"Damn it!"
Dropping onto the ground with a thud, Anko Mitarashi glared unwillingly at her somewhat smug best friend.
"I actually lost!"
She ground her teeth in frustration.
Although she was officially classified as a Special Jonin, that only reflected her normal combat ability.
Strictly speaking, if she went all out and used her Summoning Technique to fight alongside those giant combat-oriented snakes—
Even ordinary Jonin would not be her match.
Yet she had never expected that Kurenai Yuhi, who had only recently become a Jonin, would defeat her so easily.
Even her giant snake had been killed outright.
Looking at the forest filled with earthen spears over two or three meters tall, still stained with snake blood, Anko was filled with disbelief.
This Earth Release technique was clearly powerful.
Kurenai had definitely only learned it recently.
There was a high chance Akira had taught it to her.
Not long ago, the two of them had carried out an S-rank mission together and encountered some troublesome rogue ninja, yet Kurenai had never used such a technique then.
And based on Anko's understanding of her—
There was no way Kurenai could have mastered such a powerful jutsu in such a short time.
"Heh, that was impressive…"
Akira walked over.
Seeing that Kurenai was completely unharmed, he smiled and said:
"Red Sister, your Demonic Illusion: Thunder Chant Technique is becoming quite proficient."
The technique Kurenai had used earlier was naturally not Lightning Release.
Although Jonin who were willing to put in enough effort could indeed learn chakra natures they did not originally possess through training, allowing them to gain additional elemental affinities—
There was still a major difference compared to innate chakra affinities.
Generally speaking, using ninjutsu from an acquired chakra nature consumed far more chakra than using one's natural affinity.
Moreover, the power produced was usually quite limited.
Far inferior to techniques performed with a naturally compatible chakra nature.
However—
Demonic Illusion: Thunder Chant Technique was less a sound-based genjutsu and more a dual illusion combining visual and auditory deception.
Though only a B-rank genjutsu, and easy for skilled ninja to dispel if detected in advance—
Its true specialty lay in its ability to disguise itself as a Lightning Release attack.
It struck silently.
Targets fell into the illusion without even realizing it.
Making it extremely difficult to guard against.
"It's all thanks to you, Lu Ren…"
Kurenai smiled warmly.
Although she had signed a summoning contract with the Lizard Clan—
Most of her time lately had been focused on training Fire Release and Earth Release ninjutsu.
As a result, she still had not had the opportunity to properly practice the Summoning Technique.
Otherwise, she would have directly summoned her contracted beast earlier and competed against Anko's summon head-on.
"In terms of ninjutsu, Red Sister, your mastery is already quite solid…"
As Akira spoke, he walked over to Anko.
He removed the bloodstained bandages from her right arm and inspected the wound.
Soft green light gathered in his palm.
Using Mystical Palm Technique, he began healing her injuries.
After a brief pause, he smiled toward Kurenai and continued:
"Next, aside from leaving behind two shadow clones to continue practicing ninjutsu, you should also spend some time training your Summoning Technique."
"And from the Lizard Clan, find summoning beasts that suit you and can coordinate with you in battle."
Normally speaking—
Summoning clans with long-standing bloodline contracts possessed enormous numbers of creatures.
But most powerful ninja would select a few summons they were especially compatible with and cultivate them as combat partners.
Then, depending on the requirements of a battle, they would summon the appropriate companion.
Some ninja even specifically trained alongside their summons to build perfect coordination.
All so they could display even greater combat power in battle.
"Mhm, that's what I was thinking too!"
Kurenai smiled brightly.
She was truly looking forward to the Lizard Clan summons.
"Huh?"
Beside them, Anko looked surprised.
"Kurenai, you signed a summoning contract too?"
Normally speaking—
Large summoning beasts were incredibly rare.
Among all of Konoha, very few ninja truly possessed summoning contracts.
Unless they were like Kakashi, who signed contracts with his own ninja hounds for combat support.
"What? You think you're the only one allowed to have summoning beasts?"
Kurenai lifted her chin proudly and shot back.
"Was it Lu Ren?"
Anko looked toward him beside her, feeling slightly jealous.
Kurenai's explosive growth in strength—
Akira had clearly played a huge role in it.
He had even allowed Kurenai to sign his summoning contract.
Honestly—
It made Anko envious.
"Alright already. You already have your own summons, and they're from Ryuchi Cave, one of the Three Great Sacred Lands…"
Akira rolled his eyes and lightly knocked Anko on the head.
"There's no need for you to sign additional summoning contracts."
"From now on, if you want to keep following our training, then follow along."
"Hmph…"
Seeing her puffing up unhappily, Kurenai chuckled softly.
Then she took out a scroll and handed it to Anko.
This was the Fire Release scroll Akira had previously given her.
Because Anko possessed very few chakra natures—
Only Fire Release—
She could instead focus entirely on mastering Fire Release ninjutsu.
By the time Akira left Konoha again, the timing should work out perfectly.
As for whether she wanted to train additional chakra nature transformations and master other elemental techniques afterward—
That was something Anko herself needed to decide.
…
Not long afterward—
After healing Anko's injuries—
Akira had Kurenai create shadow clones to replenish her chakra while continuing her training nearby.
At the same time, he instructed Anko to create two shadow clones to memorize the Fire Release techniques.
Not favoring one over the other, Akira directly used the Spirit Transformation Technique.
Entering Anko's body.
"This is… the Spirit Transformation Technique?"
Inside the mental world, Anko widened her eyes in shock as she stared at Lu Ren.
As Orochimaru's disciple, the knowledge she had absorbed through exposure was far beyond Kurenai's.
Naturally, she had heard of this S-rank forbidden technique.
"Yeah."
"Next, I'll control your body and use medical ninjutsu to expand your chakra pathway system, treat the hidden injuries inside your body, and slightly improve your physique…"
"Really!? Thank you so much, Lu Ren!"
Anko's eyes lit up.
Overjoyed, she pounced forward and hugged him tightly.
Like an excited child, she narrowed her eyes into crescents and giggled happily.
"I knew you wouldn't forget about your big sister!"
"Of course…"
Akira had just begun speaking—
When he realized he had completely underestimated Anko.
That female hooligan was far bolder than he had imagined.
Calling her audacious would be an understatement.
Forcefully kissing him wasn't enough—
She even went a step further and lured the snake out of its hole…
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