Very quickly, the afternoon slipped away.
The once-crowded classroom was now deathly silent.
Ayane was the only one left.
The rain, which had been pouring relentlessly for days and nights, had finally slowed to a crawl.
The rhythmic drip-drop against the windowpane came and went sporadically.
She didn’t feel bored.
Sitting cross-legged, she laid her newly acquired Arashikiri across her lap, resting her pale hands on the scabbard, gently caressing the surface.
The girl closed her eyes, steadying her breathing, her long crimson ponytail swaying gently in the evening breeze drifting through the open window.
This was a blade-nurturing technique Principal Ichii had taught her just earlier today.
It was somewhat similar to Jinzen (Blade Zen) from a certain other anime about Soul Reapers.
According to legend, it was a closely guarded secret of the samurai.
It was designed to help the wielder calm their mind, commune with their weapon, and ultimately achieve a state of spiritual resonance—becoming one with the blade.
As for whether it actually worked or not…
She had no idea!
But the feedback from her system panel was extremely enthusiastic!
[You have completed a session of Ninja Blade Training: Achievement Points +2!] Just over ten minutes of meditation had yielded more points than two full hours of grueling shurikenjutsu practice!
Ayane was thrilled.
Not only did this mean she had discovered a new method to grind Achievement Points, but it also confirmed a theory she had been harboring.
It was true that high-tier Titles provided a massive, one-time payout of points.
But high-quality, focused training could also yield substantial continuous rewards.
Compared to her mundane daily drills at the Academy or in her basement…
Engaging in life-and-death struggles on the battlefield—actual combat with real blades—would likely grant an exponential increase in points!
She couldn’t help but think: The rougher the seas, the more expensive the fish.
That logic really never went out of style, no matter what world you were in.
As her thoughts drifted…
Suddenly, a masked ninja appeared out of thin air right in front of her.
Ayane jumped.
Coincidentally, she had just finished her meditation, and her hands were still resting on Arashikiri.
Almost entirely on instinct, the girl drew the blade as she leaped backward, a flash of cold steel illuminating the room!
Clang!
A sharp, metallic ring echoed through the classroom.
The masked ninja had, at some unknown moment, drawn a kunai, flawlessly parrying the biting edge of her sword without breaking a sweat.
“A fresh Genin graduate…
the new Anbu recruit…” The gaze behind the mask swept over the girl’s face, seemingly verifying her identity.
“Your reflexes are solid, but your physical strength is lacking.” The masked ninja’s tone was icy.
It was impossible to tell if he was annoyed by the sudden attack or if he always sounded this robotic.
“I am a member of Anbu Team Owl.
Code name: Woodpecker.
Now, sheathe your weapon and come with me.” This ninja calling himself ‘Woodpecker’ possessed an imposing aura.
Despite not being particularly tall or heavily built, he carried a chilling, blood-soaked presence.
It was obvious he had taken many lives.
He pulled an ID out of his vest, flashed it briefly in front of the girl, and said coldly, “Keep up.
If you fall behind, I will not wait for you.” Woodpecker spoke very little, and his pace was blistering.
He didn’t even give Ayane a chance to reply.
The moment he finished speaking, he used the Body Flicker technique, launching himself out the window, leaping across a tree branch onto a rooftop, and rapidly vanishing from sight.
Ayane took a deep breath, not daring to waste a second.
The girl quickly darted out of the classroom, tracking his movements.
His speed was impressive—at least significantly faster than the Chunin instructors at the Academy.
Still, Ayane managed to shadow him, trailing closely behind as they headed toward a towering black structure in the northwest corner of the village.
Seeing that she seemed to be keeping up with relative ease, Woodpecker was genuinely surprised.
He glanced back over his shoulder, a hint of astonishment in his voice.
“You know the Body Flicker Technique?” While the Body Flicker wasn’t considered an advanced jutsu, it was completely overpowered for a fresh Academy graduate to casually use.
This was especially true in Amegakure, where the Academy focused entirely on crash-course military training, churning out graduates in just two to three years.
