Just the thought of having to lie low for an entire month made Yagami's head ache.
A sharp bark echoed through the rainy night.
The Split Hound was coming.
Yagami feigned surprise and turned to White Ram. "What's going on?"
White Ram quickly replied, "Three Leaf shinobi are carrying three captives—including a child—heading this way.
Behind them is a giant summon beast… the Split Hound, once the guardian beast of Uzumaki."
Time was running out.
Madara Uchiha was only a few kilometers away, hidden within the mountain behind them.
If Yagami crossed paths with him again, Madara had a hundred different ways to kill him.
"Move! Whoever those Leaf ninja are, we can't just stand by!"
Yagami wanted to save Uzumaki Nagato, but he also didn't want to face Madara. The best plan was to intercept Nagato as soon as possible—before Madara got involved.
The farther he got from that mountain, the safer he felt.
When he finally saw the three Leaf shinobi, Yagami didn't waste a second.
"Those three are likely under genjutsu," he warned. "Look at their eyes—they're off! You lot handle them. I'll take the Split Hound."
White Ram was about to report that the chakra flow inside the Leaf ninja looked strange, but his captain had already noticed it on sight.
Sharp as ever. No wonder Fox had survived over half a year in the ANBU—an eternity for most.
Yagami sprang into the air, vaulting clean over the three Leaf ninja and landing between them and the onrushing beast.
"Water Style: Water Formation Wall!"
A surge of water erupted upward, forming a massive barrier that blocked the Split Hound's charge.
From atop the beast, Uzumaki Yuka's eyes widened in surprise. It was Fox!
She quickly ordered the hound to retreat, pretending to be intimidated as she guided it back.
So Fox had become an ANBU captain… she still remembered when he'd been just a low-ranking operative. In half a year, he'd climbed all the way to the middle ranks.
A spy so capable—no wonder he was trusted now.
She wanted to ask about Hidden leaf… about Lady Mito's death, about Princess Kushina and the Nine-Tails' seal—but now wasn't the time for talk.
Behind them, the three ANBU squads clashed with the entranced Leaf shinobi, trying to break the illusion.
Those three were strong—one Jōnin and two Special Jōnin.
After a few exchanges, Purple Cat spotted the issue. "They're protecting the captives!"
Even wounded, the three fought desperately to shield the hostages.
Yagami and the Split Hound's battle looked fierce from a distance—water jets crashing skyward, earthen spears stabbing out like thorns—but most of their blows missed intentionally.
Using the rising spray as cover, Yagami signaled Yuka to leave.
Trusting him completely, Yuka wasted no time—she turned the beast around and fled into the rain.
Once the hound disappeared, Yagami sprinted back to the main fight.
He landed beside White Ram. "Can you tell what kind of genjutsu they're under?"
White Ram shook his head. "No clear type. Most illusions either paralyze or hypnotize.
But this… this feels like a dōjutsu-based compulsion—something that forces them to fulfill a specific mission.
Judging from their behavior, the illusion's command must be to deliver the captives at all costs."
Yagami's expression hardened. They were too close to Madara.
He turned his gaze to the unconscious red-haired boy—Nagato. If he could just seize him and get away, maybe there was still hope.
If he could snatch Nagato here, Madara's Rinnegan plan would crumble—ending the entire shinobi world early.
Yagami charged forward. "Monkey Squad! Hold them off! I'll take care of the rest!"
"Understood, Captain!"
Nagato lay unconscious, ropes binding his torso and arms tight under the Leaf Jōnin's grip.
"Captain!"
Purple Cat's voice shrieked with shock.
As Yagami passed Monkey, the man suddenly stepped sideways and drove his blade straight at Yagami's back!
The hiss of steel through rain—Yagami's instincts screamed. He twisted aside just in time.
That half-step saved his life.
He looked down, eyes widening as the blade punched through his left shoulder instead of his heart.
Adrenaline drowned out the pain. His shoulder burned like fire.
He formed a quick seal and unleashed the only jutsu that could strike behind him.
"Earth Style: Rising Spears!"
Two earthen spikes shot up, impaling Monkey through the chest.
At the same time, Purple Cat activated her Mind Body Switch Technique. Her spirit shot into Monkey's mind—and what she saw made her blood run cold.
Two souls.
Far away, in a cave a hundred li away, Dan Kato jolted awake.
A guard beside him asked, "Well? Did you find the Rain shinobi?"
Dan shook his head and lied smoothly. "No. Only a few rebels dissatisfied with Hanzō."
He couldn't tell his guards the truth. Only he and the Hanaki senju knew about attacking the ANBU.
The guard muttered, "They say Hanzō doesn't let anyone within ten meters of him. The poison gas alone can kill. No close allies, weak control—rebellion's everywhere."
Dan leaned back against the wall, frustrated. He hadn't found any clues inside Monkey's soul.
That shinobi had participated in the Nine-Tails transfer sealing night, but knew nothing—the orders had all come from Captain Fox.
Fox's squad had strong members. Purple Cat from the Yamanaka clan, White Ram from the Hyūga clan—both with powerful mental strength.
When Dan's spirit had drifted over them, he'd noticed something strange, Captain Fox's soul was far stronger than a normal human's—at least twice as powerful.
The Hanaki senju had warned him, there's an Uzumaki spy inside the ANBU. Unless they confirmed Fox wasn't the spy, they couldn't risk killing him.
...
Back on the battlefield, Yagami gritted his teeth, sweat dripping down his face. "Smoke bombs!"
Everything was chaos—Monkey's sudden betrayal, his own bleeding shoulder.
He hurled a handful of smoke bombs, using the cover to leap away into the rain-soaked forest.
There were still powerful enemies in the shadows. The Nagato situation would have to wait.
The entranced Leaf shinobi didn't chase—their only mission was to secure Uzumaki Nagato.
Once clear, Yagami barked, "Head west! Find shelter from the rain—I need to rest and heal!"
Madara's cave was to the east. He had to get as far from it as possible.
His body, infused with both Senju and Uzumaki bloodlines, was sturdy enough to recover naturally—given time. With the Senju's slow regenerative ability, his shoulder wound would heal soon.
They found a small cave, and Purple Cat carefully cleaned and bandaged his injury.
This was the closest Yagami had ever come to true death.
If he hadn't dodged that one step… Monkey's blade would've gone straight through his heart.
***
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