One of the ninja in Byakko's squad, seeing Kuroushi's chest wound from the explosive tag was so severe, jumped off the ground, trying to save him.
"Wait! Don't get close! Be careful!"
Byakko's warning barely escaped his lips before his teammate slashed Kuroushi's throat with a kunai!
Blood gushed out, soaking Kuroushi's chest in a dark, bloody mess.
Chaos erupted—total chaos.
Yako shouted, "Everyone, fall back! Keep at least fifty meters apart! No one gets close to anyone else!"
Obedient to their captain's order, everyone retreated.
In the rainy night, all that could be heard was the heavy rain pattering on leaves, pools, and mud.
Five minutes passed. No abnormalities.
Ten minutes passed. Still none.
Fifteen minutes passed. Cautiously, Yako approached Murasaki and began treating her wounds.
Murasaki showed no aggression toward him, so it seemed Kato Dan had withdrawn.
They chatted quietly; after confirming Murasaki's condition stabilized, Yako discussed tactics.
Next time they encountered enemies, they had to be proactive—not passive like now.
While traveling afterward, Yako ordered everyone to maintain twenty meters of spacing, ensuring explosive tags couldn't harm each other.
At the same time, Yako no longer headed southeast toward the Land of Fire but turned south, taking a longer detour.
He feared Kato Dan might predict their escape route and ambush them.
After two hours, calm returned. Yako breathed a little easier—maybe Kato Dan had lost patience and let them go.
Kato Dan was an elite Jonin; he wouldn't play cat and mouse forever.
The squad found a dense-leafed forest and rested beneath various large trees.
Yako stayed alone under one tree, its canopy shielding much of the rain.
He looked up at the heavy, oppressive black clouds and wondered: if a lightning bolt struck now, would it kill him?
Rainy days were no place to shelter under trees.
His useless knowledge from a past life entered his mind again.
Looking for caves was unrealistic—should they take turns sheltering?
A lightning flashed brightly in the clouds, followed by thunder.
Yako stood to order the team to keep moving.
If necessary, they'd detour from the south of Rain Country to the Land of Rivers, then enter the Land of Fire.
A second lightning bolt suddenly lit the sky.
Yako narrowed his eyes.
Wait—that lightning lasted unusually long!
An ANBU threw a flash bomb straight at Byakko!
Damn it—why did Kato Dan's ghost keep haunting them?
Yako formed seals and used Body Flicker to appear before Byakko.
Byakko was the squad's scout—he must not be harmed.
Without Byakko, the squad would be crippled in dangerous Rain Country.
Rain ninjas, rock ninjas, rebellious factions, even Madara lurked here.
Flash bombs and smoke bombs targeted dōjutsu users.
The intense light likely blinded Byakko's eyes.
Yako appeared in front of Byakko and kicked the controlled ANBU away.
He didn't want to kill; Yamashiro and Kuroushi were already dead, their deaths worthless.
Suddenly, a rush of air sounded behind.
Shit!
Could even a bloodline ninja like Byakko not resist Kato Dan's forbidden techniques?
Byakko's taijutsu was far superior, his speed faster.
Prepared, Yako dodged sideways while turning.
Still, Byakko caught him.
Yako's left shoulder was struck.
He felt numbness—pressure points hit.
Byakko's relentless Gentle Fist pounded Yako.
Though not as fluid as usual, Byakko's strikes retained seventy to eighty percent strength.
Yako realized Kato Dan had studied the Hyuga clan deeply.
After controlling a Hyuga, he not only used pressure points but also executed high-level Gentle Fist.
It made sense—Hyuga were often assigned to protect Kato Dan; he was intimately familiar with them.
Yako fought back with only his right arm.
While dodging, he shouted, "Murasaki! Help me!"
Nearby, Murasaki hastily cast Mind Transfer Secret Technique on Byakko.
Suddenly, Byakko halted, shouting, "Captain! I'm okay! Murasaki's been controlled!"
Byakko lunged forward, blocking between Yako and Murasaki, protecting the Fox squad leader from Murasaki's control.
Murasaki's technique faltered when she heard Byakko was normal.
But Byakko suddenly attacked, wildly slashing a kunai toward Yako's throat!
Yako turned left, lowering his head, eyes locked on the approaching kunai.
It was too fast.
Yako saw the kunai's sharp blade slice raindrops apart.
Each droplet exploded midair into shards.
At the last moment, Yako instinctively surged forward into Byakko's embrace.
Byakko's kunai pierced the back of Yako's neck.
The blade's tip sank at least half a centimeter into Yako's skin and flesh.
"Ugh!"
Byakko cried out as Yako's kunai stabbed into his abdomen.
All happened in a flash—instinctive reactions.
If Byakko had been a fraction faster, Yako's neck would've been pierced.
Looking down, Yako saw his kunai had pierced Byakko's lung.
The blade's square edges even snapped Byakko's ribs.
At the last second, Kato Dan controlled Byakko to collide into Yako, turning a grave wound into a fatal one.
Ignoring his injury, Byakko raised his hand, pointing north: "Captain... I sense... in that direction... Captain... sorry..."
Byakko was dying.
Over twenty kilometers away, Kato Dan suddenly awoke in the cave.
What a troublesome squad—he'd hoped to control a single Byakugan ANBU.
Byakko was second only to Murasaki in importance in Yako's squad.
Yako mechanically executed ANBU missions daily.
Among the few he knew well were Murasaki and Byakko.
Like other Hyuga branch families, Byakko was gentle.
He hadn't yet solved his Cage Bird curse before dying here—killed by Yako's own hand.
Yako's baseline was ruthlessness.
He always felt everyone here was a stranger.
This world gave him a profound sense of alienation.
Returning monthly to the previous full moon night made everything seem meaningless.
If a person died, they died. If killed, they were killed.
That month, Yako killed Byakko.
He couldn't take Byakko back to the past. Couldn't save him.
In this moment, guilt peaked.
Rainwater flowed into Yako's eyes.
His vision burned, stinging fiercely.
A surge of chakra shot from his brain along his optic nerves to his eyes.
Yako's eyes suddenly flushed crimson; the black pupils shrank into a single tomoe, spinning rapidly.
Sharingan—awakened!
This cursed bloodline bloomed through the death of those around him.
A mid-upper talent Sharingan.
Not from losing someone close like Murasaki, but from Byakko—who had accompanied him for so long—dying before him.
The most talented Uchiha could awaken their Sharingan even from their cats dying.
Hence the Uchiha loved cats, and their grandmother's toad summon.
The powerful Uchiha ancestors believed keeping a cat at home made awakening easier.
Lower talent Uchiha could kill the entire clan and still fail to awaken.
Enemies of the Uchiha were dangerous; friends even more so.
Byakko pressed close to Yako's ear: "Captain... I reported directly to Captain Kōken. On the night of the Nine-Tails, your chakra showed an abnormality once..."
Yako's heart trembled—was Captain Kōken beginning to suspect him?
Looking at Byakko, the eye holes of his mask revealed white pupils, like spoiled milk thick with clumps.
Yako stood up.
Byakko was dead; he had to protect Murasaki and the others.