Even a top student like Takayuki Nagano still struggled to reliably cast the Basic Three Jutsu (Transformation, Substitution, and Clone)—he was almost worse than Naruto Uzumaki decades later, yet he was considered the cream of the crop.
That alone spoke volumes about the teaching quality.
Ayane readily admitted, “Yes, I practiced it after school.” Woodpecker nodded and didn’t say anything else, nor did he press her on where she had obtained the training scroll for the technique.
Before long, the two arrived at the base of the black tower.
Ayane looked up, feeling a sense of wonder.
This building looks awfully familiar…
Isn’t this the place Jiraiya sneaks into in the anime?
If her memory served her right, the Deva Path of Pain—controlled by Nagato—loved to stand at the very top of this spire and dramatically stare down at the village whenever he was bored.
“This is Lord Hanzo’s administrative headquarters, and it also serves as the main Anbu base in the village.” Ayane gave a slight nod.
So, this place essentially held the same political weight as the Hokage’s Office in Konoha.
Woodpecker gave a brief introduction, then expertly navigated to a hidden side entrance near the base of the tower.
“Basement levels one through five are the Anbu operational zones.
The third floor is the logistics and supply sector.
I will take you to register your identity first, then we’ll head down to requisition your ninja tools and soldier pills.” Hearing the words ‘soldier pills’, Ayane felt a twinge of apprehension.
“Senior…” “Rookie!
Your first lesson in the Anbu is to forget who you are!” “There is no ‘Senior’ or ‘Junior’ here.” Woodpecker cut her off with a merciless tone.
“Everyone goes by their code name.
Address me strictly as Woodpecker.” Ayane paused.
Now that he mentioned it, she realized he hadn’t called her by her real name once.
“Understood, Woodpecker,” the girl said softly.
“Are we leaving the village right after this?” Soldier pills tasted absolutely putrid.
Unless a shinobi was locked in a life-or-death struggle, they were only consumed during extremely urgent, high-speed missions where stopping to eat was impossible.
Perhaps because Ayane had performed well keeping up during the sprint, Woodpecker was a bit more patient this time.
He revealed, “Correct.
We are deploying directly to the eastern frontlines to participate in the decisive battle against Konoha.” The eastern front was where Hanzo’s main forces were currently deadlocked with the Leaf Village.
Between the two sides, nearly eight thousand ninja were stationed there, and they had been locked in a bloody stalemate for almost a year!
Well…
Amegakure technically had less than three thousand troops.
But thanks to the horrific lethality of Hanzo’s poison, they had managed to hold their ground without giving an inch.
‘A decisive battle?’ ‘Does that mean Hanzo’s fight with the Sannin is about to happen?’ Hearing this, Ayane’s mind started racing, calculating her options.
‘If I play my cards right, maybe I can make contact with Tsunade and find an opportunity to defect to Konoha…’ Considering she was half-Uzumaki…
Maybe Konoha would throw a welcome party for this ‘returning overseas relative’?
But one glance at the black Anbu uniform Woodpecker was wearing instantly shattered that naive fantasy.
This uniform…
It was easy to put on, but nearly impossible to take off!
If she tried to defect, she would likely step foot in Konoha only to immediately run into Danzo’s Root ANBU.
She’d probably end up being brainwashed or locked in a dungeon…
Due to the ongoing war, there was barely a skeleton crew of Anbu left stationed in the village.
The few they passed in the corridors were moving at a frantic pace.
Following Woodpecker into the records room, Ayane was handed a registration form.
She noticed that the document had already been meticulously filled out.
Her background, history, and personal details were documented more accurately than she could have written herself.
There was only one blank spot left on the paper for her to fill out personally: her Anbu code name.
Before putting pen to paper, the girl asked carefully, “Woodpecker, can I choose any code name I want?” His answer was simple.
“Our squad’s designation is Team Owl.
It would be best if you chose an avian name to match.” Ayane hummed softly, thinking for a moment, before writing down her ‘new name’.
Code Name: Black Swan!