Chapter 10 – Mitarashi Anko
Mitarashi Anko!
'Why would it be her?'
A trace of doubt flashed across Izaya's face as he looked at the person before him. Although the current Mitarashi Anko hadn't yet become one of Konoha's special jōnin, she was still an elite chūnin. And Izaya's current identity was just an ordinary civilian. Logically, their paths should never have crossed.
"You took so long to open the door. What were you up to in there?" Mitarashi Anko paid no mind to Izaya's surprise. She brushed past him and strode directly into his room.
She found a spot to sit down without ceremony and stated bluntly, "Let me introduce myself. Mitarashi Anko. Konoha Elite Chūnin."
"Okay…" Though he had no idea why Mitarashi Anko had come to his home, Izaya didn't press her. He simply acknowledged her and slowly walked over to her, watching her with a suspicious look while silently trying to figure out her intentions.
"Don't look so curious." Seeing Izaya's expression, Mitarashi Anko got straight to the point. "Lord Hokage sent me."
"Lord Hokage?" Upon hearing this, Izaya's mind instantly conjured the image of an old man with white hair and a Hokage robe. The Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi. He was undoubtedly the pinnacle of power in the early Naruto world, renowned not only as the "Professor" for his mastery of ninjutsu but also for his unique personal charisma. While many in his previous life had criticized the Third Hokage's character as being too soft-hearted, Izaya didn't particularly dislike the man.
"Why is Lord Hokage looking for me?" In truth, Izaya had already guessed the reason, but he still asked Mitarashi Anko directly. Sometimes, being too clever wasn't a good thing.
"Actually, it's nothing major." Mitarashi Anko stood up slowly and began pacing around Izaya, her eyes scanning the room as she muttered, "I just wonder why Lord Danzō would take an interest in you…"
'So it is about that…' Hearing this, Izaya was almost certain of Anko's purpose. She was here to find out why Danzō had targeted him.
"Lord Hokage asked me to tell you to stay home quietly for the time being. Don't go running around outside." After a thorough inspection that revealed nothing unusual about Izaya or his home, Mitarashi Anko simply relayed the Third Hokage's warning.
Having delivered the message, Anko made to leave without further delay. But just before stepping out the door, she turned back and looked at Izaya's expressionless face. "If you encounter any trouble you can't handle… you can come find me."
'Does this count as assigning me a bodyguard?' A wry smile touched the corner of Izaya's mouth. While Mitarashi Anko's current strength was indeed greater than his… the enemies he faced were far beyond what a chūnin like her could handle.
Even so, Izaya still replied in a grateful tone, "Thank you. Next time, I'll treat you to some dango."
"Huh?" Hearing this, Anko, who was about to leave, immediately stopped and turned back, a look of confusion and suspicion on her face. "How did you know I like dango? Are you investigating me?!"
In an instant, she hopped back in front of Izaya, planting her hands on her hips as she scrutinized him with a deeply suspicious glare.
'Damn it…' Seeing Anko's exaggerated reaction, Izaya felt a wave of helplessness. He waved his hands to indicate she should calm down. "Isn't 'Anko' in your name? I just thought of 'anko dango' subconsciously…"
"That's it?" Clearly, Anko wasn't entirely convinced by his explanation. But after studying his face and finding no sign of a lie, she didn't press further. She simply left him with a final, "Be careful," and, "I'll be waiting for that dango," before finally departing.
"Finally, she's gone…" Izaya let out a long sigh of relief once Mitarashi Anko was gone. After closing the door, he slowly took out the rewards from the system he had hidden in his clothes.
First, the scroll of Fire Release ninjutsu given to him by Uchiha Itachi. Next, the Fire Release training method provided by the system. And finally, the training method for the first four of the Eight Inner Gates.
"Let's focus on ninjutsu first." After some consideration, Izaya decided to temporarily set aside the Eight Inner Gates training. While a path combining the Eight Gates, the Sharingan, and basic taijutsu was the most suitable for rapid growth given his current assets… it required time. Time that Izaya, now marked by Danzō, did not have.
Ninjutsu was different. Although his ninjutsu talent was as poor as his taijutsu talent, he clearly remembered the reward from completing the hidden mission earlier: the tenfold Chakra cultivation speed buff! With that boost, Izaya had confidence he could make progress in Fire Release.
Having settled on his training plan, Izaya, for some reason, first took out the basic Chakra extraction method obtained from the Ninja School and immediately began to practice.
Chakra. It is the energy produced by the perfect fusion of the physical and spiritual energies within a human body. It is the source of power for performing ninjutsu, genjutsu, taijutsu, or for creating tools to bind opponents or cut through substances composed of chakra.
The method was simple in theory: draw physical energy from each of the 130 trillion cells in the human body, combine it with spiritual energy, and gather it within the body. It could be said that any powerful shinobi relied on this energy.
Although Izaya's innate talent was poor, blessed by the system's buff, within half an hour, a faint, light blue aura began to shimmer around his body. If an ordinary shinobi saw this, they would be shocked to discover that Izaya, the former dead-last, was cultivating Chakra at a speed that could rival a top-tier genius!
This was the power of the system's reward!
At this moment, Izaya could clearly perceive the changes within his body. The most obvious was that during his cultivation, he could distinctly feel an inexplicable energy continuously being released from his muscles. This energy not only allowed him to sense its presence but was also constantly tempering and strengthening his previously weak physique!