"What? You don't want to leave with me?"
Anko slowly backed away, her big eyes filled with confusion, her tone hesitant.
"Why does the teacher want to leave the village and travel? What about Huayue? He's also the teacher's disciple, so he'll go with us, right?"
Anko's half-step back undoubtedly revealed her inner thoughts, but Orochimaru was not disappointed. A strange light flashed in his snake-like vertical pupils.
"As expected, you are more than your teacher... Never mind, since we are master and disciple, I will give you a precious gift before we part. This gift can help you catch up with Uchiha Huayue. Do not resist."
In an instant, Orochimaru gave a cold smile, and his neck suddenly shot forward like a snake hunting its prey, his two sharp, hollow fangs piercing towards Anko's delicate nape.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The pale blue fluorescence flowed, and the Silent Blood Armor, which barely withstood the piercing of the sharp teeth, only lasted a moment before shattering instantly.
The hollow fang was injected with a spell, and Three Tomoe- shaped Curse Mark were injected into it. The intense pain caused Anko to faint instantly.
"There's a one in ten chance that this will be the key that will give you an edge over ordinary ninjas and allow you to unlock the Sage's Lock."
"Alright, let me see your abilities, Uchiha Huayue. Your abilities as a perfect sage, hehehehe..."
In the blink of an eye, Orochimaru left the laboratory. Before anyone else could realize the secrets hidden within the laboratory in Konoha, he abandoned this experimental site, which he had poured his heart and soul into, without the slightest hesitation.
The sun was shining brightly, and golden rays shone on that tender face covered with beads of cold sweat, and every cell in his body was in excruciating pain.
The unstable Curse Mark, accompanied by Natural Energy that is difficult for ordinary people to perceive, is constantly eroding Anko's body cells and chakra, and is also constantly amplifying her negative emotions.
'Am I... am I going to die? Orochimaru- sensei, why? What is this feeling? Kill him, kill him, kill him!'
The last vestiges of reason in her mind were gradually overwhelmed by madness. The physical pain rendered Anko unable to move, while the mental pressure and confusion only strengthened her resolve.
Unbeknownst to her, as she drifted into a drowsy Anko, the faint, refreshing scent of herbs and trees, carrying with it a vibrant vitality, temporarily eased the pain in her body.
Anko looked dazed and couldn't help but take a deep breath before falling into a deep sleep and drifting into a beautiful dream.
'A familiar and pleasant scent, this scent is...'
As the sun sets in the west, the sky gradually darkens.
Anko opened her eyes in a daze. The pain and cold sweat on her body had disappeared without her noticing. The ceiling in front of her was both strange and familiar.
Wait, I feel like I've forgotten something. This doesn't feel like my home...
'No way, not again!'
My expression gradually went numb. I subconsciously looked down and saw something very white and warm. It felt familiar, but the texture was off.
Turning her head away, she saw that smiling face that she couldn't see no matter what, yet which kept popping up unexpectedly, now looking at her with a half-smile.
"Long time no see. You seem to be in a bad mood. Is something bothering you?"
Gritting his teeth, seething with rage, filled with righteous indignation...
Even without using her Red Eye, Huayue could tell that Anko's emotions seemed to have gone from one extreme to another.
"How dare you ask, you bastard! They're all like this, you're nowhere to be seen all day, and Orochimaru- sensei is always so mysterious, I don't know what he's researching. I, Anko, almost died!"
After a moment of mental blankness, Huayue seemed to remember something, tapped her hands together, and pretended to suddenly realize something.
"Oh!!! You're talking about Orochimaru- sensei's Curse Mark? You managed to withstand something like that yourself. As expected of a research-oriented ninja, to be able to reach Sage Mode using Curse Mark, as expected of..."
As expected of the most scientifically advanced researcher in the entire Hokage World, Huayue only muttered these words to himself to avoid upsetting Anko, who was in a bad mood.
Do you know where Orochimaru- sensei is going?
Lying flat on the bed, Anko stared blankly at the ceiling. After listening to Huayue's explanation of this special Curse Mark, she finally understood her place in Orochimaru's heart.
There's a one in ten chance; if you're unlucky, you'll die completely. You're just a pawn that Orochimaru casually sets up. The last sentence is what Huayue said.
"Who knows? Snakes love to burrow, who knows how many hidden hideouts he has."
Changing the subject, her fair fingers slowly pointed to Anko's shoulder and gently poked it.
bite!
The girl's fair, jade-like shoulders, brimming with youthful vitality, now revealed a dark, deep blue, regularly flowing, invisible ripple, drawing Anko, who was still feeling lost, closer.
"What is this? Wasn't it bitten to pieces by Orochimaru- sensei?"
"Idiot, the Silent Blood Armor isn't that fragile. As long as the defensive spells within the blood vessels don't disappear, it will recover even if it's temporarily broken."
"In addition, I assimilated the unstable Curse Mark left by Orochimaru with the Silent Blood Armor. Now the Silent Blood Armor's defense is so strong that even a lightning Chakra Scalpel might not be able to pierce it."
Assimilating the Curse Mark connects to Natural Energy with the blood armor was a topic that Huayue casually set up when he mastered Sage Mode. Orochimaru thought that this would allow him to test Orochimaru's research progress, but he was still too naive.
Originally bracing herself for pain and torment, Anko's eyes widened, her purple pupils sparkling, and she couldn't help but exclaim in amazement.
"How come I don't feel any pain at all? It feels like my whole body is full of power, and even my chakra has increased a lot. What's going on?"
"This is the normal Sage Mode: physical constitution greatly enhanced, chakra power increased several times over, and excessive pain is not experienced when attacked..."
When Anko realized that this was a power inheritance from the Three Great Training Holy Lands, she sighed softly and murmured to herself.
"Is the difference between people really greater than the difference between people and dogs? Is what Ebisu said true? Are you and I separated by an entire ocean of stars?"
Huayue shook her head repeatedly, subconsciously measured it, and said frankly.
"Isn't it 3 centimeters?"
Anko suddenly realized what was happening and subconsciously pulled the blanket covering her body closer. The big-eyed cutie was right next to her, blinking incessantly, which made her even more embarrassed.
"You bastard, haven't you had enough yet? If you hadn't saved me again, I, Lord Anko, would have killed you sooner or later. Only when you die will you behave yourself, hmph."
"This isn't the first time; the little pigeon seems to have gotten quite a bit bigger than last time..."
Under those shy yet murderous gazes, she slowly drew the curtains to block out the hazy starlight, then blew out the lamp and removed the candle.
A few days later, the Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi down, and the Fourth Hokage, Namikaze Minato, succeeded him. Except for Kumogakure, the other major ninja villages officially ceased hostilities with Konoha, and the Land of Fire entered a period of peace.
A year after the Fourth Hokage took office, on July 23 of that year, Huayue, immersed in research and training, looked towards Konoha Hospital with a glint in his eyes, revealing excitement.