Were You Scared Enough to Wet Yourself?

The door to the Hokage's Office opened.

A white-haired man in a Jonin vest walked in.

"Oh, Sakumo. What's happening over in Sunagakure?"

"After infiltrating Sunagakure, I found that they'd mobilized their ninja on a large scale, apparently to search for something. They've also increased security along the border."

The Third Hokage took a drag from his pipe and blew a smoke ring.

"Troubled times. Thanks for your efforts on this mission. Take some time to rest."

"Yes, Third Hokage."

Sakumo was about to turn and leave when another figure entered the Hokage's Office.

Sakumo nodded to him.

"Lord Danzo."

Danzo responded with a cool nod.

After Sakumo left, only the Third Hokage and Danzo remained in the office—the two longtime friends bound by deep ties to Konoha.

"Hmph. Sakumo's reputation has been rising lately. The village trusts him more than Jiraiya or Orochimaru."

Danzo was the first to break the silence.

The Third Hokage looked helplessly at his old friend. After all these years, Danzo still liked playing these games.

"That's a good thing. It means Konoha has a stronger backbone beyond the Sannin."

The Third Hokage wasn't going to fall for it, of course. Danzo treated it as a probe and soon changed the subject.

"Kirigakure is the same as ever. We can't get any intelligence out of them. Hanzō is holed up in Amegakure, so he shouldn't pose much of a threat."

"Kumogakure and Iwagakure haven't made any major moves either. I'd say Sunagakure is the most restless."

The Third Hokage nodded. That matched Sakumo's intelligence.

"Hiruzen, war is coming. Root needs to expand. We need people and money. Those clans—"

"I can give you money, but you cannot expand your ranks. Konoha needs more than Root in the shadows. It needs light, too!"

The Third Hokage cut Danzo off. Danzo's grip tightened on his cane.

Hiruzen, you get to be the Hokage in the light, while I can only be Root, buried deep underground. Why?

If only, back then...

Danzo suppressed the thought and snorted.

"Hiruzen, you'll regret this!"

"Danzo, I am the Hokage!"

Bang!

The door slammed shut, and silence returned to the Hokage's Office.

Ichiraku Ramen Shop.

"Hey, Yan. Don't tell me you forgot your lunch and made that bet just to trick me into buying you food."

Anko set down her chopsticks and watched Yan devour his meal, mourning the loss of her money. Still, the ramen really was delicious.

"No way. Do I, Homura Uchiha, look like that kind of person?"

Yan swallowed a mouthful of ramen and thought, Ichiraku Ramen really lives up to its reputation. No wonder Naruto ate here all through his childhood.

"You didn't pretend to be weak this whole time just so you could take advantage of me today, did you?"

That reminded Yan how badly he wanted to teach Obito a lesson. Damn you, Obito Uchiha! Sure, I kept getting beaten at the clan training ground, but Fugaku was the one beating me! How did that turn into a rumor that I'm as weak as you?

"Yan, are we going back for afternoon classes?"

"We've already skipped class. Going back now would be stupid."

"But we don't have anywhere else to go."

Anko finished her soup and looked to Yan for an idea.

"How about I take you to train?"

Yan thought, If weaker people can't drop Gold Coins for me, I just need to make them stronger.

"You're not planning to take me somewhere deserted, put me under Genjutsu or knock me out, and then..."

"Cough." Yan nearly choked on his soup. He stared at Anko, wide-eyed.

People in the Shinobi World grow up way too fast.

In the forest.

Birds called among the trees, and a river flowed quietly nearby.

"First, we'll work on Chakra control. Specifically, Tree Walking. You gather Chakra on the soles of your feet and walk up a tree, step by step, until you reach the top."

Yan pointed to a nearby tree as he explained it to Anko.

The moment he finished, Anko eagerly gave it a try.

One step, two steps. This isn't hard at all. Maybe I'm a genius too.

Anko was feeling proud and was about to show off to Yan, but she used too little Chakra on her next step.

Thud. She fell straight to the ground.

"Damn it. Again!" Anko dusted off her backside and started climbing once more.

Yan began climbing too. One step, two steps, three...

Crack.

He'd used too much Chakra and split the bark beneath his foot. Yan pushed off hard, leaped backward, and landed on the ground.

Anko was about to say, "You're not so great yourself," but before she could, Yan started up the tree again. One step, two steps, three...

This time, under Anko's watchful eye, Yan made it all the way to the top.

Standing at the top of the tree, Yan looked down and raised an eyebrow at her. Anko clenched her fists, turned back, and threw herself into practice.

Yan climbed down and went to the river to practice Water Walking.

He stepped onto the river, gathering Chakra beneath his feet. With its help, he stayed above the water. Then he tried walking, slowly making his way from one bank to the other and back.

Finally, he tried running. He became a dark blur racing across the water, sending up sprays in his wake.

Once he had the hang of it, Yan returned to the bank. Anko was getting closer and closer to the treetop. Fully focused on controlling her Chakra, she slowly walked to the top.

She looked down and saw Yan watching from the bank. He nodded to her, and she excitedly tried to show off. The moment her attention slipped, her still-unsteady Chakra control faltered, and she fell toward the ground.

I'm done for! Anko squeezed her eyes shut.

Yan's heart lurched when he saw Anko fall. He drove off the ground with both legs, raced toward her, leaped into the air, and caught her in his arms.

It was as though someone had muted the world. The birds fell silent, and a light breeze brushed the girl's face.

Anko felt herself land in someone's arms. She opened her eyes and saw Yan.

The two of them recreated Minato's famous scene in midair. Anko stared blankly at Yan's face and thought, He's always fooling around, but up close, he's actually pretty good-looking.

Yan didn't notice her gaze. He landed steadily with her in his arms and breathed a sigh of relief.

He turned to look at Anko. Her eyes were unfocused, and he frowned with worry. I didn't scare Orochimaru's future apprentice senseless, did I? He gently set her down.

Anko's face reddened. She was about to say something, but Yan spoke first.

"Were you scared enough to wet yourself?"

Yan put his hand to his nose and sniffed. He couldn't smell anything on it.

Anko's expression froze. Her face went from red to pale, then redder than before. She lunged forward and headbutted him. Caught completely off guard, Yan was knocked out cold by the blow at point-blank range.

Near dusk, the Ninja Academy's dismissal bell rang. Taro looked at Yan's and Anko's empty seats and felt a headache coming on.

What kind of stunt is Yan pulling now?

Elsewhere.

"Hiss."

Yan sat up, clutching his swollen forehead. As he looked at Anko beside him, his memory slowly returned.

Anko knocked me out with a headbutt, didn't she?

"Is that how you treat someone who saved your life?"

Yan spoke through gritted teeth.

Anko turned away, her ears red, and raised her voice to cover her guilt.

"You're the one who said I wet myself! I didn't..."

She turned back and saw the swelling on Yan's forehead. A pang of guilt rose in her chest.

He did save me, after all...

"I'll get you some medicine to put on that when we get back."

Anko reached out and touched the swollen spot, then quickly pulled her hand away.

"Forget it. It's getting late. Let's head back."

Yan let the matter drop and stood to leave.

Then he stopped abruptly, his eyes sweeping the area.

"What is it?" Anko looked at Yan, puzzled, and glanced around with him. "Is something there?"

Yan looked toward the bushes on their left and pulled Anko behind him.

Between the thick leaves, a pair of eyes stared at them.