The 14th finally arrived.
Throughout the day, the Senju compound was filled with people coming and going—nothing seemed unusual.
Late at night, Yagami stood atop the Hokage Rock, using binoculars to observe the direction of the Senju compound.
Behind him, Senju Kaba and Dachi waited patiently.
Kaba glanced at Yagami as he lowered the binoculars and asked, "Was the annihilation of the Uzumaki clan really connected to the Anbu?"
Yagami nodded. "Of course. The Leaf's slow response was far too abnormal. Both the Hidden Cloud and Hidden Mist had already invaded Uzumaki, yet the Leaf's intelligence network knew nothing about it. Doesn't that strike you as strange?"
Kaba nodded grimly. His son hadn't died at the hands of spies but because he had made contact with the remnants of their Uzumaki relatives—then was executed by the Anbu.
There was no way his son had just been silently murdered in a Leaf Village alley. Someone had impersonated someone he trusted and ambushed him.
Yagami continued,
"The Uzumaki survivors believe that the Anbu used the Nine-Tails transfer seal as an excuse to cut off Lady Mito Uzumaki's contact with the outside world.
Lady Mito knows nothing about the true reason behind the Uzumaki clan's destruction.
When the Uzumaki tried to have Princess Kushina seal the Three-Tails, the Leaf decided to abandon them.
The Leaf not only stood by but also blocked all news.
In the end, the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, led over two thousand shinobi to Eddy Village, but that was just a performance—to preserve the illusion of honoring their alliance."
Dachi, who had participated in that "rescue," nodded repeatedly.
It all fit.
His student, haku, must have learned the truth and had his entire worldview collapse—realizing that the village wasn't what he thought it was.
And in the end, the Anbu silenced him.
Yagami said,
"The Senju compound is heavily guarded during the day, so we'll move late at night, when their defenses loosen.
Uncle Kaba, please take me to Lady Mito Uzumaki's residence. I have important information from Yuka Uzumaki that must be delivered to her personally.
If we can get it to her, we can reveal the truth behind the Uzumaki clan's destruction."
Kaba nodded, his eyes filled with the resolve of a man prepared to die. "Last night you said there were traitors inside the Senju clan. Is that true?"
To prevent Kaba from acting prematurely, Yagami kept the lie going.
"Yes. There are traitors within the Senju who've sided with the village.
They know the truth about the Uzumaki massacre. If you act rashly, they'll kill you.
Right now, the most important thing is to get to Lady Mito directly, before the traitors intercept the information.
Your son's death was too suspicious—stabbed in the back of the head with a kunai. It must have been someone he trusted, likely one of those traitors."
Kaba nodded again and again. The young man the Uzumaki sent as an inside agent was sharp and logical.
Satisfied, Yagami turned toward the Leaf Village below.
Tonight, my death scene will be one for the ages.
...
"Drink! Keep drinking!"
In the middle of the night, Kaba stood at the center of attention, dead drunk, swaying from side to side.
Two men supported him as they walked deeper into the compound.
The guards saw it was Kaba, whose son had just died not long ago. They assumed he'd been drinking with friends to drown his grief, so they let them through without question.
The man on Kaba's left was his son Haku's mentor, a regular visitor to the Senju compound.
The other was a young man they didn't recognize—perhaps Haku's friend.
Yagami glanced at the trees surrounding the compound. He knew all of the Anbu's surveillance points and made sure to keep his back turned to them.
The three entered the Senju compound and walked between the central and right corridors.
Their pace was slow, their movements staggered and uneven.
Yagami silently counted in his head.
One courtyard…
Two courtyards…
Three courtyards…
After the fourth communal courtyard, they were approaching the target.
Kaba had said that the fifth courtyard belonged to Senju Rinki, the current clan head, and the sixth belonged to Lady Mito Uzumaki.
As they neared the wall of the sixth courtyard, the three suddenly sprinted.
Even with his prosthetic, Kaba's speed was impressive.
