Cold sweat trickled down from beneath the edge of the mask, dripping continuously onto the chest of Captain Yellow Dog.
Each droplet struck the iron chest plate and glinted sharply under the sunlight.
This was the first time Yagami had ever seen Yellow Dog in such a miserable state—sweat pouring down his face, veins bulging on his hands as he gripped the scroll.
So… Senju Haku and Uzumaki Yuka's plan finally worked? Yagami thought.
He couldn't allow Konoha's upper echelon to hold absolute power. If they continued to dominate, his own freedom to move would only grow smaller and smaller.
He could accept the annihilation of the Uzumaki clan—back then, he was nothing but a small fry—but the Senju clan couldn't be erased in silence. Their influence needed to survive, to serve as a counterweight against the village's leadership.
If Senju Nawaki learned the truth, the Senju clan would never stay silent.
After a few moments of silence, Captain Yellow Dog said coldly, "Earth Release specialists stay behind. The rest of you, return to the village."
Yagami instantly understood.
They were going to silence their own.
A small group of elite shinobi, disguised as stone ninja, would strike down fellow Hidden Leaf operatives and erase all traces.
This was the true nature of the Anbu—black-ops assassination units.
The authority of the upper brass came not only from their position but also from the fact that they were truly willing to kill their own.
Which high-ranking official didn't have blood from their own people on their hands?
Unfortunately, Yagami specialized in Earth Release—a fact Yellow Dog knew well—so he was forced to stay.
Purple Cat and the other two teammates were dismissed. She turned back a few times, reluctant to leave. Traveling back alone to the village made her uneasy.
Only five remained, following Yellow Dog back toward the border of the Land of Grass.
The atmosphere along the way was suffocating.
At one point, Rat asked for instructions on where to place the sensory perimeter. Yellow Dog's eyes bulged with fury as he screamed at him for two full minutes.
The veins on his neck stood out, his voice venomous. The rest of the squad bowed their heads, terrified.
Finally, Yellow Dog snarled, "The Hokage and Lord Danzō are heading to the frontlines themselves—to clean up our mess!"
"Can anyone tell me why Senju Haku knew our intel? How he dragged us in circles for weeks? And why—if he's dead—are Senju shinobi still moving around secretly, meeting in private?!"
"Failure! Everything's a damn failure!"
Yagami's expression didn't change, but inwardly he frowned.
The Third Hokage and Danzō both coming to the frontlines? That meant only two things—either they were going to bury the problem completely, or they were ready to confront the Senju clan directly.
If they cut off all communication between the frontlines and the village, the Senju clan wouldn't learn the truth—at least for a while.
Yellow Dog continued, "According to Advisor Mitokado Homura's report, Nawaki's being reassigned away from the command camp. We're to intercept him before he returns!"
After arriving at the target area, the six of them donned the attire and headbands of Stone ninjas.
Dark-red inner shirts, sand-brown flak jackets—the signature disguises of Anbu when tasked with eliminating their own.
They stopped twenty kilometers northwest of Leaf's frontline base.
Yellow Dog spoke, voice steady but ice-cold.
"According to intelligence, Nawaki's team will pass through here on their way back. I'll set a trap myself—he won't even sense it."
"You three will act as bait. Lure Nawaki into the trap step by step. When he's in position, detonate the explosive tags and blow him apart."
"The performance must be flawless—make it real. You'll have to die for this to work. If it looks fake for even a moment, Orochimaru will notice something's off, and Nawaki will hesitate. Only if he believes the attack is genuine will he charge forward recklessly."
"From this moment on," Yellow Dog added coldly, "convince yourselves you are Hidden Stone ninjas. Believe it until your deaths."
A tense silence followed.
Seeing their hesitation, Yellow Dog went on, "Orochimaru only teaches geniuses. His methods are free-range—he never interferes, only observes. Nawaki's missions are the same. Orochimaru always lets him make decisions on his own."
"Nawaki is known for his obsession with protecting comrades. He's impulsive—always the first to rush ahead. That's why he must die… and not just him. Every Senju on the frontlines must die as well."
"The transfer of the Nine-Tails' seal cannot be delayed. No one—not even the heir of the Senju clan—can be allowed to stand in the way."
Then Yellow Dog asked, his tone deceptively calm, "Now—who among you will volunteer to act as bait for the sake of the Nine-Tails' sealing?"
Yagami thought for a moment, then raised his hand first.
Dying by Nawaki's hand was part of his own plan anyway.
With the Hokage, Danzō, and Homura all moving at once, the trap set by one of Anbu's Six Great Captains—Nawaki was walking into a deathtrap.
If Yagami didn't act soon, he might lose his only chance to harvest what he wanted.
"Good," Yellow Dog said. "You didn't disappoint me—or Captain Black Ape."
Yagami bowed slightly, hiding the disdain in his eyes.
Black Ape, at least, had truly supported him—recommending him as acting squad leader before surgery and giving him opportunities.
But Yellow Dog? Saying he "valued" Yagami only meant sending him on a suicide mission.
Yagami could tell the difference between genuine mentorship and simple exploitation.
The three weakest Anbu were chosen as bait.
...
At the border of the Land of Grass, Orochimaru said, "Let's return, Nawaki. This reconnaissance mission is over."
As usual, he didn't even spare a glance for Nawaki's two teammates.
One from the Sarutobi clan, one from the Shimura clan—both had performed terribly, dragging down the mission.
If not for Nawaki's excellence, they'd already be dead.
Orochimaru loathed incompetence.
Nawaki nodded silently.
Orochimaru tilted his head slightly. "Something wrong, Nawaki? You seem troubled."
"N-no… nothing."
Nawaki forced a smile, though his heart raced.
Before leaving camp, a Senju clansman had tried to speak with him—he only managed to say the words 'Uzumaki clan' before collapsing from poison.
Medical ninja rushed in, dragging the man away.
Tsunade had been sent on a mission, and Nawaki worried for both of them.
What did that clansman mean by Uzumaki clan?
Ever since leaving camp, Nawaki couldn't shake the unease in his chest.
The Senju clan's secret distress signal, the sudden reassignment of his clansmen, and that dying whisper of Uzumaki clan—something terrible was happening.
He could almost feel an invisible web closing in, tightening around him with every step.
He trusted his teacher, Orochimaru—but not the other shinobi of the village.
Especially not the two at his side: one from the Sarutobi clan, one from the Shimura clan.
He'd wanted to form a team with a Kurama clansman and a civilian ninja, but the village had forced this lineup on him.
He understood what that meant—the village wanted him to bond with these two heirs, to strengthen political ties between clans.
He'd tried to cooperate, but the forced arrangement left a sour taste in his heart.
After a long silence, Nawaki suddenly asked, "Orochimaru-sensei… do you think there's darkness within the village?"
His two teammates froze, startled by the question.
Did Nawaki… find out something?
***
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