Chapter 21:
– Blake –
I stood awkwardly next to Anko in the classroom she had just dramatically broken into—by smashing straight through the window, of all things. Glass shards still littered the ground around our feet. Honestly, I had no idea why she'd insisted on such a flashy entrance.
I was quickly learning that Anko never did anything halfway.
"Listen up, you little brats!" she shouted confidently, arms crossed as she scanned the crowded room full of bewildered genin. "My name's Mitarashi Anko—Jonin, professional badass, and your proctor for the second stage of this Chunin Exam!" Then she jerked a thumb toward me, flashing a smirk. "And this handsome guy beside me is my partner for today—Blake Himejima. Be good little shinobi and try not to piss us off, okay?"
An awkward silence fell over the room as every single pair of eyes suddenly locked onto me. I felt my stomach churn uncomfortably. My four black wings twitched nervously behind me, making me even more self-conscious.
I've never really been a guy who enjoyed a lot of attention. Shit, this was harder than it looked. How did Anko make this seem so effortless?
Just when I was certain I'd completely blown my attempt at looking intimidating, my eyes finally found a familiar face among the crowd of confused genin—blond hair, obnoxiously bright orange jumpsuit, and unmistakable whisker marks on his cheeks. Naruto.
Wait? Naruto?
My eyes widened in shock and disbelief. Without even realizing what I was doing, I raised my arm and pointed straight at him, completely breaking my attempt at a cool and stoic image. "Holy shit…you passed, Naruto?" I blurted out loudly, unable to hide my surprise. "You actually passed a written test?"
He was an idiot though…?
When Anko told me what the first test was, on the way over here, I thought for sure he'd be out already!
The room immediately went dead silent. All eyes flickering between the two of us.
Naruto, meanwhile, turned bright red before quickly standing up from his seat. He pointed straight back at me defiantly. "Damn right I passed, Blake!" Naruto shouted proudly, his chest puffed out confidently. "I'm a super-smart ninja! Of course I passed!"
Unfortunately for Naruto, in his excitement and determination to look impressive, he slammed his palm hard onto the desk in front of him—accidentally flipping his exam paper upside down. The sheet fluttered over to the other side of the desk, landing perfectly so that everyone in the room could clearly see its contents. Or rather, the total lack thereof.
Naruto's exam paper was completely blank. Not a single question had been answered.
A heavy, awkward pause followed as the entire classroom and all the remaining examinees stared at Naruto's blank sheet.
"Baka!" Sakura groaned, burying her face in her hands. "I can't believe you!"
I saw Sasuke facepalm on the other side of the room as well…
Snickers broke out throughout the class, quickly turning into laughter as Naruto stood there red-faced, his bravado completely evaporating.
Anko turned slowly, shooting the imposing scar-faced man who'd overseen the first test, a deeply unimpressed look. "Seriously, Ibiki?" she asked flatly, gesturing incredulously at Naruto. "You passed a kid who didn't even answer a single goddamn question?"
Ibiki just smirked faintly, crossing his arms over his chest and leaning casually against the blackboard. "Hey, not my problem anymore," he said, shrugging casually. "He's all yours now, Anko. Good luck."
"Gee, thanks," Anko muttered sarcastically under her breath. She turned and faced the class once more, raising her voice to shout above the still ongoing laughter. "Alright, shut it, you little punks! The second exam starts soon, and believe me, you'll all regret laughing once you see what I've got planned." She shot them all an evil grin that immediately silenced most of the chuckling. "Meet me at Training Ground Forty-Four—the Forest of Death—in exactly thirty minutes. And don't be late! Or you'll fail!"
Before I could react, Anko suddenly grabbed the collar of my shirt, yanking me backward towards the broken window. "Come on, Kage-lover-boy," she said loudly, ignoring my startled protest. "Time to get moving. We've got preparations to make."
"Wait—hey! Hang on!" I complained, stumbling slightly as she dragged me backwards through the broken window frame…
…
"Did you seriously have to drag me away like that?" I grumbled, still feeling the embarrassment lingering. "In front of the all those teams, Anko? Really?"
She tilted her head back and laughed loudly, completely unapologetic. "Come on, Blake—it was hilarious. Seeing you stumble around with your wings twitching in panic was priceless."
I shot her an annoyed glare. "Glad one of us enjoyed it," I muttered sarcastically.
We were sitting together on a large, sturdy log just outside the perimeter fence of Training Ground Forty-Four. Anko had informed me—very cheerfully, in fact—that this training area had a much less friendly name: the Forest of Death.
