He had to admit that the Ninja Academy was one of the few truly good places in the world of Naruto. Anyo hungrily absorbed knowledge about ninja there every day.
His physical strength gradually increased with his daily training. Combined with his already powerful spiritual energy, his chakra reserves had become quite considerable. However, he kept his abilities well hidden, barely meeting the requirements of every test at school so that he would not stand out.
After school, he went to spar with Minato. Both orphans, they improved together, but Anyo laid down a rule: Minato could not use Flying Thunder God. There was no fun in fighting when he could not even touch him. Of course, Anyo could not use the Bringer-of-Darkness Technique either, or Minato would have no choice but to take a beating.
A year passed in the blink of an eye. In a forest, two young boys fought fiercely, trading blows on equal footing. Their battle sent tremors through the surrounding air, and leaves fell from the trees to carpet the ground.
Naturally, the two were Minato and Anyo. Over the past year, both had grown considerably taller. Their faces still held traces of childishness, but their eyes were noticeably sharper. After their fight, they lay exhausted on the ground, panting heavily as sweat ran down their clothes onto the earth.
After resting for a moment, Anyo asked, "What next? Going to sneak a look at your wife?"
Minato had grown used to Anyo calling her that. At first, he would occasionally argue, but later he simply accepted it. After all, he did have feelings for Kushina, but she was like a hedgehog, difficult to approach, so he had only ever watched over her quietly. Since Anyo was often with Minato, he naturally knew all about it.
But Minato clearly had other plans today. He said, "I'm going to rest for a bit, then keep training. The graduation exam is tomorrow, so I need to stay in good shape. What about you?"
Anyo stretched to ease his body and said leisurely, "Work and rest in balance. I'm going to wander around and relax."
Puzzled, Minato voiced a question that had long been on his mind. "You're clearly strong, so why do you keep hiding it? You know this graduation exam will determine which teacher we're assigned to. The weaker students will be put in a Chunin's class, while the stronger ones will have a Jonin leading their team."
"Any teacher will do. I don't really care." Anyo gave a casual smile. "I'm off."
With that, he brushed the dust off himself and vanished with the Body Flicker Technique, leaving a bewildered Minato behind.
That Third Hokage fellow has probably already picked out Minato's teacher: Jiraiya, one of the Sannin. As for a nobody like me, following a Chunin would be just fine. Being weak has its advantages, after all. I won't have to handle dangerous missions. Lie low and grow stronger. Perfect.
What he had told Minato about wandering around was true, too. He had been here for a year, and aside from studying, all he had done was train. Now that he was about to graduate and become a ninja, he might as well spend this last day seeing the sights of Konoha.
As Anyo wandered around, he suddenly heard the ringing of a blade. The sound gripped his soul and made his heart pound with dread.
Huh? Someone's practicing with a blade. Over there.
Curious, Anyo quickly pinpointed the source of the sound and bounded toward it. In the forest, he saw a silver-haired man holding a short blade, his body radiating powerful killing intent. That killing intent actually took the form of tangible Sword Aura that swept out in every direction.
Anyo's pupils contracted at the sight. Killing intent taking physical form. Incredible. In the anime, when Kakashi met Orochimaru, he was pinned down by a soul-shaking power like this and didn't dare move, because Orochimaru gave him the feeling that attacking would bring utter destruction upon him.
This man must be one of Konoha's powerful fighters. Just watching him puts me under immense pressure. If I faced him head-on, I'd die in a single exchange.
Following the killing intent, a chilling wave of Sword Aura slashed out in every direction. The intent arrived before the blade.
In an instant, the chilling Sword Aura split the surrounding trees in half from bottom to top. Then the short blade shot out, tracing an elegant arc through the air and cutting up the felled trees again, turning them into logs of equal length. In that brief instant, the short blade had slashed at least several hundred times.
Holy crap! Anyo watched, dumbstruck. What kind of strength is this?
Anyo himself was an expert with blades. Unlike the swordsmen of ancient times, he preferred short blades, the shorter the better. That was why he had spent a fortune having a Finger Knife made, and it had helped him countless times. But what he saw today opened a new door to his world. Swordsmanship could actually reach such heights.
"Come out," the man holding the blade snapped coldly.
Anyo had the sense to step out. Playing clever tricks in front of someone this powerful was pointless. Besides, a firm idea had taken root in his mind.
When the man holding the blade saw Anyo, he said casually, "So it's a child. Don't hide in the shadows watching me again. It's dangerous."
With that, he prepared to leave.
Anyo hurriedly appeared in front of him with the Body Flicker Technique and said, "Wait. I'd like you to take me as your student."
The man gave Anyo an odd look, ignored him, and leaped away in another direction.
That amounted to a silent refusal. Anyo gritted his teeth and chased after him, unwilling to give up.
The man was fast. Fortunately, Anyo's sparring partner over the past year was impressive too. After all, he was Minato Namikaze, the fastest man in Naruto, so Anyo could just barely keep up. And so, one following the other, they headed straight out of Konoha.
For a full hour, Anyo said nothing, gritting his teeth as he doggedly followed. The moment he had witnessed that scene earlier, he had understood that this man could make him stronger. No matter what, he could not give up.
Gradually, Anyo followed the figure out of a dense forest. Before him stood a steep cliff, and the man holding the blade was now atop it, his back to him.
Finally caught up. Anyo breathed a sigh of relief.
Only then did the man holding the blade ask, "I see you aren't wearing a forehead protector. So you're still a Ninja Academy student."
"Yes, but I graduate tomorrow."
"Why do you want me to be your teacher?"
"Because I want to become stronger and learn your swordsmanship."
"Good. Very honest." The man finally turned around.
Anyo noticed that the man was very handsome, even somewhat delicate-looking. But his appearance was not to be trusted. That killing intent was no bluff.
The man asked with interest, "Then do you know who I am?"
Anyo shook his head. "No."
"My name is Hatake Sakumo. Usually, everyone calls me Konoha's White Fang."
At the name, Anyo's expression changed. He knew who the man before him was now. This was Kakashi's father, someone in Konoha who surpassed the Sannin. No wonder his swordsmanship was so formidable.
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