Chapter 103: Anko: Xia Yan, are you really strong? (Please subscribe!) "Ah, it's been a long time since I've seen Anko. She truly is my disciple, and she looks even more beautiful now..." "Huh, from a distance, you and Xia Yan really match well. A talented man and a beautiful woman, a natural pair. You have good taste." "I am pleased as your master." Orochimaru's desire to survive is bursting, spouting all sorts of nonsense. Anko almost strained her old waist, the sudden turn of events was too much! She was completely dumbfounded, standing there in a daze, staring at Orochimaru's performance. Even Xia Yan couldn't help but laugh and cry a little. He didn't expect Orochimaru's desire to survive to be so high, even he couldn't understand it. Orochimaru was also helpless. My desire to survive is high, but isn't it because of you?
I don't have anything to trade with you now, if my desire to survive were any lower, would you kill me? "Xia Yan, let me make it clear, I didn't lay a hand on you." Orochimaru took a few steps back. "You may not believe it, but it was the snake in my hand that moved first." "Alright, I guess you probably don't believe it. Actually, I don't believe it either." "But I can swear that I didn't intend to harm Anko... at most, I just wanted to give her a little trouble, so she would stop chasing after me." "I'm the victim in this matter!" Orochimaru sighed deeply, what is this? Clearly, I'm the one getting beaten up, and Anko is showing off here. Why does it still seem like it's my fault? "Alright, alright, stop pretending." Xia Yan said helplessly, "I see your tolerance, I'm not angry. It's about time for you to go back." His expression calmed down as he looked into the distance. "If you don't go back soon, the Third Hokage will bring people over... Are you not afraid of being left behind in Konoha because you're not ready?" Orochimaru's expression also quickly became indifferent, returning to his initial coldness. Yes, Orochimaru's exaggeration just now was all an act. For a true ninja, what is face? Isn't it something that can be thrown away? If acting in a play can avoid losses, he doesn't mind acting every day. But since his goal has been achieved, he retreats without hesitation - he actually wanted to leave a long time ago, but Anko has been relentlessly pursuing him, so he couldn't leave! And Anko was left dumbfounded, as if her worldview had been shattered. After a while, she couldn't help but speak up.
"Xia Yan, do you know Orochimaru?" "I do." Xia Yan smiled and said, "I had dealings with him before... Well, those wives and concubines with a 'snake-like' aura that you mentioned, they were all female ninjas cultivated by Orochimaru, whom I bought with money." "But even so, Orochimaru shouldn't be so afraid of you, right?" Anko said in a daze, "I've never seen Orochimaru like that before." "Oh, that's probably because I beat him up a few times," Xia Yan said nonchalantly, "I just beat him up a few days ago and disabled one of his arms... But this snake's recovery is really fast, his arm has returned to normal now." Disabled Orochimaru's arm? Anko opened her mouth but couldn't say anything for a while. Xia Yan, with his massive white arm? In Anko's eyes, Orochimaru was definitely the strongest renegade ninja in the ninja world. And Xia Yan? Well, although he was somewhat hidden, he even realized it himself. But in name, he was just a Jōnin, and even called himself the shame of Jōnin. He didn't focus on training every day, but rather on which "concubine's" room he should go to today... How the hell does that look like a strong person? But thinking about Orochimaru's expression... "Xia Yan." "Yes?" "Are you really strong?" "Well, I'm okay." "How strong are you?" "Currently, there are no more than three people in the ninja world who can beat me." Might Guy, who can unleash the Eight Gates, counts as one. Nagato, who uses the Rinnegan at the cost of his life, counts as one. And Ōtsutsuki Isshiki, who started fighting desperately, counts as one. Although Might Guy, Nagato, and Ōtsutsuki Isshiki are willing to pay any price and go all out, the result is certain death, but Xia Yan may not necessarily die in battle. But Xia Yan admits that if they were to go all out and attack, he might not be able to withstand it. Anko doesn't know any of the three mentioned individuals. But it doesn't prevent Anko from understanding clearly—the three recognized top powerhouses in the current ninja world are: Ōnoki with Dust Release, Hagoromo Ōtsutsuki who defeated the Sannin, and the Third Hokage who hasn't fought in a long time. And Xia Yan, he actually dares to claim that there are no more than three people who can beat him? Does that mean he's the strongest aside from the three mentioned individuals? She really wanted to deny Xia Yan's words, but Orochimaru's recent appearance was still imprinted in her mind, making it impossible for her to say anything to refute him. Anko had no idea that what she considered the "strongest" was actually no match for Xia Yan...