Charming…
"So, what's the deal with this forest anyway?" I asked cautiously, scanning the dark expanse of towering, ominous-looking trees. "It's got kind of a creepy vibe."
Anko turned more serious, leaning forward on the log and resting her elbows on her knees. Her playful smirk faded slightly, replaced by genuine respect. "It should feel creepy," she began thoughtfully. "This entire place was created by the First Hokage himself. His chakra infused everything here—from the giant-ass trees to the insects and wildlife inside. It permanently mutated them into chakra-powered monstrosities."
I stared blankly at her for a moment, trying to decide if she was joking or not. She didn't even blink, completely serious. "Wow," I deadpanned dryly. "That sounds absolutely lovely."
Anko smirked again, clearly amused by my reaction. "That's ninja life, Blake," she said casually, shrugging her shoulders. "Sink or swim—learn quick or die. And this place? It's the perfect proving ground."
I shook my head in mild disbelief. "And you're seriously throwing twelve and thirteen-year-olds into that deathtrap?"
Anko's grin turned mischievous again, eyes sparkling with wicked delight. "Oh, hell yes! It's great fun—plus, it weeds out the weaklings pretty quickly."
I sighed heavily, deciding not to argue any further. Ninjas clearly had a very different idea of acceptable risks. Still, I couldn't shake the uneasy feeling I got whenever I looked at that dense, shadowy forest.
Anko suddenly shifted closer to me, breaking my distracted thoughts. She leaned in, voice dropping lower into a conspiratorial whisper. "You know, Blake, we never got around to discussing your payment for helping me out today."
I glanced over, slightly confused. "Payment?" I asked, shaking my head dismissively. "Don't worry about it—I don't really need anything. I was just bored anyway—"
She placed a single finger firmly against my lips, cutting me off. I stared at her in surprise as she leaned even closer, giving me a teasing smile. "Big sis Anko always pays her debts," she whispered seductively. "I insist."
Before I could respond, Anko reached inside her fishnet top and trench coat, fishing around in a spot I definitely wasn't expecting her to reach into. A second later, she pulled out a rolled-up scroll—directly from between her impressively large breasts.
My face turned hot, and I felt myself immediately blush. How the hell had she even kept that hidden in there?
"Here you go," she purred, placing the scroll firmly into my hand. "Special reward, straight from my personal collection."
I hesitated, staring at the small scroll warily. "Uh…thanks," I finally muttered uncertainly. My curiosity got the better of me, despite the nagging voice in the back of my mind warning me I'd regret asking. "Should I even ask what's inside?"
Anko's grin widened, eyes flashing mischievously. "Oh, you'll love this one! See, my former sensei might've been a total bastard—but he created some pretty useful jutsu over the years." Her voice dropped even lower, dripping with innuendo as she continued. "Although when he made this one, I doubt it he knew how useful it would be to spice things up in the bedroom!" she laughed.
I paused, mind momentarily blank as I processed that statement. "Wait—what?"
Anko laughed openly at my stunned expression. She leaned closer, lowering her voice further as if sharing a juicy secret. "It's a jutsu that lets you extend your tongue. A lot."
Before I could process what she'd said, Anko grinned devilishly and stuck her tongue straight out of her mouth—extending it nearly two feet, flicking it back and forth right in front of my face.
"Holy shit!" I recoiled in surprise, eyes wide in disbelief as her bizarrely long tongue waved inches away from my nose.
She laughed heartily, her tongue swiftly retracting back into her mouth. "See? Pretty damn useful trick, huh?" she boasted proudly. "Trust me—all my partners over the years, men and women, absolutely love this one." Her smirk turned especially wicked as she leaned even closer. "And when I say women love it—believe me, they really love it." My cheeks flushed even darker as Anko immediately launched into an extremely explicit—and detailed—story involving her friend-with-benefits, Kurenai. "...and let me tell you, Blake, she's an absolute squirter! One flick in the right spot, and it's like—"
"Anko!" I interrupted hastily. I quickly shoved the scroll into my pocket before she could say anything else even more graphic. "Thanks—I think I've got the idea now!"
Anko just laughed loudly again, her eyes dancing with amusement. "Relax, I was just giving you some tips! Something tells me your lovely Hokage girlfriend would thank me later…"
I shook my head slowly, sighing deeply. Despite my embarrassment, I couldn't deny I was intrigued by the scroll hidden in my pocket. I had barely any chakra. But something like this, clearly made for…personal entertainment rather than combat, probably wouldn't require that much chakra. Right?
