Third Interception: Anko Mitarashi

Hyuga Xiao sat cross-legged on the tatami in the Branch House dormitory. Moonlight leaked through the gaps in the paper window, cutting a ghastly pale line across the floor.

He had just finished organizing the clues concerning the Main House's secret vault, repeatedly piecing together those fragments of information about the moon and the Ōtsutsuki Clan in his mind. Outside the window, Konoha Village slept beneath the night sky, while the distant outline of Hokage Rock looked hazy yet imposing in the moonlight.

Just as he was about to close his eyes and regulate his breathing—

[ Ding! ]

[ Fate node fluctuation detected ]

[ Target: Anko Mitarashi (9 years old) ]

[ Fate trajectory: One week from now, her mentor Orochimaru will defect from Leaf Village. Anko will lose her support, her personality will turn violent and withdrawn, and she will later willingly accept the curse mark left behind by Orochimaru, becoming a candidate vessel for him. ]

[ Interception condition: Change Anko's fate during Orochimaru's defection. ]

[ Interception reward: Curse mark resistance +10%, Destiny Points ×500 ]

[ Special notice: This node is connected to the defection of a Three Legendary Ninja-level powerhouse. The system's early warning function has activated for the first time. The host may use this intelligence to make broader arrangements. ]

Xiao's breathing stalled for half a beat.

It was not because of the interception reward.

It was because of that name in the system prompt—Orochimaru.

One of Leaf Village's Three Legendary Ninja, a prodigious genius of legend, a research madman who had mastered countless forbidden techniques. He was going to defect? In one week?

Xiao slowly opened his eyes, his pupils shrinking to pinpoints in the darkness. Moonlight fell across his face, illuminating the faint blue-green pattern of the Caged Bird Seal on his forehead, like a wound that would never heal.

His heart thudded heavily in his chest.

This was no ordinary interception mission.

This was the first time the system had forewarned him of a major historical event from the original story—and a full week before it happened. What did that mean? It meant he no longer had to passively wait for fate nodes to appear. He could plan ahead and even... actively interfere with the course of ninja history.

"Intelligence..." Xiao murmured, his voice nearly inaudible in the silent room. "More valuable than the interception itself."

He rose to his feet, walked to the window, and pushed it open. The night wind rushed in, carrying the distinct scent of Konoha's forests. Several lights still shone in the distant Hokage Tower, like sleepless eyes in the dark.

Orochimaru's defection.

In the original story, it had been something of a mystery. All that was known was that the Third Hokage discovered his human experiments, after which he fled Leaf Village. But the exact timing, the precise sequence of events, the reaction of Leaf Village's higher-ups, the intensity of the ANBU pursuit... Xiao had never examined those details closely when he read the manga in his previous life.

Now, those details had become intelligence he absolutely needed to grasp.

Because Orochimaru's defection was far more than the departure of a powerful ninja. It meant a shock to Leaf Village's internal power structure. It meant damage to the Third Hokage's authority. It meant Danzo and Root might use this chance to expand their influence. It meant... Leaf Village's surveillance and suppression of the great ninja clans, especially the Hyuga Clan, might enter a new phase.

Xiao's fingers lightly tapped against the window frame.

Once, twice, in a steady rhythm.

"Anko Mitarashi..." He recalled what he knew about her.

Nine years old, an ANBU trainee, Orochimaru's disciple. In the original story, after Orochimaru defected, her personality changed drastically. She became volatile and irritable, later even willingly accepting Orochimaru's curse mark and turning into a half-human, half-snake monster. It was a self-destructive impulse born of despair—she had lost the mentor she admired most and lost her place in Leaf Village, leaving her with nothing but violence to conceal the void inside her.

And now, the system wanted him to intercept this fate node.

To change Anko's fate.

The corner of Xiao's mouth lifted slightly.

This was not as simple as saving someone. Orochimaru's disciple and an ANBU trainee—those two identities together meant Anko possessed a great deal of intelligence regarding Leaf Village's ANBU system, Orochimaru's research, and perhaps even Root's operational methods.

If he could intervene when she was at her most vulnerable...

If, as she lost her mentor, he could give her a new "anchor"...

