In the dark corridors of the ANBU compound, White Ram trailed behind Captain Fox, heading toward the squad's changing rooms.
Cold sweat kept seeping under White Ram's mask.
Captain Fox was perceptive. He turned his head and asked, "White Ram, what's wrong?"
White Ram hurriedly lowered his head so the sweat would drip into his collar instead of onto the floor.
"I'm fine, Captain."
During last night's Nine-Tails transfer and sealing operation, White Ram had stayed on the perimeter, using explosive tags against the beast. He hadn't followed the captain and Yellow Dog beneath the Nine-Tails to protect Uzumaki Kushina.
The area under the Nine-Tails had been way too dangerous. Out of concern for his captain, he had watched Captain Fox the whole time.
With his Byakugan he could see chakra flows, and he'd noticed Captain Fox's chakra emptying multiple times. It felt strange—abnormal.
By right, he should have recorded those anomalies in the squad's mission report. Mission reports logged each member's actions in detail and determined performance evaluations and rewards.
But White Ram hadn't written it down.
Captain Fox was meticulous, if he found those notes in the report, he would see at once that White Ram had been watching him.
As night deepened, White Ram lingered in the rest room. He wanted a chance to bypass the chain of command and report directly to Yellow Dog.
Purple Cat had planned to wait until everyone left so she could have a private moment with Fox. Seeing White Ram still there, she knew tonight was not going to be that night; she left early because they had a mission tomorrow.
When Yagami noticed White Ram still sitting, he walked over and asked, "White Ram, why aren't you going home yet? Something on your mind?"
White Ram's heart tightened—had the captain seen something?
"No… just tired," he said.
Yagami remembered lines from the original story about Hyuga branch resentment and the Caged Bird curse mark, and he offered quiet reassurance.
"White Ram, I've heard every Hyuga branch member struggles under that curse. Every jutsu has a weakness, every seal has a counter. The Uzumaki princess is talented with sealing arts—maybe when she grows stronger she can break the Caged Bird mark."
White Ram exhaled in relief. The captain only thought his worry came from the curse mark. His nerves had betrayed him twice in a row—luckily his captain trusted him.
"Thanks for the reassurance, Captain," White Ram said, using the opening to steer the conversation. "Every time I return to the clan compound, it feels like a heavy, suffocating stone. To escape that pressure I volunteered for ANBU. Sure, it's dangerous here, but it's better than staying in the compound."
"Haha, White Ram, didn't know you had a sense of humor. ANBU isn't just 'a bit' dangerous — it's extremely dangerous." Yagami rose from the bench. "Don't worry. My strength has been growing fast lately. Unless absolutely necessary, none of you will die."
"Unless absolutely necessary?" White Ram coughed. "Captain, you're the real comedian. You mean there will be times when it is necessary and we'll die?"
"If necessary, I'll die too," Yagami said. "You and I both share the Will of Fire, don't we?"
Yagami left ANBU and returned to the Tavern.
White Ram waited a long time before finally getting up. The captain's words about the Will of Fire rattled in his head—maybe he was overthinking things. After using his Byakugan to confirm that the captain had left, White Ram hesitated several times, then walked toward Yellow Dog's office.
He knocked and entered.
Yellow Dog asked, "Yes? What is it?"
On Yellow Dog's desk lay stacks of mission reports from the night of the Nine-Tails transfer.
White Ram said, "Commander, there's one detail I left out of our squad's mission report. I think I should tell you in person."
Yellow Dog froze for a moment.
A report sent up the chain like this—bypassing direct superiors—meant either the intelligence was crucial or the report implicated someone higher up.
About Captain Fox?
"Speak," Yellow Dog said. "Tell me everything in detail."
White Ram swallowed and said, "Commander, I kept my Byakugan on our captain throughout the operation so I could warn him if anything happened. During the battle I noticed the captain's chakra suddenly drain—near complete depletion. It was abnormal, maybe even extreme. That's why I didn't put it in the written report."
He had almost said it happened three times, in the end he said only once.
Captain Fox had been the first captain White Ram followed in ANBU. The captain trusted him deeply. The ANBU wasn't as merciless as rumors made it out to be—Fox didn't waste his men's lives for information. Cold, yes—but not reckless cruelty.
The Hyuga had seen all manner of cruel leaders on battlefields, they recognized the true monsters. Those commanders only cared about the mission, if something furthered their goal, anyone could be sacrificed. But Fox wasn't that kind.
For reasons White Ram couldn't fully explain, he'd held back the full truth.
Under Yellow Dog's mask, his eyes darkened. Among his captains, Fox was the most capable—his task completion rate was high. If Fox truly harbored treachery, Yellow Dog would have to act even if it pained him to do so.
"Fox's chakra drained once?" Yellow Dog asked. "What exactly happened?"
"When Captain Fox stood beside Senju Rinki, his chakra nearly vanished," White Ram said. "But I don't know if he exhausted it all dodging Rinki's final Water Dragon Bullet or if something else caused it."
Yellow Dog's cold expression softened a touch. "That last Water Dragon from Rinki—any hesitation and you'd be blasted skyward. Even I wouldn't survive in that torrent. But even full-body Body Flicker shouldn't empty one's chakra entirely. Did you see Fox get hit by the Water Dragon? If he took the full impact and countered it, that could indeed exhaust him."
White Ram shook his head. "I'm not sure. Both the Water Dragon and the captain moved too fast. Maybe he sensed the attack's power and pushed his limits, his speed spiking."
Yellow Dog frowned and considered for a long moment.
After a full minute he spoke: "I understand, White Ram. Your information is useful, but it doesn't prove Fox is a spy. There's no justification to remove him yet. However—I'm assigning you a covert A-rank task. From now on you will watch Fox closely without the slightest slack. Report everything to me immediately. Continue until I determine Fox is cleared."
"Yes, sir. Understood."
White Ram left Yellow Dog's office with a restless mind.
He didn't know if what he'd done was right. He didn't know whether reporting was correct, or whether hiding part of the truth was wrong.
From now on he would observe his captain more carefully than ever. He had to clear Captain Fox's name.
***
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