Yagami followed Captain Yellow Dog, stopping about twenty meters away from the higher-ups.
The moment Yellow Dog appeared, it was clear the Anbu had important intelligence to report to Minister Danzō.
Yagami swept his gaze over the senior officials, quietly studying their expressions.
The Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen, sat upon a boulder in his armor, calmly smoking his pipe.
At his side stood the head of the Senju clan, Senju Rinki, and elite jōnin Kato Dan. On the opposite side were Mitokado Homura and Shimura Danzō.
It looked like the Third Hokage was acting as a mediator, trying to ease the conflict between the two sides.
Senju Rinki's face was ashen, but his pride was written all over him — not a trace of retreat.
Homura, on the other hand, seemed tired of arguing and took a sip of water.
Danzō, as usual, remained silent.
Whenever these senior figures gathered, it was typically Homura who spoke on behalf of the others, stating their collective stance.
The Senju clan seemed to have major disagreements with the upper council — perhaps about Uzumaki Kushina's placement, or maybe about the ownership of Sealing Scroll.
Whether it was the Senju clan or the village itself, both wanted to control the legacy of the Uzumaki.
When Danzō noticed Yellow Dog approaching, he walked forward.
Yellow Dog immediately reported,
"Lord Danzō, Captain Black Ape has obtained crucial information.
Before dying, the Uzumaki elder selected eight clan members and sent them toward the Land of Waves on the back of a Yatagarasu.
Also, before his death, the Uzumaki elder revealed a sealing scroll.
Black Ape is currently doing everything he can to follow the Yatagarasu."
Danzō's eyes narrowed, a sharp gleam flickering within them.
Even if they couldn't seize Uzumaki's Book of Seals, obtaining the elder's sealing techniques would make for a decent substitute.
He issued orders at once:
"Yellow Dog, your squad has lost many men. Organize the remaining ones into a new platoon and set off immediately to find Black Ape.
You and Hippo will select and train new Anbu units from the two thousand shinobi of the Hidden Leaf Village who came with us this time. Build them up to combat readiness as fast as possible.
Once you've assembled two full squads, you and Hippo will locate the remaining Uzumaki survivors. Bring them — or the scroll — back to the Hidden Leaf Village."
Yagami couldn't help but smirk inwardly.
That "or" said everything.
Danzō's meaning was simple: if the Uzumaki survivors could be captured alive, then fine — dissect them later.
If not, then so be it. The scroll must be retrieved at all costs.
Yellow Dog nodded repeatedly, then departed with Yagami.
Once they were gone, Danzō turned and glanced toward Senju Rinki.
The Senju clan had deep roots and far-reaching influence — so much so that many of the village's policies couldn't be implemented without their approval.
And now, they even wanted complete control over the new Nine-Tails Jinchūriki.
How could the village's safety be entrusted to the Senju clan alone?
...
Yellow Dog returned to his unit.
"Our squad went through hell this mission. We've got fewer than twenty men left.
Yak, I'm appointing you as platoon leader. Form a full unit and head for the Land of Waves. Fox has the temporary cipher codes from Black Ape.
Your mission is to find the surviving Uzumaki and their inheritance scroll. Engage and hold them down.
Be cautious — the Uzumaki clan's sealing arts are extremely troublesome to deal with, and they may have large-scale summoned beasts.
Captain Hippo and I will follow soon with two full units to assist with the capture."
Yagami followed Captain Yak as they departed.
They waited a while, but no disguised Cloud gear arrived — clearly, there was no need for cover anymore.
When the Uzumaki clan still stood, killing one of their shinobi had required caution and disguises as Cloud-nin.
Now that the Uzumaki had been wiped out, there was no such restraint. Killing them openly meant nothing — the Anbu kept secrets well, and no one outside would ever know.
...
The moon was full, round as silver. Its pale light fell like frost across the land.
By the time they reached the coastline, the full moon hung high overhead.
From here on, things would get easier — Yagami still had one resurrection left.
He glanced at Captain Yak. After his next revival, what kind of gift would the captain give him, he wondered?
After entering the Land of Waves, the Anbu combed through the area carefully, searching for markings left by Black Ape and asking around about a three-legged bird.
Days passed without finding the Uzumaki survivors — but they did uncover new information.
After the Third Mizukage's death, a Fourth had yet to be chosen. The elder Genji had temporarily taken charge as acting leader of the Hidden Mist Village.
By the end of the month, the Anbu finally found coded signs left by Black Ape — they pointed toward the capital of the Land of Waves.
Captain Yak gathered the squad leaders and laid out the mission plan:
"Eddy Village has been destroyed, meaning both the Land of Whirlpools and the Land of Waves have open mission territories now.
The daimyō of both lands have long been vassals of the Land of Fire.
When operating in the capital, avoid excessive bloodshed — it would damage future negotiations over mission territories.
There are still many Uzumaki remnants in the capital. Some even serve as guardian shinobi for the daimyō of the Land of Whirlpools."
The Anbu disguised themselves as ordinary merchants, carrying only kunai, and entered the capital of the Land of Waves.
The Land of Waves was surrounded by three great nations — the Land of Lightning to the northwest, the Land of Fire to the west, and the Land of Water to the east. Its situation was as complex as the Land of Rain during the Fourth Great Ninja War.
Yagami moved quietly through the alleys, searching every trash bin and tree trunk.
He made sure to keep his kunai carefully hidden — the weapon was a clear mark of a shinobi. If a civilian spotted it, his identity would be exposed.
Within the Hidden Villages, life for shinobi was comfortable. But outside, civilians despised them.
There were too many records of shinobi slaughtering cities and destroying nations. To the common people, shinobi were monsters — forces of calamity.
Shinobi killed too much, too fast, breeding deep fear and hostility. Civilians resisted them with nonviolent defiance.
After several days of searching, Yagami finally found Captain Black Ape.
"Captain, you…"
Black Ape's unit was holed up in a narrow storeroom. His left arm had been severed cleanly at the shoulder.
The moment he saw Fox, his tense muscles relaxed. He let out a long, heavy breath.
"Not only did we see the Uzumaki elder take out a scroll at the end — the Mist-nin saw it too. I chased the survivors here, and so did they.
Monkey is dead. I lost an arm.
Momochi Jūzō… he's too strong. I couldn't match him at all."
Yagami's heart sank. He hadn't expected one of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist to appear in the Land of Waves' capital.
"Captain, where are the Uzumaki survivors?"
"I don't know. They've hidden themselves with the help of the guardian shinobi. I can't locate them."
A flicker of relief crossed Yagami's eyes. Uzumaki Yuka was likely still alive.
"Captain, I'll take you to Captain Yak. His platoon was the first to reinforce us, and two full units will arrive later."
Together, Black Ape and Yagami went to meet Captain Yak.
After a brief discussion, the two captains decided that all Anbu would operate in pairs within the capital, searching for the surviving Uzumaki as quickly as possible.
They had to find those Uzumaki kunoichi before the Mist-nin did.
Black Ape and Yagami acted together.
The captain was incredibly cautious, always walking on Yagami's left side.
With his left arm gone, his right hand never left his weapon — always ready, always guarded.
Did Yagami really look that untrustworthy? Or was Black Ape simply that cautious by nature, never letting his guard down?
The capital was vast.
After several more days of searching, Yagami finally spotted a bird by a small lake in one of the parks.
A white heron — a graceful white heron.