After being reborn, Yoru followed the plot of his previous life. He first visited Captain Black Ape of his squad, then went to inform Captain Yellow Dog that Black Ape would need more than a month to recover his combat ability.
After finishing the day's training for the new recruits, Yoru headed to the Crane Moon Izakaya that evening.
Inside the cozy tavern, he saw Senju Bai—whose leg had been severed—and his friend, Yachi.
Watching the two men chatting by the counter, Yoru fell into thought.
He was in the ANBU now, but he didn't want to spend his life as the lapdog of Hiruzen Sarutobi and Danzō Shimura. If he wanted to keep even a shred of autonomy, he couldn't let those two grow too powerful.
The Senju clan was gone, the Uchiha clan would soon face extinction, and the Hyūga clan were already being trampled by Hiruzen—so much that even the clan head, Hyūga Hiashi, was almost sent as tribute to the Cloud Village.
With Hiruzen's word becoming law in Konoha, Yoru could see that his own freedom would soon vanish entirely.
At this point, the only person in the village who could restrain Hiruzen Sarutobi was Uzumaki Mito.
Yoru thought he should find a way to borrow her influence—to preserve alternative voices within the village and prevent Hiruzen's monopoly of power.
The Senju were the key. Even if he couldn't save the clan, he had to at least preserve its embers, like he did with Uzumaki Yuka—keep the bloodline alive, make the village elders uneasy.
The more chaotic Konoha became, the greater his room for survival.
He approached the bar, teasing the hostess Shokyo while listening to Senju Bai and Yachi discuss Bai's son.
The next day, Yachi arranged to meet Senju Bai's son, Senju Hai.
When Yachi mentioned Hai's Uzumaki mother, the young man's expression changed drastically. He leaned close and whispered a few urgent words into his teacher's ear.
Yachi was stunned. He told his student not to act recklessly and that he would investigate first.
He left the izakaya, troubled.
Senju Hai had recently met a woman in the Land of Grass—an Uzumaki kunoichi who wielded a long spear and commanded a white heron as her summoning beast.
That woman had told Bai the truth about the Uzumaki clan's destruction: it wasn't only the Mist and Cloud villages that wanted them dead—Konoha shared the same intent.
Shocking. Unbelievable.
Yachi had heard rumors from the upper ranks—about how the Senju clan head, Senju Rinmu, often acted as if he were still half master of Konoha, criticizing the decisions of the other elders.
Out of respect for his lineage, the others didn't challenge him openly.
But anyone with eyes could see it—Hiruzen, his advisors, and the entire high council had long lost patience with Rinmu's constant preaching about the "Will of the First and Second Hokage."
So what?
Did inheriting the will of the two Hokage mean only he had that right?
Were the current village leaders not heirs to that same will?
Yachi was confused.
Had the divisions among the leadership become so severe?
Would Konoha really discard an ally like Uzushiogakure so easily?
The Uzumaki were the Senju's kin by marriage—how could they accept such betrayal?
Yachi turned toward the northeast corner of the village—the Death Forest.
He knew the ANBU base was somewhere inside, but had no idea where to begin his investigation.
That night, he paced through Konoha restlessly, rejecting plan after plan in his mind.
Investigating the ANBU in secret—if they found out, he'd be branded a traitor.
Then, as he passed through a small park, a white bird darted from a tree on his left, gliding into the forest on his right.
He froze.
That bird—it looked like a heron.
But there were no water herons in Konoha.
A piece of paper fluttered down from the sky. Yachi caught it.
On it were just a few words:
"Senju Hai is in danger tonight."
Yachi's eyes widened. That white bird—it must have been the white heron summoning beast!
His student had mentioned it earlier: the Uzumaki woman with the long spear and white heron summon.
Could it be that some hidden force within the village was trying to expose the truth behind the Uzumaki clan's annihilation?
Yachi turned and sprinted back toward the izakaya where he had last seen his student.
By then it was past two in the morning. The bar had just closed.
