In Naruto: Reborn With Talent

Chapter 368 - Ch368. Anko & Kin

Seeing the confrontation was over and feeling a bit of amusement at the predicament of the two Uzumaki girls, Anko decided to have some fun at their expense.

As Karin and Tayuya were about to start clearing up the traps, Anko silently appeared behind them... "Booo!" And childishly exclaimed.

Much to her continued amusement, it actually worked and both Tayuya and Karin jumped at the scare.

Nevertheless, Anko had to grudgingly praise the kids... if only in her head... at the quickness of their response.

Tayuya had flute near her lips almost instantly while Karin's chains were already halfway to skewering Anko despite the girl visibly not yet being out of her shock. Even the Kaguya boya already turned around with his arms up, pointing his fingers in Anko's direction in preparation for his only ranged attack since he was a bit far away from the girls and Anko.

'It is still hard to believe these brats are S-rank.' Anko thought, withholding a sigh at the luck these bastards possessed.

"Haa~, it is only Anko..." Karin resignedly said, her shoulders slumping as the sudden tension left her body.

"What do you mean it's only Anko? That's rude!" Anko exclaimed in mock outrage.

The only response she got was a lazy roll of Tayuya and Karin's eyes while Kimimaro decided to be his usual stoic self.

"You are no fun." Anko pouted when she got no retort back. Unfortunately for her, the members of the Uzushio team knew her too well than to participate in an argument with her.

"You were here the entire time?" Karin asked in a bit accusatory tone, crossing her arms under her nonexistent chest, unknowingly giving Anko ammunition for teasing.

"You couldn't sense me the entire time?" Anko smugly answered with her own question, crossing her arms under her considerable chest and pushing it up, her smirk widening when she got the expected reaction from Karin whose eye started to twitch in a typical angry Uzumaki fashion.

"As expected from Orochimaru's apprentice." Karin snarked.

"Low blow, kid, low blow." Anko scowled, all good mood deserting her. "As if that overgrown snake could come close to the fabulousness that is me."

"Yeah, whatever." Karin grumbled, not giving any retort in return because she was well aware of Anko's hatred of Orochimaru and her previous remark was a bit too much. She was only glad Anko didn't get angry because of it. "Why didn't you help us?"

"As much as I'd like to bash Orochimaru's mug until it is dented inwards," Anko wistfully sighed with such a longing that Karin had to fight her instinctual urge to step back and get away from the crazy, "I have my orders." She scowled. "Lady Tsunade forbade me from engaging him and if I helped you, I wouldn't be able to stop myself. Meh, not like you couldn't take him on."

"Lady Tsunade knows about the shithead!?" Tayuya exclaimed, abruptly interrupting the conversation between Anko and Karin. She assumed Orochimaru snuck in with no one the wiser because she couldn't see any reason why Lady Tsunade would let Orochimaru roam Konoha unhindered. Yet...

"Of course, she knows." Anko rolled her eyes at the naive girl. She was a good kunoichi and quite smart too as far as certain things went but... she was brash and oftentimes overlooked the bigger picture. No wonder she was relegated to a glorified bodyguard duty for a person who doesn't need bodyguards during her service for Orochimaru. "The entire Konoha is under a surveillance barrier. Lady Tsunade knows about everyone who enters and leaves her village."

Hearing that, Tayuya could only open her mouth before promptly closing it. That... how was she supposed to react to that?

"You want to ask why we didn't stop him, right?" Anko correctly read the girl's expression and Tayuya just numbly nodded, "Well, Lady Tsunade and Rei have a plan and Orochimaru has his own role to play in it. After that... his ass is mine." She shrugged.

Seeing that Tayuya was not wholly satisfied with that lackluster reply, Karin intervened, "So... what now?"

"Now you continue with your exam. Can't help you with that. Rules and whatnot." Anko said and shooed them away with her hand before disappearing in a swirl of leaves, leaving three unimpressed 'genins' behind.

...

A few days passed since Rei kidnapped Kin and he had to admit, the girl was proving to be quite talented at being a maid.

Unfortunately for the girl, Rei left her alive in hopes she could be useful but she turned out to be no Tayuya. Her sound manipulation was quite subpar. She could do small things with it but that's where her ability ended.

It was quite a pity too, but since he already promised not to kill her, Rei decided to find a new use for her. Hence, the maid part.

He even commissioned a bonafide maid costume for her!

After a few complaints and a day of scowling, Kin accepted her new role, and her enthusiasm only rose after Tsunade promised her training if she did well.

Poor girl, she had no idea what kind of hell Tsunade's training was.

Even Anko started to offer prayers for Kin's naive soul once she heard about the devilish bargain Tsunade offered her.

Rei gave up on the girl, not because he was not confident in his ability to turn her into a badass kunoichi... after all, he managed to train Mei and Ringo and after them, he doubted anyone could be more challenging... but because he simply did not have the time to bother. Kin was not what one would say a talented individual.

Well, the girl surely had talent at something but Rei did not discover such a thing yet.

He could somewhat understand why Orochimaru sacrificed her. She was wholly unimpressive. Her ninja skill repertoire was just ugh and her mindset was meh. There was a lot of work to be done on that girl if she was to be useful.

Tsunade, however, didn't seem to mind and her promises of training were serious. She was just letting Kin adjust before she threw her head-first into a nightmare from where there is no escape.

Rei made sure to not be too demanding when it came to Kin's new maid duties. He could see how Anko silently seethed because she was ordered to let Orochimaru go unhindered. He also knew that the very first lesson Tsunade planned to teach Kin was how utterly powerless she currently was and that her opponent would be Anko who was given a few days to stew in her anger without any outlet.

Sometimes, Rei really marveled at how outright evil his girls can be.