In a dense forest, Sasuke lay on the ground, burning with fever and writhing in pain. Sakura was beside him, tending carefully to his needs. Meanwhile, Naruto and Anya had walked to a small riverside and were fishing together.
Naruto finally figured out Anya's weakness—while he'd already caught half a basket full of fish since they started, Anya hadn't landed even a single tiny one.
Naruto couldn't help but tease, "Haha, Uncle, your fishing skills really suck."
Anya rolled his eyes and said, "If you hadn't finished all the food, I wouldn't even be here wasting time."
Just as Naruto was about to reply, his fishing rod suddenly jerked violently.
"There's a big one," Naruto's eyes lit up. Without saying another word, he didn't yank the rod up right away. Instead, he quickly lowered his stance, pulling the rod sideways while subtly shifting left and right to angle the line away from direct resistance. Once the fish had worn itself out deep underwater, he gave the rod a sharp jerk and hauled it out of the water with one mighty tug.
"Woah, this fish is huge!" Naruto grabbed it immediately—it easily weighed over ten pounds, enough to feed everyone for an entire day.
Anya, watching nearby, couldn't help but praise him. "Naruto, your fishing skill's actually pretty good!"
Naruto proudly replied, "Of course, I've known how to fish since I was a kid. That's how I made sure I wouldn't starve often."
Anya hesitated for a moment before only now realizing—this guy was still an orphan. Although Minato was around, he wasn't much help. Surviving on his own until now couldn't have been easy.
"Give me this fish. You keep fishing."
"Uncle, are you going to cook it already?" Naruto handed over the fish.
Anya smiled mysteriously. "No, that's your job. This fish has other purposes. Just wait and see."
"What?!" Naruto pouted slightly, clearly annoyed but chose not to ask further. He turned back and continued fishing.
Anya, carrying the large fish, returned to where Sakura was. She was still wiping Sasuke's forehead with a cold towel to reduce his fever, occasionally wiping sweat from her face. She was so focused she didn't even notice someone approaching from behind.
"Physical cooling alone won't save him. Catch."
Hearing the voice, Sakura instinctively turned around and caught something without thinking. Looking closely, she found a large, squirming fish jumping in her arms, leaving a strong fishy smell all over her.
Anya casually slapped the fish, and immediately, it stiffened and stopped moving.
"What is this?" Sakura looked dazed and confused.
Anya took a couple of steps closer and explained, "Since the Third Battle, after completing the healthcare reforms in Konoha, the higher-ups issued a directive—Konoha ninjas going on missions outside would usually be led by a Jonin, accompanied by three students making up a team. Moreover, one of the team members must be a Medical Ninja. This system has remained in place to this day. However, now that the war has ended, Medical Ninjas seem to have become rare again."
Sakura understood and quickly asked, "So, Master, are you asking me to become a Medical Ninja?"
"Yes, you clearly have the advantage in precise chakra control. This is also one of the essential requirements to become a Medical Ninja. Whether you can revive Sasuke depends entirely on yourself."
A heavy burden settled in Sakura's chest. After taking a deep breath, her eyes turned determined. "Master," she said. "Please teach me."
When Naruto returned with a full basket of fish he'd caught, he found Sakura with green chakra glowing from her hands, continuously channeling it into the large fish he had just caught.
"What are you doing...?" Naruto started to ask.
Anya interrupted him. "Leave her alone. Just go grill the fish."
When the previously stiff fish finally twitched under Sakura's treatment, relief showed on her face. At the same time, her body weakened, nearly collapsing onto the ground.
"Naruto," Anya called out.
The moment Anya spoke, Naruto swiftly handed over two well-grilled fish he was cooking.
Starving as she was, Sakura took a big bite immediately, then her face turned green and she spat it out quickly.
"You need to replenish your strength now. How could you waste food like this?" Anya scolded casually while biting into his own piece of fish.
One second later, unable to swallow it down, Anya spit out the meat too. He looked at Naruto and asked, "What kind of fish is this? It tastes terrible."
Sakura shot Naruto a blank, lifeless stare and said slowly, "I think it's not the fish's problem."
Naruto, under Sakura's gaze, felt a chill run through him and couldn't utter a word.
Seeing this, Anya sighed and said, "Just give me all the fish. I'll grill them."
A few minutes later, the two starving people were eating heartily. Naruto kept praising while chewing, "Dude, this is amazing! Never thought you had mad grilling skills."
After quickly finishing one fish and letting out a satisfied burp, Sakura couldn't help praising too, "Master, even though you look so young, how come you're good at everything? Could you tell us a little about your past?"
While silently grilling fish, Anya's eyes reflected the flickering firelight filled with memories. Smiling gently, he responded to Sakura's request, "Sure, feel free to ask anything you want to know."
Sakura's first question took Anya completely by surprise.
"How can you always stay so young? Is there any secret behind it?"
"It's actually not hard. Not only me, but the new Hokage can do that too."
"That... that... Now it's my turn!" Naruto couldn't wait to ask, "Master, what are your ultimate techniques? Which powerful ninjutsu do you know?"
Anya replied vaguely, "Ultimate techniques? There are quite a few. As for ninjutsu, also many."
"Ahh..." Naruto complained, "How could you be like this? You might as well not say anything at all!"
Sakura secretly thought Naruto was an idiot. Such private questions shouldn't be asked openly.
So, Sakura asked again, "Master, what was the most difficult mission you've ever experienced?"
"Hmm... Let me think." Anya recalled briefly before quickly responding, "I once went to retrieve an intelligence report from Kiri, but ended up being chased by the village's Seven Swordsmen. I almost died there."
"Ah, I get it now," Naruto exclaimed. "Are you talking about the Seven Swords of the Bloody Mist from Kiri? We met one of them before — Zabuza. Master Kakashi had a tough time fighting him. Uncle, you're amazing to have survived facing all seven at once."
At the mention of Zabuza's name, Anya couldn't help but feel her heartbeat quicken. She blurted out instinctively, "Was there a boy named Haku with Zabuza back then?"
Naruto and Sakura both shook their heads, clearly confused by Anya's question.
A flash of sorrow passed through Anya's eyes, quickly masked by a smile. "Naruto, it's your turn to ask."
"Uncle," Naruto continued with a somber expression, "have you ever seen my parents? I once asked The Third about them, but he only gave me the run-around."
Anya asked, "What exactly did he tell you?"
Naruto cast his gaze downward and murmured, "The Third told me knowing wouldn't change anything — dead people don't come back to life — you can't bring them back."
Anya's expression darkened momentarily, and a flicker of killing intent flashed through her eyes.
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