From a distance beyond the fortress, Purple Cat watched as Captain Fox returned—with a corpse slung over his shoulder.
"Purple Cat, handle the body. Make sure we can extract intel from it later. Once you're done, we'll move to support the four squads from the sub-division."
Purple Cat nodded. "Understood. The Yamanaka Clan has a secret technique that preserves the memory region of the brain for extended periods."
After finishing the body treatment, the two of them swiftly made their way toward another fortified outpost.
"Purple Cat," Yako said as they moved, "that technique you used on the body—it looked like a sealing jutsu?"
"I'm not sure where the clan picked it up recently, but it's a new sealing method. It allows better preservation of brain tissue."
Yako mused silently, 'When a whale falls, life thrives in its wake.'
Ever since the annihilation of the Uzumaki Clan, the standard of sealing arts across the entire shinobi world had visibly risen.
In Kumogakure, the development of Jinchūriki's sealing had advanced to the next level—transforming them into reliable weapons for their eventual confrontation with Iwagakure.
When Yako arrived at the fortress that the others had attacked as a diversion, thick plumes of smoke were already pouring from it.
The battle was over.
There was no sign of the four ANBU squads in the vicinity.
Assessing the battlefield, Yako saw that the intensity hadn't been too high. They had blasted the fortress and escaped quickly.
Changing course, he headed toward their rendezvous point—a waterfall hidden deep in the north of the Land of Waterfalls.
The rain from Amegakure's endless clouds flowed east-southeast to become the rivers of the Land of Rivers, or northeast into the lakes and waterfalls of the Land of Waterfalls.
The sound of cascading water rumbled in the background.
While Purple Cat sat nearby, scanning the corpse's memory, Yako watched the horizon anxiously—waiting for his squads to return.
And then—they appeared.
Gliders. One after another, silhouettes drifting down from the clouds.
Yako exhaled.
'No large casualties then.'
When the gliders landed, the four squad leaders quickly lined up before him.
"Report. Battle outcomes and casualties."
They reported in turn:
The decoy assault had gone well. Earth Release shinobi used the Seismic Dampening Sigil to reach the fortress foundations unnoticed.
They planted explosive tags, blew open sections of the wall, and staged mock incursions.
After drawing attention, they retreated immediately.
Only two soldiers were lost during the escape.
Thanks to the pre-positioned gliders:
Some dropped explosive tags midair to harass pursuers.
Others extracted the wounded.
Two even retrieved fallen comrades' corpses, ensuring no intelligence could be leaked.
After luring the enemy out, the squads isolated stragglers and captured several prisoners.
White Ram had inserted Parasitic Insects into the captives' bodies, paralyzing them and preventing suicide. Their control was neutralized.
Yako nodded, visibly pleased.
These men had grown—hardened by war. The judgment, skill, and discipline they'd shown had evolved.
Such a dangerous mission, and only two casualties?
Excellent.
Meanwhile, Purple Cat finished her mind probe and passed Yako the scroll.
The first thing that caught his eye was one term:
Partial Tailed Beast Transformation.
The memory confirmed it.
Ryuuren, the Two-Tails' Jinchūriki, had appeared on the frontlines.
In battle, he entered a half-transformation state and launched a Tailed Beast Bomb at Iwagakure forces.
Despite being partially transformed, he remained completely conscious, fully capable of distinguishing friend from foe.
This stunned the Iwa forces.
Iwa's own Jinchūriki tended to lose control when drawing too much chakra, causing chaos and friendly fire.
In fact, Iwa soldiers feared deploying them at all.
Using them meant that, after the fight, they'd have to deploy an entire unit just to subdue their own weapons.
But Ryuuren?
He executed his attack, ended the transformation, and walked away—only mild burns on his skin. No rampage, no suppression teams required.
The Iwa commander whose memories Purple Cat scanned had been present during the battle and had detailed observations:
Which attacks the Jinchūriki ignored.
Which techniques he dodged.
The shape and density of his chakra cloak.
The apparent invulnerability of his semi-transformed state.
Invaluable tactical intel.
Yako said,
"Our mission is complete. Time to head home."
—
After more than ten days, the team finally returned to Konoha.
One reason shinobi pay was so low: missions took too long.
A round trip to the northeastern border of the Land of Earth took over 20 days. That's an entire month gone for one mission.
Back in the ANBU headquarters, Yako presented the intel scroll to Deputy Commander Yellow Dog.
"Deputy Commander, we've confirmed—Kumogakure's sealing arts have dramatically improved.
The Two-Tails' Jinchūriki, displayed perfect partial transformation control.
He could distinguish allies from enemies.
He withdrew safely after battle.
No seal team needed.
No risk of rampage.
This scroll contains full firsthand battlefield observations of his transformation and abilities."
Yellow Dog studied the report intently.
When he finished, he said:
"Come with me—we're taking this to the Hokage.
Kumo's sealing arts… This is bad.
With Jinchūriki like this, they can drop 100-meter-wide nukes at will.
What are we supposed to do against that?"
Yako added:
"Also, I'd like to formally recommend Purple Cat, White Ram, and Blossom Deer for promotion.
Purple Cat's mental extraction was flawless—it saved us from needing to capture or interrogate live targets.
White Ram and Blossom Deer led the decoy op against five Iwa squads, executed the assault perfectly, and withdrew with minimal losses.
Their judgment, execution, and field skill meet the criteria for Special Jōnin.
And I'd argue this mission counts as S-rank."
Yellow Dog nodded approvingly.
"I agree. I'll endorse their promotions.
Prepare the paperwork. I'll ask Black Ant, Golden Eagle, and you to cosign the Special Jōnin recommendations."
"Understood, Commander."
Yellow Dog frowned.
"Why'd you call me 'Commander'? I'm the Deputy Commander. Say it right."
Yako smirked.
"Oh, I know you're the deputy… Commander.
But speaking of Commanders, any plans for moving up?"
Yellow Dog narrowed his eyes.
"You trying to become a Deputy Commander now?"
Yako shrugged, straight-faced.
"I just think you could skip a step. Aim straight to the Fourth Hokage's seat.
I'll handle the ANBU as Commander. Efficient, isn't it?"
Yako had served under Yellow Dog for years. He suspected the man was Sarutobi Hiruzen's son, father of Konohamaru.
That meant he was ANBU royalty—and a Hokage candidate.
And Yako knew just how to stroke the ego without sounding too serious.
After all, Senju brothers had produced two Hokage. Why couldn't the Sarutobi line?
The idea tickled Yellow Dog.
'Senju Brothers—double Hokage.
Sarutobi Father and Son? Why not?'
Still, he snorted and replied sternly:
"Fox!
That's way out of line!
Our job is to serve the Hokage—not to chase the hat!"
Yako grinned.
"Sure, sure. But… you're breathing kinda hard, Commander.
Is that a smile behind your mask?"