Within the dark, narrow corridors of the ANBU headquarters, White Ram followed behind Captain Fox, heading toward the team's changing rooms.
Under White Ram's mask, cold sweat continued to seep down his face.
Fox was sharp. He turned his head slightly.
"White Ram, what's wrong?"
The Hyūga quickly lowered his head so that the sweat fell onto his collar rather than the floor.
"I'm fine, Captain."
During the Nine-Tails' transfer and sealing mission last night, White Ram had fought on the perimeter, attacking the beast with paper bombs. He had not entered the danger zone beneath the Nine-Tails body, where the Captain and the Squad Leader were protecting Princess Uzumaki.
It had been far too dangerous there—yet out of concern for his captain, White Ram had kept his Byakugan focused on Fox the entire time.
He had seen something strange. Fox's chakra had been completely drained several times. It was abnormal—too abnormal.
Normally, such anomalies should be written in the mission report. Every member's behavior was logged to evaluate performance and determine mission rewards.
But White Ram hadn't written it down.
Fox was meticulous. If he'd written those details, the Captain would have seen them for sure.
So, late at night, White Ram stayed in the rest room, waiting for an opportunity—hoping to report directly to Squad Commander Yellow Dog, bypassing his immediate superior.
Meanwhile, Purple Cat had planned to linger after everyone left to spend some private time with Fox.
When she realized White Ram wasn't leaving, she sighed, gave up on the idea, and went home early—there was another mission tomorrow.
Fox finally approached White Ram.
"You're still here, White Ram? Why not head home? Something on your mind?"
White Ram tensed up.
Had the Captain noticed something?
"No, I'm just… a bit tired."
Fox remembered the original tales of the Hyūga Branch Family's cursed seal—the mark of the caged bird.
"White Ram, I've heard that every member of the Hyūga Branch Family suffers under that cursed mark. Every jutsu has a weakness; every seal can be undone. Princess Uzumaki specializes in sealing arts—perhaps, when she grows stronger, she might even find a way to remove it."
White Ram exhaled softly. So the Captain thought his unease was about the Caged Bird Seal.
His nerves were too fragile. The Captain had noticed his unease twice in one night.
Thankfully, Fox trusted him.
"Thank you for your kind words, Captain," White Ram said, seizing the chance to steer the conversation away.
"Every time I return to the clan compound, it feels like a heavy stone pressing on my chest.
To escape that suffocating feeling, I volunteered to join the ANBU. At least here, though it's easier to die, it still feels lighter than living back there."
Fox chuckled.
"Hah, White Ram, didn't know you had a sense of humor. Easier to die? It's very easy to die in the ANBU."
He rose from the bench.
"Don't worry. My power's been growing fast lately. Unless absolutely necessary, you won't die."
"Unless necessary?" White Ram coughed.
"Captain, that's your idea of reassurance? So we'll die if it is necessary?"
"If it's necessary, I'll die too. You and I both share the Will of Fire, don't we?"
Fox left the headquarters and headed back to the tavern.
Only after a long while did White Ram rise from the bench.
He said he carries the Will of Fire… Maybe I'm just being paranoid.
After confirming with the Byakugan that the Captain was gone, White Ram hesitated for a long time, then finally walked toward Squad Commander Yellow Dog's office.
He knocked on the door and entered.
Yellow Dog looked up.
"What is it? Something to report?"
On his desk were piles of mission reports from the Night of the Nine-Tails' Transfer.
"Commander," White Ram began, "there's something I didn't include in the White Ram Squad's mission report. I thought it best to tell you directly."
Yellow Dog's hands paused mid-motion.
A direct report meant the information was either extremely important—or that it involved someone higher up.
Fox?
"Go on," Yellow Dog said. "Tell me everything."
Swallowing hard, White Ram began,
"Commander, I kept my Byakugan on our Captain during the battle, just in case he got into trouble so I could warn him early. During the fight, I noticed… one time, his chakra suddenly drained almost completely. It was strange—unnatural. That's why I left it out of the written report."
He almost said three times, but changed it to one.
Fox had been his first Captain since joining the ANBU.
The Captain trusted him deeply.
And truthfully, the ANBU wasn't as cruel as the rumors said. Fox never used his subordinates recklessly.
He was cold, yes, but not needlessly brutal.
On the battlefield, the Hyūga had seen true cruelty—commanders who only saw subordinates as tools, who would let anyone die if it furthered their mission.
Compared to them, Fox was different.
For reasons even he couldn't explain, White Ram couldn't bring himself to accuse him fully.
Yellow Dog's eyes darkened behind the mask.
Fox was his best captain—efficient, capable, and highly reliable.
But if Fox harbored disloyalty, no matter how much Yellow Dog valued him, he'd have to be dealt with.
"You said Fox's chakra drained completely once? What kind of anomaly?"
"When he was near Clan Leader Senju Rinmu, his chakra suddenly vanished," White Ram said.
"I'm not sure if he burned through it all to dodge Rinmu's final Water Dragon Jutsu, or if it was something else."
Yellow Dog's harsh tone softened slightly.
"That Water Dragon—Rinmu's last burst before death—would've killed anyone who hesitated even a fraction of a second. Even I wouldn't have survived that attack. Still, even when evading with the Body Flicker Technique, it shouldn't consume all his chakra. Did you see Fox get hit by the Water Dragon?"
"I'm not sure," White Ram replied.
"Both the jutsu and the Captain's movements were too fast. Maybe he sensed the danger and overexerted himself, pushing his speed to the limit."
Yellow Dog frowned, thinking deeply.
After a long silence, he said:
"I understand, White Ram. Your information is useful, but it's not enough to brand Fox a spy—or to justify purging him. However, I'm giving you a secret A-rank assignment. From now on, you are to keep constant watch on Fox. Do not relax for a second. Report every movement, every anomaly, until I declare his name cleared."
"Yes, sir! I understand!"
White Ram left the commander's office, uneasy.
He didn't know whether he'd done the right thing—whether reporting to Yellow Dog was right,
or concealing part of the truth was wrong.
But one thing was clear:
From now on, he would observe his captain more carefully than ever—and do everything he could to prove Captain Fox's innocence.