Faced with Anko's request, Uchiha Hikaru wanted to agree immediately.
But as the assistant to the Hokage of Konoha, he suppressed the impulse, placed the appointment letter on the table, and handed it to her.
"Don't worry—look at this first."
Anko rolled her eyes slightly, giving Hikaru an annoyed glance.
"You really don't understand etiquette, huh? Turning down a lady's request like that? That's rude."
Despite her grumbling, she still took the appointment letter from the table with uncharacteristic seriousness, slipping instantly into a work-focused mindset.
Hikaru watched her sudden shift, and for a moment, found a different kind of charm in her. There was a quiet brilliance in her seriousness.
"How about it? Interested in being the examiner for the second round of the Chunin Exams?"
Anko skimmed the contents of the letter, then casually accepted it.
"The Chunin Exams are practically the same every year. It's always the same formula—kind of boring, honestly."
"I have a different idea."
Hikaru was a bit surprised by her words, but he couldn't deny that she had a point. The usual scroll hunt in the Forest of Death had gotten a little repetitive. He was curious what twist she had in mind.
"Go on, tell me. Just remember—ninja from other villages will be participating too. You'll need to keep things within reason."
"If it's too extreme, it'll be hard to justify."
Anko slowly reached to her waist pouch and pulled out several test tubes filled with a light green, slightly viscous liquid.
"I want to introduce this."
"It's a weakened compound cloned and developed by Orochimaru using cells from the First Hokage. Taken orally, it can restore almost all of a Jonin's chakra in a short time."
"Applied externally, it can heal serious injuries—like broken bones—within half a day."
"Because it's been diluted so much, the side effects have mostly disappeared. The first use is about 20% effective. After that, the effect drops by a certain percent with each dose until the user builds a resistance and it stops working."
Hikaru watched the vials swaying gently in her hand and motioned for her to continue.
"Keep going."
Anko sealed the test tubes into a scroll, writing a single kanji character across its surface.
"There are too many participants in this Chunin Exam. If we run it as usual, nearly a hundred of them might make it to the final stage."
"So, what if we add another scroll?"
"Before entering the Forest of Death, each team receives either a Heaven Scroll or an Earth Scroll. After obtaining both, they head to the tower and exchange the set for a Human Scroll. Then, they head back into the forest and either collect another set of Heaven and Earth Scrolls or acquire one Human Scroll per team member."
"But here's the twist: they can also choose to use the potion inside the Human Scroll. If they do, it's consumed and they lose the scroll pair—it's like starting over."
"In the end, only teams with three scrolls—Heaven, Earth, and Human—or two Human Scrolls total, can advance."
Hikaru had thought sending Guang into the Chunin Exams was already pushing the limits for the other villages. But Anko's proposal made that look tame.
This wasn't the second round of a Chunin Exam—this was full-blown survival warfare. A cruel game.
If 200 participants entered the second round, fewer than 50 might make it out—and that's assuming no one used the potions or hoarded scrolls. In reality, maybe a dozen would advance.
Still, Hikaru nodded.
"Let's go with your plan. There really are too many participants this time. Not just the Five Great Nations—Rain, Grass, even small villages like Roran are sending teams."
"We need to cut the numbers early."
He agreed without hesitation. The second round of the Chunin Exams had always been the real test—the third round was more of a show for the daimyos and nobles, a stage for diplomacy and spectacle.
But the second exam—that tested leadership, strategy, and judgment under pressure.
Those were the true qualifications for becoming a Chunin.
This year's exam might be extreme, but with the volume of applicants, maybe it was the right move.
Anko really was Orochimaru's disciple. Orochimaru understood better than anyone how to turn survival into natural selection. If the Aburame Clan saw her plan, they might even call her an expert breeder of dangerous insects.
"You're better at raising Gu than we are," they'd probably say.
Then, slowly, Anko stood up. Her lithe, toned body moved like a snake as she walked over and settled herself onto Hikaru's lap.
She pressed her hips against him, wrapped her arms around his neck, and leaned in close, letting her chest press against him in deliberate rhythm. Her breath ghosted over his ear, sultry and impossible to ignore.
"Now, you really can't say no to my request~" (✿ꈍ. ꈍ✿)
"I'm hungry~"
"You better feed me... before I punish you~"
In the early morning, the moon had long since set, and the sun was just beginning to rise over the horizon.
But inside Anko's home, the two still hadn't stopped.
Three years of pent-up longing had erupted like wildfire.
Anko's intense assault had left Hikaru struggling to keep up at first. Her relentless energy, cunning movements, and fierce kisses had overwhelmed him more than once.
The house was littered with signs of their "battle"—furniture out of place, scrolls askew, clothes scattered in every direction. They'd even put up a soundproof barrier so the neighbors wouldn't hear.
Dining table, sofa, bathtub, bedroom, kitchen…
Regular clothes, aprons, bathrobes, a one-piece black mesh battle suit, and—was that leopard print? (From the lab's animal pelt experiments?!) ( 〃▽〃)
Now, Anko was sprawled across Hikaru's chest, breathing heavily, a small satisfied smile curling at her lips. Her voice was soft and dreamy, murmured more to herself than to him.
"I'm full… so full… I can't eat anymore…" ( ⁄ ⁄•⁄ω⁄•⁄ ⁄ )
"If I eat any more, I might explode…"
Hikaru, still catching his breath, wiped sweat from his forehead before pulling Anko into his arms.
"What a... thrilling fight…" he said with a half-smirk.
A little while later, he rose and stood at the tall window. The sun was peeking through the trees outside.
He dressed again in the clothes he'd left in the living room, straightened his collar, and looked toward the door with a faint smile.
"You get some rest. I still need to make arrangements for the examiner of the first exam."
Anko, still sprawled on the bed, managed to prop herself up with effort, her hair a mess and her voice still husky.
"Don't forget to visit Kurenai."
"She's the one who's changed the most over the past few years… She'll definitely give you a surprise~" (≖ᴗ≖✿)
…
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