The final strategy meeting had ended. The others filed out of Yellow Dog's tent, leaving only Yako, Yellow Dog, and Butterfly.
Yako glanced at Butterfly and said casually,
"Better get that battle plan submitted soon. I can't wait to get this ambush over with."
Yellow Dog nodded.
"Butterfly, go ahead and write it up. Deliver it to Command once it's done."
Once the report reached Command Headquarters, Danzo would know every detail.
As Butterfly turned to her desk, Yako quietly leaned toward Yellow Dog.
"Commander... I've got a bad feeling about this mission."
Yellow Dog frowned.
"What do you mean?"
"In the past," Yako said softly, "our squad handled missions alone. Clean, contained, and efficient. But this one… involves five units. And every single detail has to go through Command first."
He paused.
"Too many people. Too many eyes. If even one leaks, the ambush becomes a counter‑ambush."
Yellow Dog's eyes narrowed as Yako continued, his tone low and grim.
"And the overall commander… is Danzo, the Head of the ANBU.
If I were him, and someone else was about to be promoted to Deputy Commander, I wouldn't be happy either.
"And when someone like Danzo isn't happy—he acts.
"So far, he's been all smiles, helping to coordinate the other four units for this mission. But that's exactly what worries me. If he were obstructing us, I'd be calm. But being too supportive? That's not him."
Yellow Dog's expression hardened.
Now that Yako had said it aloud, the logic made a frightening kind of sense.
Copper Fox's instincts were legendary among the ANBU—the kind born in blood and betrayal.
If he sensed danger, it was almost certainly coming.
Yako said quietly,
"Commander, according to the plan, I'm supposed to lead the decoy team to the coast tomorrow. But I'll move tonight. Cover for me.
"And you… you should prepare an alternate plan. Leave tomorrow afternoon instead of following the official timetable. Don't give them our real route or timing."
Yellow Dog nodded.
"I understand. I'll act natural, make no scene. Tomorrow afternoon, I'll summon all five units under the excuse of joint drills. We'll move early—our way, not theirs."
"Good." Yako rose, adjusted his mask, and left the tent.
This was his third precaution—to warn Yellow Dog directly.
They were allies of circumstance—partners in ambition.
Yellow Dog wanted to be promoted to Deputy Commander.
Yako wanted to become Squad Commander.
For this mission, their trust was mutual and absolute.
After Yako departed, Yellow Dog stared in the direction of Command Headquarters.
Promotion to Deputy Commander.
Blocking B from becoming Squad Commander.
The Hokage had forced both decisions through—decisive and public.
If Danzo had taken offense, it wouldn't be surprising.
'He wouldn't actually move against me… right?'
No one else in ANBU knew, but Danzo did—
that Yellow Dog was the Third Hokage's eldest son.
Still, he couldn't afford to be complacent.
'Never rely on luck.'
Later that night, Yako, Purple Cat, and White Ram donned the masks of Captain Hippo's squad. Disguised as one of his small teams, they slipped out of camp unnoticed.
The Hippo Unit wasn't assigned to luring the enemy, so one missing squad wouldn't draw attention.
They made their way quickly to the coast.
"White Ram," Yako ordered, "lay your parasitic insects along the shoreline. Purple Cat, stay with him—guard him while he works."
Every few hundred meters, White Ram released a single bug, creating an invisible surveillance web spanning the coast.
Once they finished, Yako summoned a small ninken—Pakkun—to deliver a message.
He requested the list of Hatake Sakumo's known followers, claiming he'd ensure their safety in the upcoming battle.
Then he performed a second summoning.
From the mist appeared Longspear Egret, bearing a scroll—the Contract Seal for the Giant Panda Clan, prepared for him by Yuka.
When the others returned, White Ram reported,
"Commander, as long as any strong Mist ninja approaches the coast, I'll know immediately."
Yako shook his head.
"No. You're not watching for Mist shinobi from the sea. You're watching for ANBU from the land."
"ANBU?" White Ram blinked.
"Yes," Yako said coldly. "We're not tracking enemies. We're tracking traitors."
"Set another perimeter—three kilometers inland. Another ring of parasites."
White Ram obeyed.
The hours dragged on.
They searched from noon to dusk, then from dusk into deep night.
The wind from the sea grew colder.
Yako's gut tightened with every gust.
'Will my plans be enough?'
Two ambush points.
Hidden Uchiha reinforcements.
A warning to Yellow Dog.
'Will that really change the outcome?
Should I call off the mission entirely?'
If this ambush failed as before, he wouldn't just lose his promotion—
his comrades would die with him.
Around 2 a.m., White Ram suddenly stiffened.
"Commander! Two people—coming fast through the coconut grove!"
"Follow them!"
Through the moonlight, Yako spotted two masked ANBU sprinting toward the sea.
"Stay here," he told his team. "Guard the rear and keep others away. I'll handle this."
Once they were alone, Yako moved.
The two Root operatives darted between trees, closing in on their rendezvous point. The sound of the surf grew louder.
Then—
A flash of light.
A narrow water blade shot between them.
'Water Severing Wave?'
It wasn't an attack—it was a signal.
Before they could react, Yako's hands formed the next seal.
Water Body Flicker Technique.
He rode the very stream he'd fired, appearing behind them in an instant.
Both his palms struck their shoulders. Black seals crawled across their bodies like living ink.
Self‑Binding Curse Mark!
They froze, bodies stiff, unable even to turn their heads before two kunai pierced their hearts.
Their strength wasn't low—but against Yako, who had risked exposure to strike first, they never stood a chance.
He carried the bodies back through the grove and dropped them before his subordinates.
"Purple Cat," he said calmly, "Intel reports two suspicious individuals attempting to contact Mist operatives. Check their minds—see if they're spies."
White Ram propped one of the corpses upright while Purple Cat pressed her hand to its head.
Neither questioned their commander. His access to classified intelligence was unquestioned. Their role was to obey.
Moments later, Purple Cat's body tensed.
Her breath caught.
"Commander..."
She swallowed hard, glanced at White Ram, then hurried close to whisper in Yako's ear.
"Commander... this man was carrying a battle plan—to be delivered to Fuguki Suikazan of the Mist...
And... the order came from—"
Her voice trembled.
"—from Advisor Danzo!"