Yakushi Nonou glanced at him.
"So you're the infamous Copper Fox with absolute defense?"
Yako smiled behind his mask.
"And you live up to your title, Wandering Miko—your intel's sharp."
He was about to say, "If we pass on the intel about Ryuuren's departure to Hatake Sakumo's squad, it'd save us a lot of time…"
But before T could cut him off, he corrected himself.
"But no—that would violate protocol."
"Our mission is to observe Sakumo's team. To assess their recon, analysis, and strategic capabilities."
"Under normal circumstances, ANBU supports Konoha squads during missions."
"But not this time. Not with Hatake Sakumo's team."
"So we wait. Let's see how long it takes for them to uncover Ryuuren's movements on their own."
T said nothing, clearly satisfied with the answer.
Yakushi Nonou left.
But Yako noticed it—right before she turned away, her foot dragged slightly against the ground. Just enough to leave a faint mark pointing toward a specific direction.
Later that night, deep in the hills, Nonou waited.
She'd left a signal earlier. She didn't know if Fox would pick it up.
Two hours passed.
Then—he appeared.
Yako instantaneously flickered into view.
This time, Nonou looked completely different again.
Her facial features, her skin tone, even her body frame—everything had changed.
Who would have guessed that the lean, dark-skinned girl from earlier was now a fair-skinned, slightly plump woman?
Truly remarkable disguise techniques.
Once she confirmed he was real, Nonou asked:
"Why did you donate to the orphanage? And why did you leave that letter?"
Yako gave a nonchalant shrug.
"What's wrong with a donation? You weren't going to feed all those kids off your and Jenli's mission pay alone."
"I'm not asking about the donation!" she snapped.
"The letter could get me killed!"
"If Root learns I've had contact with ANBU—Danzo won't hesitate to round up every single child in the orphanage and throw them into lab!"
Yako tilted his head.
"Funny… T said you barely know anything about Konoha, but you clearly know about the lab."
She didn't reply.
So he pressed on.
"Back in the Land of Whirlpools, you told me about Root's Uzumaki research site."
"You were afraid of Danzo getting his hands on the Tongue-Curse Seal of Silence."
"You and I… we share a common enemy."
"I'm speaking for Captain Yellow Dog. We're extending an offer—help us bring down Danzo. All we need is some intel."
"You don't want that seal locked onto you forever, do you?"
"You don't want the kids from the orphanage to be turned into disposable weapons, do you?"
"Trust Yellow Dog. Trust me."
"Our lines may be dirty… but they're still cleaner than Danzo's."
"We'd never abduct orphaned children to turn them into cannon fodder."
He was layering his pitch carefully—truth and falsehood in equal measure.
Someone like Nonou wouldn't respond to honesty.
But give her just enough truth to pick apart, and she'd come to the conclusion herself.
Yellow Dog, now ANBU's Vice Commander, was the only man in the village with enough power to oppose Danzo.
It made sense for Fox to represent him.
He couldn't exactly say he was doing all this for the Uzumaki clan, or justice, or peace in the shinobi world.
She'd never buy that.
Nonou went silent for a full minute.
Then she asked, "What kind of intel are you after?"
"Every active Root member's profile."
"Impossible," she replied immediately. "I don't even know that myself."
Yako nodded. That had been a long shot.
"Fine. Then how about this—if any Root agents leave the village, can you notify me?"
Assassinating people like Shimura Tan and Sarutobi Yuu couldn't happen often. The backlash from the Upper Five Clans would be massive.
But Root agents?
No one cared when they died.
They were already walking on the edge every day.
Yako didn't want to just sit around waiting for the next investigation to corner him.
Like Sakumo, he would take the initiative.
Strike first. Stay alive.
Sarutobi and Danzo were powerful because of the strength they wielded.
But even giants could be chipped away, kunai by kunai.
"You're asking for Root deployment intel?" Nonou repeated. "I can't always track that."
"But sometimes you can?" Yako latched onto her phrasing.
"That's good enough."
"Don't fool yourself into thinking Danzo won't eventually kill you to cover his tracks."
"You know too much. The moment you're not useful—he'll erase you."
"Working with me... might not be your only option. But it's your best one."
"Tell me—who else besides Yellow Dog has the power and the motive to oppose Danzo?"
"Root operatives retire every year. Yellow Dog doesn't hunt them down."
"Because he doesn't want just a squad. He's building a faction."
"And he understands—loyalty doesn't require chains."
He paused.
"I'm offering you a way out. Don't waste it."
Nonou thought long and hard—then tossed him a scroll.
Yako opened it, only to find...
"...a menu?"
It was a daily meal list from the orphanage cafeteria.
"I post new menus every day," she explained.
"Sometimes there will be hidden codes in the ingredients. Pay attention."
Yako's eyes narrowed.
So she was still in contact with the orphanage, even from afar.
Some kind of summoning method? Remote transmission like reverse summoning?
He'd have to donate more supplies soon. Can't claim to be more humane than Danzo and then let the orphans starve.
Then she asked him plainly:
"Are you going to kill T?"
"He's from the Shimura clan. Wind Release specialist."
'Wind Release?'
Yako's mind spun.
'Maybe I could extract a Mastery-Level Wind Jutsu from him…'
But he said, "Of course not."
"If T dies, wouldn't that basically point straight at me?"
She tilted her head.
"I thought you'd kill him and pin it on Hatake Sakumo?"
'Pin it on Sakumo? That's my guy!'
He laughed internally.
"Sakumo doesn't need to be framed."
"Danzo already despises him. And Sakumo's aiming for the Fourth Hokage seat. He's already the enemy."
Nonou caught something in his tone.
He didn't even hesitate to call Danzo by name.
The rift inside ANBU… it wasn't just personal anymore.
Yako returned to the hideout.
Sometime later, T noticed his absence.
"Where were you?" he asked coldly.
Yako gave him a sideways glance.
"If A were here, maybe I'd answer."
"But I'm an ANBU Division Captain. You think I report my every move to a Root operative?"
"Maybe focus on replacing A first."
"You—!"
Tei trembled with fury.
But against Yellow Dog's favored subordinate, there was nothing he could do.
The next morning, Sakumo's team moved into the port city.
From the looks of it, they'd figured it out—Ryuuren wasn't in Cloudhouse anymore. She'd left with a ship.
Moonlight Kento's tracking had been razor-sharp.
One night. That was all he needed to pin down her trail.
The squad camped outside the port, waiting.
Days passed.
Under the full moon, Yako stared at the sky once more.
It was time.
The System is now activated.
Last time, he'd gained Mastery-Level Fire Release: Fire Dragon Flame Bullet, boosting his strength as the White Ghost.
He needed White Ghost to be strong—strong enough to strike down the Shimura clan, Danzo, and the Upper Five Clans.
And yet, remain distinct from his Fox identity.
This month?
Maybe it was time to unlock Lightning Release.
Or pick up a Mastery-Level Wind Technique.
Whatever came up… he'd choose carefully.