Sarutobi, in his office, slightly moved his hand, cracking his fingers as he looked at the small report the ANBU leader had left on his desk.
He let out a deep sigh as he tossed the scroll into the trash. "Things haven't been going well lately," he muttered, narrowing his eyes with genuine annoyance. He glanced at the trash bin not far away and almost thought it could come alive the next second.
Sarutobi stood up, lightly struck his desk, and stared at the wall not too far from him. "Is it really just because of the lack of sleep?" he asked himself. After all, the news of the recent declaration of war from the Sound Village and the Sand Village had shaken him deeply.
"Normally this shouldn't stress me this much, however..." Sarutobi calmly walked toward the large window in his office. From there, he gazed at the entire village with a faint, fragile smile. "Little by little, the village keeps filling up..." he let out a faint chuckle.
But only a moment later, a small yet sharp pain struck the heart of the Third Hokage. He quickly grabbed his chest, let out a soft grunt, and began breathing heavily.
At noon, at the gate that led out of Konoha.
Here, Devan, in his classic black outfit resembling a necromancer's robe, was waiting calmly. According to Danzo, Anko Mitarashi was supposed to arrive at noon.
"It's already been more than half an hour," Devan clicked his tongue as he looked at the sky, then examined the scroll in his hands with curiosity. "A mission scroll should only be opened by the one assigned to the mission, however..." The necromancer narrowed his eyes, staring at the scroll more intently before shaking his head.
"Bah!!" Devan let out a small snort. Then his eyes glowed faintly, a small smile appeared on his face, and before the woman who appeared suddenly behind him could speak, he spoke first: "You've taken your time."
...
Anko had appeared suddenly behind Devan, one of her hands holding a small kunai ready to press against the man's neck in a rather aggressive joke. However, his sudden words stopped her.
Confusion crossed her face, and before she could say or do anything, she burst out laughing. "Hahaha, so I took too long, huh?" Her frantic laughter carried with it a strange sensation.
"You're the guy Danzo said I'd be doing a mission with? Hmph, you don't look half bad..." Anko stepped back a little, studying Devan with a contemplative look.
"Danzo?" Devan repeated with a questioning tone.
"The old man said you're strange. He suspects you. He thinks that somehow you influenced Altair's mind to try to kill Naruto. He also thinks you influenced Kurenai's mind so that she, well, ended her life," Anko nodded a couple of times.
Devan narrowed his eyes, clicked his tongue in curiosity, and as he observed Anko, he couldn't help but notice her figure.
Anko Mitarashi, Orochimaru's apprentice who was later taken in by the village, had beautiful purple hair, a youthful and charming face, and a figure she proudly displayed by wearing an almost transparent tight mesh and a short skirt.
"I don't see how I could influence people's minds, it's absurd," Devan said with complete confidence in himself. Anko nodded a few times, agreeing with him, smiled, and finally opened her mouth. "I don't think so either. How could you possibly influence people's minds? You're just a civilian ninja, and yet..." Anko turned halfway, looking toward the gate leading out of Konoha.
"The old man keeps insisting that there's something strange about you. Seems like he's going senile, Don't you think?" Anko said, nodding to herself. Devan also raised a thumb in her direction, and quickly, with a shared glance, both of them set to work, leaving the village at great speed.
...
...
...
Little Hinata was swinging under a tree, staring at the ninja village she would soon attend. Her bright eyes, for some reason, seemed a bit cold and almost devoid of any positive emotion.
Her hands showed the marks of the harsh training from her father, Hiashi, while her beautiful youthful face already reflected a beauty that would soon mature.
As she swung, she couldn't help but narrow her eyes. "Naruto, huh?" A forced smile crossed her face, and as she looked toward the ninja academy, an image flashed through her mind—the image of the blond-haired boy.
"Maybe I should just look for him and ask..." Hinata whispered softly. After all, that day when Naruto was almost killed near her, she had felt a strange connection. At the same time, a chilling sensation of loneliness and emptiness coursed through her soul.
Hinata stopped, jumped lightly onto the grass, and smiled brightly. "Naruto, it's a good name, but it's missing something. Maybe... Naruto-kun?" Her smile grew even wider.
"Naruto-kun, maybe I should watch you. Watch your actions, your movements, when you eat, when you go to the bathroom—it would be... interesting." The girl's mind lit up with a new and rather peculiar desire, and quickly that desire pushed her to walk off in an apparently random direction.
At night, dozens of miles away from Konoha.
"The counter remains at 200," Devan narrowed his eyes while eating the stew Anko had prepared. The two of them were inside a small cave, sitting before a small campfire. Above the fire hung a pot that kept boiling with stew inside.
The necromancer thought for a moment about his new spell, Rider of the Apocalypse. "Anko..." he called out. The girl lifted her head slightly, some stew dripping across her red lips.
"I mean, did you ever think of leaving the village?" he asked, making the girl suddenly frown. She licked her lips, stared at him, her eyes cautious.
After all, Anko was a ninja sent by Danzo on this mission with a particular objective: to watch over Devan and ensure the secret goal of the mission was carried out without any mistakes.
"Leave the village?" she repeated as she swallowed.
"That's treason. However, if you ask me, hehehe..." She lowered her head as if recalling something. Her eyes gleamed with a certain nostalgia as she remembered the face of her old master, Orochimaru.
"There was a time when I wanted to leave the village with Lord... with Orochimaru. But that time has passed, and now I belong to Konoha, Understand?" Anko emphasized. Devan smiled faintly, showing he understood.
"Now you belong to Konoha. However, I've seen the way some in the village treat you," the necromancer said, recalling the comments, the disdain, and the hatred Anko Mitarashi still received for having once been involved with Orochimaru.
"..."
Anko didn't reply. Instead, she looked Devan in the eyes. "Where the hell are you trying to go with this?" she asked herself. After all, Why bring up this subject so suddenly?
Chapters Ahead on: [email protected]/tgthegoodd
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