The few people in the Hokage's office continued discussing the deaths of Shimura Sumi and Sarutobi Yutaka.
Sarutobi Hiruzen said, "Tsunade, Hatake Sakumo, and the Uchiha clan's self-justifications have concluded one after another. I had Rokaku carefully scrutinize them and couldn't find any loopholes. Perhaps spies within the village learned about the turmoil during the Jonin Commander's meeting. People from enemy villages assassinated Shimura Sumi and Sarutobi Yutaka to create turmoil and force Konoha into internal strife. Danzo, put all investigations targeting Hatake Sakumo on hold for now. If Hatake Sakumo wants to investigate Kumogakure's perfect Jinchūriki, let him go. Have Fox follow him and record key intelligence."
Danzo, however, said, "Just Fox isn't enough. Root will also send one person."
Yōkō thought to himself, It's really difficult for Hatake Sakumo to do anything without everyone wanting to interfere. Are they thinking of letting Hatake Sakumo die at Ryūjin's hands? Although I don't know Ryūjin's strength, aren't the higher-ups overthinking this? I need to be careful of the Root member to prevent him from creating any 'accidents'.
Danzo said to Yōkō, "Fox, pay attention to collecting intelligence on Hatake Sakumo. See if he is secretly contacting any people or forces. Just watching his open subordinates isn't enough. Perhaps Hatake Sakumo is secretly cultivating a force specifically for doing his dirty work."
Yōkō's heart tightened.
Then he immediately realized this was Danzo's habitual way of thinking, "measuring the stature of gentlemen with a petty ruler."
If Danzo had really discovered anything, Yōkō wouldn't be sitting here safely listening to the higher-ups' arrangements.
However, Danzo had actually guessed correctly.
Danzo is truly a master of internal strife; his sense of smell is really sharp.
Yōkō decided to be extra careful from now on, not to show any flaws. He said:
"Please rest assured, Lord Danzo, I will definitely not overlook any detail. If Hatake Sakumo contacts anyone, I will surely know about it."
Yōkō thought, What a coincidence. As long as I don't secretly contact Hatake Sakumo, then Hatake Sakumo won't be secretly contacting anyone. This side mission is too simple.
Sarutobi Hiruzen said, "Ryūjin's development and control of the Tailed Beast is very mature, so mature that Kumogakure allows Ryūjin to perform missions within the Land of Lightning. The Two-Tails Jinchūriki openly leaves Kumogakure, staying in places like the capital and ports. Kumogakure is very confident in their Jinchūriki sealing. Danzo, activate the spies in Kumogakure. The next time Ryūjin leaves Kumogakure on a mission, have Hatake Sakumo and Fox take action."
Yōkō left the Hokage's office and returned to the Anbu headquarters.
As soon as Purple Cat entered the office, he sniffed the smoke smell on Yōkō and said:
"Fox, just from the secondhand smoke smell on each squad leader, I can tell who was summoned by the Hokage. Doesn't that mean important intelligence like 'who was summoned by the Hokage' is easily exposed?"
Yōkō raised his arm and smelled his sleeve; there really was a pungent smell of smoke. He said:
"Purple Cat, you're very observant. Write a report, I'll hand it to Battalion Commander Yellow Dog, suggesting that every squad leader spray on perfume after leaving the Hokage's office to avoid interested parties discovering which squad the Hokage summoned."
Yōkō thought this was a joke-like suggestion, but unexpectedly, Purple Cat wrote it seriously, Yellow Dog read it seriously, and in the end, it was seriously implemented.
The three Anbu squad leaders rarely gathered in Yōkō's office.
"So, to prevent others from seeing who was summoned by the Hokage, every squad leader has to wear perfume every day?"
"In other words, it was you who suggested we wear perfume every day from now on?"
"Is the perfume Anbu-made, or do we buy it from the village?"
Yōkō scratched his head and said, "Sorry, everyone. I didn't know it would have such a serious impact. How about we standardize the perfume scent? Purple Cat recommended a cologne, a tea-scented men's perfume. Believe me, this perfume isn't that girly."
Yellow Dog is overreacting a bit. Why implement something like this so seriously?
Just then, Butterfly entered Yōkō's office:
"I suggest using air freshener, not perfume. Battalion Commander Yellow Dog has agreed. So, squad leaders, please go back and inform all team leaders: any Anbu member leaving the Hokage's office must use air freshener to eliminate the smoke smell."
Yōkō breathed a sigh of relief and put away the perfume Purple Cat had given him.
Several days later, Yōkō arrived at the Hokage Building.
In the Hokage's office, Sarutobi Hiruzen, Danzo, and Orochimaru were present.
Recently, Orochimaru had often stayed in the Hokage's office, distributing missions alongside the Third Hokage.
Anyone with eyes could see that the Third was grooming Orochimaru for the position of next Hokage.
