The two ANBU whose bodies had been pierced weren't dead. Lily raised her hand, and the black arrow that had skewered the two immediately flew back into her body.
The two ANBU slid down from the tree trunk and collapsed onto the ground, groaning in pain.
Carl glanced at the two ANBU's miserable state and casually asked,
"Changed your personality? You didn't kill them straight away?"
Lily replied,
"Shouldn't we first ask who they are?"
"Uh, this is the place I stayed at some time ago. It's a village called Konoha. Those two are similar to… hmm, CP agents?"
"Oh? If that's the case, then those two have no reason to continue existing."
As she spoke, Lily raised her hand again, firing out two black arrows, each aimed directly at the center of the ANBU's brows.
...
Just as the two ANBU were about to die, a shadow flashed past.
"Wind Style: Vacuum Great Sphere!"
A massive high-pressure sphere of wind shot out from the newcomer's mouth, colliding with Lily's attack. After a brief struggle, the two black arrows pierced straight through the wind sphere's blockade.
Seeing this, the newcomer hurriedly grabbed the two ANBU and leapt away. The moment he left, a deafening explosion rang out behind him—the tree trunk he'd been standing on was blasted apart.
Carl folded his arms and looked at the figure standing atop another large tree.
"Now that's a first—the rat who hides in the sewers suddenly becoming so helpful?"
Beside him, Lily frowned.
"Wind element? There's someone with the Wind-Wind Fruit here too?"
Carl gently shook his head.
"This world's power system is different from ours. Using elemental attacks isn't anything rare here. But that guy's Wind Style just now is already top-tier in this world. Oh right—his name is Danzo."
Danzo, holding an ANBU under each arm, stood on a tree branch high above, looking down at Carl and Lily, his expression grave.
That terrifyingly powerful young man had returned so fast—and brought with him a woman with strange abilities. Judging from the destructive power of her attack just now, she was at least Kage-class.
Danzo knew that taking on both of them at the same time would spell certain death. What he needed now was time—time until the Third arrived with reinforcements.
...
While Danzo was frantically planning his next move, Lily suddenly frowned and said coldly,
"I hate people talking to me from above."
With that, she struck out with a palm from a distance. With a thunderous boom, the tree Danzo stood on exploded. Danzo didn't even have time to react—his footing vanished, and he, along with the two ANBU, fell straight to the ground.
Carl shrugged.
"That's the Lily I know. For a moment there I thought you'd gotten… gentle."
Lily curled her lip.
"Stop being sarcastic. From your tone, it sounds like you don't think very highly of this Danzo guy."
Woosh!
The moment Lily finished speaking, the sound of something cutting through the air echoed—it was a kunai flying toward her.
But to Lily, who possessed top-tier Observation Haki, the kunai's speed was slow. She didn't even bother dodging—just coated her body with a thin layer of Armament Haki.
A crisp ding rang out. The kunai lost its tip and fell weakly to the ground, bouncing twice before stopping.
Danzo, in the distance, stared wide-eyed. Was this woman's body made of iron?! She blocked his kunai with just her skin?
Lily looked down at the kunai with distaste.
"What a crude weapon… and the force behind it is laughably weak. Something like this can hurt people?"
Carl couldn't help but chuckle. Compared to the pirate world, the strong ones in this shinobi world really did feel weak: great offensive power, fragile bodies—touch them wrong and they shatter.
He raised a hand and opened his palm. A pitch-black Truth-Seeking Orb floated above it.
"Here, look at something fun."
Lily looked at the orb with curiosity.
"You developed a new ability?"
"This isn't something I developed. I just got it."
As he spoke, the Truth-Seeking Orb twisted in his palm, transforming into the shape of a kunai. Carl flicked his finger, and the orb-kunai shot toward Danzo.
Danzo, nerves taut, quickly used a kunai to block it. But before he could feel relieved, his expression froze—his own kunai immediately crumbled into black dust upon contact.
A heartbeat later, the Truth-Seeking Orb kunai pierced through Danzo's chest, leaving a wound that didn't look fatal.
But Danzo didn't dare think that way. Within moments, his body began to crumble just like the kunai—turning into fragments that dissolved into the air.
The orb-kunai then flew back to Carl, turning once more into a sphere before sinking into his palm.
Carl wiggled his fingers triumphantly.
"So? Fun little toy, right?"
Lily nodded.
"It's interesting. That attack seems to completely ignore defenses. I wonder if Armament Haki could block it. Should I try—"
"Let's not. I don't want to lose my wife."
"You—! What wife? That sounds awful! Do I look that old?"
Lily huffed, but her cheeks reddened with two bright blossoms. Anyone could see the shy joy in her eyes.
Even if she wouldn't admit it, she was enjoying this identity more and more.
Carl teased,
"Then what should I call you? Darling? Or should I just say your name?"
Lily turned her face away with a light hum.
"Call me whatever you want… Occasionally… occasionally when no one is around, you may call me that. I… don't dislike it…"
Her voice grew softer and softer, but Carl's ears were sharp—he caught every word, and the corners of his lips lifted as he reached out his hand and pulled the newly restored Danzo toward him.
Seeing Danzo standing there unharmed, Lily blinked.
"What's with him? Your ability can fail?"
Carl held the pale-faced Danzo by the neck and grinned.
"There are some special abilities in this world. Gotta keep an eye on them."
"Danzo!!!"
Before Carl finished speaking, several figures rushed over. Leading them was the Third Hokage.
Lily glanced over.
"More people? And seriously—why do people in this world run in such weird poses?"
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+140 chapters on p@treon/tambeerg