In the courtyard — beneath the jujube tree.
Team Nine sat in a neat row while Drake loosened the soil of a flowerpot and planted the green fruit he had obtained earlier.
"Drake, you're seriously in the mood to plant flowers right now?" Anko couldn't help complaining.
"Hm? Why wouldn't I be?" Drake didn't even look back.
"Aren't you worried? What if the Hokage figures out that you're the one who did it?"
"I did it?"
Drake turned his head, completely baffled.
"Wasn't it you who disposed of the body?"
One sentence was enough to make Anko grind her teeth.
Although Team Nine had unified their story, it didn't mean they wouldn't still be suspected. That was what worried them most.
"Um… maybe you guys should just run away?"
Yamato suddenly blurted out.
Silence fell.
Then all eyes locked onto him.
"So you're planning to sell us out, huh, kid?" Kakashi said coldly.
The three girls also glared at him viciously. To them, Yamato had clearly lost his loyalty to Team Nine.
"N-No! You misunderstood!" Yamato waved his hands desperately.
"I'm just afraid you'll get exposed and drag me down with you!"
BAM!
Before he could finish, Drake's kick sent him flying.
Taking a few shovels from the wall, Drake tossed them over.
"Dig a hole under the tree. We're burying this kid."
"WHAT?!"
Yamato scrambled up in panic, face pale.
"Drake-senpai, that's not what I meant!"
"Then what did you mean?" Drake shot him a sideways look.
"I meant… we can use a technique! One that guarantees this won't leak out!"
"Oh?"
"I learned a sealing technique in Root. It's perfect for confidentiality!"
"Keep digging," Drake said calmly, completely uninterested.
The Seal of the Cursed Tongue Root was not something to use on comrades.
To Drake, true unity wasn't built on jutsu — it was built on bonds, trust, and shared ideals.
The hole was quickly finished.
Drake grabbed Yamato and tossed him in.
"Drake-senpai! I spoke wrong!"
"Fill it."
Expressionless, Drake gave the command.
Soon, only Yamato's head remained above the soil.
"Should I kick your head in… or will you sink yourself?" Drake raised his foot threateningly.
"I— I'll go down!"
Yamato looked ready to cry.
Just then —
Shun!
A figure appeared instantly.
"…What exactly are you all doing?"
Minato stood there, utterly confused, staring at Team Nine clustered around the tree.
Drake sighed internally. Of all times, his teacher picked the worst moment to arrive.
The group parted, revealing Yamato's dirt-covered head and his watery eyes.
"T-This…" Minato walked closer.
"Drake, explain."
"Sensei, he said he wanted to train his Wood Release, so we buried him to help him cultivate it." Drake replied sincerely.
"…Is that so?" Minato glanced down.
"Yes! Yes it is!" Yamato nodded frantically.
"I train like this all the time!"
Even Minato struggled to process such a bizarre method, but he didn't press further.
"Alright, let him out. I have something important to tell you."
Yamato escaped death by burial thanks to Minato's intervention.
Back under the tree, Minato cleared his throat.
"I have one good piece of news… and one bad one. Which do you want first?"
"That sounds really familiar," Drake muttered.
"It does!" Rin nodded.
"Last time you said that, Drake got gifted a super luxury bathhouse," Kakashi reminded them.
"Oh yeah… that time," Drake recalled — though what he remembered most clearly was the barbecue he ended up paying for.
"S-Sensei, just tell us the bad news first," Anko urged.
"Alright."
Minato's expression turned serious.
"The ANBU Commander… is dead."
He scanned their faces.
Then blinked.
Because Team Nine showed almost zero reaction.
So he added:
"He was also the Third Hokage's son — Sarutobi Shinnosuke."
"…Oh."
Total indifference.
"…You already know?" Minato realised.
"Yes, Hokage-sama already questioned us." Rin explained.
"I see…" Minato sighed in understanding.
"No wonder you're not surprised. You found out earlier than I did."
He continued.
"With Shinnosuke gone, the position of ANBU Commander is now vacant. A power struggle will soon begin."
"And that's supposed to be good news?" Team Nine spoke almost in unison.
"Sensei, we just joined ANBU. This has nothing to do with us," Rin said in confusion.
"It does," Minato corrected.
"ANBU doesn't operate on seniority. It operates on strength."
His gaze lingered briefly on Drake.
"With Shinnosuke's death, the Hokage will deploy ANBU to hunt down Orochimaru. Anyone who contributes significantly to this operation will gain solid footing within ANBU."
"Wait." Drake raised a hand.
"You mean the killer is Orochimaru?"
"Yes. All signs point to him." Minato nodded.
Instantly, the atmosphere lightened.
Everyone felt noticeably more at ease.
Drake remained neutral — but the purpose of his question had been achieved.
He needed to eliminate their lingering doubts.
Now, Team Nine was finally relaxed.
Kakashi then voiced another concern.
"If I remember right, there's still an ANBU Vice-Commander. Even if there's a power struggle, wouldn't she have the biggest advantage?"
"The Vice-Commander…" Minato exhaled slowly.
"She probably won't be coming back."
"Why?" Drake asked.
"She accepted an S-rank solo mission. And by all reports… the difficulty level is extreme."
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