The beautiful hostess was locking the windows, occasionally glancing toward the doorway, where a handsome young man leaned lazily against the frame.
Yachi didn't care to guess at their relationship—he rushed past and ran straight toward the Senju compound.
Yoru watched his silhouette disappear into the night.
He didn't know whether the young Senju could still be saved.
Wrapping an arm around Shokyo's waist, he led her into the back courtyard.
This time, after resurrection, he had to tread carefully.
He could only revive once a month.
After the next full moon, he might finally relax—slightly.
The next day, Yoru reported to the ANBU.
He disqualified Leaf Monkey from the unit, declaring him unfit for ANBU standards.
Then he went to the Root division, requesting a reassignment—or a new recruit with at least squad-captain-level strength.
While waiting, another squad captain was loudly complaining nearby.
"Can Root really live up to Lord Danzō's expectations? The rookies you've trained are trash! They couldn't even handle a simple cleanup mission—let the targets escape!?"
Without the "Cursed Tongue Eradication Seal," Danzō's control over both ANBU and Root was far weaker than in the original timeline.
And Danzō was desperate for the Uzumaki Clan's Sealing Scrolls.
Yoru's mind clicked.
Could last night's "cleanup mission" have been aimed at Senju Hai?
He didn't receive his new squad captain that day. Instead, he returned to his own unit and resumed training the rookies.
Deep within the Death Forest, at an ANBU training ground.
Eight new recruits stood ready:
Two from the Fox Squad, three from the White Ram Squad, and three from the Leaf Monkey Squad.
Purple Cat handed Yoru a training sword coated in red paint to simulate blood.
Ever since gaining the Senju bloodline, Yoru's body had been itching for a good fight—his energy overflowing.
He faced the eight recruits.
"The ANBU of Konoha grows weaker by the year. At this rate, what future does this village even have? All eight of you—come at me. Don't disappoint me, you brand-new pieces of trash!"
The rookies—all chūnin who had passed the harsh exams—were proud. Being called "trash" by an acting captain was unbearable.
They split into groups, weapons drawn, attacking from several directions.
Yoru felt power coursing through every fiber of his body.
Endless energy was also a kind of talent.
Only those with stamina and a body that could endure could truly fight—and keep fighting.
With reflexes that had evolved twice over, Yoru dodged two blades easily and sent another opponent flying with a kick.
"Idiots! You think eight of you can crowd around me? Why didn't three of you stay back for ranged support? What kind of tactic is this!?"
He smashed one recruit's arm with the training sword, knocking the kunai from his grip.
Finally, a few of them backed up and threw kunai from a distance.
Two of the throws were decent—one, however, was pitifully weak.
Yoru snatched that kunai from the air and threw it back.
"Never underestimate basic weapon throwing! Your fundamentals are garbage! What—do you think kunai throwing isn't a real jutsu, so you don't bother practicing?"
The blunt weapon struck the recruit's throat, making him double over in pain.
Yoru shook his head repeatedly.
No wonder Konoha declined after the Second and Third Ninja Wars—even the ANBU's standards were collapsing. The rest of the village's ninja were probably even worse.
Meanwhile, Purple Cat watched in growing astonishment.
The Fox Captain's combat strength was far beyond what she'd seen before.
ANBU favored taijutsu and explosive tags, and his movements now were sharp and fluid—no hesitation, no wasted motion—as if his entire body had undergone a second awakening.
Recalling what had happened in the locker room a few nights ago, Purple Cat's neck flushed red. She lowered her head quickly, pretending to focus on recording the rookies' performance.
Just then, a figure appeared in a flicker of shadow—the assistant to Captain Yellow Dog.
"There are two special jōnin-level traitors within the village! One of them is from the Senju clan. Captain Yellow Dog orders your squad to join the pursuit immediately!"
"I understand," Yoru replied calmly. "We'll head out at once."
Inside, though, his heart sank.
He had warned Yachi.
Now the butterfly's wings had stirred the air—
and the story of this life had changed.
Both Senju Hai and Yachi…
had already been branded traitors by the ANBU.