Mabui followed Anya to a large table already filled with various kinds of food — noodles, congee, pancakes, rice balls, sushi, milk, you name it.
Mabui looked at the spread before her with wide eyes and asked in disbelief, "You made all of this yourself?"
"Hehe, I couldn't possibly manage everything on my own," Anya shook her head. "Some things I cooked myself; others I bought. Since I didn't know what you liked, I just prepared a bit of everything."
Feeling uneasy about Anya's warmth, Mabui casually grabbed two rice balls and said, "I'll just take these. Food is hard to come by in times of war — it's a shame to waste so much."
"That's not the case at all," Anya replied cheerfully. "I've already invited the kids here to eat too. Everyone's just waiting for you." As she spoke, Anya clapped her hands, and a group of children came running out from the shadows, eyes gleaming as they stared at the food, some even swallowing hard.
"Go ahead, children."
At Anya's words, the kids swarmed forward, happily devouring everything.
Seeing this scene, Mabui couldn't help but feel moved. A sense of shame crept into her heart, and she felt she had come to understand Yunbai just a little better.
After breakfast, the two faced off in a shogi match under a large tree. Mabui was meticulous and strategic, while Anya was bold and imaginative. They were evenly matched, locked in fierce competition as time quietly slipped away.
Two days quickly passed. Late at night, Mabui sat alone in her room, reflecting on the past two days of companionship — it felt like a dream. During their interactions, Anya had stayed true to her word, always polite and never overstepping boundaries. She even responded patiently to every subtle test, never showing anger. And Mabui, in turn, never mentioned asking Anya to return to Kumogakure.
With her departure scheduled for tomorrow, Mabui summed up Anya in two words — absolutely perfect. Too perfect, so much that she felt unreal, flawless, making her uneasy.
This was not a man who could be persuaded to do anything. If he was to return to Kumogakure, it would have to be his own decision. Sometimes Mabui couldn't help but wonder — what if he had stayed a Kumogakure ninja all along? That would've been something... Perhaps then...
Just as she thought this, a distant tremor jolted her back to reality. There was commotion near the village gate — what was happening? Without hesitation, Mabui leapt out of the room.
At the village entrance stood a burly ninja, loudly mocking, "You guys from the Land of the Blacksmiths sure have guts. Not only did you cancel the order, but you dared ambush us Iwa ninjas — looks like you're begging your whole village to be wiped out."
Several fallen shinobi from the Land of the Blacksmiths lay on the ground, eyes wide with terror, lying face-down and too afraid to get up or even protest.
Anya calmly stepped out from the shadows, looking at the leader among the dozen or so Iwa ninja standing there. Raising an eyebrow, she remarked, "Well, well — isn't it my old friend? Haven't seen you in years, yet your temper remains just as stiff — Kitsuchi."
This man was none other than Kitsuchi, the very same encountered during Anya's first S-rank mission. Years had passed, but he hadn't changed much. Upon hearing Anya's voice, his gaze shifted toward her. A flicker of recognition stirred, yet he couldn't quite place it. "Who are you?"
Anya gave a half-smirk that wasn't really a smile as he spoke, "What's this? The Tsuchikage Office got repaired? So you've forgotten me already."
Hearing these words, Kitsuchi suddenly snapped back to awareness. A name long thought dead surfaced in his mind. Anger flaring, he pointed at Anya and declared, "I remember now—you're Yunbai from Kumogakure!"
"You actually remembered. Not bad at all," Anya praised.
"Damn it."
Without another word, Kitsuchi began forming hand seals with both hands.
In a flash, Anya vanished like lightning. The Blade of Indifference had barely left its sheath when more than a dozen Iwa ninja near Kitsuchi sparked with electric energy and collapsed before they could even react.
"How is this possible?" Shocked into cold sweat, Kitsuchi stared at Anya in disbelief. He couldn't believe the boy from back then had grown into someone so terrifyingly powerful.
Sheathing his blade, Anya said coolly, "I don't want unnecessary conflict, but the blacksmiths in the Land of the Blacksmiths must prioritize my orders for now. Take your men and leave. Of course, if you insist on staying, don't blame me for getting serious."
Kitsuchi knew he couldn't even perceive that blade strike—had it been aimed at him, he doubted whether his Rock Armor would have held up. Reluctantly accepting reality, he realized Yunbai's strength had undeniably surpassed his own.
"You'll regret this! We won't forget this insult!" Kitsuchi spat out angrily. "This grudge will be repaid to Kumogakure eventually!" After delivering this threat, he helped each fallen ninja up before leaving without looking back.
Just as Mabui arrived, she witnessed the scene unfold. Irritated, she stepped forward to confront Anya. "You're officially a Konoha ninja now—how dare you make Kumogakure take the blame? With provocations like yours, relations between our villages will only deteriorate further."
"Don't tell me you really think two villages need someone like me to stir things up?" Anya teased.
Mabui fell silent, then stormed off, "Whatever the case, you have ulterior motives. I'm leaving."
To Anya's surprise, he asked, "So late already—are you sure you won't rest before heading out? What about breakfast tomorrow…"
"Enough!" Turning away, Mabui continued, "Yunbai, I know you never had any real intention of visiting Kumogakure. Thank you for hosting me these past two days, but should we meet again on the battlefield, don't expect me to hold back."
Before Anya could reply, Mabui departed gracefully, afraid that lingering any longer might make her unwilling to leave completely. She came specifically to gather intelligence—she couldn't afford to get herself caught up in this.
Anya watched Mabui's retreating figure in contemplative silence. Murmuring softly, he said, "[Heavenly Transfer Technique]—it practically fell right into my lap. This technique belongs to me now. No one can run from destiny."
After Mabui left, relief washed over her, yet strangely mingled with disappointment. Soon, she gave a self-deprecating chuckle, tucking away those emotions as she coldly commanded, "Return to the village."
Escorted by several Anbu agents, Mabui found herself recalling moments from the past two days—especially that teasing encounter on the very first day. Each recollection brought simultaneous embarrassment and an unfamiliar warmth deep inside.
In the midst of such complex feelings, they journeyed through the night until the horizon began to lighten.
The leading Anbu suddenly stopped and called out sharply, "Who's there?"
"I'm impressed you found my trap. It seems the Kumo Anbu aren't completely incompetent after all." With a sinister grin, Sasori stepped from the shadows. Manipulated by his fingers, a Puppet emerged slowly from behind him.
"Figured it out, did you? Don't worry, I won't kill you. Just take a nap," Sasori said, crouching down with an eerie smile. Purple gas surged into Mabui's body, pulling her into unconsciousness.
"This is the Kekkei Genkai of the Third Kazekage — Magnet Release. So your Puppet is actually..." Mabui murmured weakly as she stared in disbelief at the Puppet behind Sasori.
Ten minutes later, dozens of Anbu lay sprawled in pools of blood. Scattered around were many fragments of destroyed Puppets. Only Mabui remained, kneeling weakly on the ground, stunned by what she had just seen.
<><><><><><><><>
Thank you for reading! Your support will keep me updating!
~ Every 50 Powerstones = **4 Bonus Chapters** this weekend!
<><><><><><><><>
Want to read the subsequent content in advance?
Please follow my Patreon:patreon/Tansnovel
Tans Novel - The Fastest-Updating Naruto Fanfiction Account
Read 100+ chapters in advance, with at least 3 new chapters updated every day! More free chapters! 20+ Naruto fanfictions!
Just three steps:
1. Download and open the "Patreon" app
2. Search for "Tans Novel"
3. Click on the collection and enjoy to your heart's content
<><><><><><><><>