Anya followed Lee to where Temari and Deidara were locked in battle. She took a quick glance around, then fixed her gaze on a direction and strode forward.
Lee blurted out in surprise, "You're done already?"
Anya nodded. "Yes. This is the desert—any physical trail disappears quickly. But one thing lingers longer than most—scent."
Lee pondered briefly before suddenly realizing, "Ah, I get it now—it's smell."
Anya replied with approval, "Exactly. Follow me."
Lee grinned eagerly. "Yes!"
Whoosh! In an instant, Anya vanished from Lee's sight.
"Is she *that* fast?"
Instead of being surprised, Lee was actually excited. He crouched low and burst into a sprint, chasing after her.
As he sprinted, he bellowed, "Ahhh! This is the power of youth!"
Back in Konoha, Tsunade had received the rescue report Tenten brought back and frowned deeply with concern.
Naruto and Sakura, who had already returned to Konoha, appeared inside the Hokage's office. Soon afterward, Kakashi walked in too.
Tsunade looked at the three before her and declared, "Critical alert. According to intelligence reports, the culprit who attacked Sunagakure Village and likely captured Gaara appears to be a member of the Akatsuki Organization. We have more intelligence here in Konoha, and some of you have even confronted the Akatsuki directly before. Now then, Team Kakashi will immediately head out to assist Sunagakure Village. Your mission is to gather and manage intelligence, report back to Konoha, and follow Anya's orders once you arrive at the scene. Anya has been leading the Chunin Exams and is currently stationed in Sunagakure."
After the three left, Shizune spoke to Tsunade, "Are you really only sending one squad? Their opponents are Akatsuki."
Tsunade went silent, as if she hadn't heard a word.
Shizune continued, "By the way, both Tenten and Neji strongly wish to join this mission as well."
Finally snapping back to reality, Tsunade shook her head slightly. "Don't you find it strange? Senior Anya rarely leaves the village for missions. Now, just as he goes out, he runs into the Akatsuki. Between them..."
"What? You suspect Senior Anya? That's unthinkable!" Shizune's face showed complete disbelief.
Tsunade looked somewhat lost in thought. She didn't want to think like that either, but Anya's social connections were overly complex. Even someone like Orochimaru could hold conversations with him, and they even seemed to be secretly cooperating. If that were true, cooperation with the Akatsuki might not be completely impossible.
Another point troubling Tsunade deeply was that Jiraiya had spent years traveling with Naruto, gathering significant intelligence about the Akatsuki. Moreover, he'd discovered hints about an even deeper, hidden organization. So far, he only knew its name—the Zero Organization—nothing more was known.
The thought alone gave her a splitting headache.
Tsunade stood up, pushed open the window of her office, and let a gentle breeze blow in. She watched the horizon with her hair gently blowing in the breeze, muttering to herself, "Forget it, Anya's body has recovered quite well. Even if it's Akatsuki, with him there, nothing serious should happen. This time, once he returns to Konoha, I should really have a serious talk with him."
"Not good!"
A sudden voice rang out beside Tsunade.
Tsunade turned and saw the person, instantly tensing up. "Yugao? What are you doing here? What happened?"
Yugao gave a bitter smile. "Hakuto must've sensed me, so she knocked me out with some drug. Now, she's definitely chasing after Kakashi to go on the mission together."
"That girl's gone too far again!" Tsunade clenched her teeth, her expression darkening.
Seeing this, Yugao tried to reason, "However, Hakuto's strength has become formidable. To be honest, right now even I might not be her match. As a member of Team 7, she surely wants to go on missions together with them."
Tsunade took a deep breath, then sighed. "Alright, fine. Let her have her way."
Anya was lightning-fast. Along the way, he deliberately left a faint trail for Lee to follow while himself speeding toward a certain location at full velocity.
Inside a cave, members of Akatsuki gathered. The jinchūriki of Shukaku floated midair, immense chakra flowing into the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path through Phantom Dragon: Nine Seals Technique.
Zetsu, who was currently using a sealing technique, suddenly spoke up, "An enemy has approached near the entrance of the cave. His speed is amazing! How come I didn't detect him earlier?"
Deidara was shocked. "Enemy?"
"Yeah, definitely a top-level expert." After Zetsu finished speaking, his tone became astonished, "Could it be... that person?"
"Who?"
The Akatsuki members all grew curious.
Zetsu looked toward Itachi as he spoke, "The Uchiha clan member who suddenly appeared two years ago."
Itachi responded quickly, "Ah, him. I know who you mean. He left the clan from a young age to become a disciple of the White Fang. He's currently Head of Anbu and skilled in Sword Art."
Konan, who had been forming hand seals, couldn't help but widen her eyes in shock, her expression complex, clearly deep in thought.
"I see. Then use that technique. Kisame, your chakra reserves are the most abundant, making you very suitable for this." Pain looked toward Itachi, saying, "Previously, you mentioned wanting to test him; now the opportunity has come. You two go together. Any objections?"
Itachi's tone wasn't optimistic, "The technique only gives us about thirty percent of our normal chakra. I'm afraid we won't last long against him."
Pain remained calm, "No problem. This is just a test. Even if it fails, it doesn't matter much. The rest of us will focus entirely on the sealing process."
Upon hearing this, Itachi immediately understood with his high intelligence—That person had definitely arrived already, hence why Pain was confident enough to proceed without halting the current sealing operation.
Anya observed the cave opening in front of him. At its forefront lay a huge boulder blocking the way. He had barely taken a few steps forward when Kisame and Itachi appeared before him.
"Finally, there's an opportunity for revenge..."
"Kisame hoisted Samehada onto his back and ran a hand over the mark on his face, saying, 'I still remember that Single Blade Strike you landed on me back in Konoha. Today, I'll return the favor.'"
Anya dryly shot back, "Done talking?"
"What?"
Before Kisame could react, a dark shadow swept over him, plunging everything into blackness. With a 'huala' sound, a head was severed midair, spinning briefly before crashing to the ground with a loud 'thud,' bouncing a few times.
"Whose head is this?"
Kisame hadn't even processed what happened when his consciousness abruptly left his body, revealing that it had been possessed by another.
Obito, who had been watching from the sidelines, was stunned. How was this possible? Even at thirty percent of his strength, Kisame was no ordinary ninja. And yet he was killed instantly—right in front of Itachi's eyes. Just how terrifying had that swordsmanship become?
Anya had already moved from where she stood, crossing paths with Itachi and coming to a stop beside him. She scoffed coldly, "Daring to flaunt a blade of the Seven Swordsmen before me? You've got guts."
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