Cold sweat trickled down from the edge of Yellow Dog's mask, dripping onto his chest.
Each droplet struck the iron plate of his flak armor, glinting harshly under the sunlight.
It was the first time Yoru had ever seen the proud Captain Yellow Dog in such a state, drenched in cold sweat, trembling.
The captain's hand, clutching the scroll, bulged with veins.
Yoru thought to himself: So… Senju Hai and Uzumaki Yuka's plan finally worked?
He couldn't allow the Konoha leadership to monopolize power. If they did, his freedom of action would only shrink further and further.
The annihilation of the Uzumaki Clan, fine, he had been a small nobody then. But the Senju Clan must not be quietly erased. Their influence had to survive, enough to keep the village's upper echelon in check.
If Senju Nawaki learned the truth, the Senju would surely rise in rebellion.
After several seconds of silence, Yellow Dog spoke coldly:
"Earth Release specialists, stay. Everyone else, return to the village."
Yoru instantly understood what that meant.
A few selected elites would disguise themselves as Hidden Stone Village ninjas and slaughter their own people, to eliminate witnesses.
That was the true nature of ANBU, the assassination corps.
Part of the village leadership's authority came from the fact that both the Hokage and the elders were willing to kill their own.
Every leader had blood on their hands, their own subordinates blood.
And of course, Yellow Dog knew Yoru specialized in Earth Release, so he would stay behind.
Purple Cat and the other two team members departed, Purple Cat glancing back reluctantly. Returning to the village alone felt strange and cold.
Five men remained, following Yellow Dog back toward the Land of Grass.
The mood in the group was suffocating.
When the sensor-type ninja, Rat, tried to ask about formation arrangements, Yellow Dog barked at him furiously, berating him for two full minutes.
Veins bulged in the captain's neck, his words sharp as kunai. The others lowered their heads, afraid to breathe.
Finally, Yellow Dog shouted:
"The Third Hokage and Lord Danzo are personally coming to the front lines, just to clean up this mess!
Who the hell can tell me, why did Senju Hai know our intelligence? Why was he able to drag us around in circles for so long?
Why is it that even after Hai's death, Senju ninjas seem to know something, secretly meeting each other again and again?
Failure! All of it, FAILURE!"
Yoru's heart sank.
The Third Hokage and Danzo… were both on their way.
That meant only two options: either kill the problem in its cradle, or confront the Senju Clan head-on at the front lines.
For now, by cutting off communication between the front and the village, they could keep the Senju from learning the truth.
Yellow Dog continued:
"According to Advisor Mitokado Homura, if anything suspicious occurs, Senju Nawaki will be sent on an external mission. We must intercept him before he returns!"
Once they reached the forward zone, the six men changed into Iwa-nin uniforms, red undershirts, ochre flak jackets.
This was ANBU's classic method: when eliminating their own villagers, they disguised themselves as enemy shinobi.
Twenty kilometers northwest of the Konoha forward base, Yellow Dog stopped.
He spoke:
"According to Homura's intel, Nawaki's squad will pass here on their return. I'll personally prepare a trap, flawless, undetectable. Three of you will lure Nawaki here, step by step. Lead him into the trap, and we'll detonate explosive tags to kill him.
The bait must act convincingly, you must truly die by Nawaki's hand, no deception.
Only then will Nawaki and Orochimaru's suspicions be erased. Nawaki will charge in recklessly, exactly as we want.
From this moment, the bait must give themselves constant mental suggestion, you are Hidden Stone Village ninja."
Seeing hesitation on their faces, Yellow Dog went on:
"Orochimaru only trains geniuses. His teaching style is laissez-faire, guided from afar.
He always lets his team act independently, only stepping in at the very end to ensure survival.
Nawaki will, as always, rush ahead, he's famous for his loyalty to teammates.
That's why not only Nawaki must die, every Senju on the front line must die.
The transfer of the Nine-Tails seal is imminent. No one, not even the heir of the Senju, can be allowed to interfere."
Then, Yellow Dog's tone softened slightly.
"Now, who among you is willing to volunteer as bait for the sake of the village and the Nine-Tails' seal?"
Yoru thought for a moment… and raised his hand first.
To die by Nawaki's hand, that was already part of his own plan.
The Third Hokage and Danzo were coming, Homura was setting the board, Yellow Dog, one of the six ANBU elite captains, was laying the trap himself. If he didn't act now, he might never get another chance.
"Excellent, Fox," Yellow Dog said. "You and Captain Black Ape's faith in you wasn't misplaced."
Yoru bowed slightly, hiding the irritation in his eyes.
Captain Black Ape had been decent, recommending him as acting squad leader after surgery, giving him opportunities.
But Yellow Dog's so-called "trust"? It only meant being sent to die.
He could tell the difference between genuine cultivation and exploitation.
The three weakest ANBU were selected as bait.
At the border of the Land of Grass, Orochimaru said calmly,
"Let's go, Nawaki. This reconnaissance mission is over."
As usual, Orochimaru didn't even glance at Nawaki's two teammates, one from the Sarutobi clan, one from the Shimura.
They had performed terribly, doing nothing but holding Nawaki back.
If not for Nawaki's strength, they would already be dead.
Orochimaru despised incompetence, he loathed fools.
Nawaki nodded silently and turned away.
Orochimaru asked, "What's wrong, Nawaki? Something on your mind?"
"N-no… nothing."
A flicker of panic passed through Nawaki's heart, but he quickly masked it.
Before leaving the camp, a Senju clansman had approached him, wanting to say something important.
But the man had only uttered the words 'Uzumaki Clan' before collapsing, poisoned and unconscious.
Medical ninja had rushed in immediately to carry him away.
With Sister Tsunade away on a mission, Nawaki worried deeply, would that clansman recover?
And what had he meant by "Uzumaki Clan"?
Ever since leaving camp, Nawaki couldn't stop thinking.
The Senju distress signal, the clan's water technique, its sudden appearance, the strange reassignment of Senju shinobi, and that final cryptic phrase "Uzumaki Clan"…
It all pointed to something terribly wrong.
He could feel it, a great invisible net tightening around him.
He trusted Orochimaru-sensei, but not the other shinobi of the village.
Especially not his two teammates, a Sarutobi and a Shimura.
Originally, he had wanted a Kurama clan member and a civilian ninja as teammates, but the village had rejected that, assigning these two instead.
He understood the implication, both the Sarutobi and Shimura boys were prodigies in their clans. The village wanted him to form good relations with them.
He was willing to cooperate, but such forced arrangements left a bitter taste.
Suddenly, Nawaki turned to his teacher and asked:
"Orochimaru-sensei, do you think there is darkness in the village?"
The Sarutobi and Shimura teammates stiffened, uneasy.
Why was Nawaki asking that?
Had he, already discovered something?