Chapter 31:
– Blake –
"Well, well, well. Look who decided to show up, finally," Anko said, flashing that feral grin of hers as Shuri and I stepped through the treeline onto the dirt path leading to the edge of the village. The forest behind us was thick, humid, still clinging to the night's dew, but up ahead, Anko stood in the clearing with about ten chunin clustered around her like a pack of wolves waiting to be unleashed.
"Oh, for fuck's sake," Shuri muttered under her breath, her voice muffled by the black ANBU raven mask. Her shoulders stiffened just slightly. "You're here, too? Tsunade-sama actually assigned you?"
There was a groan to her voice, a kind of tired irritation that only someone who had known Anko too long could deliver.
Anko's smirk widened as she sauntered toward us, licking her lips like a predator sizing up her prey. "Damn right she did." Then she turned her gaze toward me, eyes glinting with something between mischief and barely contained bloodlust... Or maybe just regular lust.
The last time I'd seen Anko was during the Chunin Exams, when she'd begged me to help with proctoring. That had turned into a fucking nightmare after I nearly got stuck with a permanent, disgusting hickey from Orochimaru. That bastard's cursed chakra had tried sinking its claws into me, but thankfully, my bloodline had kicked in hard—and finally let me access chakra properly for the first time in my life.
I hadn't blamed Anko for what happened. She had no idea her old master would show up and try to turn me into one of his damn experiments. Still, I gave her a nod and a soft smile—just polite enough, but not so warm that she got any ideas.
"Glad to have you on the team," I said, keeping my tone even.
Anko let out a bark of laughter and turned back toward the group. "We're gonna kill so many fucking Sound ninja today. It's gonna be epic."
Shuri exhaled sharply, folding her arms under her cloak. "Intel says Orochimaru's showing up. You really gonna stay under command and not run off to try and kill him yourself?"
There was silence for a moment. The air shifted.
Anko twitched at that—just a small thing, a tiny jerk of her lip before she bit it hard. Her eyes burned, narrowed into slits, and for a second I thought she might explode. But then she glanced away, exhaled, and muttered, "I know I'm not a match for him. Not yet. Going after him now would get me killed—and probably get a bunch of you assholes killed too. So no. I'll stay here. I'll do my fucking job."
She didn't sound too thrilled to say that though.
Behind her, the chunin seemed to collectively relax. Shuri gave a short nod, stiff and approving.
Yeah. Tense didn't even begin to describe the atmosphere. My skin felt tight, like my nerves were strung up and humming with electricity. We were right on the edge of something—something bloody and inevitable. This wasn't some skirmish. This was a goddamn war.
I cleared my throat, trying to shift the energy. "Alright. Everyone to your assigned posts." I heard my own voice crack a little with the command. Tsunade had technically given me authority over this operation, but in reality? I was just parroting Shuri's advice. She was the real ninja here. The only reason Tsunade put me in "command"—and I mentally put that word in massive fucking air quotes—was because she wanted to give me some clout. A bit of influence.
Probably to make me feel more integrated in the village. Especially now that things were getting more serious between me, Tsunade, and Shizune.
The sun had climbed a little higher by the time things really kicked off inside the village. We could hear the distant roar of the crowd like a wave crashing against the walls—loud, wild, full of that anxious, excited energy only a bloodsport disguised as an exam could draw out. The Chunin Exams had officially begun.
I felt my back straighten involuntarily, tension creeping down my spine like ice water. We all knew the attack would come during the finals—just not when. That uncertainty chewed at the edges of my nerves. Every shout from the stadium felt like it could be the signal.
That's when Shuri surprised me. She reached into one of the hidden pockets of her ANBU cloak and pulled out a small black radio, the kind the higher-ups used to monitor mission chatter. With a small crackle, the voice of a smooth-talking announcer filled the tense silence.
"Welcome back to the bi-annual Chunin Exams, this year held in the Legendary Leaf Village! My name is Kazuki, and I'll be broadcasting the entire event via radio. I'd like to start out by thanking everyone for tuning in as always, and I'd also like to announce that we have royalty in our presence as Prince Zuko AND Princess Azula have both been spotted in the crowd!" the announcer declared and I could hear the crowd going wild.
I cringed a bit. Oh shit, Azula was here too!? Hopefully Zuko would keep her safe with what's coming, or maybe she'd keep him safe?
The guy continued announcing: "Our first match is about to begin, and the two genin facing off, both hoping to earn the rank of Chunin, are Neji Hyuga—the famed prodigy of the Hyuga Clan—and his opponent, a relatively unknown genin by the name of Naruto Uzumaki. One might suspect he hails from the fabled, now-extinct Uzumaki Clan, but considering I don't see any red hair on that kid, it must just be a coincidence."