The authority to assign missions was an even more core power than the authority to recommend ninja for positions.
Soon after, Hatake Sakumo entered the office with four people.
Yamashiro-dera, Gekkō Sō, Shinma, Hayama.
These four were Hatake Sakumo's core subordinates: two Jonin and two Special Jonin. Only with such strength would they dare to investigate a Jinchūriki.
Hatake Sakumo glanced at Orochimaru's position. Orochimaru stood to the side of the Third, able to look down at the scrolls on the Third's desk.
A formidable rival... But Hatake Sakumo was undaunted.
He was determined to become Hokage and thoroughly change the village.
Danzo said, "My spy reports that Kumogakure's Two-Tails Jinchūriki, Ryūjin, has left Kumogakure and is heading to Kumoyagō Port in the Land of Lightning to perform a mission."
Sarutobi Hiruzen continued:
"Sakumo, you can take your subordinates to Kumoyagō Port to carry out the mission. I will send Fox and Otsu to assist you. They are responsible for recording intelligence on Ryūjin. You can fight with full force."
Shinma glanced at Fox and Otsu, thinking, Is the Hokage so distrustful of Lord Sakumo that he sent two Anbu to watch him?
Yōkō also felt uncomfortable.
His discomfort stemmed from the fact that if only Otsu died on this mission, Danzo would inevitably know someone else was problematic.
Either Hatake Sakumo was problematic, or Fox was problematic.
But he really itched to kill Otsu.
Otsu was ranked so high in Root; if he died, Danzo would surely be heartbroken, right?
Should he secretly assassinate Otsu, or protect him to avoid Danzo's suspicion?
Or... when killing Otsu, also kill Shinma or Hayama. That way, Danzo wouldn't have anything to say, right?
Noticing Fox's gaze fall on him, Shinma remembered Hayama saying that Fox was extremely cruel. His heart tightened, and he immediately lowered his head.
Damn it, I'm someone with the potential to become a Jonin. How could I be scared like this by a single look from an Anbu? That look from Fox just now... it was like he saw me as dying prey. Is a single look really that terrifying?
Yōkō vetoed his previous thought internally. How could I kill one of Hatake Sakumo's subordinates just to eliminate Otsu? I've been too extreme lately. After returning, I need to properly vent these extreme emotions with Purple Cat or Kyōi. I am a living person, not a killing machine.
Hatake Sakumo said, "Lord Hokage, please rest assured, I will definitely obtain intelligence on the perfect Jinchūriki."
Hatake Sakumo took the mission scroll and village exit pass and quickly left.
Time was tight. The journey from Konoha to Kumoyagō Port in the northeast of the Land of Lightning would take about 17 days alone.
The route crossed half the Land of Fire, the Land of Hot Water, the Land of the Moon, and most of the Land of Lightning—a long and distant journey.
After walking for a few minutes after leaving Konoha, Shinma noticed the Anbu ninja weren't behind them. He caught up to Hatake Sakumo at the front.
"Where did the two Anbu go? Weren't they supposed to be monitoring us?"
Yamashiro-dera glanced back and said:
"The Anbu will follow us from the shadows and only appear when needed. Shinma, just act as if they don't exist, and don't mention them normally. Also, that's one Anbu and one Root member, not two Anbu."
Shinma wasn't a Jonin and knew less about the village. In his view, Anbu and Root were pretty much the same.
In the forest behind.
Yōkō and Otsu jumped side by side on tree branches.
Yōkō asked, "A simple self-introduction to facilitate cooperation during the mission. I'm Fox, skilled in Earth Release and Water Release. And you?"
Otsu said, "No introduction needed. I know your Anbu file. I will naturally cooperate with you during the mission."
Yōkō was taken aback.
As a squad leader, he knew nothing about Root ninja, but a Root ninja could actually view his Anbu file?
'No need to tell me your abilities, I'll naturally cooperate with you'? Isn't that saying he will formulate tactics based on my abilities?
Three parts arrogance, seven parts coldness, it made Yōkō feel a bit physically uncomfortable.
Yōkō thought, You don't really think that just because you're Danzo's man, you can't die, do you? Someone stronger than you, Otsu, the Aburame clan genius Aburame Ryoma, died underwater without making a sound. How much stronger can you be?
For the rest of the journey, Yōkō didn't speak to Otsu again as the two headed north.
Otsu dropped behind Yōkō.
This feeling that Otsu was even more sinister than him made Yōkō very uncomfortable.
Leaving the Land of Fire, they entered the hilly terrain of the Land of Hot Water. Leaving the Land of Hot Water, they entered the mountainous regions of the Land of the Moon and the Land of Lightning.
Within the Land of Lightning, the group didn't enter any towns, quickly advancing through uninhabited mountainous areas the entire time.
Ninjas couldn't use all their chakra for travel; they had to maintain enough chakra to handle a sudden battle, so their daily travel distance wasn't very great.
