Naruto: Wood-Wood Fruit

"Boom! Boom!"

The already devastated ground continued to quake without respite.

A massive trench stretched over a hundred meters, evoking chills down the spine of anyone who saw it.

At the end of the wreckage lay a mangled, blood-soaked body.

Raiga, the infamous S-rank rogue ninja from the Hidden Mist, had finally drawn his last breath.

"Is it over?"

Watching the elegant figure before them gradually return to normal, Yugao and Hana exchanged bewildered glances, as if awakening from a surreal dream.

The scene they had just witnessed was utterly overwhelming.

"You two, don't be frightened."

Kurenai reassured them with a half-smile, half-serious expression, "This is the Heaven's Curse Seal that Orochimaru placed on Anko in the past, but Kiyoshi modified it for her."

According to Kiyoshi's explanation, Anko's curse mark transformation could be likened to a form of sage transformation, functioning as a unique Sage Mode.

In the past, Orochimaru had left this Heaven's Curse Seal on Anko by harnessing a corrupted version of natural energy, but it was a degraded version—far from true Sage Mode.

The violent nature of this energy made it nearly impossible to control through sheer willpower alone.

However, Kiyoshi, already a Sage adept in handling natural energy, had managed to tame it by possessing Anko's body through his Spirit Transformation Jutsu. 

With this, he stabilized the rampaging energy within her, saving her from spiraling out of control.

"So that's the story."

Yugao and Hana nodded in sudden understanding.

Though they didn't fully grasp the mechanics of the Heaven's Curse Seal, they knew Anko had once been Orochimaru's apprentice.

Moments earlier, the transformed Anko, seeming like a demonic figure entirely different from her usual self, had given them chills.

But what surprised them even more was Anko's rare mastery of the "Dark Release" Kekkei Genkai—a power both terrifying and awe-inspiring.

"Hehehe..."

With her usual form restored, Anko was beaming with excitement, thoroughly enjoying wielding the pair of thunder swords, Kiba. 

Lightning surged through the blades' sharp teeth, casting dazzling sparks.

Thanks to Kiyoshi's guidance, she could now control the curse mark's power with ease.

In her transformed state, Anko's body could convert her cells at will, reshaping any part of her body into fearsome weapons as hard as steel and able to take various forms.

This allowed her to block even the sharp strikes of the sword with her bare flesh.

In this cursed form, her strength, speed, reflexes, physical durability, and even chakra capacity received an incredible boost.

It was akin to directly wielding the power of Sage Mode.

However, there was a significant downside, she couldn't sustain this form for too long.

If she kept the transformation active for over half an hour, the ferocious natural energy would backfire, sending her into a berserk rage.

Kiyoshi had installed safeguards on her, but Anko knew she still had to train hard to fortify her control over the power.

Nonetheless, in her transformed state, her Dark Release abilities amplified to an unimaginable level.

With Kiyoshi's help, Anko had recovered memories that Orochimaru had sealed long ago, finally putting to rest old grudges.

Still, a part of her hoped for a chance encounter with her treacherous former mentor one day, to finally settle the matter of the curse mark.

"Anko, don't celebrate too soon."

Kurenai sighed, reminding her, "Although we managed to take down the rogue Mist ninjas Zabuza and Raiga, Kiba and Kubikiribocho are treasures of the Hidden Mist."

"To avoid sparking unnecessary conflict with the Mist Village, I doubt the Hokage will simply let you keep them."

These two legendary swords of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen carried political significance between the villages.

With the Third Hokage's commitment to "maintaining stability," it was unlikely he'd approve of Anko claiming the sword.

"No problem, I'll make a formal request to the Hokage. If he refuses." Anko had anticipated this and remained unfazed, smiling mischievously. 

"Then I'll wait until Kiyoshi has time to come back and ask him for help."

As she said this, her gaze grew meaningful, casting a quick glance at Yugao, a member of the Anbu.

Though straightforward and playful, Anko was no fool.

The Third Hokage had specifically chosen Kurenai, a newly-promoted Jonin, for this risky S-rank mission and had gone so far as to assign Yugao, an Anbu operative, as well.

Clearly, he had intended to probe into her and Kurenai's capabilities.

Now that he had witnessed their incredible transformation, vastly different from their former selves, she was confident he would give them, or rather, give Kiyoshi, some level of respect.

As her strength grew, Anko came to realize just how immeasurable Kiyoshi's power truly was.

In her cursed form alone, her power was beyond belief.

It was hard to imagine how overwhelmingly powerful Kiyoshi would be in Sage Mode.

"....."

Hana and Yugao looked at each other in silence.

Kiyoshi had awakened the First Hokage's Wood Release ability.

His strength was practically unparalleled, making him one of Konoha's greatest future assets.

The Third Hokage couldn't possibly ignore his influence.

"Do as you wish."

Kurenai's lips twitched slightly.

Despite Kiyoshi's usual display of indifference, deep down, he had always harbored a soft spot for the lively, devoted Anko, who adored him unconditionally.

Otherwise, he wouldn't have gone through such trouble, generously gifting her the rare, formidable Dark Release ability and even enhancing it further for her.

He had even bestowed upon her this unique form of Sage Mode through the curse mark.

Given Kiyoshi's doting attitude toward Anko and his evident disdain for the Hokage and Konoha's higher-ups, he might actually show up at the Hokage's office one day, giving the "Strongest Hokage" and the village council a lesson in humility if needed.

After all, she had never seen him show the slightest regard for those so-called rules or authority figures.

Let's just hope the Third Hokage knows when to stop.

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