"Alright, stop thinking about it," Xia Yan chuckled lightly, tapping Anko's smooth forehead with his finger. "You should think about how to deal with the people coming soon." As he spoke, his figure slowly dissipated, leaving behind a devastated land. Not long after, the examiner in charge of the exam was the first to arrive. Followed by several Anbu members. The Third Hokage also arrived fully armed, quickly joining them. "Anko, Orochimaru really came?" The Third Hokage's face was serious. "Did you two cause all this commotion?" "Yes, because the snake really came..." Anko glanced at the Third Hokage and sighed. "The commotion here was caused by our battle, but unfortunately, he managed to escape..." "He actually came..." The Third Hokage frowned. Compared to his old self, Orochimaru may not be young and strong, but he definitely maintained his combat power. He didn't have confidence in fighting against him... However... "Anko, how are you okay?" The Third Hokage looked at Anko, furrowing his brows, and asked strangely, "I remember I sent an elite squad to assist you, with the weakest being a special Jōnin." "As a result, the captain of the Elite Jōnin team died, but you're fine?" Upon hearing this, Anko couldn't help but complain, "Third Hokage, how can you say that? I even paid out of my own pocket to hire ninjas to deal with Orochimaru, and you gave me a team of good ninjas!" "The Elite Jōnin weren't prepared for battle at all. One was killed with just one blow, and then another lost their courage and was quickly defeated. Finally, the remaining two fled together." "When did our Konoha Shinobi become so useless?" "I'm not even as good as a Chūnin!" As soon as these words were spoken, the Third Hokage's face turned red. Anko wasn't injured, mainly because of Xia Yan. The main reason the other two died was because of their own shortcomings—they didn't have the right mindset for battle! Facing a Kage-level expert, how could they not fight to the death and expect reinforcements from the village? If you don't die, who will? The ninjas present were all seasoned warriors, how could they not understand this principle? In addition, in Anko's words, there was a hint of the generous reward she offered, and a trace of understanding flashed in everyone's eyes. —It must be the Third Hokage who gave the generous reward for the mission to their own ninja. Unfortunately, they didn't expect that Orochimaru would actually be summoned by Anko, and they almost got wiped out. The Third Hokage's face couldn't hold up, but fortunately, a few trusted individuals quickly spoke up.
Why was Anko unharmed? Why did Orochimaru flee in panic? There is only one truth—Orochimaru feared the strongest Hokage, you, and sensed that you were coming, so he ran away! This conversation finally saved the face of the Third Hokage. But whether other ninjas believe it or not... it's up to them! After Orochimaru and Anko caused such a commotion, one-third of the Forest of Death is now engulfed in flames. The examinees are fleeing and avoiding the two, chaos ensues, and there are injured individuals. The second round of the exam cannot continue. Since there are not many ninjas left, the Third Hokage waved his hand and decided to hold one final preliminary match, and the winner will become a participant in the final round. Of course, considering that some examinees were affected by the Orochimaru chase, the Third Hokage decided to postpone the preliminary matches for a few days and let the Konoha Hospital take care of the injured. But all of this has little to do with Anko. After fooling the Third Hokage, Anko hesitated for a moment, but ultimately did not reveal any information about Natsuhiko. After all, Natsuhiko has always been secretive, there must be a reason, right? Of course, she is still angry. So, carrying this resentment, Anko returned to the Uchiha clan. Just as she was about to angrily question the relationship between Natsuhiko and Orochimaru... She saw Natsuhiko chatting with Yakushi Kabuto. Yakushi Kabuto had a wry smile on his face and said, "Natsuhiko-sama, your request is really too demanding. Can't you be more flexible?" "Orochimaru-sama is willing to pay a greater price, hoping that you can restrain Anko and prevent her from acting like this again..." "Fight? Can't fight. Run? Can't escape. What do you want Orochimaru-sama to do?" However, Natsuhiko said without hesitation, "It's none of my business." "Anyway, Anko is not that strong, she can't harm Orochimaru, so let him try his best to run, right?" "I don't care about the specifics of what he looks like, but it was agreed beforehand that if he dares to touch a single hair on my wife, I will kill him..." Anko listened, and although she still felt angry, she couldn't express it. Instead, she felt sweet in her heart...