Once the battle ended, Yagami immediately went to find Captain Yellow Dog.
Both Captain Yellow Dog and Kato Dan were covered in dirt, standing over the corpse of an elite jōnin from the Hidden Stone Village.
Yagami couldn't help but sigh in admiration. As one of the six Anbu captains, Yellow Dog truly lived up to his reputation—his strength was undeniable.
When he saw Fox approaching, Captain Yellow Dog glanced at Kato Dan, then motioned for Fox to follow him a short distance away.
"Fox, the reinforcements from the village will arrive soon," he said.
"You, Purple Cat, and the others from the squad are to remove your masks and pose as ordinary shinobi. Spread word of Lord Danzō's heroic deeds.
Lord Danzō, the Head of the Anbu, spent half a year preparing this operation. He used Lady Uzumaki Mito's old age as bait and the Uzumaki princess's visit to the Hidden Leaf as a lure, setting a perfect trap for the Hidden Stone Village.
In this battle, six elite jōnin, over thirty regular jōnin, and more than three hundred chūnin from the Hidden Stone were killed.
Lord Danzō—the darkness of the Leaf—is the true hero of the Land of Grass campaign!"
Yagami froze for a moment, thinking silently to himself.
Unbelievable… he really has no shame, does he?
"Yes, Captain. I'll take care of it right away," Yagami replied, then added, "Captain, Black Ape and White Ram were both injured. I don't know if they managed to hide successfully. Once we've finished spreading Danzō's story, can I go rescue them?"
"Complete the propaganda first," Yellow Dog said. "After that, I'll assign a Hyūga shinobi to assist you."
"Understood."
Yagami and Purple Cat relayed the captain's orders, removed their masks, put on forehead protectors, and disguised themselves as regular ninja.
About half an hour later, many shinobi arrived from the direction of the village—clan heads and well-known jōnin among them.
Yagami blended into the crowd with Yamanaka Rika, quietly spreading the rumors.
"Did you hear? Six elite jōnin from the Hidden Stone Village were killed—by Lord Danzō himself!"
"Lord Danzō spent half a year setting this up. Tonight, he sprung the trap—took down over three hundred chūnin! You know how many chūnin it takes to pass the exams each year?"
"And Ōnoki's still the Tsuchikage? The man's a fool! He got played like a child and walked straight into Danzō's hands."
"The darkness of the Leaf… Lord Danzō truly lives up to his name."
"Rather than waiting for other nations to exploit Lady Mito's death, it's better to strike first and show them what happens when they try."
After the rumors had spread far enough, Yagami borrowed a water flask from Purple Cat and drank deeply.
He felt a wave of disgust.
How can they praise Danzō like this with a straight face?
Then a thought struck him—Qiaoyi.
If Qiaoyi's identity as a spy had already been exposed, the Anbu might have deliberately kept her alive to feed false intel to the Hidden Stone.
And if Qiaoyi was exposed… wouldn't that make him suspicious too?
No, he had to rescue Captain Black Ape and clear any doubts about himself.
Yagami stood near the valley, watching Sarutobi Hiruzen and Senju Rinki depart amid cheers from the support troops.
Once the crowd dispersed, a Hyūga shinobi finally arrived.
Now they could search for Captain Black Ape.
They spent most of the night searching before the Hyūga found a hollow tree with two figures inside.
Yagami leapt up and tapped the trunk in a coded rhythm to signal friendly intent.
A moment later, a reply came from within. He jumped down, brushed aside the camouflaging branches, and opened the hollow.
"Captain Black Ape! Are you all right?"
Hearing Yagami's voice, the pale-faced captain managed a faint smile.
"Good… good, Fox. Did we win?"
"We did. A huge victory."
Yagami immediately checked their condition.
Black Ape's leg was broken—a compound fracture, the bone shards had torn through veins and muscle, bending the leg outward and swelling it grotesquely.
If left untreated, it could mean amputation.
Captain Black Ape had already lost his left arm. If he lost his right leg too, he'd be forced to retire.
White Ram's condition was no better; his abdomen had been pierced, his internal organs partly visible.
Only their shinobi physique had kept them alive this long.
Black Ape had performed basic first aid to keep White Ram breathing.
"Let's move! We'll head back to the village and get you both to the hospital! Lady Tsunade is there right now—you'll be fine!"
Black Ape was deeply moved.
Among his sub-captains, Yagami had been with him the longest—reliable, competent, always completing his missions.
And this was the second time Yagami had saved him—once in the Capital of the Land of Waves, and now here.
A true lucky star.
After bringing Black Ape and White Ram to the hospital, Yagami watched several medical-nin rush into the ward, led by none other than Tsunade herself.
She first checked the unconscious White Ram and quickly made her decision.
"Intestinal rupture and infection. The intestines are long; we'll have to remove part of it."
Her assistants immediately recorded the treatment plan and wheeled White Ram into surgery.
Tsunade then examined Black Ape. This time, the examination took much longer.
"Hm… tricky case. If we amputate, there's no threat to his life, and he'll be discharged soon.
But if he wants to keep fighting, we'll need a major operation. The shattered bone damaged his veins, muscles, and nerves. Success rate's low, recovery long.
And if luck's bad, amputation may still be necessary."
Turning her head, Tsunade noticed the familiar Anbu mask leaning against the wall.
"You again? I was just about to ask which option the family would choose."
But Black Ape spoke up.
"Lady Tsunade, I choose the surgery. I have to stand again—I have to fight."
Tsunade closed her notes.
"All right. Prep him for surgery."
Soon, the room was empty.
About ten minutes later, Captain Yellow Dog entered.
"Where's Black Ape?"
"In surgery."
"Surgery? So there's a chance he'll recover?"
"Lady Tsunade thinks so."
Yellow Dog nodded and left for the operating room.
After a while, he returned.
"Black Ape's squad is down to four members. With him in surgery, he's recommended you to act as interim captain.
Depending on his recovery, you might be promoted permanently.
The Anbu has a lot going on lately—get his squad running again as soon as possible.
Return to headquarters and familiarize yourself with all of Black Ape's active missions."
An aide outside escorted Yagami back to the Anbu base, where he officially received the authority of an acting squad captain.
He'd been promoted.
Yagami headed to the Anbu archives and pulled the personnel files for Black Ape's squad.
He already knew some of the details—Black Ape was from the Akimichi Clan, and Purple Cat from the Yamanaka Clan.
He also saw his own record: after joining the Anbu, he had served under both Captain Brown Bear and Captain Black Ape.
One entry caught his eye—Captain Brown Bear had spent years operating in the Land of Grass, interrogating numerous Hidden Stone shinobi.
An idea sparked in Yagami's mind. His Earth Release: Earth Substitution Technique could be credited to Brown Bear.
Brown Bear had died long ago in the Land of Whirlpools, so no one could contradict it.
If an Anbu suddenly manifested a new ability, they'd usually be investigated for ties to enemy villages.
Yagami opened his record and wrote that he had received an Earth Release scroll from Captain Brown Bear and spent months mastering the technique.
As for why Brown Bear treated him so well—he could simply point to Captain Black Ape, who valued him even more.
Promotion felt incredible. His authority had grown, and so had his freedom.
If he ever became an Anbu Captain, he could practically do whatever he wanted.
And if he ever rose to Head of the Anbu… he'd be one of the key figures shaping the entire ninja world.
If Danzō could become the darkness of the Leaf, why couldn't Yagami?