"They really took the bait."
For infiltrators hidden within a ninja village, exposure almost always meant extreme danger—more often than not, a death rate exceeding ninety percent. And yet, when the intelligence they sought was important enough, sacrifice became something taken for granted.
Unfortunately, the entire affair had been nothing more than a hastily assembled conspiracy. The so-called intelligence simply did not exist. No matter how the spies acted or what they gave up, they were destined to gain nothing from it.
Tonight was fated to be chaos.
Not only would there be fighting between spies and Konoha's ninja, but even spies belonging to different villages would inevitably turn on one another, slaughtering each other without mercy. Who was the mantis, who the cicada, who the fisherman reaping the spoils—those trapped at the very center of the turmoil had no way of knowing what role they ultimately played.
No one, that is, except Yuusuke Ame.
He was the most exquisitely placed prop in the entire conflict—and its most tense spectator.
Faint whispers drifted through the night.
"There are too many people coming… could it be that every spy hidden in this village has mobilized? Could this be a trap?"
"Whether Konoha has ulterior motives or not, we're already at the point of no return. Even if Konoha is prepared for tonight, the intelligence source itself can at least be confirmed as real. Something definitely happened in the village today—the atmosphere has changed. Chaos on the surface, order underneath… they must have obtained concrete information about the Second Hokage."
"Then there's no point talking any further?"
"No point at all."
The low conversation vanished as quickly as it had appeared. Moments later, the clash of weapons grew louder and more intense.
Those voices had clearly joined the battlefield.
Yuusuke lay half-reclined against his pillow on the hospital bed, listening intently to the sounds outside the window. From silence to eruption, then from intensity to decline—it all lasted barely over ten minutes. The ferocity of the fighting was easy to imagine.
"They've started cleaning up."
This was Konoha, after all. If the battle was already subsiding, it could only mean that the village's ninja had regained full control of the situation.
Yuusuke sincerely hoped Konoha would achieve its intended objective. After spreading such rumors, the more thoroughly the spies were purged, the safer things would be for him.
In the pitch-dark hospital room, darker still than the surroundings were Yuusuke's eyes. Only a small patch of moonlight spilled through the window—and it was precisely the spot he had been watching that a figure finally appeared.
The man wore a tight black outfit, his face completely concealed by a mask. His upper body was soaked in blood, and the instant he appeared at the window, the stench of iron spread through the room. From his visible features alone, it was impossible to tell whether he was a Konoha ninja or an enemy.
But Yuusuke knew.
He was an enemy.
Yuusuke raised one hand and gave him a casual wave, smiling faintly as he greeted him.
"Good evening. You've worked hard."
There was no panic, no fear in Yuusuke's expression. Although an enemy had appeared before him, he knew full well that the weapon he had borrowed from Danzō—now clenched tightly in his other hand—would ultimately be unnecessary.
This was Konohagakure.
Outside the window, countless Konoha ninja were still engaged in combat. There was no way they would allow the last remnants of the enemy to stir up trouble.
Unless Konoha itself intended for Yuusuke to die—using an enemy's hand to accomplish it.
But would Konoha really go that far?
Yuusuke was content to wait and see.
The masked man's gaze toward Yuusuke was filled with naked malice. He had clearly realized that his mission was impossible to complete. Tonight had been a trap laid by Konoha. Cornered and doomed, he would not have minded dragging someone down with him.
But could he?
A lightning-charged feathered arrow suddenly flashed through the air, piercing straight through his neck.
Crackling residual sparks, a trembling arrow shaft, and a spray of blood together painted a crimson full stop on the events of the night.
Yuusuke slowly closed his eyes.
He knew he would finally be able to sleep soundly.
Not only because tonight's danger had passed—but because Konoha had no intention of harming him. This village, it seemed, had no desire to eliminate an outsider simply for "knowing too much."
...
Morning.
Battles breaking out inside a ninja village were not common, but they were far from rare. As such, ordinary civilians of Konoha paid little attention to the fighting that had occurred the previous night. For Konoha itself, however, the successful purge of spies carried immense strategic significance—it meant a long period of intelligence security for the village.
The traces of battle on the streets had already been cleaned away. Apart from a faint smell of blood lingering in the air and scars left by weapons on walls and roads, nothing remained to indicate that dozens of lives had been extinguished there just hours earlier.
Strategic decisions and tactical arrangements were no longer Yuusuke's concern.
What did concern him was the message he received that morning: he could no longer remain in the hospital. The village had made specific arrangements for him, and someone would soon come to take him away.
Truthfully, Yuusuke wanted to stay in the hospital a while longer, worried about his physical condition. But the medical ninja seemed to believe that neither his injuries nor the chakra erosion were serious issues, and so he was "approved" for discharge.
And the timing was even faster than expected.
Just two hours after receiving the notice, the person sent to retrieve him arrived at his hospital room.
"Yuusuke Ame, child—come with me."
The visitor was a woman who appeared to be around thirty years old. Her features were gentle, her smile clean and reassuring, and she carried an air that made people feel instinctively at ease.
She naturally knew Yuusuke's name and identity.
"Yes," Yuusuke replied, following her without hesitation. He had to admit—his first impression of her was excellent.
With no belongings to pack, the two quickly left the hospital together.
Walking through Konoha's streets, Yuusuke saw pedestrians of all kinds, heard the mild bustle of daily life. The midday sun was pale rather than dazzling, the sky cloudless and open. Everything felt calm and gentle.
"The weather's quite nice today, isn't it?" she said.
"Huh? Oh—yes, it is," Yuusuke replied, a beat late, realizing she had been speaking to him.
"I heard it was you who brought back news of the Second Hokage."
"Yes."
"What… was he like at the end?" She hesitated, but eventually asked.
Yuusuke recalled the scene—the towering flames, the figure within them.
"The Hokage's end," he said softly, "was like that of a ninja."
Senju Tobirama was, of course, a ninja by nature. Describing him as "like a ninja" should have been redundant. And yet, Yuusuke felt there was no better way to put it.
"Like a ninja…" She stopped walking, a faint smile finally forming at the corner of her lips."For him, that truly is the most fitting description."
Strangely enough, she seemed satisfied by the answer.
As they continued walking, Yuusuke noticed that her status was clearly not ordinary. Along the way, many people nodded respectfully toward her in greeting.
The topic of the Second Hokage ended there. She did not seem inclined to discuss it further. With the entire village still immersed in grief over losing the Hokage, Yuusuke did not dwell on it.
"The weather's turning cooler," she said, coughing lightly as she covered her mouth with her fist. Whether it was a deliberate change of subject or simply the truth was unclear.
"Yes," Yuusuke replied, following her lead. "It's already the Month of the Gods."
"Then we'll need to prepare some proper clothes for you."
For once, Yuusuke looked embarrassed. He was still wearing a hospital gown, with slippers to match.
"Oh, right—you don't know who I am yet," she said. "My name… isn't convenient to share for now. I'm the director of Konoha's Welfare Orphanage. You can call me Teacher Sanshō."
Since her real name was inconvenient to disclose, "Sanshō" was likely a codename.
Which meant—
The woman before him was almost certainly a ninja as well.