Shuri almost choked, a sharp, stifled cough behind her mask that made me glance over at her. Her shoulders shook with repressed laughter.
"What's so funny?" I asked.
She waved a hand vaguely. "I'll explain later. It's... an inside joke."
"They're really going to broadcast the whole thing?" I asked, raising an eyebrow. "Even with an attack incoming?"
She shrugged. "If they suddenly don't, that's the bigger red flag, right? Tsunade's plan is to beat the shit out of Orochimaru and make it look like we're always this badass. Good PR for the village." Her voice was casual, but I could feel the tight coil of her muscles under the surface. Shuri was locked in—eyes sharp, body still. Listening not just to the radio, but to everything else around us as well.
Meanwhile, the announcer kept hyping the fight, and the crowd responded with each brutal blow Neji landed. Apparently, Naruto was getting his ass handed to him, and the spectators loved it. Every time Kazuki said something like "And down he goes again!" there was a surge of cheers.
I wasn't as invested.
Yeah, Naruto technically lived with us, but I didn't feel the same attachment to him that Shuri did. To her, he was basically a little brother—adopted, unofficial, but fiercely protected. That fact had annoyed the hell out of me at first. I mean, I was her son, and watching her dote on some hyperactive orphan while I was trying to process my own reality here... yeah, it stung.
But over time, I came to understand it. Shuri had arrived in this world—de-aged, alone, torn from everything she knew. Having someone to care for, someone who depended on her, might've been the only thing that kept her sane. Naruto had filled a hole in her heart I hadn't even known was there.
So no, I didn't like the kid. I still thought he was loud, annoying, and had zero chill. But I couldn't fault him for being her lifeline. And to his credit, he was barely ever around—too busy with his Genin team and his own missions.
Still... part of me hoped he gave Neji a run for his money. Just for Shuri's sake.
The announcer's voice crackled to life again, way too excited. "And it looks like Naruto Uzumaki has been knocked out despite a valiant effort—and that strange red aura blazing off him like a bonfire. Neji Hyuga is limping over to check, and—oh shit, what's this? Naruto Uzumaki just burst out of the ground and decked the absolute lights out of Neji Hyuga!"
There was a moment of stunned silence over the airwaves, and then the stadium erupted—loud. "It looks like Neji can't even move," Kazuki added, practically laughing in disbelief. "And the crowd, who's been booing Naruto the whole damn fight, is now cheering like crazy for him."
I suddenly found myself caught in a blur of motion as Shuri launched into me, arms wrapping around my neck in a crushing hug while she jumped up and down on the thick branch of the giant tree we were stationed on. "He did it! He actually freaking did it! Way to go, Naruto!"
I patted her shoulder awkwardly, trying not to fall backward off the branch. "Yeah, he did good, I guess," I muttered. "Judging by how many times he got the crap kicked out of him, he sure as hell worked for it."
We stayed there in the trees for another two hours, just listening to Kazuki broadcast match after match. Some were intense, others—less so. The absolute dullest had to be the one between some kid named Shikamaru and a kunoichi from the Sand Village. I swear to god, the guy spent forty-five minutes just sitting on his ass in the dirt, waiting for the sun to move.
I wish I were exaggerating.
Kazuki clearly got bored too. At some point, he just gave up on the play-by-play and started cracking jokes to entertain the poor bastards stuck listening via radio. It was equal parts tragic and hilarious.
Then everything shifted.
The crowd's roar suddenly doubled in volume, nearly peaking the radio's signal.
"And now stepping into the arena," Kazuki said, almost breathless, "we have Sasuke Uchiha versus Gaara of the Sand. This is the match people have been waiting for."
It sounded like a pretty crazy and epic fight, at least for the first few minutes.
But then... something sounded off.
Kazuki's voice slurred. "Huh... something's wrong here, folks. All of a sudden, I'm... really sleepy..." A loud yawn followed. "In fact, it looks like... a whole bunch of people in the arena are falling asleep..."
Shuri snapped upright, stiff as a board.
Then we heard it—boots slamming against dirt. Heavy, fast footsteps. Coming straight toward us.
They were here.
Through the foliage and down the slope of the forested ridge, I saw them.
Sound ninja—dozens of them. Clad in their drab uniforms and dark wrappings, their chakra flared like wildfire, radiating bloodlust so thick it made the hairs on my arms stand on end. Sand shinobi were among them too, sprinting beneath the trees in tight formations, weapons glinting as they closed in on the Leaf Village at full speed.
My heart was hammering in my chest, and for a brief moment, everything slowed.
Then Anko dropped.
