They Really Exist

On the outskirts of the Uchiha Clan district, Anko looked around, her eyes full of envy.

"Every time I come to your house, it annoys me. You live so close to several dango shops. It's such a waste of prime location on someone who does nothing but slack off all day."

"Is that so? Then do you want to move in with me?"

Her expression became increasingly hard to maintain, and Anko could not help cursing.

"You bastard, Huayue. You've been like this ever since back then, always saying such ridiculous things. Now that I think about it, you were the same when we first met!"

"You went on about Imperial Release: Nine Clans Severance Technique, but you were really just treating everyone else like idiots. It still makes me mad whenever I think about it!"

The corners of Huayue's lips curled up slightly as he recalled what he had said when he first met Anko at the Ninja Academy.

"You're asking what the most terrifying ninjutsu is?"

"Of course, it's Causality Ninjutsu. Of all the Causality Ninjutsu I know, that forbidden technique is by far the most dangerous."

"As long as you mention certain words forbidden to it, not only will you lose your life, but your family and friends, as well as your friends' families and friends, will all be erased by an ancient and mysterious force."

"The name of the ninjutsu? Hmm... Imperial Release: Nine Clans Severance Technique!"

Young Anko had been completely taken in, and the two gradually became familiar with each other afterward. Thinking back to that, Huayue turned around and said with a perfectly serious expression.

"Imperial Release: Nine Clans Severance Technique really exists. Just like the Great Treasure of Laugh Tale, the Shinigami that maintain the balance of the three realms, and the Millennium Artifacts sleeping in desert kingdoms. They're simply all in distant worlds beyond reach!"

"Ah! Here you go again. When are you ever going to... Forget it. This is fine. I'm tired. Anko's Heroic Tale has come to a grand end."

Lying on the sofa like a salted fish, Anko completely lost her fighting spirit. No matter how much she hinted at it, the guy in front of her remained as oblivious as a block of wood.

"It can't end like this. Didn't you say we were going to test a ninjutsu?"

"Fine, whatever. A ninjutsu that can be tested indoors probably isn't all that powerful anyway. Do whatever you want. I give up resisting."

Before Anko could react, a cold substance entered her neck and flowed with her blood into her heart.

"What is this?"

"A special Secret Jutsu that affects chakra and spiritual energy. It was developed to compensate for ninja's lack of physical defense. The results look like this."

Ding!

A jet-black specialized kunai touched her exposed elbow. With her instinctive breathing and heartbeat, pale blue ripples and lines faintly emerged, as though connecting the entire surface of her body into one whole.

At that moment, Anko's face was filled with shock. She clearly had not condensed chakra through hand seals, so how had chakra automatically gathered and blocked Huayue's specialized kunai?

"It doesn't require hand seals, and compared to the chakra needed for other ninjutsu, its consumption is practically negligible. This is the defensive Secret Jutsu, Blut Vene."

"The current Blut Vene is not yet complete. With only a few scattered flashes of inspiration, combined with Orochimaru-sensei's research findings, it can still block ordinary kunai and Explosive Tags without a problem."

"The most important thing is that even genin can use it. It can increase a ninja's chances of survival to a certain extent. Not bad, right?"

Facing that smile as warm as a spring breeze, Anko was dazed for a moment before asking softly.

"Blut Vene... where did you get the inspiration for it?"

"In my dreams."

Huayue turned to look at the Book of Vermilion Moon beside his pillow. At that moment, it was giving off a glow that ordinary people could not perceive.

Ever since he began carrying the Book of Vermilion Moon with him, strange knowledge occasionally entered his mind. It seemed the Black Nine-Tails had not been lying.

Still, Huayue had no idea why the Book of Vermilion Moon could draw in Quincy knowledge. However, Blut Vene was the most complete body of knowledge he had gathered over the past few days.

As long as he formulated a specialized solution that could automatically combine physical energy and spiritual energy, then injected it into the blood vessels, it could greatly improve the body's defensive capabilities.

That was also why Quincy could battle Hollows and Shinigami. They were all human in constitution, and their blood vessels were not all that different.

Compared to Quincy directly injecting spirit particles into their blood vessels, the Blut Vene Huayue developed merely added a step to combine physical energy and spiritual energy. The difference was not significant.

"You... I keep feeling like you're becoming a little like Orochimaru-sensei. People who can develop Secret Jutsu really make me look like an idiot by comparison."

She stabbed at her own skin again and again. Whether it was her usual blind spots or even her fingertips, the nearly all-around defense left Anko deeply discouraged.

"No, there's a fundamental difference between Orochimaru-sensei and me. I'll do my best to ensure that my Secret Jutsu are harmless to people. Orochimaru-sensei, on the other hand, doesn't care about the safety of his test subjects."

"When do you think the war will end, Anko?"

"With Minato-sensei around, it should end soon, right?"

Like a child... though she was a child to begin with, Anko had found a novel toy and kept playing with Blut Vene over and over. Hearing Huayue's question, she answered casually.

"Is that so? Then we disagree. This war may last unexpectedly long. Until Orochimaru-sensei achieves his goal, he can be unexpectedly determined."

At the same time, 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 Iwagakure in the Land of Grass had been intercepted by Namikaze Minato and Hatake Kakashi, the pressure on every battlefield had eased considerably.

Without a doubt, as long as their side fought steadily on this battlefield, the Third Great Ninja War would surely come to an end by the end of the year.

In an unnoticed corner, a snake slithered forward, looked around, and finally vanished into the battlefield.

Several days later, shocking terrible news reached Konoha, plunging the previously favorable situation back into uncertainty.

"What did you say? The war supplies were destroyed at all costs by Kirigakure, putting Kirigakure's side in a difficult position? Why did Kirigakure know the location of the war supplies? Was intelligence leaked?"

Inside the Hokage's Office, Sarutobi Hiruzen had been leisurely practicing calligraphy when the brush in his hand began to tremble. Drops of ink splattered across the paper, and his eyes were full of disbelief.

"How could Shikaku make such a mistake? What exactly happened? Did spies infiltrate us from within?"

Thoughts raced through Sarutobi Hiruzen's mind, but he remained silent. Minato was currently stationed at Kannabi Bridge, while Uchiha Huayue, though temporarily remaining in the village, had the task of restraining the Third Tsuchikage. Did they have no generals left to deploy?

"Among the recent graduates, are there any talented genin who have stood out?"

Just then, an Intelligence Unit member hurried over excitedly.

"Reporting to Lord Third Hokage, Uchiha Shisui discovered and defeated Kirigakure ninja who had infiltrated near the Land of Fire. Their squad leader was Ao, the Hidden Mist Jonin who stole the Byakugan!"