Chapter 215: Lord Hokage Will Handle Everything, No Problem
Afterward, Anko told him about her childhood, becoming Orochimaru's apprentice, being used in his human experiments, and finally being abandoned.
"I'm sorry I didn't tell you this before, but I didn't want to get you into trouble."
"Actually, I've always been looking for a chance to get revenge on Orochimaru, even if it meant taking him down with me."
"But when I was about to do it earlier, I got scared."
Anko trembled slightly. "I was afraid I'd never see you again. I was afraid you'd forget me if I left without giving you a child... It was only then that I realized I'm someone who is loved."
"Makoto-kun, now that I've told you everything, you'll still like me, right?"
Faced with the tearful Anko, he naturally knew what to do.
He kissed her, comforting her heart. He didn't stop until she was looking at him with a hazy, smiling expression, and had fallen asleep.
He carried her and placed her on his own bed. When he returned to the living room, he saw Kurenai Yūhi's half-smiling expression.
When she spoke, her voice was dripping with acid. "I was wondering where you'd gone. So you were being intimate with Anko... By the way, who do you think tastes better, me or her?"
She was still in the honeymoon phase with him, so seeing him so infatuated with Anko naturally made her jealous.
But he was an expert at resolving her jealousy. By the time Kurenai came to her senses, it was already midnight.
After more than a dozen rounds of joy, her fingertips were trembling slightly.
Although she was a Jōnin, stamina was not her strong suit. And this guy... he was a monster. Right now, she had no strength left to even think.
Only then did he gently pat her bottom. "Anko ran into Orochimaru earlier."
"What?!"
Her eyes flew open. She wanted to sit up, but she clutched her back and lay back down.
She glared at him, annoyed, but seeing his serious expression, she quickly asked, "What on earth happened?"
He then told her the details of the battle with Orochimaru, not even hiding the "Formless Wave" ninjutsu.
Kurenai and Anko were his women. And in the future, all the women of his Akiyama family would have 80-point panels to start, so they would naturally be qualified to learn it. Kurenai was already a genjutsu master; she, of all people, should learn this jutsu.
When she heard he had developed a genjutsu that could suppress Orochimaru, her face was full of disbelief. But then, even though he made no move, she found herself bound by a large tree. Only then did she understand that he had, without a sound, activated the Tree Binding Death.
"Incredible! How on earth did you do that?"
"This feeling... I get it. You used the Yamanaka clan's secret technique to cast a genjutsu?"
Anko was very familiar with him and the people around him, so she immediately guessed the principle.
He nodded. He was about to dispel the genjutsu and let her return to reality, but then he saw her disheveled state after their "battle," now bound by the tree... Hmm. Very nice.
She also noticed his gaze, her face flushing red. "No! Absolutely not! If you dare to do anything bad to me again, I'll definitely... mmph!"
More than half an hour later, he dispelled the genjutsu.
Kurenai fiercely bit his shoulder. Only after her tense body returned to normal did she let him go, and then, without holding back, she punched him several times.
"You bastard! After you've done this, how am I supposed to use the Tree Binding Death in the future?"
"Ahem. Then just use it on me."
"Hmph! In your dreams!"
After he had placated her, she finally let out a breath and said, "Now, let's talk business."
"This Orochimaru matter. How do you and Anko plan to handle it?"
"We'll tell the Third Hokage and let him handle it."
She nodded slightly. This was a very appropriate way to handle it, but she faintly felt something was not right.
"Honey... do you think something big will happen during this Chūnin Exam?"
He wasn't surprised by her question. As a Jōnin and a sensory ninja, she had definitely noticed something was off about the Sand ninja. But at this time, he certainly wouldn't tell her the truth.
"Don't worry. The 'Strongest Hokage,' Lord Third, will handle everything."
His tone was frivolous. She rolled her eyes. She naturally knew that he and the Third Hokage had some... friction... because of past events. But in the current situation, the village's overall interests had to come first— After thinking for a while, she suddenly realized that there was indeed nothing she could do.
What's more, she only had a feeling that something was wrong. Only the Third Hokage had all the intelligence. It was indeed right to listen to his instructions.
She sighed softly. "I hope Konoha can remain at peace, and that you all can grow up healthy—"
This was a very normal sentence, but after she said it, she blushed and quickly explained, "I-I'm not hoping you grow up sooner. You're already very strong. I just... mmph!"
The night was still long.
The next day, when Kurenai woke up, the sun was already high in the sky.
She covered her face, feeling that her life was a bit too absurd. If this happens every day, how am I supposed to live?
Just as she was preparing to feel the soreness all over her body, she was surprised to find that there was no discomfort at all. In fact, she was full of spirit and vitality. Apart from waking up late, she was no different from when she was in her prime a few years ago.
Only then did she look down at the "Shinku" (True Red) character on her stomach. Suddenly, the mark didn't seem so garish anymore.
She even struck a few alluring poses to show off her figure, a happy smile on her face as she looked at her perfect self in the mirror.
Soon, she tidied up her appearance and went to the living room, only to find him pulling open Anko's collar, about to do something.
Although she was already incomparably satisfied, she still couldn't help but tease, "Little brother, you have no limits, do you? Doing this kind of thing so early in the morning? Have you even had breakfast?"
She was then met with strange looks from both of them. Anko said, "We already ate breakfast and even washed the dishes. Your portion is in the kitchen. I made it myself."
"You're the one who slept in, and you're pointing fingers at us? Kurenai, are you already trying to steal my 'first wife' status?"
Kurenai's old face blushed. She shot Anko a fierce glare, went to the kitchen to get her breakfast, and only then realized that he and Anko were studying the Cursed Seal of Heaven.
"That seal was personally sealed by Lord Hokage. It should be fine. Has it loosened?"
He shook his head. "I'm considering whether we can get rid of it once and for all."
She was taken aback, then said seriously, "Theoretically, it can be removed. But we don't know what the consequences will be, so no one has dared to do it."
He thought for a moment and understood. When Anko was implanted with the seal, Tsunade had already left the village. At that time, if her body had undergone a strange transformation as a result of removing it, there would have been no one who could solve the problem. Sealing it was the safest method.
But now, he could solve this cursed seal.
In fact, the solution was very simple. He just had to use the Evil Releasing Method to release the chakra within it. This jutsu itself wasn't some mysterious sealing technique, just the reverse application of the Evil Sealing Method, which both Kakashi and she knew.
The only remaining problem was that if he solved it now, it would arouse Orochimaru's suspicion. After all, he had just given Sasuke the Cursed Seal. If the one on Anko was removed now, Orochimaru would probably be provoked.
"You're right. We'll wait until we have a chance to see Lady Tsunade and ask her for help."
He dragged Tsunade out as a shield. Both Anko and Kurenai nodded, agreeing with his judgment. In their eyes, although he had mastered the Mystical Palm Technique, his medical ninjutsu was by no means comparable to Tsunade's.
The three of them then began to discuss the details of the Chūnin Exam and Orochimaru, helping Anko sort out how to report what had happened.
Then, Anko left for the Hokage's Office.
At noon, she returned, her face blank. Seeing her expression, he had already guessed what had happened.
"Did the Hokage's side say they already knew?"
Anko looked at him as if she had seen a ghost. "How did you know?"
He shrugged. "With so many foreign ninja in Konoha, the Hokage's Anbu are probably all out gathering intelligence. They might not be able to catch Orochimaru, but it's impossible for them to have found nothing."
Hearing this, both Anko and Kurenai breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed this was indeed not something they needed to worry about.
But what they didn't know was that Hiruzen Sarutobi was currently frowning, having fallen into a state of isolation and helplessness.
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