"Let's go."
Having obtained the intelligence he was after, Masahiko saw no reason to refuse Anko's suggestion.
Besides, he was curious.
After his recent intensive training sessions with the 'Hatake Kakashi' projection, he wanted to know just how much he had improved.
"It really has to be you! That guy Hayate turned pale the moment he heard about a fight. I was genuinely worried I'd send him to the hospital!"
Mitarashi Anko slammed the table excitedly, polished off her dango in two or three bites, and stood up.
"Let's go, let's go!"
"Don't drag me, I'm coming," Masahiko said, shaking off her grip as he casually asked, "What's the background of those nobles from the Land of Fire you mentioned earlier?"
"It's... hard to describe," Anko hesitated slightly. "I can't give you too many specifics. Just know that this group will do anything for money. They have absolutely no bottom line."
Her tone was thick with disgust, but mindful of the Shinobi confidentiality protocols, she didn't reveal the specific identity of the employer.
Hearing this, Masahiko understood the gist of it.
These people were likely the aristocratic faction that supported the Daimyō.
'If that's the case...' Masahiko mused. 'The corruption in the Land of Waves, the rise of Gatō... are these nobles the shadows behind it all?'
It made sense.
The Land of Waves was a tiny nation. No matter how wealthy Gatō was, he still had to bow to the whims of the Great Nations like the Land of Fire and the Land of Water. Without the backing of powerful figures from these countries, how could a mere shipping magnate rise so unchecked?
'This means simply interfering in the Land of Waves to make Gatō work for me isn't realistic yet...'
Masahiko looked pensive.
Beside him, Anko shot him a strange look. "What are you thinking about?"
"Nothing much. Just some trouble at the Academy—I can't go into details—so I wanted to understand the situation over in the Capital," Masahiko replied with a half-truth.
Anko thought for a moment but didn't pry further. "I think I know what you're referring to. Well... we're just Special Jonin. There's not much we can do about politics. Let's just fight!"
With that, she executed a Body Flicker Technique, vanishing instantly to reappear on the rooftop.
"Come on! Let's take the shortcut!"
"Right."
...
Combat was strictly prohibited within the village walls.
The moment they stepped out of Konoha and reached the riverbank, Mitarashi Anko immediately drew a kunai and slashed at Masahiko.
During her last ambush on Masahiko, she had truly just been playing around—testing the waters without using her full strength.
But now?
Anko's speed was blistering. Her body seemed to dissolve, leaving behind only a blurred afterimage where she once stood.
However, at the same instant—
Before her eyes, Yagyu Masahiko's figure flickered. He instantly split into three separate silhouettes, dashing off in three different directions.
Anko's eyes swept the field, and she instantly zeroed in on the location of the main body, lunging for the kill.
But.
Just as her kunai thrust forward, a prickling sense of crisis assaulted her senses.
'Wrong!'
Anko immediately aborted her attack, her kunai carving a defensive arc as she slashed behind her.
Clang!
Blade and kunai collided, sparks flying.
A bead of cold sweat trickled down Anko's forehead.
She was a veteran shinobi; years of tempering had honed her combat instincts far beyond the average ninja. If not for that, she would have lost right there.
There was no time to think.
After the clash, Anko spun around, her hands forming seals behind her back.
In the next second, a breeze whistled from her rear.
'Behind me again?'
She ducked low, narrowly avoiding a blade edge. Planting her left hand on the ground for support, a massive serpent shot out from her sleeve, instantly coiling around Masahiko's ankle.
Hidden Shadow Snake Hands!
Balancing on one hand, Anko whipped her body around in a spinning kick. Just as Masahiko leaned back to dodge the kick, her left hand left the ground—
Three or four snakes shot from her sleeve, snapping viciously at Masahiko's face.
But in that split second, Masahiko severed the snake at his feet with a swift downward stroke. As the snake heads lunged to bite him, he had already vanished from his position.
'So fast!'
Anko couldn't believe it.
She had only been away on a mission for a short while—had Masahiko's strength really reached this level?
Or could it be...
'Did he hold back his full strength last time, too?'
She didn't have the luxury to ponder.
The moment Masahiko broke free, three figures materialized, converging on her from three different angles.
Konoha Style: Dance of the Crescent Moon!
Simultaneously, Masahiko's chakra signature was perfectly masked. She couldn't sense his presence at all.
'Three of them... Which one is real?'
She manipulated the snakes in her sleeves to strike at all three clones simultaneously.
Poof! Poof! Poof!
In an instant, all three figures vanished.
'All fakes!'
