Several emotions coursed through Anko's body, from disbelief, to hatred, to simple acceptance. Still in a fighting stance, holding a kunai in her right hand, she watched Orochimaru with narrowed eyes.
The woman bit her lower lip as she glanced around and finally looked back—toward Devan. "Listen!!!" Her sudden shout caught both the necromancer's and Orochimaru's attention; they looked at her with curiosity.
"I…" Anko hesitated, staring at her former teacher with mixed emotions swirling inside her. But in the end, she let out a soft sigh of acceptance. "I'll stay and fight this trash. You go, return to the village, and report this to Lord Hokage." Her words seemed to fall on deaf ears—neither the necromancer nor Orochimaru moved from their spots.
It wasn't until a few moments later that Devan reacted. He quickly looked at Anko Mitarashi's back, a faint confusion reflected on his face as if he had just realized something. "You really…?" He couldn't believe what he had just heard from Anko. After all, in Konoha, it was well known that Anko Mitarashi would rather save her own life than complete a mission.
Devan had seen it firsthand a few years ago—during a joint mission when he, Kakashi, and Anko faced danger. The woman didn't hesitate to flee and left the two of them to fight the enemy alone. Of course, she had been punished for it, but the punishment was never anything serious.
Almost with eyes full of confusion, Devan let out a small smile as he looked at Anko. "Why does this girl look… kind of cute?" he wondered to himself as his smile grew brighter.
However, the most surprised of all was Orochimaru. He had still been watching Devan with curiosity when he heard Anko's words. Almost as if he had seen the god of ninjas reflected in his former student, he turned his head to look at her.
With his hands slightly raised, his eyes wide open, and a serious face, he stared at the woman. "You're offering to fight me so that someone else can live? I don't understand—it's not like you. That's not how I taught you," Orochimaru murmured, intrigued.
"So what if I am? People change, Don't they?, master" Anko grumbled as she pulled out a ninja headband—the old headband of Orochimaru. "You said you'd lead Konoha to become one of the most powerful villages in the ninja world, and that I'd be there to see it. But you betrayed the village—and you betrayed me."
The rage in Anko's voice was unmistakable. She gripped the kunai tightly, glared at Orochimaru with fury, and leaned forward as if ready to strike.
"Hmph," Orochimaru smiled. "It's different. I never believed in that nonsense. What I said back then were just lies. But you— you always valued your life above everyone else's, and now you offer yourself as bait to save another, Hahaha!!!…" he let out his characteristic chuckle, his eyes shifting once more toward Devan.
"Why would you be willing to die for him?" Orochimaru murmured, wanting to find out.
However, Anko didn't seem willing to give any further explanation. She looked back again, frowning. "What the hell are you waiting for? Go now!!" she shouted furiously, her eyes completely red, her body trembling—it was obvious she didn't want to sacrifice herself.
"What am I waiting for?" Devan repeated, then let out a faint sigh with a slight smile. "I don't have to run. I don't need to. I'll defeat Orochimaru." Devan took a step forward, drawing the others' attention.
Both Anko and Orochimaru looked at Devan as if he were an idiot. They exchanged glances for a moment; however, the woman was too angry and stressed to waste time with Devan's nonsense.
"What the hell do you think—?!!" Anko stopped mid-sentence, slapped her forehead hard, cleared her throat, and stomped the ground in frustration. "What do you mean?, I just can't let you stay here and die for me. We'll fight… together." Devan smiled brightly.
Anko blinked a few times, her eyes focused on the man's simple face and long hair. "Why?" she asked herself as a blush appeared on her cheeks. "Why do you still look so handsome, Even now?" she thought, shaking her head several times.
"Mwahahaha!!!!" Orochimaru's manic laughter echoed for a mile around. He held his stomach, unable to contain the joy and mockery in his voice.
"Mwahaha," Orochimaru kept laughing for a while before slowly calming down. "Seriously? First Anko offers to save her boyfriend, then the boyfriend decides to stay and fight, and Anko blushes. Is this a romance novel?" He shook his head, grinning from ear to ear.
"Silence!!!" Anko snapped back furiously, her face flushed red. Orochimaru shrugged and turned his gaze back to Devan.
"Boy, I don't know what they teach in the village, but I'm Orochimaru—one of the Three Sannin. You should already know that. So, You say you'll defeat me?" He couldn't believe it. Crossing his arms, he looked at Devan, his mocking smile making his intentions clear.
"I'll defeat you, Orochimaru," Devan, however, had a serious face. He crouched slightly to pick up a one-meter staff from the ground, focusing his mind. His body almost seemed to move on instinct.
Devan took one step forward, then another, moving the staff in his hand in a strange way that caught Orochimaru's attention.
"Have you gone mad?" Orochimaru asked, but Devan kept moving. With a powerful swing of his arms, he raised the staff, and both Anko and Orochimaru watched with curiosity.
Before Orochimaru's mocking eyes, the staff began to shine faintly with a green hue.
The glow quickly caught both their attention. Anko saw it, but her mind couldn't fully process what was happening. Then, with force, Devan drove the staff into the ground—and it was as if the world itself stopped for those present.
Anko felt a cold wind spread from where the staff struck. That chill hit her body, her bones, her veins, carrying a feeling of fear and dread through every part of her being, making her eyes widen in shock.
Orochimaru, on the other hand, felt a cold breeze brush against his face. A sudden, light fear caught him off guard; his hands began to tremble slightly. While focusing on the ground, which seemed to crack beneath the staff, he didn't realize that almost unconsciously, he was starting to feel very cold.
"Come forth now, Rider of the Apocalypse!!!" Devan shouted. The ground beneath him fractured, and as if the earth's core itself glowed green, a peculiar light escaped from the cracks.
The sky darkened; clouds gathered, covering the forest from the sunlight. Anko couldn't help but take several steps back unconsciously, while Orochimaru didn't even blink.
Thud
From beneath the earth came an imposing sound—the growl of a beast accompanied by the hoofbeats of a horse echoing like a macabre melody.
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