Stepping into the morgue tent, Purple Cat and White Ram began gathering information from the corpses.
Before Purple Cat could speak, Yoru said to White Ram,
"Use your Byakugan to check the area around the tent first. We can't risk anyone eavesdropping through the walls."
Under his mask, White Ram activated his Byakugan.
He turned his gaze in all directions—front, back, left, right—finding nothing unusual.
Only then did Purple Cat report:
"Captain, the wounds on three of the bodies were caused by the same ninjatō, but the last one's injuries vary—ninjatō, wire, kunai.
That means one of them suddenly attacked his comrades, and the others fought back.
The attacker was strong—held his own against three, killed two, and finally died together with the squad leader."
After a moment's thought, Yoru summarized:
"Two-man teams, four-man teams… the enemy seems able to control only one person at a time. What's the time of death?"
"According to the medical-nin's records, about ten days ago."
"Ten days ago… that's about the same time the ANBU assassins targeting the defiant noble in the Land of Fire died. Either it's a large organization, or the enemy has teleportation abilities…"
Yoru paused. "Have the medical team catalog the bodies and send them back to the village for burial. We'll go scout the site of this squad's deaths."
Before long, just as they exited the morgue tent, Yoru saw Tsunade.
She seemed to be waiting for him.
Tsunade frowned, staring straight at him.
"Fox, I've seen you with Lord Hiruzen before—and met you two or three times after that. You're part of the ANBU's Yellow Dog Division, right?"
"I'm ANBU. I can't reveal my information on my own."
Tsunade pressed on, "I remember you from the Battle of Ushigasan—you brought back critical intelligence. You were there during the Nine-Tails' transfer and sealing, weren't you?"
"I can't answer that."
Yoru thought to himself, This isn't Tobirama's era anymore, is it really okay to question an ANBU like that?
Realizing she couldn't get anything out of him, Tsunade let him go.
From a distance, Dan Katō approached. "Tsunade, why'd you stop that ANBU?"
Only two people knew about the secret investigation into the ANBU: Clan Head Senju Hanaki and Dan Katō.
Even Tsunade was unaware of Dan's covert work.
Tsunade explained,
"Kushina wrote me a letter—she's certain there's a member of the Uzumaki Clan within the ANBU. She said his chakra contains sealing power.
If it weren't for that ANBU secretly helping her twice, infusing her with chakra, she never could've completed the sealing.
If the Nine-Tails hadn't been sealed, things would be very different—nearly nine hundred Senju shinobi would have perished under the Nine-Tails.
We're lucky Kushina had that mysterious helper. Without him, the Senju Clan might have been completely wiped out.
I just… have a feeling this 'Fox' isn't ordinary. I'm not sure, but if I could heal him even once, I'd know whether he's an Uzumaki."
Dan frowned. "A letter from Kushina? Aren't you worried ANBU or someone else might intercept it?"
"It was sealed with a sealing jutsu—without knowing the hand signs, it can only be destroyed, not opened."
Dan mused, "An Uzumaki spy in the ANBU? That's impossible. Even the Senju Clan can't insert people into the ANBU anymore."
"I'm not sure either," said Tsunade, "but I trust Kushina's judgment. She lived through the sealing night herself—she has no reason to lie."
Dan's eyes followed the departing figure of Fox, thoughtful.
The Fox Squad left the main camp, avoiding the frontlines, looping deeper into the Land of Rain.
The ANBU squad they were investigating had been killed far inside Rain's territory.
Yoru moved quickly through the downpour, cloak clinging to him, his three squads spread out ahead.
Normally, as squad captain, he'd lead from the front—to detect traps or ambushes first.
But right now, he had to be cautious of something else entirely—one of his own suddenly turning on him.
Every squad, every ninja, was under Yoru's watch.
Using White Ram's ocular jutsu, they avoided Rain ninja outposts and arrived at the site where the ANBU had died.
The squads fanned out, searching for clues.
Rain poured relentlessly—any traces that once existed had already been washed away.
Yoru didn't expect much; this was mostly routine.
He tilted his head toward the sky.
Dark clouds blotted out the full moon.
Above them, there should have been a silver disk of light.
The rain was cold, and the night even colder.
After a long, fruitless search, suddenly—
A sharp, echoing howl split the air.
Every ninja snapped their heads toward the sound.
Yoru's heart tightened. That sound… the Splitting Hound of the Uzumaki Clan?
The Uzumaki Clan's inherited summoning beasts—like the Yatagarasu—had been passed down to Uzumaki Yuuka.
Those massive beasts were the main reason Yuuka and the remaining Uzumaki had survived this long.
He hadn't had contact with her in ages—
Was the clan in danger again, forced to summon the beast to fight?
He immediately turned to White Ram.
White Ram activated his Byakugan, focusing on the source of the barking.
"Captain! Two kilometers due west—a summoned beast's heading this way! It's chasing three shinobi—three Leaf shinobi!
It's moving fast—just a few minutes away!"
Yoru thought a moment. "If they're Konoha ninja, we can't just let them die. Let's wait and see."
White Ram continued reporting,
"It's a pursuit. Three Konoha shinobi are fleeing—they're carrying three others, two adults and a child.
The giant summon chasing them is the Splitting Hound, a guardian beast of the Uzumaki Village.
There's a woman standing on its head!"
Yoru's eyes narrowed. Yuuka… it really is her.
Because of the heavy rain, the Yatagarasu would've been grounded—so she'd chosen the Splitting Hound instead.
The thirty-meter-tall hound thundered forward through the storm, claws tearing into the earth.
Fox Squad rushed between the Konoha shinobi and the beast.
ANBU members unleashed volleys of explosive tags, detonating against the hound—
but each explosion only made it sprout more heads.
Yoru didn't want to fight Yuuka in front of everyone.
He shouted to the fleeing Konoha nin,
"We're ANBU from Konoha! Follow us!"
But the three didn't respond at all—kept running like the deaf.
Purple Cat said, "Captain, they're under genjutsu! One jōnin, two special jōnin—all three are trapped in illusion!"
Yoru froze. Then maybe I was wrong… maybe ANBU deaths weren't caused by Dan Katō, but by genjutsu?
But if this was genjutsu, it would've required multiple illusionists across multiple locations—
and yet, there hadn't been the slightest trace.
He preferred to think this was just coincidence.
Watching the hound draw near, he called out,
"I'll cover the rear! You take the Konoha ninja and find a way to dispel the illusion!
Water Style: Water Formation Wall!"
After a rapid set of hand signs, a towering wall of water surged upward.
White Ram watched in awe. Captain Fox's strength keeps growing… that water release—he's nearly at jōnin level now.
The Splitting Hound slammed into the wall, skidding to a halt.
Uzumaki Yuuka gripped its ear tightly—almost thrown forward by the impact.
When she looked closely, she saw who stood behind the water barrier.
Fox.
Yoru made a subtle hand signal, telling Yuuka to retreat in another direction.