Yagami pulled out a kunai—with a wire tied to its ring and hundreds of paper bombs hanging densely along it.
"You—"
Kaba was about to shout, You brought so many paper bombs? Are you trying to blow up the whole place?
Then he saw Yagami throw the kunai and paper bombs toward the back wall of Rinki's mansion—and he relaxed.
Ah, it's for the clan head. That's fine, then.
Whether Rinki was a traitor or not, he at least deserved blame for failing to protect the Uzumaki.
Kaba's wife had been an Uzumaki—a gentle, resilient woman who had left him with many warm memories.
After Tobirama's death, it had become clear that Rinki lacked the strength to lead the Senju back to their founding glory.
Perhaps, once Princess Tsunade and young Nawaki grew up, one of them would become the clan's pillar.
A string of violent explosions shattered the night as the paper bombs detonated along Rinki's back wall.
Smoke, flame, and thunder roared through the darkness.
Yagami shouted, "You two go to Lady Mito! I'll hold off Rinki!"
Kaba felt a surge of emotion. The Uzumaki's inside agent was brave—truly devoted.
This young man would die tonight, and die decisively.
Through the smoke, Yagami spotted the study.
Inside, Senju Rinki held a scroll, his expression cold.
When he saw Yagami, fury filled his eyes.
"Who dares sneak into my home!?"
Rinki used the Body Flicker Technique, appearing before Yagami in an instant.
Yagami hadn't come here to be captured and tortured, so—
"Senju Rinki! You've brought shame to the entire clan!
You worthless, pampered fool! You're garbage!
Even a trained ninken would do a better job as clan head!
You couldn't protect the Uzumaki, and you couldn't protect your own mother either! You—"
Rinki froze mid-breath, his nostrils flaring in rage.
He drove his foot into the ground and, in a flash, appeared before Yagami, throwing a furious punch.
A burst of monstrous strength smashed into Yagami's chest. His ribs caved in instantly.
His nerves snapped from the trauma—he couldn't even feel the pain anymore.
Something sharp had pierced his arm.
Oh. That must be his own rib.
Behind him, Dachi stood frozen.
Wait—what?
Weren't they here to deliver information to Lady Mito?
Why was this kid cursing Rinki like he wanted to die?
If someone didn't know better, they'd think Rinki was the one who'd wiped out the Uzumaki!
Rinki sent the insolent brat flying, then caught sight of Kaba and Dachi sprinting toward Mito's residence.
"What do you think you're doing!?"
Rinki thought Kaba had turned traitor—intent on harming his mother, Mito Uzumaki.
"Water Style: Water Dragon Bullet Technique!"
After three quick hand seals, a water dragon erupted forward, surging toward Kaba and Dachi.
Dachi leaped onto the wall and turned to counter.
"Earth Style: Earth Formation Wall!"
The earth wall held for a moment before the torrent smashed through it.
Rinki, though far weaker than Hashirama and Tobirama, was still a veteran elite jonin.
Kaba's voice rang high and sharp through the night.
"Lady Mito! The Anbu were involved in the Uzumaki clan's—"
Rinki's water-style mastery was terrifying. The dragon split into three smaller streams that curved around the crumbling earth wall and struck Kaba squarely in the back.
Having retired for years, Kaba's strength had declined. The impact shattered his spine, slamming him into the ground.
He tried to speak again, but blood poured from his mouth.
Reaching a trembling hand toward Mito's residence, he never finished his sentence.
A kunai pierced his skull.
Captain Yellow Dog had arrived.
Even as he died, Kaba never saw the door to Mito's house open.
Yagami was dead, too.
Rinki's monstrous punch had crushed his ribs and pierced his heart.
Through his fading vision, Yagami saw countless shinobi leap over the walls of the Senju compound, all rushing toward Mito's home.
[Host death detected.]
[Arc of the Moon activating...]
It had begun.
He couldn't wait to see what he'd draw this time.
***
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