During the battle, Yako made a point of covering Jenri, neutralizing several threats that could have taken her life.
Once the enemy Suna shinobi had been completely crushed and the paragliders had taken off safely, the battlefield finally opened up.
Only then did Yako have a chance to glance toward the distant clash.
Before Rasa's sweeping Gold Dust Tsunami, the unit commander and his two squads had been completely wiped out.
That man was never a match for Rasa.
Even the squad beside Yako had nearly all perished.
He looked up at the paragliders lifting off.
The rearguard mission… was done.
In the blink of an eye, he Body Flickered beside the fallen Jenri, catching a kunai just inches from stabbing her eye.
She had been flung against a rock by a Wind Release technique and lay barely conscious, eyelids fluttering open just enough to see the blade looming over her.
It filled her vision, terrifyingly close.
Snap!
The kunai was crushed—by Fujikita?
No… by Fox, the ANBU.
Knowing she was safe, Jenri finally exhaled—and lost consciousness completely.
Yako hoisted her up and vanished from the shore, reappearing atop the sea's surface.
Rasa arrived seconds later, just in time to see the last paraglider disappear into the clouds. Too late to stop them.
He and Yako stood across from each other—one on land, the other on water.
Yako didn't leave immediately. He remained, stalling for time.
He stood there alone, carrying the unconscious Jenri… facing down over a hundred Suna shinobi.
Rasa stared up one last time at the paragliders. After calculating, he concluded: even if he gave chase, at most he could bring down a few dozen Konoha shinobi.
And compared to a few dozen genin or chūnin…
He was far more interested in the mysterious ANBU codenamed Fox.
Rasa raised his hand, chakra swirling at his fingertips. A miniature whirlwind of Gold Dust spiraled into a kunai.
The sand-forged blade shot forward like a bullet.
Yako didn't dodge.
The kunai struck him square in the chest.
Clink! The sound rang like metal—and the kunai shattered.
Rasa's brows drew tight.
Fox's cloak tore apart—but where the blade had struck, his skin had transformed… into a dense, red-copper hue.
Rasa muttered, analyzing aloud:
"A type of instant hardening—similar to Earth Release Earth Spear, but denser. The skin shines with a metallic, red-copper gleam."
He wove hand seals.
The ground roared beneath his feet. A massive surge of Gold Dust erupted upward—rising like a tsunami over ten meters high, crashing toward Fox.
If a strike couldn't kill him, then he'd use it to capture him instead.
But Yako was already standing on water.
And Water Release required very little chakra to maintain.
"Water Release: Water Formation Wall!"
A towering wall of seawater rose to meet the golden wave.
When gold dust met ocean salt, it became heavy… sluggish.
The two walls clashed and vanished into steam and spray.
Before Rasa could begin the next round—planning to conjure an even greater Gold Dust Wave—he froze.
There was no one on the water.
No trace.
He pressed a finger to his eye.
A Sand Eye formed and flew upward.
It scanned the sea from above—but the target was gone.
What kind of Body Flicker was that…?
Far from Sabaku Port, Yako reappeared on the ocean's surface using Water Flicker. He still carried Jenri on his back.
The open sea was the perfect terrain for this technique.
Without it, he wouldn't have dared taunt Rasa like that.
Yako may have had resurrection insurance…
But he wasn't stupid.
Rasa's jutsu weren't just deadly—they were perfect for capture.
And if he were captured alive, not killed outright…
That would be a real problem.
He soon found a cave on a cliffside by the sea and brought Jenri inside.
His clothes were shredded beyond recognition.
He stripped off what remained—tattered cloak, ruined pants—and immediately checked his backside.
Thankfully, despite the barrage of perverse attacks from Suna shinobi, his rear end was intact.
His dignity remained unscathed.
He laid out the torn cloth on the cave floor and gently curled Jenri onto it to rest.
Then he stepped to the entrance and gazed out over the water.
Seabirds glided lazily through the sky.
Far off in the distance, Sabaku Port was still a battlefield—utterly irrelevant to the drifting gulls.
Yako decided to wait until the chaos died down before returning to camp.
A seasoned shinobi knew when to slack off with style.
Return too soon, and you'd be slapped with another mission right away. Missions never ended.
"I was part of the rearguard. The others escaped, but I was pursued. Had to hide out. Reasonable, right?"
Just like using company time to poop—earn while you squat.
Seeing Jenri still unconscious, Yako weaved signs and summoned a familiar figure.
Poof!
Pakkun appeared in a cloud of smoke.
He glanced from the masked Fox to the girl sleeping inside the cave.
"You've been busy," he said.
Yako rolled his eyes. "Pakkun. Never figured you for a dirty dog."
"Hah. You called me—what's the job?"
Yako's tone turned cold.
"I've found out how Chota died. His teammate, Nara Mi, used shadow techniques to control his allies—turned them into shadow puppets."
"Nara Mi was the only survivor of that mission. High probability he used the same jutsu on Shinmei."
"And just now… he used it again. On another Konoha shinobi."
"Shadow puppets, huh?" said Pakkun. "Got it. I'll report to Sakumo."
Poof. He dispelled himself in a puff of smoke.
Two hours passed.
Jenri stirred.
The first thing she saw… was a few torn strips of cloth.
Wait. This color…
Isn't this… Fujikita's?
Where is he?
Why are his clothes like this?!
"You're awake."
She turned toward the voice and saw Fujikita sitting at the mouth of the cave.
Her face flushed pink.
She dropped her gaze… then couldn't help looking again.
He wore his Fox mask.
His upper body was bare—chiseled chest, defined muscle.
Below, only a pair of black shinobi briefs clung to long, powerful legs.
Yako stood and walked toward her.
Kneeling beside her, he gently pressed on her head—checking her injuries.
"Not bad. You're recovering well."
"Fujikita… no, what should I call you? Fujikita isn't your real name, is it?"
"I don't have a name. Just a codename. Call me Fox."
"Okay… Fox. Did we succeed?"
"We did. Under your command, our rearguard mission was a success. The six other units escaped safely."
Jenri pursed her lips—soft, pink like a cherry.
"You're so strong… There's no way it was under my command. I didn't do anything."
Yako smiled faintly.
Truth was, if not for the courage she showed at the end—insisting on protecting him, her teammate Fujikita—he might never have decided to engage the enemy head-on.
Because of her, he had shown a few of his cards.
Moreover, from what he'd observed in ANBU, it seemed Danzo was on the verge of being ousted by Sarutobi Hiruzen—likely losing control of ANBU and splitting off to form his own Root division.
That kind of internal power shift wouldn't be polite.
It would be a political storm.
And in that storm, Yako needed to carve out his own gains.
If Danzo moved out, the Commander of ANBU position would open up—and many of his comrades would rise.
Yako wanted a promotion too.
Something like a Battalion Commander.
Yellow Dog, one of the battalion commanders, was the Hokage's representative on the front lines—tasked with overseeing the entire battlefield.
A position of immense authority.
If Yako could rise to that level…
Then he'd have the power to direct entire ANBU operations—on his own.