She immediately triggered the Body Flicker, launching herself upward toward a massive boulder nearby.
Anko had a premonition, but she was still a fraction of a second too slow.
As she ascended toward the high ground, Masahiko had already made his move.
The river below suddenly swelled. Rolling torrents surged from the riverbed, rushing toward her position. From within the crashing waves, three more figures burst forth, blades drawn.
Anko didn't dare to gamble. A large snake shot from her right sleeve, transforming into a whip that lashed out forward, while her other hand fired a snake toward the boulder to anchor herself.
But the three "Masahikos" were immediately swallowed by the rising water.
A second later, four "Masahikos" erupted from the churning river, leaping into the air to slash at Anko as she flew toward the rock.
Mid-air, Anko kicked a blade aside, retracted her hands, and rapidly wove hand seals.
Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu!
At that exact moment—
Bang!
Kicks landed on her from the other three directions. The force was significantly weaker than a real attack—barely causing damage—but for Anko, who was suspended in mid-air and unable to stabilize herself, even a slight nudge was enough to drastically alter the trajectory of her ninjutsu.
The fireball missed its mark.
Ahead of her, the "Masahiko" landed on the water. His hands formed seals, and the receding water beneath his feet surged violently once more.
Water Style: Wild Water Wave!
This time...
The water compressed into a pillar, blasting toward her landing spot.
Anko realized the danger. She tried to adjust the angle of her Fire Style, but suddenly, the real Masahiko burst out from the stream of water, his sheathed katana tapping lightly against her shoulder as he flew past.
Poof.
Three clones turned into water; one turned into smoke.
Masahiko, landing gracefully after flying past her, smiled. "I got lucky."
The water receded.
He stood calmly in the muddy riverbank in the distance.
Mitarashi Anko stood frozen for a moment, then gave a bitter smile. "Amazing."
"You lack intelligence on my abilities, whereas I know you quite well," Masahiko replied evenly. "When strength is comparable, information decides the victor. It's normal for me to win."
Anko shook her head.
"Your Body Flicker, your Clone Technique... even 'Shisui of the Body Flicker' might only be at this level. Even if we fought again, I wouldn't be your opponent."
If he just wanted to win, he could have found a Chunin to beat up. That would have been safer.
She could accept a loss; she wasn't a sore loser.
After pondering for a few seconds, Anko still couldn't think of a solution to his tactics. It only gave her a headache. "Your style... it's unbreakable!"
"It's not that formidable. As long as your reaction speed is fast enough, you can break it," Masahiko said, shaking his head. He didn't hide the truth. "High-speed combat can be a weapon, but it can also be used against you."
Anko thought about it and nodded slightly.
"That's true. But to possess that kind of speed or reaction time... you'd need to be a Jonin specializing in Taijutsu or speed, or someone from the Uchiha or Hyuga clans..."
Aside from a few Special Jonin from the Uchiha or Hyuga, almost everyone fitting those criteria was a full-fledged Jonin.
Below the Jonin rank, it was hard to imagine anyone defeating Masahiko.
Anko looked at him with envy.
Masahiko, however, knew the reality: 'She didn't use her Summoning Jutsu.'
If she had summoned her giant snakes, she could have used them as a fortress to stall him for a while.
"Go again? I won't use that level of Body Flicker this time. Let's just have a pure Taijutsu exchange."
"You're on!"
Anko's excitement returned.
The two engaged once more.
Masahiko refrained from his enhanced movement techniques, and Anko held back her Hidden Shadow Snake Hands. They fought to a standstill.
After a round of combat, Masahiko had a clear understanding of his current Taijutsu standards.
Without the "Limit-Break" level Body Flicker, winning against Anko purely through Taijutsu would take considerable effort.
But...
Anko was a specialist in Ninjutsu and assassination, not a Taijutsu master. Barely beating her in hand-to-hand combat wasn't exactly a crowning achievement.
'I still have a long way to go,' Masahiko mentally summarized, feeling a bit unsatisfied.
Anko, on the other hand, was thoroughly depressed.
She could accept defeat, but she couldn't accept losing this badly—
He could win even with "one hand tied behind his back" (metaphorically speaking).
"Starting today, I'm going to train like crazy! I'll become a Jonin in no time!"
Her voice carried a hint of tragic determination.
However.
"Really?"
"You don't believe me?" Anko glared at him dangerously.
Masahiko grinned, his expression gentle and encouraging. "No, I just meant to say—let's do our best together!"
"That's right, let's do our best together! How about we run ten laps right now?"
"Make it a hundred!"