Just thinking about having to lie low for an entire month made Yoru's head ache.
A sharp, high-pitched howl split the rainy night.
The Splitting Dog was coming.
Feigning ignorance, Yoru turned to White Ram and asked,
"What's going on?"
White Ram quickly reported,
"Three Konoha shinobi are carrying three prisoners — one of them's a child — and they're running this way.
Behind them is a massive summoning beast — the Splitting Dog, the former guardian beast of the Hidden Whirlpool Village."
Time was running out.
Uchiha Madara was only a few kilometers behind, inside a nearby mountain.
If Yoru ran into Madara again, that man had a hundred ways to kill him instantly.
"Move! No matter who those Konoha shinobi are, we can't just stand by."
Yoru wanted to save Uzumaki Nagato, but he also didn't want to face Madara.
The best option was to intercept Nagato as early as possible.
He dashed ahead, feeling a bit safer as he put more distance between himself and Madara.
As soon as he spotted the three Konoha shinobi, he shouted,
"They're under a genjutsu — their eyes are off!
You guys stop our captured comrades — I'll handle the Splitting Dog!"
White Ram had been about to mention the strange chakra flow inside the three shinobi, but before he could, Yoru had already seen through it.
So sharp… no wonder he's survived over half a year in ANBU. That's veteran-level instinct.
Yoru gathered strength in his legs and leapt high, soaring over the Konoha trio to land between them and the Splitting Dog.
"Water Style: Water Formation Wall!"
A towering wall of water surged up, blocking the beast's path.
From atop the Splitting Dog, Uzumaki Yoka blinked in surprise — it was Fox!
She quickly signaled the hound to retreat, pretending to be afraid of him as she pulled back.
From the looks of him, Fox had become a mid-level ANBU captain.
She hadn't expected the spy operation to go this well — Fox had not only survived but risen through the ranks.
She remembered when he was just another nameless grunt at the bottom.
Over half a year had passed, and now Fox was a key figure in ANBU — with access to far more intelligence.
Yoka had heard about major events in Konoha — Lady Mito had passed away.
She wanted to ask about the Nine-Tails' seal, about Princess Kushina…
But now was no time for reminiscing.
The three ANBU squads charged toward the Konoha shinobi, trying to break the illusion.
Their opponents were strong — one jonin, two special jonin.
After several exchanges, Purple Cat suddenly shouted,
"They're protecting the prisoners!"
The way the three fought made it clear — they valued the captives' safety more than their own lives.
Meanwhile, Yoru's battle with the Splitting Dog looked fierce — torrents of water shot skyward, and earthen spikes burst from the ground like thorns — but most of their attacks were deliberately missing.
Taking advantage of the mist from his Water Style jutsu, Yoru made a hand signal toward Yoka, telling her to leave.
Trusting Fox completely, Yoka didn't hesitate — she commanded the Splitting Dog to withdraw immediately.
Once the beast was gone, Yoru returned to the rear battlefield.
Standing beside White Ram, he asked,
"Can you tell what kind of genjutsu this is?"
White Ram replied,
"I can't pinpoint it. Most genjutsu have defined effects — restraint, sleep, hallucination.
But this one's different. It's more like a dōjutsu-based mental compulsion, directly implanting a powerful suggestion.
Judging from how they're willing to get hurt just to protect the captives, the illusion must be commanding them to transport the prisoners."
There was no time to waste — they were far too close to Madara's position.
Yoru's gaze locked on Nagato.
If he could seize the boy now and get him away from Madara, there might still be a sliver of hope.
If I can snatch Nagato here, Madara's Rinnegan plan goes up in smoke. The entire Shinobi World could end early — with peace for once.
Yoru lunged toward Nagato.
He called out to Leaf Monkey Squad, who were guarding nearby,
"Hold them off for me! I'll handle this!"
"Yes, Captain!"
Yoru examined Nagato — the boy was unconscious, tied tightly around the waist and underarms by ropes held by a Konoha jonin.
"Captain!"
Purple Cat suddenly screamed — her voice full of shock.
As Yoru passed by, Leaf Monkey stepped sideways without warning — and drove a blade straight toward Yoru's back!
Hearing the blade whistle through the air, Yoru instinctively shifted half a step to the side.
That tiny movement saved his life.
He looked down in disbelief — the tip of a ninja blade had pierced clean through his left shoulder.
Adrenaline surged; he barely felt the pain, only a burning heat spreading across his shoulder.
Forming hand seals, he launched the only jutsu he could use behind him —
"Earth Style: Rising Earth Spears!"
Two earthen spikes shot out, skewering Leaf Monkey through the chest.
At the same time, Purple Cat activated her Mind Body Switch Technique — and what she found made her gasp:
There were two souls inside Leaf Monkey's body!
Miles away, Kato Dan suddenly awoke inside a cave.
One of his guards asked,
"How is it, Dan? Did you find the Rain shinobi?"
Kato shook his head, lying easily,
"No. No Rain shinobi — just a few rebels unhappy with Hanzō."
The ambush on ANBU was known only to himself and Clan Leader Hanaki.
He couldn't let the two guards know.
One of them commented,
"Hanzō's rule is harsh. They say no one's allowed within ten meters of him — even his poison gas can kill a man that close.
Without loyal subordinates, his control is weak. The country's crawling with rogue ninja groups."
Kato leaned back against the wall, frowning. He hadn't found the lead he wanted.
Leaf Monkey had taken part in the Night of the Nine-Tails' Transfer, but knew nothing of the truth — all orders had come from his captain, Fox.
In Fox's ANBU unit, the captain was strong, while his two lieutenants — Purple Cat and White Ram — hailed from the Yamanaka and Hyūga clans, both with exceptionally strong mental power.
When Kato's soul had drifted near them, he'd noticed the captain's spiritual strength — Fox's soul was at least twice as strong as a normal person's.
Clan Leader Hanaki had said that there was an Uzumaki spy in ANBU.
Until they could confirm Fox wasn't the spy, they couldn't kill him.
Back on the battlefield, Yoru's forehead dripped cold sweat.
"Smoke bombs — now!"
Everything had fallen apart — Leaf Monkey's sudden betrayal, his own shoulder injury — total chaos.
Using the cover of the smoke, Yoru leapt up and escaped.
There were still powerful enemies in the shadows. For now, Nagato's rescue was impossible.
The three Konoha shinobi focused solely on securing Nagato — none of them chased after the retreating ANBU.
Once clear of the fight, Yoru ordered,
"Head west! Find shelter from the rain! I need a quiet place to recover!"
Madara's hideout was to the east — they needed to get as far away from him as possible.
Thanks to his hybrid Senju and Uzumaki bloodlines, Yoru's body was incredibly resilient.
As long as he had time to rest, the Senju clan's natural regeneration would gradually heal even a deep shoulder wound.
They found a cave, and Purple Cat carefully cleaned and bandaged his injury.
This had been the closest Yoru had ever come to truly dying —
If he hadn't dodged at the last instant, Leaf Monkey's ambush would have pierced his heart clean through.