Naruto: Wood-Wood Fruit

The Forest of Death.

In a desolate, chaotic wasteland, Anko looked around in surprise.

"You two… practice here often?" she asked, gazing at the devastation surrounding them. 

Burned trees and shattered earth marked the landscape, undoubtedly the remnants of Fire and Earth Style jutsu.

Kurenai nodded, hugging Kiyoshi's left arm gently, her gaze adoring as it rested on his perfect profile. 

"Thanks to Kiyoshi. I've made incredible progress. My Fire and Earth Style ninjutsu has become so much smoother."

"Hey, that's not fair, Kiyoshi." Anko chimed in, clinging tightly to his right arm and rubbing her cheek against his face. 

"You can't be playing favorites. I'm joining this training too."

While growing stronger was appealing, she mostly wanted to be close to Kiyoshi. 

Even though she doubted Kurenai's skills could have improved so much in just a few days, the time spent with him was priceless.

"If you want to join, then sure." Kiyoshi shrugged, then turned to Kurenai. "What do you think, Kurenai-nee?"

Kurenai had no objection. 

She was used to Anko's antics and didn't bother stopping the shameless woman from cozying up to Kiyoshi. 

Anko was like glue, once she stuck to someone, there was no shaking her off. 

Moreover, Kurenai remembered what Anko had whispered to her that morning while Kiyoshi was off visiting Keiko and Karin at the Ishikawa house.

"Listen, Kurenai," Anko had said, "Kiyoshi's such a catch. Even if he's not looking, you know other women will throw themselves at him. And he's such a flirt. Who knows how many admirers he'll have?"

"We've known each other forever. It's better if we work together on this. You wouldn't want Kiyoshi to lose interest as he gets older and we… well, we might not be as young as we are now, right?"

Though Kurenai knew that, with Kiyoshi's help, she might maintain her youthful looks, she couldn't shake the subtle worry. 

But as proud as she was, she hadn't formally accepted Anko's "alliance offer," nor would she let herself be coaxed by Anko's teasing.

"Alright, Anko-nee, let's get rid of that thing on your neck." Kiyoshi gestured for her to sit down cross-legged and signaled for Kurenai to stand behind him.

Anko's hand went to the curse mark on her neck, the mark that had tortured her for years and resisted even the Third Hokage's best efforts. 

"Finally!" She murmured, feeling both apprehensive and relieved as she settled in place.

"Brace yourself. I'm starting."

In an instant, Kiyoshi's appearance changed dramatically. 

His black hair grew, transforming into a cascade of shimmering green that fell to his waist. 

His dark eyes glinted with a mysterious aura, and two dark green shadows appeared on each side of his eyes.

Kurenai, the only one in a position to see, was struck speechless at this transformation. 

Her eyes sparkled with admiration and awe. No matter how many times she saw his Sage Mode, Kiyoshi seemed stronger, more perfect with each sighting.

He clasped his fingers in a precise sign and stomped his right foot into the ground. 

Runes sprang up from the ground around them, expanding to form a translucent, five-meter-square barrier that locked their surroundings tight.

"Anko-nee, this might hurt a bit." Kiyoshi focused on the three black tomoe of her curse mark and the complex seals binding it. 

Forming a hand sign, he let powerful Sage Chakra flow into his right palm and pressed it firmly against the curse mark. "Unsealing Curse Technique."

"Aaaahhhh."

Anko screamed as the curse mark burned and spun wildly, accompanied by an eerie, raspy voice that made Kurenai shiver. 

Without the barrier Kiyoshi set up, this sound would surely have alerted every Anbu and Konoha shinobi nearby.

"How…. my curse mark…. no…." Orochimaru's soul fragment hissed in disbelief as the mark seared hotter and hotter. 

In a flash, a white snake, only two fingers wide, squirmed its way out from Anko's neck, attempting to escape. But it crashed directly into the barrier.

"What is that?" Kurenai gasped in shock. To think that Orochimaru's curse mark could manifest something so eerie.

"Goodbye," Kiyoshi muttered, his fingers transforming into green vines that whipped around the snake. Countless needle-thin roots burrowed into the creature's body, draining it completely.

"Ishikawa Kiyoshi… you've mastered Sage Mode so perfectly." The snake, a fragment of Orochimaru's soul, let out a final shriek as it shriveled up, disintegrating into dust.

"Anko, your curse mark is gone." Kurenai exclaimed as she snapped out of her trance, noticing the mark on Anko's neck had completely vanished.

Anko panted heavily, her face pale but visibly relieved. "It's… really over." she whispered, finally free.

"Take a rest." Kiyoshi dispelled the barrier with a gentle stomp, then placed his right hand on Anko's forehead. His palm glowed with a soft green light, radiating life and vitality.

Anko's whole body relaxed under the healing glow, a low moan escaping her as she felt a warm, gentle energy wash over her, filling her with renewed strength. 

She bounced up, her eyes wide with admiration as she looked at Kiyoshi. "Kiyoshi, you look incredible in this form. You're so handsome."

Caught in the grip of admiration, Anko threw her arms around him, rubbing her cheek against his perfect face. Her eyes sparkled as she stared at him, enraptured.

"Anko, stop. Get away from my Kiyoshi." Kurenai's eye twitched as she watched Anko getting dangerously close. 

Gritting her teeth, she stepped in without hesitation, pulling the shameless woman away before things got out of hand.

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