The conversation in the Hokage's office continued, circling around the deaths of Shimura Tan and Sarutobi Yuu.
Sarutobi Hiruzen spoke with a heavy tone, "Tsunade, Hatake Sakumo, and the Uchiha have all provided their statements. Shikakaku reviewed them thoroughly—no flaws found."
"Perhaps a spy in the village caught wind of the turmoil during the jonin council meeting."
"Maybe someone from an enemy village orchestrated the assassinations, aiming to stir chaos within Konoha."
He turned to Danzo. "Call off the surveillance on Sakumo, at least for now."
"If he wants to pursue intel on Kumo's Perfect Jinchūriki, let him."
"And have Fox accompany him—his job is to record the critical intel."
Danzo's eye narrowed. "Fox alone isn't enough. Root will send one of our own too."
Yako, watching silently, could already see how this mission was shaping up.
'Sakumo can't make a single move without someone trying to meddle. They probably hope he dies fighting Ryuuren, the Two-Tails Jinchūriki.'
'They don't even know what she's capable of—and they're already making calculations.'
But it was the Root operative that worried him.
If Danzo's agent tried something… he'd have to act.
Danzo glanced at Yako. "Fox, keep a close eye on Hatake Sakumo. See if he's communicating with anyone... or nurturing some hidden faction that handles his dirty work."
Yako's heart tightened—but only for a moment.
He immediately understood: this was Danzo being Danzo, projecting his own methods onto others.
'If Danzo had real evidence, I wouldn't be standing here casually listening to all this.'
Still, he had to admit—the old snake's instincts weren't wrong.
'I'll have to be even more careful moving forward.'
Out loud, he said smoothly, "You have my word, Danzo-sama. I won't miss a single detail. If he contacts anyone in secret, I'll know."
Privately, he added, 'How convenient. As long as I don't contact Sakumo, then Sakumo won't be contacting anyone.'
'This side quest is practically free XP.'
Hiruzen picked up the thread. "Ryuuren has remarkable control over her Tailed Beast. So much so that Kumo allows her to carry out missions across the Land of Lightning."
"She's been spotted in various cities—capitals, ports—moving openly."
"Kumo must be very confident in the stability of her seal."
"Danzo, activate our informants in Kumo. The next time she leaves the village for a mission, Sakumo and Fox will deploy."
Yako left the Hokage's office and returned to the ANBU HQ.
As soon as he stepped into his office, Purple Cat sniffed the air.
"Fox, I swear… I can tell who's been summoned by the Hokage just from the secondhand smoke on their clothes."
"It's a security breach waiting to happen. One sniff and—bam—top secret meeting exposed."
Yako raised an arm and sniffed. Sure enough, he reeked of Hiruzen's pipe smoke.
"You've got a point. Write up a report. I'll pass it along to Captain Yellow Dog—maybe we can start having squad leaders use some cologne or scent cover before leaving the tower."
He'd meant it as a joke.
Purple Cat didn't.
She wrote the report.
Yellow Dog read it… and implemented it.
Soon enough, all three ANBU division captains were gathered in Yako's office.
"You mean to tell us," one said, deadpan, "we all have to spray ourselves with cologne now just because one of us got summoned?"
"You're the one who made this suggestion?"
"Wait—are we using ANBU-issued scents, or are we shopping for them in the village?"
Yako scratched the back of his head. "Uh... sorry, everyone. Didn't think it'd snowball this far. How about we at least standardize the scent?"
"Purple Cat recommended a green tea blend for men. It's not... too feminine. Trust me."
Yellow Dog, as always, took it too seriously.
Just then, Butterfly entered the room.
"Change of plans. We're using air fresheners now, not cologne. Yellow Dog signed off on it."
"From now on, any ANBU who leaves the Hokage's office must neutralize the smoke smell with a spritz."
Yako let out a breath of relief, quietly tucking away the bottle of cologne Purple Cat had given him.
Several days later, Yako once again stood in the Hokage's office.
Hiruzen, Danzo, and Orochimaru were already present.
Lately, Orochimaru had become a fixture in these meetings. Most could see the writing on the wall—Hiruzen was grooming him for succession.
In the ninja world, mission assignment rights mattered even more than promotion rights.
Moments later, Hatake Sakumo arrived with his core team in tow:
Yamashiro, Moonlight, Shinma, and Shirakumo Asa.
Two jonin, two tokubetsu jonin. It was a formidable strike team—fit for confronting a Jinchūriki.
Sakumo cast a glance at Orochimaru, who now stood at Hiruzen's side, close enough to see every mission scroll on the desk.
A rival.
But Sakumo didn't flinch.
He would become Hokage. And he would change the village.
Danzo began. "Our informants confirm it—Ryuuren, the Two-Tails Jinchūriki, has departed Kumo and is en route to Cloudhouse Port."
Hiruzen nodded. "Sakumo, you and your team will go to Cloudhouse Port."
"I'm assigning Fox and T to accompany you. They'll be responsible for recording all relevant intel on Ryuuren. Fight as you see fit."
Shinma glanced at the two masked figures, thinking, 'So the Hokage doesn't even trust Lord Sakumo?'
Yako wasn't exactly thrilled either.
If T died during the mission, Danzo would definitely suspect something.
It would either point to Sakumo… or him.
But killing T was tempting.
A top Root agent—one of Danzo's most prized subordinates.
'Should I take him out? Or protect him… and avoid suspicion?'