I was seriously considering giving it a try later, maybe surprising Tsunade or Shizune…
As I pondered the idea, I glanced sideways at Anko—only to catch her watching me closely with a knowing smirk, clearly reading exactly what I was thinking.
I quickly looked away, embarrassed all over again. "Damn it, Anko…stop looking at me like that."
Anko laughed one more time, before finally shifting gears.
She leaned back, stretching slightly, her playful grin gradually fading into something more serious. "Alright, Blake. Before the other proctors I've hired start showing up, there's something we need to talk about," she told me, her tone suddenly all businesslike.
I raised an eyebrow, turning fully towards her. "Yeah? What's up?"
She gave a small sigh and rolled her eyes dramatically. "Nepotism," she declared flatly, like it was the most obvious thing in the world.
I tilted my head, not sure I'd heard her correctly. "Huh? Nepotism? What do you mean?"
Anko leaned a bit closer, lowering her voice so only I could hear. She gestured vaguely towards the distant entrance of the Forest of Death. "Alright, here's the deal," she began, clearly annoyed. "This year's Chunin Exams have a ton of high-profile clan kids participating. You know, kids from big, important ninja families." She paused, looking me square in the eye. "Their parents, all of whom are prominent figures in the village, really don't want their precious little brats getting themselves killed in the exams. And, of course, these influential ninja parents made it very clear—to me—that they'd greatly appreciate it if someone could secretly watch out for their kids..."
Honestly, it didn't surprise me at all that something like this happened behind the scenes. Politics was politics, even in ninja villages apparently.
Anko must have caught my look, because she nodded knowingly. "That's just how things work around here. Every village pulls this kind of bullshit, especially when they host the exams. They always have covert teams protecting their important brats and bending the rules. So, naturally, we're doing it too, even though officially we deny everything."
She reached into her coat again—thankfully from a normal pocket this time—and pulled out another folded-up piece of paper, handing it to me. "Here's the list of clan kids you'll need to keep a close eye on."
I unfolded the list and skimmed quickly through the names. Naruto Uzumaki, Sasuke Uchiha, Shikamaru Nara, Neji Hyuga, Hinata Hyuga… the list kept going. Quite a large amount of names actually.
I memorized the names quickly, feeling a small spark of lightning dance across my fingertips. In moments, the paper burned to ashes in my hand.
"Got it memorized?" she asked lightly, eyes narrowing slightly at the sparks.
"Yeah, I got it," I confirmed with a sigh, dusting off the ashes from my palm.
"Good," Anko nodded approvingly. "Now, your official job will be to patrol from above, flying over the forest and making sure nobody blatantly cheats or breaks exam rules." She made finger quotes. "That's the story we're sticking with anyway." She paused again. "But unofficially, I want you to watch out for those clan kids specifically. If any of them get into serious trouble, step in if you can. Quietly. No one needs to know you're playing favorites. Especially not foreign shinobi, or they'll throw a hissy fit and we'll have political bullshit on our hands."
I sighed again, this time deeper and more resigned. "Great. Babysitting duty, huh? Sounds thrilling."
Anko chuckled, clapping my shoulder roughly. "Hey, it won't be so bad. You've got a nice view from up there. Think of it as paid entertainment. And I just paid you so you can't back out!" She said and her long tongue flicked out and licked my cheek.
"Ewww!" I smacked it away.
She just laughed again. "Good man! Now let's get ready. The other proctors will be here soon, and we've got to start this shitshow."
A half hour later…
I was sitting comfortably beneath a large tent set up near the entrance of the Forest of Death. The tent was surprisingly nice, shading us from the hot afternoon sun. Anko and I sat behind a table, handing out scrolls to each genin team as they walked by.
Honestly, it was dull work—just giving out Heaven and Earth scrolls and repeating the same instructions again and again. But I tried my best to look at least somewhat attentive.
…My mind was still preoccupied though. Something about that strange Grass ninja from a few minutes earlier really stuck out to me.
When Anko was busy intimidating Naruto a few minutes earlier because he started talking shit again, I'd clearly seen that ninja sneak right up behind her and then use the exact same tongue-extension jutsu she'd just demonstrated to me to give her back her knife.
The more I thought about it, the more suspicious it seemed.
I decided to bring it up.
"Hey, Anko?" I said quietly, glancing over at her as she handed a scroll to another nervous-looking genin.
"Hmm?" She turned her head toward me, looking distracted. "What's up?"
I hesitated slightly, choosing my words carefully. "So, about your old sensei's special tongue jutsu... how many people actually know it?"
