The moment he stepped into Yellow Dog's office, Yako shouted:
"Commander Yellow Dog! I'm finally back in the village!"
Yellow Dog looked up, delighted.
"Fox! So many of our high-risk missions were on hold without you. You're finally back—I don't have to run those myself anymore!"
Yako thought to himself, 'You're celebrating too early… I'm heading straight to the Land of Rain again.'
Yellow Dog asked about the situation on the Hot Water front, and Yako answered everything thoroughly.
Then, Yellow Dog pulled out a scroll.
"Your report said Hatake Sakumo rewarded over 120 mid- and lower-ranked shinobi with new jutsu?"
"Yes, sir. This scroll contains all of their names."
Yellow Dog frowned.
"If it had only been twenty people, we could keep them under surveillance. But 120? ANBU doesn't have the manpower to track that many."
Sakumo had served multiple terms as commander and had broad authorization on the front lines to distribute jutsu as rewards. He was exceedingly generous—or rather, exceedingly fair. As long as a ninja met the mission requirements, it didn't matter their background or clan—he'd award them.
Yako said,
"It's better to just monitor Sakumo and the people frequently around him. Tracking every shinobi who benefited would be unrealistic."
Yellow Dog nodded repeatedly, clearly agreeing with the assessment.
He then grabbed another scroll.
"I have a task here… pretty tricky—"
A knock interrupted him.
Butterfly stepped in. "Sir, a mission scroll from the Hokage's office."
Yellow Dog unrolled it.
"...A designated mission. For Fox."
"I was just about to give you one myself, but it seems the Hokage has plans for you. You're to replace Orochimaru in the Land of Rain. That mission takes precedence."
The Hokage had acted fast. Yako wouldn't even have to explain it himself.
"Commander," Yako sighed, "I really want to carry out ANBU work properly—but there's always another mission pulling me away."
Yellow Dog smiled.
"The village's mission comes first. The conflict in Hot Water, the investigation in Rain—these are critical."
Yako added,
"On the way back, Advisor Mitokado Homura asked me to recommend someone for jōnin promotion. I nominated White Ram.
If White Ram is promoted, why not keep him in ANBU for future missions?
Let's leave White Ram, Hippo, and Yak Squads here. I'll just take Blossom Deer to Rain."
"Just Blossom Deer? That enough?"
"It'll do. The Lynx Division is already in Rain, along with Root. I don't need more."
"Alright. Hokage said you can rest for two days before heading out.
But first, finish White Ram's jōnin recommendation."
"Understood."
—
Back at the Fox Division's office, Yako entered and found Purple Cat organizing scrolls.
"White Crane! I told you, you're not allowed in the squad leader's office without permission!"
She turned, only to see it was Fox. She immediately ran over.
"Fox! You're finally back!"
He caught her mid-leap and hugged her tight, patting her back.
"The good news: I'm back. The bad news: I leave for Rain in two days."
"Leaving again?"
"Yup," Yako said.
"For normal shinobi, peacetime means easy C- and D-rank missions. Stick to the Land of Fire, avoid B-rank threats.
But for ANBU, there's no difference between war and peace."
"How long will this one be?"
"No idea. A month if we're lucky, two if not. And in two months… it'll be New Year's."
"Purple Cat, start on White Ram's promotion letter. Hand it to Butterfly when it's done.
Then come back here… and strip that armor. I've been dreaming about that look."
Purple Cat was already flushed from the earlier hug. Now she turned crimson and quickly spun back to her desk to write the letter.
Yako locked the door and stepped up behind her.
"Captain, you can't… you're making my handwriting crooked…"
She was about to start removing her own armor, but he couldn't wait—he was already helping from behind.
Flak jacket. Mesh undershirt. One by one, they slipped off.
In the end, the jōnin recommendation was never finished.
White flesh glowed in his arms as she was carried into the break room.
Beneath her soft gold hair, Purple Cat's skin shone like porcelain.
—
Half an hour later, gasping for breath, Purple Cat emerged from the room, dressing piece by piece, then returned to her desk to finish writing White Ram's jōnin recommendation.
Once it was done, the two stepped out of the office and saw White Crane seated on a bench outside.
She jumped to her feet.
"Captain Fox! I'm the new squad member, White Crane! I've completed advanced training. Please assign me to a team!"
Yako studied her briefly.
"Purple Cat, go deliver the scroll. I'll speak with White Crane."
"Yes, sir."
Once inside, White Crane sniffed the air.
Wait... that scent—wasn't that her sister's? The herbs she used on her armor to prevent skin irritation?
Yako stepped closer, startling her out of her thoughts.
He recalled that Danzo had spies embedded across ANBU.
Black Ant Squad, the Hokage's direct unit, was the most heavily infiltrated—three known agents.
He'd find a way to feed White Crane false intel, let Danzo chase shadows.
"You'll join Hippo Squad," Yako said. "The Akimichi there will suit you well."
"Thank you, sir!"
"Now go find White Ram. Tell him I want to see him."
—
White Ram arrived, and Yako ran him through a brief training session.
The jōnin test started with three extreme hypotheticals—like, "If the Hokage orders you to assassinate Mitokado Homura's daughter, how would you do it?"
Then came the practical—fighting off multiple jōnin without damaging the flowers or decor in the exam room.
White Ram was confused. Why the extreme questions? Why the sudden test?
Yako was satisfied with his responses.
"You did well in the Hot Water conflict.
I've recommended you for jōnin. You'll probably face the exam tomorrow."
"I'm not worried about your combat test—you've got the skill.
I'm worried about the interview.
As an ANBU jōnin, your answers need to be twisted. Ruthless. Abnormal. They need to fit your ANBU image.
Got it?"