Chapter 33: Itachi vs. Anko
When it was announced that Yusuke would be selecting his team first, the genin present—except for Anko, who kept her head down—showed eager anticipation.
Yusuke, however, noticed something subtle: though Anko kept her head lowered, her eyes occasionally and sneakily glanced in his direction.
"Itachi," Yusuke called out the name of the first member of his team.
As Yusuke's student, Itachi was guaranteed a spot—no surprises there.
Yusuke scanned the remaining candidates and began to deliberate. He had already decided to include Anko on his team. He didn't want to separate the childhood friends Hayate Gekkō and Yugao Uzuki, and Mizuki didn't interest him in the slightest.
"Kurama Kyoko," he said next.
At that, Anko's shoulders involuntarily twitched.
Despite her aloof demeanor, Anko had secretly hoped to be chosen. Even though she often clashed with Yusuke in the past, she still considered him one of her few true friends.
"Why didn't he choose me? Is it because of Orochimaru's betrayal? Does he want nothing to do with me because of that?"
The thought made her clench her small fists tightly in frustration.
"Anko."
Just then, Yusuke finally called her name.
Though she was still just a kid, Anko couldn't hide her joy as she looked up, visibly pleased. But the moment she saw Yusuke's teasing smile, she realized he'd called her last on purpose—just to mess with her. Her grin quickly vanished in annoyance.
With Yusuke's picks finalized, the remaining three genin were automatically assigned to Shirakumo's team.
Once they left the Hokage's building, Yusuke brought Itachi, Anko, and Kurama Kyoko to a training field for introductions—a must when forming a new squad. Though he already knew Itachi and Anko well, with Kyoko joining, it was important for everyone to familiarize themselves to ensure smooth teamwork.
"During the Chunin Exams, I'll be your supervising jōnin," Yusuke began. "I already know Itachi and Anko, but since we've got Kyoko with us, let's all do introductions."
"Uchiha Yusuke. Jōnin. I specialize in ninjutsu, taijutsu, and genjutsu."
Itachi's face remained calm.
Anko rolled her eyes, unimpressed.
Kyoko, however, looked visibly in awe.
Yusuke smiled and gave her a nod—but was surprised when Kyoko suddenly flinched and took two steps back, looking scared.
"Uh…" His smile froze.
"What the… Do I look that terrifying when I smile?"
Yusuke, who prided himself on being charismatic, was momentarily shaken.
"Pfft—" Anko burst out laughing at Yusuke's awkward moment. Realizing the cheerful vibe didn't match her usual brooding image, she quickly forced her face back into a stoic expression.
"I'm Uchiha Itachi, seven years old, a genin and Yusuke-sensei's student. I know a bit of ninjutsu, taijutsu, and genjutsu. Pleased to work with you all."
Itachi stepped in smoothly to break the tension.
"Anko Mitarashi, eleven, genin. Good at ninjutsu and taijutsu. I love dango, mochi balls and red bean soup!"
Anko followed up, even adding her favorite foods.
Noticing the mention of dango, Itachi gave her a subtle glance.
After the two introduced themselves, everyone turned toward Kyoko.
Suddenly, Kyoko's face turned pale, and she dropped to the ground in fright, tears forming at the corners of her eyes.
Yusuke, Itachi, and Anko exchanged confused glances. What was going on?
"I-I'm Kurama Kyoko. Eleven years old. I'm good at g-genjutsu. A-and… I get really nervous around new people… I'm so sorry!"
She stammered as she got back on her feet and bowed in apology.
With that, the others understood her odd behavior—she was painfully shy.
Yusuke sighed. He hadn't expected to end up with such a socially awkward teammate. Still, if she'd been chosen as a representative for the Chunin Exams despite her issues, her genjutsu must be exceptional. That gave Yusuke some hope.
"This Chunin Exam is both a test and a mission," he began again, voice serious.
"You've been selected to join my team, and during this period, you're not just my students—you're my subordinates."
