With Tsunade's support unit entering the front lines, Captain Yellow Dog's ANBU squad moved out with them.
After leaving the forward base, Yako retraced his prior steps—same time, same place, same coastal point in the Land of Whirlpools.
But this time…
he had the advantage of foreknowledge.
This time, there would be no fifty-fifty struggle against Hōzuki Lingetsu.
Standing on the rocky outcrop by the shoreline, Yako addressed his subordinates.
"Kirigakure excels at Water Release," he said. "I'm assembling a specialized unit to deal with them.
Three Lightning Release users and two Fire Release users—come with me.
The rest of you will remain nearby under Antelope's temporary command.
Stay within reinforcement distance."
He narrowed his eyes toward the sea.
"Intel suggests one of the Seven Ninja Swords may be in the area.
Our mission is to seize one of them.
Within Mist, these blades are more than weapons—they're symbols.
Contested between the village and the Hōzuki clan.
If we capture even one… we can ignite internal conflict and seize the initiative."
When an ANBU jōnin says he has intel, you don't question it.
The team assumed it came from classified ANBU channels.
Where it actually came from… didn't matter.
—
Elsewhere on the coastline, Special Jōnin Shirakumo Hayama was brooding over a grim realization:
'All eleven Special Jōnin recommended by Hatake Sakumo had been sent here to the Whirlpools warfront.'
Suddenly—an ambush.
A flash of steel.
Long Blade: Stitching Needle pierced through one of his teammates.
Shirakum reacted instantly, slashing through the connecting thread with the Wind Release technique Sakumo himself had gifted him: Vacuum Blade.
Then he saw the attacker—
Kirisame Tsumaru, elite jōnin of the Mist.
His heart sank further as a second figure stepped out, wielding a glowing double-blade:
Hōzuki Lingetsu.
"Retreat!" he ordered. "I'll hold the rear!"
Shirakumo Hayama's blade clashed with the chakra-forged energy of Hiramekarei and was shattered like paper.
Another elite jōnin.
Behind him, Tsumaru was already flanking—aiming for the wounded.
Shirakumo's eyes reddened with bloodshot fury.
He could already see the outcome:
his squad would be annihilated in seconds.
Two elite jōnin versus a small recon unit.
There was only one ending.
Was it possible…?
Was this deployment a trap? A deliberate move to eliminate Sakumo's chosen?
No… not even a trap.
An open scheme. A political purge disguised as war.
Konoha's orders superseded everything.
Just as despair reached its peak—
a shadow appeared.
A masked figure flashed in with Body Flicker, intercepting Hiramekarei's chakra blade with bare hands.
The Fox Mask.
"ANBU Jōnin: Fox," Yako said calmly.
"My squad will arrive shortly.
You have a new mission—
Take the Long Blade: Stitching Needle."
Relief washed over Sōma.
Copper Fox. The rising ANBU star of the Riverfront campaigns.
If it was him… they might just live.
Yako locked eyes with Hōzuki Lingetsu.
Time to move.
—
Physical attacks were useless against the Mist's phantom swordsman.
Lingetsu's Hydrification Technique let him dissolve into water, nullifying any solid strike.
Yako's best ninjutsu—Earth and Water—relied heavily on force.
Cutting or crushing Lingetsu's body did nothing; he would just reform.
But this time, Yako had a plan.
He tanked two full-force chakra blades from Hiramekarei, closing the distance with sheer resolve.
The twin blades surged with chakra, swelling to double Lingetsu's height.
He swung.
Yako feigned fear, weaving and dodging—
Then, at the perfect moment—
as Lingetsu fully committed to a swing and could no longer adjust—
Yako dropped his shoulder and took the hit head-on.
The impact flared off his Copperlight Absolute Defense.
And in the same motion—
he unfurled the sealing scroll hidden beneath his cloak.
Lightning Release—Unseal!
"ARGHHHH!"
A thunderous crack burst from the scroll.
Lingetsu was instantly engulfed in lightning.
A standard Lightning Release user would have had no chance.
But this was a preloaded ambush—designed for exactly this.
From nearby, Antelope's team surged forward from hiding.
"Lightning Release: Ground Roar!"
Lightning danced across the sea, leaping from the surf to Lingetsu's feet, then crawling upward to consume him whole.
The crackle of electricity echoed as Lingetsu locked up, paralyzed.
He could only watch helplessly as the masked ANBU—
the Fox—kicked Hiramekarei out of his hands.
Three jōnin continued pouring chakra into their attacks, pinning Lingetsu in place.
He was completely suppressed.
For a fleeting moment, Lingetsu even wondered—
'Did someone in the village sell me out?'
How else could they have countered him so precisely?
Anticipated every reaction?
Desperate, he forced his body to liquefy—
even if it tore him apart.
If he could just escape into the sea…
"Prepare Fire Release!" Yako shouted.
Two squad members launched Fire Dragon Flame Bullets.
The moment Lingetsu began his transformation, he was met by scorching fire.
The evaporation seared his half-melted body, charring him black.
Yako drew a black obsidian kunai, circled behind, and drove it into Lingetsu's spine.
The obsidian was non-conductive—safe against the lightning dancing over Lingetsu's body.
The jōnin of Mist fell limp.
Just to be sure, Yako added a Self-Binding Curse Seal, locking every joint.
Dragging Lingetsu's scorched body onto a nearby rock, he called out:
"Antelope—your three Lightning types stay on him.
Cycle Lightning Release through him on rotation.
Keep him completely disabled.
Once I'm done with Tsumaru, we interrogate him."
"Understood, Captain."
And with that, Yako took off.
—
Tsumaru was dangerous.
Even with two squads and a Special Jōnin like Shirakumo Hayama, Yako wasn't confident.
When he turned the corner of the bay, a scream reached his ears—
Tsumaru's twisted screech.
What he saw was worse.
Five Leaf shinobi skewered on wires.
Pierced by the Stitching Needle. Paralyzed. Frozen with fear.
They couldn't move, terrified of further damage.
Tsumaru was down in the rocks, weaving more wire—
turning the field into a death trap.
Once complete, he'd slice through all five with a single tug.
Then Tsumaru turned and saw him.
A masked ANBU.
Carrying Hiramekarei.
He froze.
Fox?! That means… Lingetsu lost?! Even the blade is gone?!
That was no ordinary ANBU.
That was the one with Absolute Defense.
Copper Fox.
Before Yako could get close, Tsumaru had already cut the wire and turned—
diving into the ocean without hesitation.
Yako's speed was fast.
But not enough.
Tsumaru, a taijutsu-based Mist swordsman, was blindingly quick in retreat.
Yako gritted his teeth and checked on the wounded.
The five were all still alive.
Non-lethal wounds.
As twisted as he was, Tsumaru didn't aim to kill immediately—
he liked to play.
He strung up enemies with wire, ran his fingers across it,
listening to the tension, savoring their trembling.
It was all in the intel.
Tsumaru was a sadist.
Only in the Mist.
Yako crouched down.
"Rescue them. Carefully. Don't let the wire shift."