Deep within the earth, Yako began with the Hiding Like a Mole Technique for the first two meters—then seamlessly switched to the Mayfly Technique.
Suddenly, a surge of tree roots erupted from the ground, nearly startling him out of his technique.
'Wood Release can attack underground too?!'
He immediately shifted sideways into a nearby patch of soil, vanishing in a burst of speed.
The next second, Yako reappeared—over a hundred meters away.
Up above, Uchiha Madara narrowed his eyes.
'That was odd. That wasn't just Hiding Like a Mole… that speed... almost like White Zetsu's Mayfly Technique.'
Mayfly was a Wood Release secret art. There's no way a Konoha ANBU could have it… and yet...
Far away, Jiraiya, Lynx, K, and the rest had scattered—everyone fleeing for their lives.
K was mid-leap when something snagged his ankle.
His balance shattered. He crashed to the ground.
From the dirt beneath him, a hand emerged, gripping a sharp, wedge-shaped wooden stake.
Thud!
The branch pierced straight through K's abdomen.
Yako didn't stop.
Striking from underground again, he impaled the remaining two Root members the same way—silent, precise, lethal.
In the distance, Lynx turned back just in time to see the wooden spike jutting from K's spine.
His blood ran cold.
'The rear guard failed?! Did Madara catch up?!'
He turned and ran harder than ever.
From the bark of a tree behind him, Yako's face briefly surfaced.
He watched Lynx flee, then disappeared into the tree once more.
K's corpse came first. With it, he might be able to crack Danzō's Tongue Eradication Seal.
That was priority.
The Mayfly Technique truly lived up to its reputation as one of the ninja world's top-tier stealth arts. Not even an elite jōnin like Lynx had sensed him.
'Now this... this is what a true assassin should feel like—silent, invisible, deadly.'
Just as he was congratulating himself—
A shadow surged through the underground organic network toward him.
Only one kind of being could move like that underground—a White Zetsu.
They shared the same travel method. And if Zetsu could navigate the root-web, then...
'He can sense me, too.'
The shadow halted.
Too late.
Yako released the Ten Seal's final reserve of chakra—exploding forward.
White Zetsu couldn't match the burst. He was caught.
Yako struck swiftly, killing the scout Zetsu, then immediately sealed the corpse into a scroll.
'Perfect. I can use this to bargain with Orochimaru—or even the village elders.'
Then, he slung K's corpse onto his back and called Stone Panda with contract chakra.
This mission had cost five Root agents and seven ANBU from Lynx's unit.
Danzō had suffered another devastating blow.
Arriving at the bamboo forest of the Stone Panda clan, Yako tested the Mayfly Technique again—this time carrying the corpse.
It didn't work.
Seems Mayfly was self-only. No passengers.
Eventually, he reached the outskirts of the Uzumaki hideout and dropped K's corpse in front of Yuka.
"Yuka, this one's Root. Tongue Eradication Seal. I need you to crack it.
If we want to bring Danzō down—this is step one."
Uzumaki Yuka nodded immediately.
"I understand. I'll begin right away."
Yako's expression turned grim.
"Long story short… Nagato has fallen into the wrong hands.
Don't contact him. Don't acknowledge him. Don't even let him see you.
He's no longer the same Uzumaki boy we remember.
Behind him… is Uchiha Madara—a monster on par with the First Hokage.
I fought him. I lost. Barely made it back alive."
Yuka's breath caught in her throat.
Her gratitude deepened.
Fox had faced off against Madara—the legend—for the sake of the Uzumaki.
"Please… be careful, Fox. Revenge can wait."
"I know," he replied.
"But time's tight. Nobody knows I survived. If I don't get back soon, they'll be carving my name into a gravestone."
He paused, then added with a sly grin:
"So… we've only got two days."
"You go deal with the corpse," he added, voice low. "I'll be waiting in our little cabin."
Yuka's heart pounded. Her legs trembled.
Even his urgency sounded romantic.
Their secret rendezvous was the only color in her bleak life… well—slightly yellow-tinted color, but still.
—
Two days later, Yako left the Uzumaki safehouse and hurried toward the Land of Fire.
Upon entering, he reached the first Konoha outpost.
There, he checked in for any updates.
The jōnin on duty recognized him at once.
"Fox-senpai?! You're alive?!"
He practically shouted.
"A few days ago, Jiraiya-sama and Commander Lynx passed through here. They warned me to keep an eye out for you—said you might have died holding off Madara.
Your team even tried to go back for you. But Lynx gave a deadly order—everyone had to return to the village.
We… we thought you were gone!"
"I've got decent defense jutsu," Yako replied coolly. "I'm not that easy to kill."
With confirmation that Blossom Deer, Jiraiya, and the others had made it back, Yako relaxed.
He spent another seven days making his way home.
The outpost had already dispatched a hawk to inform the Hokage.
Sure enough—
White Ram and Blossom Deer were waiting at the village gate.
Seeing their commander return safe and sound, both men exhaled hard.
"Captain! You made it!"
"Just a minor scuffle," Yako said nonchalantly. "Madara's old—you think he would kill me?"
Blossom Deer deadpanned:
"Sir… Root lost five men. Lynx's unit lost seven.
Madara may be seventy-something—but he's still plenty lethal.
When we reported to the higher-ups… you should've seen Lord Hokage and Danzō's faces.
Only you, Captain, could've survived that."
White Ram nodded.
"Sir, the elders request your presence at the Hokage Tower immediately.
They're all waiting for you."
"Then let's go."
The three blurred across the rooftops.
A few Uchiha patrol guards considered yelling about airspace… but one look at the ANBU masks, and they backed off.
Konoha had a no-flight policy—but ANBU and elders were exceptions.
—
Inside the Hokage's office, the room was packed.
Hiruzen Sarutobi, Danzō, Mitokado Homura, Yellow Dog, Orochimaru, Jiraiya, Lynx—and now Fox, White Ram, and Blossom Deer.
It was crowded.
Hiruzen stepped forward first.
"Fox… thank the heavens you made it back. We've lost too much already—your return is a relief."
Yako bowed slightly.
"Hokage-sama. Yellow Dog-sama. I specialize in defense.
I used Earth Release to escape. I got lucky."
Yellow Dog nodded furiously.
When he'd first heard that Fox might have fallen to Madara, it had hit him hard.
Fox was his right-hand man.
Only Fox could handle certain missions. Anyone else would die.
Even now, Yellow Dog glanced sideways at the Third.
Not even the death of a loved one had rattled Sarutobi like this.
Then Danzō spoke.
"Fox… and the five Root agents?"