She burst from the trees above like a predator off a leash, letting out a guttural scream that sounded half battle cry, half manic glee. Snakes exploded from her sleeves—where the fuck had she been hiding those?—and writhed midair before latching onto the necks and faces of the front line. There were shrieks of pure horror as those vipers sank their fangs into exposed flesh, ripping and tearing as chakra-enhanced venom pumped into the unlucky bastards.
The ambush had begun.
The other chunin—technically under my command but let's be real, they were following Shuri—leapt down from the trees, raining kunai from above. Some of the blades sparked and whistled through the air, their hilts packed with explosive tags that ignited mid-fall and detonated with deafening cracks. The forest lit up in bursts of orange fire and shrapnel.
I was stunned by how brutal it was. Blood hit the ground in splashes. Limbs jerked and collapsed. Screams turned into gurgles. I'd killed before, yeah—but never like this. Not in a planned strike. Not in a coordinated trap that made slaughter feel... mechanical.
Shuri touched my shoulder.
"It's okay," she said softly, eyes never leaving the carnage. Her voice was calm, but there was a sharp, practiced edge in it. Then she flicked her wrist, tossing a handful of talismans down into the clearing. They shimmered blue as they fell.
The moment they touched dirt, lightning chakra burst from them with a crack like thunder. The surviving enemy shinobi barely had time to scream before they were lit up—twitching, smoking, collapsing like marionettes with cut strings.
And just like that... it was over.
I hadn't even moved.
Anko whooped like a maniac, leaping onto a tree stump and pumping her fists in the air. Some of the chunin high-fived each other, grinning like this was a damn party.
"Nice fucking ambush! We wasted 'em!" someone yelled.
Shuri's expression flattened. She stepped forward, raising her voice without even needing to shout. "That was just one group. Don't get cocky. Other ambush teams might not have been this lucky. Move out and reinforce them—now."
Her tone hit them like a slap. The grins faded. In seconds, the group scattered into the forest, urgency back in their steps.
And me? I just stared at the bodies. Yeah. This was war, alright.
Taking a deep breath, I forced myself to get a fucking grip. This wasn't about heroics or patriotism—I honestly didn't give two shits about the Leaf Village itself. But three people here meant everything to me. Shuri, Tsunade, and Shizune. And if protecting this village meant protecting them, then damn it, I was going to fight.
—
I took another deep breath, trying to push the nerves down. I needed to get my shit together. This wasn't about politics or duty to a village I didn't really care about—it was personal. I was fighting to protect the people I loved.
My mom. Tsunade. Shizune. And Konan too—once we got her back. That was it. That was all that mattered.
I turned to Shuri. "I'm not going to hold back anymore," I told her, voice firm.
She looked at me for a long moment, then reached up and pulled off her ANBU mask. She held it for a second, then tossed it aside like it meant nothing. It hit the ground with a soft thud.
"What are you doing?" I asked, watching it bounce once and roll to a stop.
"I'm quitting," she said, exhaling like she'd been holding that in forever. "No more ANBU. No more hiding. I'm done with sneaking through shadows and taking on suicidal missions to kill people for money. I want to live honestly again."
"And how are we going to explain your identity?"
She shrugged. "We'll figure something out later. I'm tired of wearing a damn mask."
I couldn't help but smile. I stepped forward and hugged her tightly. She wrapped her arms around me without hesitation, warm and strong like always. Then I stepped back.
I focused, let the control slip away just enough and released them.
With a loud, concussive whoosh, my black wings erupted from my back. The force of it shook the air around us, leaves exploding off the nearby branches and scattering into the sky.
"Oh my god, Blake!" Shuri gasped. "I didn't think you'd evolve that fast! You already have eight?!"
I turned, looking over my shoulder. Eight wings. Eight full, pitch-black wings arched high behind me, trembling slightly with energy.
"Holy shit," I said under my breath. "I had no idea I'd pushed this far."
The chakra inside me felt different now, stronger, but also sharper. The tainted light I'd been carrying for weeks pulsed in sync with it. And buried deeper still, my bloodline—the holy lightning I'd inherited from him—was clawing at my chest like it wanted out.
It had been dormant too long, and it was done waiting.
"I'm going to scout the area," I told Shuri. "We need to know what's coming next."
"Be safe, son," she said.
"You too, mom…"
With one heavy flap of my wings, I launched skyward. The blast from my takeoff scattered leaves and dust, and in seconds, the forest was falling away beneath me.
I kept flapping my wings, all eight of them, the wind rushing around me with every beat. I still couldn't believe I had eight now. One more pair and I'd be on par with that piece-of-shit Kokabiel—the bastard who'd nearly killed me a few months back.
