Anya shared her entire plan with Yugao without holding anything back.
After hearing everything, Yugao asked, "So Orochimaru will fight Sarutobi one-on-one. Who do you think will win?"
"Orochimaru," Anya answered without hesitation. "Sarutobi is already old and long past his prime. Plus, Orochimaru was his student who understood his abilities too well. This battle holds no suspense."
"I'll kill Orochimaru," Yugao said with hidden killing intent in her eyes. She had never forgotten the death of her childhood friend, Hayate.
Anya hesitated. From that single sword strike earlier, Yugao's destructive power was already nearly at Kage-level. With Orochimaru's arms currently disabled, it was uncertain whether he could evade Yugao's assassination attempt. But considering Orochimaru's immortality techniques, there probably wouldn't be a problem.
"Then you should find your own opportunity," Anya said, immediately betraying Orochimaru, then questioned, "You're Anbu now. Don't you have to follow Sarutobi's orders?"
Yugao spoke somewhat uncertainly, "Not sure if it's because of my relationship with you, but Lord Third has been rather distant toward me, barely assigning me any missions. These years I've just been honing my sword art in my spare time."
Anya understood. Since she disappeared mysteriously, Hiruzen must have been puzzled. He probably kept Yugao in the Anbu with some intention of surveillance—to see if he could discover her whereabouts through her.
"That makes sense. The Anbu are the core forces under the Kage. An Anbu member without full trust isn't worth having. It's my fault I dragged you down."
Yugao shook her head, "I wanted to join the Anbu because you were there. All this time, I've been waiting for you to return."
Anya was surprised by her words and blurted out, "I might leave Konoha again soon."
Yugao firmly replied, "This time, I'm going with you."
Before Anya could respond, Mabui stepped forward, extending her hand with a smile, "Great. Zero Organization welcomes you."
"Thank you."
The two women, who moments ago were almost fighting to the death, now joined hands.
Sighing, Anya said nothing further and continued updating her illustrations.
Removing her mask, Yugao sat beside Anya and quietly watched her work.
Once the new chapter was updated and the illustrations completed, Anya exhaled deeply, looked at her work, and nodded contentedly.
"This book—you're the one who wrote it? No wonder I enjoy reading it," Yugao said, recognizing the book instantly.
Amused, Anya replied, "These are written for kids. Never thought someone your age would also read them."
Yugao seemed slightly saddened, "As a child, I never had the chance to read these books."
Noticing her expression change, Anya realized how difficult her childhood must have been and couldn't help saying, "After finishing this book, if I have time, I'll specially write another one for little girls."
Yugao's eyes lit up happily as she asked excitedly, "Have you decided on the title yet? What kind of story will it be?"
"Hmm..." Anya pondered for a moment before nodding. "Got it! The title is *Beautiful Young Warrior*. The main character is an ordinary schoolgirl who transforms into a heroic fighter when monsters show up. Then she dramatically declares, 'I shall represent the Moon and destroy you!' How does that sound?"
Mabui beside her could no longer hold back her laughter. Yugao, after a brief pause, responded enthusiastically with admiration, "That book sounds amazing! I'd definitely read it—many girls would love it!"
"Alright then, you'll be the main character."
"Really? Captain, you're the best!"
Mabui couldn't bear to listen anymore, feeling completely out of sync with these overly dramatic individuals.
At that moment, Sasori arrived late upon hearing about Baki's death. Seeing an unfamiliar woman in the room, he was momentarily startled but soon recognized her and lowered his guard.
Mabui sarcastically remarked, "Well, look who finally showed up, Mr. Busy Guy."
Sasori explained, "Tenten made it into the main match, but she refuses to win using the puppet I gave her. Lately, I've been giving her special training."
Anya replied, "That makes sense. With that puppet, the other Genin wouldn't even have a fighting chance—the whole point of the main event would be lost."
Getting straight to the point, Sasori said, "Baki is dead. He was leading Sunagakure's plan this time. What now?"
Anya paused briefly before speaking. "You take over. After all, Sunagakure probably already suspects your presence. When the battle begins, make enough commotion—once Orochimaru and Sarutobi finish their fight, we can retreat."
"Understood." Without any doubt toward Anya's judgment, Sasori quickly left.
Meanwhile, the Suna ninja in Konoha were thrown into chaos. Some suggested leaving immediately, while others demanded a protest against Konoha. Temari and Kankuro wore looks of deep fear; they both knew how strong Baki was, yet he had been killed so easily. Only Gaara remained silent and motionless, standing apart like a lone shadow among the chaos.
"Silence!" A powerful voice cut through all the chatter like a heavy force.
The entire stronghold fell quiet, even Gaara turned his gaze toward the source.
Sasori appeared before the Sand Ninja wearing the Red Spider mask.
"It's really you—Red Spider!"
Kankuro, still bitter over his previous defeat, was the first to recognize him.
"You will address me as Lord Sasori of the Red Sand." Coldly pushing into the crowd, Sasori unleashed his overwhelming Kage-level aura, suppressing everyone until not a single word escaped their lips. Kankuro, singled out by this pressure, flushed red in the face, barely able to draw breath.
Temari hastily bowed respectfully, "Lord Sasori, please ease off the pressure."
Just as Kankuro seemed on the verge of collapse, the immense pressure vanished, leaving him drenched in cold sweat, soaked as if just pulled from water. Clearly, during their last encounter, Red Spider hadn't even used ten percent of his strength. This massive gap filled Kankuro with despair.
Sasori swept his eyes across the gathered Suna ninja—except for Gaara, who remained utterly indifferent, untouched by the fear spreading through the room. Most of them looked lost and uncertain.
"There's no need to worry. Although Baki is dead, I am still here. Now, I'll be leading Sunagakure. The Chunin Exam is just a front—the real action is right here." Sasori pulled out a scroll and outlined the Konoha Destruction Plan in detail.
The Suna ninja finally came to realization, understanding why Baki had been killed.
Temari, clearly concerned, asked, "But now that Konoha already knows, should we really continue the attack?"
"Don't worry. The one who killed Baki has already been brought under control. Konoha won't figure it out anytime soon. During this time, I will handle the battle preparations personally. Kazekage-sama will be attending the Chunin Exams as well. There must be no mistakes throughout this entire process. If anyone messes up… I'll kill them myself."
With just one sentence laced with killing intent, Sasori silenced all the Suna ninja at once.
Everyone below promptly responded, "Yes."
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