"Why are you looking at me like that? Do I have something on my face?"
In the room, Anko Mitarashi was happily munching on red bean dango when Raizen Uchiha walked in and began staring at her intensely. It left her completely bewildered. She had just washed her face and started eating; surely she didn't have food smeared all over her!
"Anko, do you want to get rid of that thing Orochimaru left on you? I just happened to learn a jutsu that can probably solve the problem," Raizen said with a serious expression after observing her for a moment.
Anko's body jolted. She stared at him with wide, disbelieving eyes.
"How... how do you know about that?"
"Have you been peeking at me?"
"You rascal, you are lusting after my body!" Anko clutched her chest and looked at him warily, though a playful, subtle smirk tugged at the corner of her mouth.
Raizen rolled his eyes. "Who's lusting after you?! I have plenty of women—each one beautiful, graceful, and perfectly curved. Why would I pine after a woman who's getting plump from overeating dango?!"
"You... you... you said I'm FAT?" Anko pointed a finger at him, glaring.
"Alright! Forget about the weight for a second; I'm talking business here!" Raizen said with an air of authority.
His commanding tone made Anko shudder again. The sheer weight of authority in his voice actually sparked a flicker of fear in her heart.
Is this an illusion?He's clearly just a Genin. (Sister, in the Leaf, the most terrifying people are the inconspicuous Genins.)
Furthermore, she had been at the Uchiha estate for years and had never seen Raizen train. Every day, he was either lazy or spending time with his wives. She figured he'd be lucky if he wasn't suffering from kidney deficiency—how could he threaten her? This had to be an illusion.
Anko shook her head vigorously and tested him: "How are you going to solve it?"
"I have my ways. The question is, do you want it gone?" Raizen asked. He wouldn't force her if she chose to keep the Cursed Seal.
"If you can really get rid of this seal, I'll even have your children," Anko said. She had wanted to be rid of the mark for years, but even Hiruzen Sarutobi hadn't found a clean way to remove it. Raizen's claim sparked both curiosity and hope.
"The children aren't necessary—don't go saying I'm craving your body again," Raizen shook his head. He had enough women; Anko would just be a bonus. Plus, with her current "fuller" figure, he was honestly a bit picky. Of course, that didn't mean she wasn't beautiful; with his Papaya Nutritional Juice, anyone would look radiant.
"Whether you crave it or not, you know it in your heart." Anko was confident in her looks. She didn't believe for a second that Raizen hadn't thought about it.
"The seal is here. What are you going to do?" She pulled her collar down to reveal the Curse Mark on her shoulder.
Raizen's expression turned solemn. He pulled the Tenseiga from his system storage and set it aside.
Anko was stunned. How did he pull a sword out of thin air? However, she remained silent, watching his preparations.
Raizen thought to himself: Orochimaru's fragment of soul, having left the main body, counts as a dead soul. Tenseiga should be its perfect nemesis.
"Anko, let's go to the bamboo pavilion in the center of the lake."
"The space is open there. If something goes wrong, it won't affect the house."
Orochimaru's soul fragment still held significant power. With so many children at home, a stray shockwave could be disastrous.
Anko nodded, and they quickly made their way to the pavilion.
"Sit down, Anko."
Anko sat cross-legged and bared her shoulder. Raizen focused, gathering a large amount of Wood Style chakra in his palm. He slammed his hand onto the seal and roared: "Evil Releasing Bind (Kaija Hoin)!"
Anko let out a pained moan.
Suddenly, a snake's head erupted from her shoulder. A massive serpent opened its maw, and the pale, ghastly figure of Orochimaru emerged from within—a sight that would make anyone's skin crawl.
"Raizen-kun... you truly are not simple, being able to undo my Cursed Seal."
"In that case, I'll just turn you into my next vessel right here!"
Orochimaru lunged at Raizen with a predatory sneer, intending to possess his body on the spot.
"Orochimaru, you overestimate yourself. A mere fragment of a soul thinks it can take me?"
Raizen was ready. The moment the seal broke, he unsheathed the Tenseiga.
"Hmph, blades and swords are useless against me!" Orochimaru scoffed. His spectral form lunged to phase into Raizen's chest.
But in the next heartbeat, a flash of light swept through the air.
Orochimaru's soul suddenly erupted in an agonizing shriek.
"How is this possible?!"
"How can a regular blade cut my soul?!" Orochimaru stared at his severed spectral form in absolute shock.
"Because it's not a regular blade!" Raizen sneered.
"What kind of sword is that? Why have I never seen it?" As Orochimaru's soul was cut, it began to dissipate from the feet upward.
"A sword you've never seen," Raizen smirked. "Safe travels, Orochimaru. If your main body ever tries anything with me, I'll finish him off too."
"Your Cursed Seal has a fatal flaw—every time you place one, your main soul is weakened by a fraction."
"Uchiha Raizen... you really aren't an ordinary guy to have noticed that secret."
"It's a pity I can't alert my main body to watch out for a 'snake-in-the-grass' like you..."
The soul fragment slowly vanished. Since it was an independent consciousness, it couldn't pass memories back to the original body like a Shadow Clone upon dispersal.
"Masquerading as a Genin all this time... what are you plotting?" With that final question, Orochimaru's fragment disappeared completely.
"Plotting? I am a Genin. What is there to plot?"
As long as he didn't take the exams, his file would always say Genin. He was a professional Genin—just not a Genin in strength.
"Raizen... you... you actually killed Orochimaru?" Anko stood there, slack-jawed.
Raizen slowly sheathed the sword. "I just happened to have a sword that counters him. That was just a fragment of his will; it didn't have much power. It was the sword's doing, not mine."
Anko was still trembling with shock. "Even if it was just a fragment, that was Orochimaru! One of the Legendary Sannin! Even a fragment is Kage-level in nature. For you to take him down... it's unbelievable."
"I told you, it was the sword!" Raizen tried to explain.
"The sword dealt with the soul, but before that, you used the Evil Releasing Bind! That's something even the Third Hokage couldn't manage! You... you're definitely not just some ordinary Genin."
Anko's eyes were locked onto him, burning with intensity.
"Wh-What are you doing?" Raizen asked, surprised by the look on her face.
"You've solved my Cursed Seal... what do you think I'm going to do?" Anko smiled seductively, pulling her garment down further to expose her shoulder.
"Ahem! Anko, you and Kurenai are best friends. This isn't right!" Raizen said, trying to look righteous.
"Oh? Raizen-kun, what are you talking about? What isn't right?" Anko cooed, letting the fabric slide off her other shoulder as well.
"Anko, stay calm. Impulses are the devil. Don't do something you'll regret for the rest of your life."
"Regret?"
Anko smirked playfully. "If I don't follow my impulses right now, that's when I'll regret it!"
With a sudden lung, Anko pounced on him.
Raizen never imagined that one day, he would be the one getting... counter-pushed?