Below me, the forest was alive with the sounds of war. The scent of fire, blood, and scorched earth wafted up in sickening waves. Screams echoed from somewhere beneath the canopy.
Blades clashed, and flashes of jutsu lit the trees in sporadic bursts. The Leaf Village was living up to its damn name. I saw a squad of Konoha shinobi using the branches like a second ground, hopping from tree to tree while launching kunai and fireballs down on their enemies, pinning Sound and Sand ninja from above.
Forest warfare was obviously their specialty.
I shook my head and flew closer to the village. Up ahead, hovering over the Chunin exam stadium, was some kind of massive purple barrier. I squinted, trying to see through it.
Inside, I thought I could make out Tsunade, and maybe the old Third Hokage, facing off against Orochimaru. But it was too far to be sure.
I narrowed my eyes. Whatever was happening in there, it was serious.
My right hand sparked as I summoned a lightspear. The power was hotter now, denser, more responsive than ever.
I aimed down.
A Sound ninja was bolting toward the village walls. He was covered from head to toe in explosive tags. He was some kind of ninja suicide bomber...
"Not a fucking chance," I said out loud.
I threw the spear as hard as I could. The sound ripped through the air and cracked in my ears. The lightspear smashed into the bomber and, for a split second, there was nothing but the sight of the impact. Then all the tags detonated at once.
The explosion tore through the forest. Trees splintered, earth was thrown up, and when the dust cleared, there was only a massive crater left.
"Get fucked…" I muttered.
WOOSH!
I suddenly saw a massive plume of fire erupt from somewhere deeper in the forest. Even from this distance, I recognized that flame. It was Zuko's—no question. I'd spent weeks training against it, getting burned by it, getting used to its rhythm. A second later, another torrent of fire burst into the sky, this one blue and hotter. That could only mean one thing—Azula was nearby too.
I flapped my wings harder and dove through the treetops. The heat hit me almost instantly. The forest below was scorched—trees blackened, branches burned to ash, and the air thick with smoke. I spotted them in a clearing. Zuko and Azula were standing opposite an older man.
He had the same golden eyes they did, and the heat radiating off him was intense.
All three of them looked up when I arrived.
Azula smiled like she'd been expecting me. "Ah, Blake! You've been avoiding me for weeks now, but I knew my perfect charm would win you over eventually." She glanced toward the older man and rolled her eyes. "Unfortunately, this isn't the best time, as you can see. My weakling brother and I are currently trying to kill our disgusting and traitorous father." She didn't even pause before continuing. "Oh, how I wish our mother had the balls to cheat on this waste of royalty, but unfortunately, both Zuko and I were born with the royal family's kekkei genkai, which means she didn't." She finished and sighed. Sounding genuinely disappointed about her mom not cheating on her father…
Zuko looked like he wanted to sink into the ground. He actually choked on air after her rant.
Ozai, on the other hand, looked ready to explode. "No woman would ever cheat on the Dragon!" he shouted.
"Oh yeah? Then what happened to Mother?" Azula snapped. "You told everyone she was dead, but neither Zuzu nor I believed it. We were sure she ran off with some servant or something. The frigid bitch." She grimaced.
Okay. Yeah. I was definitely intruding on something very personal for this somewhat crazy royal family.
Should I just leave? It seemed like they had this handled.
Before I could decide, Zuko quickly spoke up. "Blake, you need to keep going in that direction." He pointed farther into the forest. "I overheard my father and a jōnin from the Sand Village talking. They want to release the Sand's tailed beast on Konoha. They're getting their asses kicked, and this is their last card." He added quickly, "I think that Uchiha kid is already in pursuit, but even if the clan was powerful in the past, there's no way a thirteen-year-old—Sharingan or not—can take on a tailed beast by himself."
Yeah, that sounded bad.
Before I could lift off again, Azula called after me. "If you slay the tailed beast, this princess might just be inclined to give the hero a kiss!" She looked half smug, half flushed. Fidgeting in place while her evil father and brother gaped at her words.
Zuko was glaring at me. Yeah, he still didn't want me nearby his sister even if we were sort of friends now. And no matter how much I said Azula was too young for me, he didn't believe it.
"Er—no thanks," I said, trying not to sound too awkward.
Azula's jaw dropped in disbelief. I didn't wait for her to recover.
I flapped my eight wings and took off through the trees. Maybe I should have flown back to the village first for help, but I wouldn't even know where to find a ninja strong enough to assist with a war going on. And I didn't want to grab my mother either. She'd done enough protecting me and I didn't want her fighting a literal giant kaiju monster.
No… I wasn't weak anymore. I'd handle this myself. I hoped…
Let's see how these tailed beasts stacked up against the monsters from my world.
XXX