Anko thought about it for a second, tilting her head in consideration. "Honestly? Just me, obviously. Maybe Jiraiya, too—since he's a perverted bastard and seems to know every weird-ass jutsu out there." She paused, then gave me a strange look. "Wait a second…why are you asking?"
I gave her a serious look. "Think carefully, Anko. That random Grass genin who gave you back your kunai earlier—he used the exact same tongue jutsu you showed me. How could some random nobody from a 'trash village'—your words, not mine—possibly know it?" I asked her.
Her eyes went wide, mouth opening slightly in shock as the realization fully set in. Her expression quickly shifted from surprise to mounting panic. "Oh shit," she whispered, her voice tight and suddenly strained. Her foot started rapidly tapping against the grass-covered ground, and I noticed she was turning noticeably pale. "Fuck. Fuckity-fuck-fuck!"
"Anko?" I asked, leaning toward her with concern. "What's wrong?"
She suddenly grabbed the edge of the table tightly, hissing under her breath in agitation. "That son of a bitch! That was fucking Orochimaru—right fucking next to me!" She slammed her fist against her thigh, furious with herself. "Damn it! He would do something like that just to taunt me, betting I was too arrogant or distracted to realize it!"
Well…she kind of had been distracted. In hindsight, I realized I was the only one who'd even picked up on it—but I wisely decided not to mention that part to her. Anko already looked on the verge of a breakdown, pointing out her oversight definitely wouldn't help right now…
Still, this was really, really bad news.
Tsunade had made sure to warn me several times about Orochimaru—her former teammate, who she described emphatically as completely insane, ruthless…and did I mention insane? She'd practically shouted the word "insane," emphasizing it so much I'd mentally noted it twice.
Now, watching Anko, it was clear Tsunade hadn't been exaggerating.
Anko looked sick, visibly trembling. "Fuck, this exam's basically screwed now. Orochimaru being here changes everything," she muttered, her voice shaking slightly. She was almost whispering, eyes filled with dread. "I need to get to the Hokage right away. She needs to know about this!"
I was about to reply when I noticed another genin team approach our table. The very last one, thankfully.
At the front of the group was that strange kid from the Sand Village. The red-haired boy with dark rings under his eyes and no eyebrows at all. He stood motionless in front of our table, just staring at me with an intensity that immediately put me on edge.
His gaze was like he was sizing me up. Very intense, this kid screamed danger. My instincts were practically shouting at me to be careful.
Luckily, the tension broke when the blonde-haired girl next to him quickly stepped forward, flashing me a slightly nervous smile as she politely accepted their scroll. "Thank you very much," she said quickly, grabbing the scroll and practically pulling her scary monster teammate away from the table.
Once they were safely out of earshot, I slowly exhaled, shaking my head slightly. "Oh yeah," I muttered quietly, glancing back at Anko. "Almost forgot. Did anyone tell you that red-haired kid from Sand is their Jinchuriki?"
Anko froze beside me, mouth dropping open dramatically. Her shoulders visibly slumped, and she let out a loud, overly-dramatic whine of frustration. "Oh come on! Seriously? No one fucking told me about that either!" She buried her face in her palms, groaning miserably. "Goddamn it, why is this exam turning into such a massive shitshow?"
I gave her a dry, slightly sympathetic look. "Well, at least we're done handing out scrolls now."
She glared at me half-heartedly from between her fingers. "You're a terrible comforter, you know that?"
"Sorry," I said, offering a weak smile. "Just trying to lighten the mood."
Anko sighed heavily, pushing herself to her feet. "Shadow Clone Jutsu!" She put her hands together and a copy of herself appeared next to me. "Alright. I need to get to the Hokage immediately and warn her about Orochimaru. In the meantime, Blake… My clone is in charge here and you two need to officially go out there and start the exam to make it look like nothings wrong. We can't look weak in front of the other villages, especially when we just got Tsunade as our Hokage this morning!"
With that said, Anko vanished abruptly in a quick swirl of leaves, leaving behind just a faint rustle and a few stray leaves fluttering slowly to the ground.
For a long second, I just sat there, blinking dumbly at the spot where she'd disappeared, my mind still trying to process how quickly everything had escalated. One minute, we were joking around and passing out scrolls, the next, she was racing off to report to Tsunade about the Leaf Village's most notorious traitor.
It was definitely not how I expected my afternoon to go.
I glanced over at Anko's shadow clone, which was still standing next to me looking noticeably jittery. Even as a clone, she mirrored the original Anko's anxiety perfectly, biting her lip nervously and glancing around as if expecting Orochimaru to jump out at us any second.
