Ahead, the Rat Squad blocked the path in the Land of Grass. Behind, the Yellow Dog Division continued their relentless pursuit.
The Yellow Dog Division's encirclement was shrinking by the minute.
A Byakugan ninja had already spotted Senju Haku's trail, but the cunning Senju had once again slipped through their fingers.
Yagami waited patiently for his chance. He had to do something—anything—to buy more time. Just one more month.
As Haku fled farther away, the Fox Squad was ordered out as well.
Separated from the main force, the Fox Squad moved deeper into the wilds. Yagami kept silently gauging the distance between himself and the sensory ninja in the main division.
Purple Cat frowned, feeling that their squad had gone too far from the others, but she didn't say a word. She trusted Fox's judgment.
Once they were several kilometers beyond the Byakugan users' detection range, Yagami sent out his three subordinates, ordering them to search a small mountain—each taking a different direction.
Only after confirming that he was completely safe did Yagami form hand seals and summon his contracted beast.
A white heron, about the size of a forearm and armed with a spear-like beak, landed softly on his shoulder.
Yagami's heartbeat quickened.
If he had miscalculated the distance and any of the division's Byakugan users saw him with the White Heron Spear… he would have no choice but to defect.
He quickly tied the division's intelligence report to the bird's leg and sent it gliding low across the ground.
The White Heron Spear—his personal summoning beast—vanished into the distance.
...
Deep within a forest near the border of the Land of Grass, Senju Haku hid inside the abdominal cavity of a freshly slain bear, feeling the warmth of the corpse slowly fade.
It was a hiding method he had discovered himself. Ordinary scouting techniques could hardly detect someone concealed like this.
To prolong his concealment, he even used Medical Ninjutsu to keep gutted beasts alive longer, allowing him to stay hidden for extended periods.
He had been running from the Hidden Leaf's pursuit for over ten days now.
That record alone was something to take pride in.
Haku suddenly thought of his teacher—Dachi.
Would the old man be proud of him?
Dachi had drawn attention away from him by launching a reckless charge straight into the Senju compound.
Haku had planned to contact more members of the clan, but by dawn after his ambush, the number of Anbu around the compound had multiplied.
Nearly every Senju clan member was now under surveillance.
When their last plan failed, Dachi had said they would have to do the opposite—not focus on the Senju compound, but instead get the information to the Senju on the front lines.
Especially the young clan heir, Senju Nawaki. Once he learned the truth behind the Uzumaki massacre, he would never sit idly by.
Dachi was probably dead by now.
Before leaving the village, Haku had written down their secret on a scroll and hidden it near the lake where he and his cousins often met.
He didn't know if his cousin would ever find it.
The Anbu's control over the village was simply too strong.
Haku felt a deep sense of frustration.
If only he had told his father everything on that first night after returning to the village.
Ever since his father retired, Haku had tried not to worry him, keeping his mission details to himself.
The man who had once seemed as mighty as a towering tree now looked like an ordinary middle-aged villager.
The father he had admired so much as a child had become a nagging old man.
Haku knew he wouldn't survive this.
But before dying, he found himself thinking about that bothersome old man again.
His teacher was gone. His father had grown old. His mother's kin—the Uzumaki—were wiped out.
As despair weighed heavily on him, a flicker of white through a slit in the bear's belly caught his eye.
A white bird.
His eyes lit up. Could it be… that even the heavens pitied the annihilation of the Uzumaki Clan and sent him a sign of hope?
He crawled out from the bear's carcass, his body smeared in blood and grime, entrails dangling from his shoulder.
The White Heron Spear spotted him and recognized his chakra.
Haku had seen the same kind of bird before—it often accompanied Uzumaki Yuka. The herons recognized him too.
A note was tied to its leg.
The paper detailed the entire composition of the Anbu unit hunting him: Captain Yellow Dog, skilled in Fire Release; two Hyūga from the Anbu; one Inuzuka; and two from the Aburame clan.
So many sensory types in a single unit…
In addition, another Anbu squad was stationed around Nawaki, waiting patiently for Haku to walk right into their trap.
Reading the intel reignited the flame in Haku's heart.
Who sent this to him?
Whoever it was, with this information he could plan his moves much more precisely.
He had to meet the young clan heir!
...
Yagami and his squad returned to Captain Yellow Dog's side.
He quietly glanced at the Hyūga ninjas and then at the captain himself—no killing intent.
Good. He hadn't been exposed.
Acting calm, Yagami reported that his squad had found no trace of the target.
Days passed. The moon waxed and waned—from half-moon to crescent, then back again.
Yagami noted that Haku's strength was impressive. He had dragged the Yellow Dog Division from the Land of Grass to the Land of Steam, and then all the way back again.
But he still wasn't clever enough.
When another opportunity arose, Yagami once again summoned the White Heron Spear.
By a lakeside, Haku spotted the bird's familiar white feathers and hurried over.
Two notes were tied to its leg this time.
He unfolded them one by one.
The first note carried a proposal.
"The young clan heir is too well-guarded. It's impossible for you to meet him directly.
But you can create an opportunity—with your life."
Not only was Haku trying to reach Nawaki, but Uzumaki Yuka and the remaining Uzumaki survivors were also working toward the same goal.
The second note was blank.
Haku immediately understood.
He was to draw the Anbu's attention, while the White Heron Spear carried his plan to Uzumaki Yuka.
Yuka would then use the opening he created to approach Nawaki.
Biting his finger, Haku quickly wrote out his plan on the blank note, sealing it with his blood.
With a soft burst of smoke, the summoning contract ended and the heron vanished.
Haku crouched low and pressed his hand to the ground, sensing the enemies nearby.
"There's one mid-sized squad and an additional small team—four teams total. Among them, one elite jōnin skilled in Fire Release.
My plan is…"
Half an hour later, the Yellow Dog Division reached the lakeside where Haku had been hiding. They found the corpse of a crocodile he had used for concealment.
Following the trail of blood, they traced the direction of his escape.
Captain Yellow Dog frowned.
"Senju Haku is a master of the Senju sensory arts—and he seems to know our intel too.
Look at his route. He's heading straight toward the front command base in the Land of Grass.
We've been chasing him for twenty days. Maybe he's finally reached his limit and is ready to make one last stand.
Move out! Chase him down!"
The Yellow Dog Division resumed pursuit.
...
The full moon hung like silver plate, its light washing the land in pale frost.
Finally, another full moon had come. Yagami let out a slow breath.
He had survived another month—luck was on his side.
They were nearing the front-line command base now.
Senju Haku's desperate struggle was reaching its climax.
And with it… Yagami's true opportunity was about to begin.