Late night on the 4th. A carriage departed the Senju compound.
Its doors and windows were tightly sealed.
Inside the carriage were only two people: the elderly Uzumaki Mito, and the young Uzumaki princess, Kushina.
Following behind them in the dark were Senju Rinmoku, Tsunade, and all the Jonin of the Senju clan.
Trailing them further was Konoha's ANBU.
Yako thought to himself—so the Nine-Tails' jinchūriki transition was finally beginning?
To avoid the risk of the Nine-Tails going berserk and destroying the village, the higher-ups and the Senju clan had decided to carry out the critical sealing transfer on Mount Niuhe, ten kilometers northwest of Konoha.
Yako glanced toward the carriage in the center of the road.
If he died at Uzumaki Mito's hands… could he perhaps unlock some top-tier ability?
The Sage Body of the Uzumaki? Their sealing arts? Maybe even some portion of the Nine-Tails' power?
The thought made his heart race a little.
But it was only the 4th—eleven days until the full moon on the 15th. If he chose to die now, he'd have to survive eleven full days until his next revival.
With ANBU's current level of mission pressure, lasting eleven days was no sure thing. If he died again during some mission, it could be permanent.
Better to play it safe. Survival above all else.
Yako was still lost in thought when Captain Kurozaru of the ANBU squad withdrew from the vanguard and turned to signal to the three teams behind him.
Kurozaru's unit split from the main group and accelerated northward.
Yako looked back, puzzled, at Uzumaki Mito's carriage. What was their squad up to?
Not just Kurozaru's team—two other squads had also split off, vanishing in different directions.
After traveling several more kilometers, Kurozaru gathered the squad leaders and said:
"You three squads were involved in leaking false intel—that the Senju will hold a funeral for Uzumaki Mito tomorrow.
According to border reports, an extremely powerful force has broken through Fire Country's frontier defenses and entered its heartland.
Our unit's mission is to locate that force, determine their identity, and confirm whether their objective is Uzumaki Mito."
"Shirou," he said, addressing the white ram-masked shinobi, "your team leads reconnaissance. The other two squads are assault units."
The white ram-masked shinobi, a member of the Hyūga clan, was a rare asset Kurozaru had fought hard to assign to his team.
Kurozaru's unit arrived at Mount Niuhe early and began scanning the surrounding terrain.
An hour later, Shirou suddenly signaled—four suspicious figures spotted at 9 o'clock!
Their chakra levels were massive, and they were moving fast.
Kurozaru's team rushed to intercept and identify them.
A large shinobi strike force usually deploys intel operatives ahead of the main body to gather intel and detect threats.
Those four were likely scouts from an invading force.
Kurozaru's team closed in rapidly.
Shirou's squad brought up the rear. Yako's Fox Squad and Yamonkey's squad flanked the sides, with Kurozaru himself at the center.
"They've spotted us!" Shirou shouted. "They're changing direction—heading this way!"
Kurozaru barked, "This is deep inside Fire Country. Don't waste time—go full force! Crush them now!
Purple Cat, prepare to extract intelligence from their brains once they're dead!"
Purple Cat, visibly tense, was new to facing high-level enemies.
Anyone who could break through the border and enter the Fire Country's interior had to be elite.
"They're here! Earth Style: Earth Dragon Bullet!"
A massive earthen dragon surged forward, smashing through more than a dozen trees in its path.
An overwhelming jutsu.
That technique alone confirmed at least one of them was a Jonin.
Most Jonin, unless directly tied to the village leadership, preferred to live publicly—completing missions to build prestige.
ANBU operated in shadows and required total loyalty, but had relatively few Jonin among its ranks.
Facing a Jonin, even Kurozaru—only a Tokubetsu Jonin—felt a bit of pressure.
Still, hesitation wasn't an option.
They all leapt aside to dodge the incoming earth dragon.
The ANBU teams were split—north of the dragon were Kurozaru and Yamonkey's squad, south were Yako and Shirou's squads.
"Damn!"
Three enemies suddenly appeared on the dragon's far side, charging at Kurozaru's group.
A full ANBU unit was powerful, but half a unit facing a Jonin-led enemy squad was dangerous.
Yako and Shirou jumped in unison, trying to regroup with the others.
Suddenly, the back of the earth dragon arched upward and flung both squads into the air.
Their shinobi tumbled mid-air.
Yako and Shirou twisted deftly and landed cleanly. Their less experienced comrades hit the ground hard.
Shirou locked eyes with the relaxed Iwa Jonin across from them and said, firm and clear:
"Fox, you're our best in close combat. We'll all risk our lives to give you a clean strike."
"Understood."
On the other side, Kurozaru and Yamonkey's squad were already clashing with the three Iwa-nin.
They had to regroup—or they'd be picked off.
Purple Cat and another ANBU member stayed back to pelt kunai from range while Shirou charged forward.
"Earth Style: Earth Spike Lance!"
The enemy Jonin weaved hand signs, and four stone spears burst from the ground.
"Rotation!"
Shirou unleashed the Hyūga clan's secret technique, forming a whirling chakra dome that shattered the lances.
The Iwa Jonin was intrigued. A Hyūga with real skill—interesting.
He didn't drop his hands. Another wave of stone spears surged up.
The ground became a hedgehog's back—spikes everywhere, some rising slowly like bamboo shoots.
Shirou accelerated, used Rotation again—several spears shattered.
But Jonin-level techniques weren't easily overwhelmed. After a second Rotation, Shirou was already panting.
A third wave came. Gritting his teeth, Shirou gathered chakra and used Rotation once more.
This time, a lance pierced through the dome—into his stomach.
"Keep going!"
An ANBU member leapt from Shirou's shoulders, heading for the Iwa Jonin.
He barely flew a few meters before a spear impaled his gut.
Yako jumped next, springing off the dying man's back to launch himself forward.
In that moment—he found his opening.
His blade came down hard.
The Iwa Jonin finally dropped his signs and raised an armored forearm to block.
"Cloud-Flow Sword Technique!"
At the last instant, Yako switched from a downward slash to a diagonal strike aimed at the neck.
Cloud-Flow's essence: delay your feint long enough that no one can predict or counter it.
His eyes lit up.
His sword struck the Jonin's throat.
Long-range kunai pressure, Shirou draining himself dry, an ANBU shinobi used as a stepping stone—they had finally made this chance.
But then—
Something felt wrong.
The sensation wasn't right.
A sword cutting through flesh and bone didn't feel like this.
The Iwa Jonin's entire form collapsed into mud.
Earth Substitution Technique! An A-rank escape jutsu, favored by even the Third Hokage himself!
The real Iwa Jonin appeared behind Yako in a flash.
Yako ducked low, evading the kunai aimed for his lower back.
That reflex—borderline superhuman.
But avoiding one Jonin strike didn't mean he could dodge the next.
A stone spear shot up from beneath, piercing Yako's chest.
[Host death detected. Activating Arc of the Moon...]
Dead during reconnaissance?
What about the actual battle?