"My orders are to be followed without question. Disobedience will result in punishment."
The three genin straightened up at once.
"Yes, sir!"
Even Anko, who normally had a sharp tongue with Yusuke, didn't dare mouth off now.
Pleased, Yusuke softened his tone and smiled. "Good. Now that we're off-duty, you can relax a bit."
"In two days, we head to Sunagakure. Before that, I want to assess your current strength so I can tailor your training accordingly."
"Anko, Kyoko—you'll team up and spar against Itachi. I want to see your combat skills."
Yusuke had full confidence in Itachi's strength. In the original timeline, Itachi completed the Uchiha Massacre at just thirteen—an elite among elites. Even though he had Obito's help, Itachi's own abilities were undeniable.
Under Yusuke's training, he was probably even stronger than his canon self.
Anko and Kyoko might be older, but Yusuke doubted they could beat him.
"You're underestimating me!" Anko huffed. "Watch, I can take down that brat all by myself!"
"Kyoko, don't interfere. I've got this," she told the shy girl beside her.
"O-Okay… just be careful," Kyoko replied in a small voice.
Itachi remained expressionless, unfazed. But Yusuke noticed a slight twitch in his eyebrow—he clearly didn't appreciate being called a brat.
When Itachi and Anko were standing ten meters apart, Yusuke gave the signal to begin.
"Hidden Shadow Snake Hands!"
Even before his words had fully settled, Anko was already attacking, launching her signature jutsu. Several light-brown snakes shot out from her sleeves, striking toward Itachi's position.
Itachi remained calm. Nearby, Kyoko turned ghostly pale at the sight of the snakes. Yusuke shook his head—how would such a timid girl survive on a real battlefield?
Itachi calmly leapt into the air, avoiding the snakes with ease. While airborne, he rapidly formed hand seals—so fast that he was nearly on par with Yusuke himself.
Yusuke nodded approvingly. Itachi had always had exceptional seal speed in canon, and now under his tutelage, that ability was even more refined.
"Fire Style: Phoenix Sage Fire Jutsu!"
In a flash, a barrage of small fireballs shot toward Anko.
Caught off-guard by the counterattack, Anko quickly retracted her snakes and dodged the flaming projectiles.
While she was focused on evasion, Itachi landed on a nearby tree and activated his Sharingan. From there, he hurled a series of kunai and shuriken into the air, aiming high and wide.
Anko noticed but didn't understand his intent. The weapons were slow and far off—anyone could dodge them.
Just as she finished dodging the last fireball and rushed toward Itachi, he threw another round of kunai—this time at incredible speed.
These new kunai struck the earlier ones mid-air, altering their flight paths. Suddenly, all the shuriken and kunai changed trajectory and encircled Anko.
She tried to break out, but the thrown weapons were connected by nearly invisible wires. Before she realized what was happening, she was completely entangled.
The wires, though thin and hard to spot, were incredibly strong. Anko tried to break free with brute force, but it was useless.
"Crap!" she cursed, reaching for her own kunai to cut the wires.
But Itachi wasn't done. Holding the other end of the wires, he wrapped them around a thick tree branch and leapt down. Using his own body weight, he tightened the wires in a split second, hoisting Anko off the ground and suspending her midair, completely immobilized.
"Damn it! Let me down, you sneaky little punk! This is cheating!"
Anko flailed midair, legs kicking in frustration.
Yusuke couldn't help but marvel at his protégé's brilliance.
The fight had lasted less than a minute. Itachi had taken down an older and more experienced genin without breaking a sweat.
"This version of Itachi… walking the right path… He'll achieve things far beyond imagination,"
Yusuke thought, eyes glowing with pride.
Kyoko looked utterly shell-shocked. The way Itachi manipulated those weapons—it was something she couldn't have imagined.
Still dangling from the tree, Anko continued to struggle as Itachi calmly turned away and said:
"Thank you for the lesson, senpai. Also—if you like dango, I recommend the tri-color skewers from the Tomoda shop."