The scroll had been sent by Mikoto through Minato, clearly stating her due date and hoping that Anya would return to visit.
Seeing this scroll, Anya realized she had already been away for half a year—it was time to go back and check in.
"What? Planning to take in another godson?"
Orochimaru already knew the contents of the scroll. Knowing full well that Anya had already taken Itachi as her godson, he teased lightly.
Anya's expression turned odd. If things followed the original storyline closely, the Snake Master and the soon-to-be-born child shared quite a deep connection—one even jokingly referred to by fans as "finding a father for himself."
"Within the clan, Mikoto was the only one who truly treated me well. When Itachi was born, I was still locked up, so I couldn't make it then. This time, both practically and emotionally, I should be there," Anya said, secretly eager to finally meet the story's male lead No. 2.
Orochimaru shrugged, unimpressed: "Sure you want to go? My experiments are at a crucial stage right now—going over there will cost time to re-enter this state. Besides, once you're back, there's no guarantee you'll manage to leave again."
Anya understood. Half a year had passed without even getting a single lead on Orochimaru—she had only managed to destroy a few hideouts. From a mission perspective, it was practically a failure. Fortunately, thanks to Orochimaru's reputation and Minato's standing, she could afford to stay outside as an independent Division Head.
Noticing Anya hesitate, Orochimaru pointed toward a nearby Shadow Clone: "Just send him. Konoha won't be able to tell the difference."
Anya's eyes brightened. Indeed—a brilliant idea. The timing of this experiment's success couldn't have been better.
With the Shadow Clone possessing the Transformation Technique, nobody would notice unless it faced full-power combat. She handed over the Warhawk Puppet and Blade of Indifference to the clone while staying herself to continue the research.
After this successful attempt, she believed she'd eventually master the full power of Hashirama's Essence.
She wanted to test whether it could truly become the Myriad Phenomena, as claimed on the Stone Tablet.
Controlled by a Wood Release Clone imbued with the spirit of the Division Technique, the Warhawk Puppet swiftly returned to Konoha.
Given the official reason she left the village was supposed to be for a mission, Anya headed straight to the Hokage's Office first.
Minato was surprised and delighted to see her return:
"You're finally back! That must've been exhausting—half a year of fighting. Did you get hurt?"
Minato's warm greeting made Anya strangely feel a twinge of guilt. Smiling casually, she replied, "Orochimaru never intended direct fights. He always fled after a brief skirmish; most of my time went into tracking instead."
"Haha! Tracking Orochimaru alone for this long is already impressive enough!" A boisterous voice came from outside the window—Jiraiya.
Minato explained to Anya, "I called Master back myself. Tracking Orochimaru alone for so long—I can't help worrying. With Master here, I believe we'll complete this mission next time."
Seeing Jiraiya walk in, all Anya felt inside was trouble. Even Orochimaru considered Jiraiya annoying—as if stuck with a persistent shadow that was hard to shake off.
Anya kept a neutral expression as she replied, "Having Jiraiya-sama assist would certainly ease things greatly."
Jiraiya, however, didn't seem quite as confident. His expression slightly serious, he earnestly said, "Bringing Orochimaru back to Konoha is my personal obsession. Let me first analyze the intelligence report on you from the past six months, then we'll formulate a battle plan. We need to capture him before he realizes what's happening."
The intelligence reports Anya passed back had all been guided by Orochimaru, leaving no flaws to be found. She simply nodded in response, "Fine."
Minato considerately said, "Since the report is finished, why don't you go check on the Uchiha clan? It should be happening these couple of days."
Anya nodded toward both of them and disappeared with a Shunshin.
Arriving at the Uchiha compound, Shisui was guarding the entrance. Spotting Anya immediately, he approached and greeted, "Squad… Commander."
Anya asked, "Is Mikoto about to give birth?"
"Yeah, the doctor has already been called."
"I'll go inside and take a look."
"Okay."
Shisui led Anya along the way, his expression complicated, as if wanting to say something but hesitating.
Anya noticed this but felt neither sorrow nor joy. Back when they were all in the same Anbu Squad, she had once considered trying to save him. Now though, she had completely given up on Shisui and decided not to involve herself anymore.
Finally, standing before Mikoto's house, Shisui quietly said, "Itachi really misses you. He hopes the Commander can visit more often."
"I see," Anya replied indifferently before walking into the room.
Mikoto lay on the bed, her pregnant belly obvious, with Fugaku and Itachi beside her.
"You came," Mikoto's eyes lit up as she smiled.
"Foster Father," Itachi had grown quite a bit—his childish face now showing signs of maturity, making him less adorable than before.
Fugaku gave her a cold glance and turned away. It was obvious he still held a grudge over her refusal to return to the clan.
Anya naturally didn't care about his thoughts. She patted Itachi's head and took out many baby clothes and toys from a Summoning Scroll.
"I came in a hurry, so I only managed to prepare these."
"You're thoughtful," Mikoto didn't expect such a considerate side of Anya. After examining the clothes carefully, she smiled slightly and said, "But what if I give birth to a girl? These are all boy clothes."
Anya paused, then replied, "No problem, I'll just buy some more."
Fugaku interrupted stiffly, "No need. I'll take care of it."
Mikoto slightly frowned, turning to Fugaku and saying, "Why don't you take Itachi and go train for a bit? I want to talk to Anya alone."
A look of anger crossed Fugaku's face. But seeing Mikoto's condition, he restrained himself, remaining silent as he pulled Itachi out of the room.
"Don't blame him," Mikoto sighed. "Fugaku has been under a lot of pressure lately. Since he failed to become the Hokage, many clan members hold strong resentment toward Konoha. Though Minato has been trying to mediate, this grievance won't disappear quickly. That's why he keeps complaining to me, even asking me to ask you why you still refuse to come back to the clan."
"Sister Mikoto, please don't worry about these troubling matters," Anya responded, her hand glowing with green chakra. "Let me examine your condition and help with your recovery."
"Okay."
Green Chakra flowed into Mikoto's body. Anya realized that the Shadow Clone's Medical Ninjutsu was significantly superior in quality to the original. As the Chakra entered Mikoto, the fetus in her womb became noticeably more active. Her once-swollen body regained its elasticity, and she felt light and nimble as if she'd never been pregnant.
Mikoto exclaimed, "Anya, your Medical Ninjutsu is incredible—it's better than any doctor we've called in."
Just as she spoke, the fetus within her stirred more and more frequently. Anya's face changed, and he quickly asked, "Where's the doctor?"
Mikoto reflexively replied, "Next door."
Without another word, Anya immediately dashed out the door. Two seconds later, a disoriented doctor was pulled in by Anya before he could even react. "Hurry," Anya ordered, "the baby is coming."
Instead of scolding Anya, the doctor immediately got to work.
Anya then stepped out of the room.
Soon after, a baby's cry reached him—Sasuke Uchiha had been born.
<><><><><><><><>
Thank you for reading! Your support will keep me updating!
~ Every 50 Powerstones = **4 Bonus Chapters** this weekend!
<><><><><><><><>
Want to read the subsequent content in advance?
Please follow my Patreon:patreon/Tansnovel
Tans Novel - The Fastest-Updating Naruto Fanfiction Account
Read 100+ chapters in advance, with at least 3 new chapters updated every day! More free chapters! 20+ Naruto fanfictions!
Just three steps:
1. Download and open the "Patreon" app
2. Search for "Tans Novel"
3. Click on the collection and enjoy to your heart's content
<><><><><><><><>