'Or... maybe eliminate him and one of Sakumo's men. That might keep Danzo guessing.'
Yako's gaze landed on Shinma.
Shinma froze.
He remembered Shirakumo Asa's warning—Fox was ruthless, maybe even sadistic.
One glance... and Shinma felt like prey.
'Is this what it feels like to be hunted?'
But Yako shook himself out of it.
'No. That's too far. Killing Sakumo's men just to cover up T's death?'
'I've been going too far lately. Once this mission ends, I should talk to Purple Cat… or maybe Kyoi. I'm not a killing machine.'
"I won't fail, Hokage-sama," Sakumo said, accepting the scroll and exit pass. "I will uncover everything we need to know about the Perfect Jinchūriki."
With that, the team departed.
The journey to Cloudhouse Port, in the northeastern corner of the Land of Lightning, would take over 17 days.
They had to cross half of the Land of Fire, then pass through the Land of Hot Springs, the Land of the Moon, and most of the Land of Lightning.
A few minutes out of the village, Shinma noticed something.
"Where are the ANBU? Weren't they supposed to be watching us?"
Yamashiro answered without looking back. "They'll follow from the shadows. Unless something happens, pretend they're not here."
"And just so you know—it's one ANBU and one Root agent. Not two ANBU."
Shinma blinked. "There's a difference?"
From his limited experience, they were all just masked weirdos.
High in the trees, Yako and T traveled in silence.
"Let's keep it efficient," Yako said. "I'm Fox. Earth and Water Release are my specialties. You?"
T replied coldly, "I've read your file. That's all I need."
Yako paused mid-stride.
He was a squad captain—and yet this Root operative had full access to his dossier?
And now he was just… refusing to share his own info?
'So you're going to build the entire strategy based on my abilities? Not even a hint of your own?'
Three parts arrogant, seven parts ice-cold.
Yako found it physically repulsive.
'You really think being one of Danzo's dogs means you're untouchable?'
'Let me tell you something—even Yuu, even Ryoma, even the top of Root… have died.'
'And they didn't make a sound when they died, either.'
From that point on, Yako didn't say another word to him.
T remained one pace behind him. Close. Too close.
It made Yako's skin crawl.
They finally reached Cloudhouse Port.
The largest shipping hub on the eastern coast of the Land of Lightning, it bustled with trade—iron, copper, and more—all exported by sea.
Dozens of massive ships drifted off the coast, waiting their turn to dock.
Moonlight Kento, with his Permeation Technique, infiltrated the city to gather intel. The rest of the team remained in the hills.
Yako watched through binoculars as Kento slipped through an alley wall—and vanished.
A few moments later, T lowered his own scope and turned to leave.
Yako followed.
T said, "I'm here to gather intel for Lord Danzo. What about you?"
Yako replied casually, "I'm here to gather intel on everyone… for the Hokage."
"If that bothers you, I can always just tail you in secret."
He could've done exactly that—but T's smug attitude had rubbed him raw. Time to return the favor.
T flinched.
He knew—Fox had the strength to shadow him without detection.
Best to just ignore it.
T hiked up a nearby cliff, searching the stones for encoded Root symbols.
Soon, he reached a rocky outcrop—and a figure approached from the distance.
Yako's eyes narrowed.
The woman was unfamiliar… and yet somehow…
'Yakushi Nonou?'
That was her. He'd seen her once near the Whirlpool coast.
But now—her face, skin tone, even her body proportions—completely different.
The woman spotted Yako, perched on a stone far behind T, and her heart jumped.
Back in the Land of Whirlpools, she and Fox had worked together briefly.
He'd uncovered far too much—her ties to Jenli, the orphanage, and her past in Root.
She'd told him where to find one of Danzo's underground labs. Days later, that facility had been destroyed. The specimens—dead. The data—lost.
And Ryoma, Danzo's prized agent aside from Orochimaru—was also killed that same week.
She'd done her research.
Fox was more than just a killer. He was Sarutobi's shadow, Yellow Dog's right hand. The worst kind of enemy to make.
But then the donation had come.
A generous sum. No name, just a letter.
A letter with veiled language that clearly hinted: we should work together.
Jenli had said the masked man was Fox.
Now, here he was again.
Did he want intel? An alliance? Something deeper?
She didn't know.
But she kept her calm. Approached T like nothing was amiss.
"Ryuuren isn't at the port," she said. "She's on an escort mission—guarding a merchant vessel en route to the Land of Waves."
"I've secured the schedule. The ship will return here in ten days."
T nodded. "Good. Report anything else immediately, Wandering Miko."
Nonou glanced at Fox.
"Is that a new Root recruit? I've never seen him before."
T answered coldly, "You spend too much time in foreign villages to know our own."
"That's Fox, ANBU squad leader. He's not Root."
He leaned closer.
"Be careful. He's one of Yellow Dog's people."
And then—poof.
The figure on the rock dispersed in a cloud of white smoke.
Both T and Nonou froze.
It had been a Shadow Clone.
At the same time, the ground beside them rippled like a pond—
And Fox rose silently from the earth.
Nonou's thoughts churned.
'A perfect Earth Release: Hidden Mole Technique? That precise? That silent?'
T's face paled.
Fox's voice was calm—mocking.
"Be careful of what, exactly?"
"Root and ANBU—we're all part of the same village, aren't we?"
T didn't respond.
He couldn't.
Because now, he realized—
Fox was far more dangerous than he'd ever imagined.
(T/N: Damn this novel is so good >.<)