They finally reached Kumoyagō Port.
Kumoyagō Port was the largest port city on the northeast coast of the Land of Lightning. Iron ore, copper ore, and other products from the Land of Lightning were loaded onto ships here and sold to various countries.
Dozens of large ships floated on the distant sea, waiting to enter the port for loading and unloading.
After arriving outside the port, Gekkō Sō, who possessed the Transparency Release, entered the port to gather intelligence. The others hid far away from the port.
Yōkō watched Gekkō Sō through binoculars and saw him use the Transparency Release behind a courtyard wall, disappearing from view.
Not long after, Otsu put down his binoculars and turned to leave.
Yōkō followed him.
Otsu said, "I need to gather intelligence for Lord Danzo. What are you doing?"
"I need to gather intelligence on Advisor Danzo for Lord Hokage. Any problem?" Yōkō said. "If you're uncomfortable, I can follow you secretly; the effect is about the same."
Yōkō could have followed secretly, but Otsu had made him uncomfortable along the way, so now he wanted to annoy Otsu a bit too.
Otsu's eyes twitched.
He seemed unable to stop Fox from following him secretly; Fox's abilities were too strong.
He could only ignore him.
Otsu climbed a mountain outside Kumoyagō Port, searching for markings on various rocks.
He was looking for Root's special codes.
Whatever codes Otsu found, he soon arrived at the base of a cliff and looked into the distance.
Not long after, a woman jumped over from afar.
The moment Yōkō saw that woman, he guessed it might be Yakushi Nonō, whom he had seen by the sea in the Land of Whirlpools.
How miraculous.
Yakushi Nonō had completely changed her face—facial features, skin tone, she was a completely different person. Even her shoulder width and hip width seemed to have changed.
Seeing Fox crouching on the rock from a distance, Yakushi Nonō's heart shook.
Back in the Land of Whirlpools, she had briefly cooperated with Fox.
Fox had discovered some of her secrets, actually figured out the relationship between Kurumi and her, and found her through Kurumi.
Her connection to the orphanage was also exposed.
She had told Fox the location of a Root secret laboratory, and in the end, that laboratory was destroyed, and the precious Uzumaki clan test subjects inside were all lost.
Not only that, but Root's Otsu, and Aburame Ryoma—the top expert besides Orochimaru, Danzo's right-hand man—had also died around those few days.
Later, she had investigated Fox's intelligence and learned that Fox was the absolute trusted subordinate of the Third Hokage and Deputy Battalion Commander Yellow Dog, having done many dirty and black ops for them.
More crucially, the orphanage had once received a donation and a letter.
Between the lines of that letter was hidden an intention to cooperate with her.
Kurumi said the donor was a young man wearing a mask—Fox from the Anbu.
Yakushi Nonō couldn't determine why Fox wanted to cooperate with her.
Was it Fox cooperating with her, or was it Yellow Dog wanting to cooperate?
What did they want to cooperate on? Could it be to obtain some intelligence? For example, intelligence on Advisor Danzo?
Encountering Fox again here in the Land of Lightning made Yakushi Nonō panic for a moment, but she immediately adjusted her mindset, acting as if nothing had happened.
She approached Otsu and said, "Ryūjin is not in Kumoyagō Port. She is on a escort mission, accompanying a merchant ship to the Land of Waves. I obtained that ship's schedule; it will return to Kumoyagō Port in ten days."
Otsu nodded and said, "Shrine Maiden, report any further intelligence to me at any time."
Yakushi Nonō turned to look at Fox and asked, "Is that a new Root member? Why haven't I seen him before?"
Otsu said, "You operate within various enemy villages; the only one you don't know well is Konoha. That person is the Anbu squad leader, Fox, not a Root member." Otsu suddenly lowered his voice and said, "Be careful of him. He's Yellow Dog's man."
Just then, the Fox on the rock turned into a puff of white smoke.
Otsu and Yakushi Nonō were both stunned; the one crouching on the rock had been a Shadow Clone.
At that moment, the ground beside them rippled like water.
Yōkō's figure slowly rose from within the ground.
Yakushi Nonō thought, Such an exquisite Earth Release: Fish in Earth Reflection Technique?
Otsu finally understood that when Fox said he would follow him secretly earlier, he wasn't joking; he truly had the ability.
Fox's voice sounded.
"What should you be careful of me for? Anbu and Root are all one family; why be careful of me?"
Otsu's eyes showed panic. He finally realized Fox was even stronger than he had imagined, capable of hiding silently in the ground beneath him.
Yōkō looked at Yakushi Nonō and said, "I've long heard of your great name, The Wandering Shrine Maiden."
***
Dive deeper into the story with 50+ advance chapters, available now on Patreon!patreon.com/CNBLUE
If you're enjoying the novel, please consider leaving a review. Your support is crucial and helps the story grow immensely. Thank you!
(Chapter End)