, and she nearly stumbled again.

"Don't worry. On Senju Clan territory, no one can touch you." Chiba slipped an arm around her waist and half-supported, half-carried her away from the hot spring.

"Then tomorrow... can you help me cleanse the curse mark again?" Anko leaned against his shoulder, her voice quiet.

"That depends on how you behave." Chiba smiled faintly.

"Then... if I behave well, will there be dango too?" Anko raised her head and looked at him.

"As much as you can eat." Chiba's voice drifted through the night.