Yako had been running for over ten kilometers when a prickling unease began to stir in his chest.
The Mist's pursuit force—large and unrelenting—was hot on his heels, completely disregarding the possibility that the corpses of their own might be traps. Their speed was alarming.
'Was I too confident?' he wondered. 'Should've widened the gap sooner...'
Without wasting another moment, Yako stopped controlling his pace and bolted toward the designated battlefield without looking back.
Yellow Dog had selected a mountainous region for the ambush.
The slope was long and steep—perfect. Mist-style Water Release wouldn't carry them high.
At the base of the hill—
A sudden crash tore through the brush. Branches and leaves scattered as a figure burst through.
Yako and the Blossom Deer Squad emerged.
He raised a hand to halt them.
Something was wrong.
There were supposed to be shinobi stationed atop the hill to guide them—but the peak was deserted.
Before he could dwell on it, a heavy rumble echoed in the distance.
Explosions—paper bombs—at least five hundred meters away.
Blossom Deer looked uneasy. "Captain..."
"The flanks should've been manned with ambushers," Yako replied grimly. "But it looks like they're gone. Something's happened here—during our bait run, the battlefield changed. Stay sharp. Get to higher ground!"
They pushed uphill. First a jog. Then a walk. Then, cautiously, Yako began moving in reverse, eyes fixed down the slope.
Mist shinobi emerged from the treeline.
The blade-retrieval force was here.
They didn't charge recklessly out of the underbrush, instead lurking within the trees—shadowy figures, all with their heads turned toward him.
Staring.
Unblinking.
It sent chills down his spine.
Strapped to his back, the bandage-wrapped Twin Blades remained silent and still.
Yako narrowed his eyes.
There were only two squads visible at the bottom. But he couldn't see further—dense fog was creeping into the region, pooling in the valleys like thick smoke, swallowing the terrain.
In moments, the entire mountain was blanketed.
The world faded into a white void.
From behind, Blossom Deer called out, "Captain, what's happening?"
Yako frowned. "The plan was for five of our squads to ambush them here. But it looks like they got to us first. Our intel was leaked. The Mist encircled this area from a greater range. We're the ones being ambushed now."
"If all five squads are falling back while fighting," he added, "that means they're losing."
Blossom Deer looked around in disbelief. The operation had been crafted by Yellow Dog himself. Had a spy uncovered everything?
Dull booms rippled through the mist, mingled with the rush of Fire Release—and faint screams too distant to make out clearly.
Yako's voice turned grave. "Losing the ambush location is one thing. What matters is if they've uncovered the squad composition. If the enemy tailored their formation to hit our weak points..."
He glanced toward the summit.
Yellow Dog wasn't here.
He'd been driven off before Yako and his team arrived.
Below, the Mist began their ascent.
The fog now cloaked the entire mountain, giving them the home-field advantage. In a wide arc formation, they advanced slowly uphill—closing in like a noose.
Yako's thoughts grew heavier.
What happened to Antelope Squad? White Ram? What about Purple Cat?
The situation was deteriorating by the second.
Yellow Dog's promotion was now uncertain.
And Yako's own promotion to Captain… equally bleak.
From the white mist, three kunai suddenly flew at them.
Yako casually deflected them with a sweep of his hand. The blades struck his copper-toned palm and bounced harmlessly away.
The attack confirmed something important: the Mist knew his exact location.
They were using Water Release chakra to infuse the fog, turning it into a wide-area detection field.
And then—the air split with hundreds of piercing shrieks.
A hailstorm of kunai.
Yako quickly erected a Water Release: Water Formation Wall, shielding them. As it collided with the blades, he shouted, "Retreat! Link up with the main force!"
According to the original ambush plan, the top of the hill was Yellow Dog's station. That was their next destination.
But there were too many shinobi.
Rapid movements circled around them from both sides—many were racing ahead to intercept.
Kunai and paper bombs rained in, slowing their retreat.
Yako could block the projectiles by spending a bit more chakra. But the Blossom Deer Squad was struggling.
At least two Mist squads were bombarding them with constant ranged harassment.
After deflecting half of it with another Water Formation Wall, Yako heard a grunt.
He turned—one of his men had been hit with four or five kunai.
Enough.
He couldn't even see the attackers.
Forming hand seals, Yako launched a Water Release: Water Severing Wave into the mist.
A razor-sharp stream of water shot forward, sweeping through the white fog.
Screams rang out.
A body half-emerged from the mist, crawling.
Yako raised a kunai, prepared to finish them—only to stop.
He caught sight of the headband.
Konoha.
If it were just that, he might've assumed a disguise.
But then he saw the eyes.
Two tomoe. Sharingan.
He had severed an Uchiha's legs.
'What…?'
Why would the Mist herd an Uchiha so close to him?
The man cried out hoarsely, recognizing the ANBU mask. "Copper Fox! They knew everything! The enemy struck our weakest point! We were targeted!"
Yako deflected another paper bomb kunai aimed at the man, then barked to Blossom Deer, "Don't use wide-range jutsu! The Mist split up an entire Uchiha unit and scattered them in different directions—our allies are mixed in!"
Blossom Deer nodded quickly and rushed to stabilize the Uchiha's wounds.
They pressed on.
"Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!"
With a surge of chakra, Yako cleared a path through the fog. A corridor several dozen meters long opened ahead, revealing bare earth.
Dodging more incoming projectiles, casting wind to carve their way forward, Yako finally reached the summit with his squad.
He looked up.
The mist above was like a ceiling—over a hundred meters thick. Not even the sky was visible.
Yellow Dog's squad should've been waiting just beyond the ridgeline behind the peak.
Yako cast another Great Breakthrough.
As the fog cleared, the scene on the slope beyond stole his breath.
Scattered kunai. Broken blades. Corpses—both ANBU and Mist shinobi.
The ANBU were lying prone, slain mid-silence.
It was a massacre.
The Mist had gotten to them while they were still hiding in ambush.
But how?
Blossom Deer gasped. "Captain! That's Black Ape! And Ironstag!"
Not far ahead, one of the bodies wore Black Ape's mask.
Blossom Deer inspected the corpses.
All their limbs had been severed—neatly, precisely.
"Captain… these wounds... it's Kurisame Tsumaru's Needle Blade."
It was clear now.
The Mist knew Yellow Dog's exact plan.
Kurisame had rigged the area with steel-wire traps in advance—then struck the moment Yellow Dog's unit arrived.
As the fog swirled tighter once again, Yako turned to Blossom Deer.
"We can't tell friend from foe in this fog. Visibility is under two meters. No more long-range ninjutsu. I'm going alone. You take the squad and rescue any wounded you find—then go to ground."
Blossom Deer saluted. "Yes, Captain! I promise we'll do our part."
Yako gave a single nod, then vanished into the white.