I cleared my throat, deciding to try and break the tense silence. "So..." I started awkwardly, looking the clone up and down curiously. "What's it actually like being a clone, anyway? I've always wondered."
The clone blinked at me, clearly surprised by my random question. After a moment though, she visibly relaxed, and a small grin replaced the worried frown she'd been wearing. "Hmm, being a clone, huh?" she mused thoughtfully, scratching the back of her head. "Honestly, it's pretty interesting, I guess. Like, I know I'm not gonna last more than a few hours—and weirdly enough, I'm okay with that. It's kinda freeing in a strange way. But I guess knowing I'm temporary makes me lose most of my usual inhibitions, too." Her smile turned mischievous, a familiar teasing glint appearing in her eyes. "Like, a lot fewer inhibitions…"
I chuckled slightly, shaking my head at her suggestive look. "Right on," I replied casually, already sensing where this conversation was heading.
She leaned toward me, lowering her voice into a playful whisper. "Wanna have sex?"
I immediately choked on the air I was breathing, coughing and sputtering as I stared at her in shock. "Excuse me?!" I finally managed to gasp out incredulously.
The clone shrugged nonchalantly, grinning widely. "What? I'm a clone that's gonna disappear in a couple hours anyway. Nobody else would ever know. Come on, Blake, how about just a quickie to relieve some stress?" Her eyes flashed wickedly as her absurdly long tongue flicked out again, wiggling teasingly in my direction.
I quickly leaned away, waving my hand defensively while trying not to laugh at how ridiculous this situation had gotten. "Um, no thanks," I replied firmly, keeping my voice as dry and calm as possible. "I'm still good."
She immediately pouted, sticking out her lower lip dramatically and crossing her arms over her chest. "Spoilsport," she whined jokingly.
I chuckled again, shaking my head with amusement. "Maybe so, but still no," I reaffirmed firmly.
Her pout slowly turned into a small, sincere smile. Without any warning, she leaned forward again—but this time, instead of making another suggestive comment, she gently kissed my cheek. It was surprisingly soft and affectionate, catching me completely off-guard.
I stared at her, a little surprised, as she pulled away with a warmer, genuinely appreciative smile. "Thanks, Blake," she said softly, her tone much calmer and more sincere. "I know you're trying to lighten the mood and cheer me up. Honestly, I really appreciate it. Even clones get anxious."
I nodded slowly, returning her smile gently. "No worries. Just glad I could help."
Her expression quickly shifted again, her energy and enthusiasm visibly returning. She stood up straight, stretching her arms over her head and giving me an energetic grin. "Alright! Enough moping around. Time to put on our best badass faces, get out there, and make sure nobody suspects anything. We're gonna act like everything is perfectly fine—especially in front of all these foreign ninja—and fuck Orochimaru's plans right up the ass!"
I burst out laughing at her sudden, colorful declaration. I got to my feet as well and nodded eagerly. "Hell yeah. I can definitely do that with you!"
…
A bit later…
…If only plans actually worked out the way we wanted…
I was rapidly flying through the massive trees of the Forest of Death, my four black Fallen Angel wings beating furiously as I weaved between enormous branches and twisting trunks. Sweat streamed down my forehead from the sheer effort—my heart pounding in my ears as adrenaline surged through me.
A roaring fuck off wave of sand tore through the forest behind me, shattering trees like toothpicks and rapidly gaining on my position. It was relentless, unstoppable, and fucking terrifyingly massive.
And riding atop that monstrous tsunami of sand was the red-haired Jinchuriki from Sand—Gaara, eyes wide with rage, a twisted grin plastered on his face as he screamed at me, completely unhinged.
"I'm going to kill you, Blake Himejima!" he howled, voice cracking wildly with madness. "Mother demands your blood! Your blood!!!"
"WHAT THE FUCK IS WRONG WITH THIS KID!!!??" I shouted loudly.
XXX
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Here is the list of Current Advanced Chapters on there:
The Fallen Gamer ch 331-335
The Fox Hole 88
A Systematic Tale: The Hero 10
The Fox Hole 87
Thunder and Black Wings 23
The Fox Hole 86
A Systematic Tale: The Hero 9
The Blood Queen 46
The Fox Hole 85
A Systematic Tale: The Hero 8
The Fox Hole 84
Thunder and Black Wings 22
The Blood Queen 45
The Fox Hole 83
A Systematic Tale: The Hero 7
The Fox Hole 82