Then Anko would become a nail he could drive into Leaf Village's ANBU system, and one of his most important sources of intelligence in his future struggle against Danzo and the Third Hokage.

"One week," Xiao said softly.

Time was tight.

Anko was an ANBU trainee. Her whereabouts were uncertain, and her training and assignments were directly managed by the ANBU. For a Branch House member to approach her would be as difficult as reaching the heavens. Besides, Orochimaru was still one of Leaf Village's Three Legendary Ninja, a highly respected upper-level combatant. His disciple would naturally be heavily protected—or rather, heavily monitored.

Approaching Anko directly would only draw the attention of the ANBU and Root.

He needed a more discreet method.

Xiao closed his eyes, and the vision of the Byakugan unfolded in his mind. He was not truly activating it, only simulating—simulating Leaf Village's map, the ANBU trainees' training grounds, and the routes Anko might take.

The ANBU trainees' training ground was in the northeastern corner of the village, near the Forest of Death. Specialized barriers had been erected there, and ordinary ninja could not enter. But the Hyuga Clan's Byakugan could see through most barriers—as long as he remained far enough away and did not trigger any alarms.

Anko's dormitory was in the exclusive ANBU trainee area, also guarded.

Her daily training schedule...

Xiao suddenly opened his eyes.

"The Ninja Academy."

That was right. Although Anko was already an ANBU trainee, she was only nine years old. Under Leaf Village's regulations, she still had to periodically return to the Ninja Academy for cultural classes and basic tactical theory. This was to ensure ANBU members did not become tools that only knew how to kill.

And the Ninja Academy's class schedule was public.

Xiao turned back to the corner of the room and took out a parchment scroll from a hidden compartment beneath the tatami. Over the past few months, he had secretly recorded the daily activity patterns of Leaf Village's various institutions and the children of its ninja clans under the pretext of "gathering intelligence to report to the Main House."

His fingers slid over the parchment.

He found it.

"Every Wednesday and Friday afternoon, ANBU trainees return to the academy for theory classes. Location: Third Training Building on the east side of the Ninja Academy, second floor, special classroom."

Today was Monday.

There were two days until Wednesday.

Xiao rolled up the parchment and returned it to the hidden compartment. His movements were slow, every step precise as if he were setting a trap.

Two days would be enough for him to prepare.

But there was a problem—even if he encountered Anko at the Ninja Academy, what excuse could he use to approach her? An ordinary Branch House boy from the Hyuga Clan suddenly striking up a conversation with a genius girl from the ANBU trainees? It would be too abrupt. The ANBU would certainly keep an eye on him.

He had to create a "natural" encounter.

Several plans flashed through Xiao's mind.

Accidentally running into her? Too fake.

A joint mission? A Branch House member and an ANBU trainee could never have any overlap.

Then...

"The library."

The Ninja Academy's library was open to all enrolled students and ANBU trainees returning for further study. It contained many books on ninjutsu theory, tactical analysis, and even the geography and history of various countries. Since Anko was returning for classes, it would be perfectly reasonable for her to visit the library afterward to look up information.

And Hyuga Xiao could visit the library as well—under the pretext of "collecting ancient texts for the Main House." Elder Ko Hyuga had personally given him that assignment, so he had a legitimate reason.

As long as he timed it right...

Xiao sat back down on the tatami and began adjusting his breathing. Chakra flowed slowly through his meridians, while the Byakugan's vision opened and closed intermittently. He simulated the possible scenes that might unfold in the library on Wednesday afternoon.

Which area would Anko sit in?

What books would she read?

Would there be ANBU watchers beside her?

If the ANBU were monitoring her, how could he have his first conversation with Anko without arousing suspicion?

These questions lined up and played out in Xiao's mind like pieces on a chessboard. He needed an opening line, an angle that would catch Anko's interest without seeming deliberate.

Orochimaru.

The person Anko admired most was Orochimaru. But bringing up Orochimaru's name directly was too risky. Orochimaru was still one of Leaf Village's upper echelon. A Branch House child suddenly asking about one of the Three Legendary Ninja would be asking for trouble.

Then perhaps he could start with Orochimaru's fields of research?

Forbidden techniques? Human experiments? No, those topics were too sensitive.

Summoning techniques? Snakes?

Xiao's thoughts abruptly halted.

Snakes.

Orochimaru's defining symbol was the snake. As his disciple, Anko must have encountered summoning techniques and snakes as well. And the Hyuga Clan... in theory, the Hyuga Clan's Gentle Fist had similarities to the way snakes attacked—both delivered precise strikes to vital points, both aimed to kill with a single blow.

What if he began with the common ground between their combat techniques?

A gleam flashed in Xiao's eyes.

He could pretend to be looking through texts about "combining fluid taijutsu with animal instincts" in the library, then "coincidentally" discover that Anko was reading similar books. Then, as a practitioner of the Hyuga Clan's Gentle Fist, he could discuss "the inspiration snake attack patterns offered for taijutsu."

It would sound like a boy obsessed with taijutsu, searching for a breakthrough.

Perfectly reasonable.

And if Anko truly was like her original-story counterpart—a person who worshipped the strong and had a fanatical interest in combat techniques—then this topic would definitely catch her attention.

"First step: establish initial contact," Xiao murmured. "Second step: leave her with the impression that 'this Hyuga Branch House kid is somewhat interesting.' Third step... when Orochimaru's defection erupts, only then will I be qualified to become the first person she thinks of asking for help."

The plan took shape in his mind.

But Xiao did not relax immediately. He continued to calculate, considering every possible variable.

What if Anko ignored him?

What if an ANBU watcher intervened?

What if Orochimaru defected earlier than expected?

For every "what if," he imagined three to five possible responses. It was a habit he had developed during his nine years in the Hyuga Branch House—living under the shadow of the Caged Bird Seal meant thinking every matter through and leaving himself every possible escape route.

The moon outside gradually dipped westward.

Xiao finally finished his calculations and slowly exhaled a breath of stale air. A faint sting came from the Caged Bird Seal on his forehead—an occasional remote sensing from the Main House, used to confirm that Branch House members remained under control.

Xiao endured the sting without expression.

His fingers gently clenched inside his sleeve, then relaxed.

One week later.

Orochimaru would defect.

It would mark the beginning of Leaf Village's turmoil, as well as his first opportunity to formally step onto the stage of the ninja world. And Anko Mitarashi would be the first key he needed to hold in his hand.

"System," Xiao asked softly in his mind, "after a successful interception, what exactly does curse mark resistance +10% do?"

[ Answer: The host's resistance to all forms of curse marks, sealing techniques, and mind-control ninjutsu increases by 10%. This includes but is not limited to the Caged Bird Seal, Orochimaru's curse marks, Sharingan genjutsu, Root's Cursed Tongue Eradication Seal, and so on. ]

[ Special notice: Resistance increases stack permanently. Once resistance reaches 100%, the host will become immune to all curse mark-type control. ]

Xiao's pupils constricted slightly.

Immune to all curse marks.

What did that mean? It meant the Caged Bird Seal would completely lose its effect on him. It meant Danzo's Cursed Tongue Eradication Seal would be unable to control him. It meant that in the future, when facing Itachi Uchiha's Tsukuyomi, Orochimaru's Curse Mark of Heaven, or any enemy who tried to bind him with sealing techniques—he would stand undefeated.

And all of this would begin with saving a nine-year-old girl.

"A very worthwhile trade," Xiao said softly.

Moonlight fell across his face. The features of an ordinary Hyuga Branch House boy were blurred by shadow. Only those eyes glimmered in the darkness with an almost inhuman calm.

He began looking forward to Wednesday.

No.

He began looking forward to one week later, when Orochimaru defected, and the shock, anger, and panic on the faces of Leaf Village's higher-ups.

And he would stand in the shadows, watching it all unfold.

Then he would reach out and catch that girl falling from above.

Catch her, and catch every secret she carried about Leaf Village's dark side.

The wind outside grew stronger.

Xiao closed the paper window.

The room fell into complete darkness.

Only the Caged Bird Seal on his forehead still emitted an exceedingly faint blue-green glow.

Like a shackle.

And like a seal... about to be broken.