Surrounded by five Konoha jōnin—including two Uchiha and Copper Fox—Hōzuki Muratsuki's scalp tingled.
He quickly formed hand seals.
Steaming Danger Tyranny charged southward, rapidly inflating to full size.
The massive humanoid was dozens of meters tall. Inside, steam roared and hissed like a boiling kettle.
"Detonate!"
The explosion tore through the encirclement, forcing even Yako to retreat.
With the path open, Muratsuki didn't hesitate—he leapt heading toward the sea.
The Konoha shinobi gave chase.
Muratsuki turned and formed seals again—another Steaming Danger Tyranny clone appeared to block pursuit.
But just then—
Yako burst out from the ground beneath him.
He formed a single seal.
Self-Binding Curse Mark spread out like a spiderweb, climbing Muratsuki's legs and locking his body in place.
"Now!"
Uchiha Tōka launched a massive Fireball Jutsu.
Yako immediately sank into the earth to avoid the flames.
Muratsuki screamed as the fire swallowed him whole.
When Yako emerged nearby, Yamashiro rushed over.
"Did we get him?"
Yako shook his head.
"He took the full blast, but at the last moment… he used Water Body Technique to dissolve the seals and slipped underground. We lost him."
A bold escape—burned and likely broken, but alive.
Still… Yako had a backup plan.
When he was beneath Muratsuki, he'd laced the soil with toxin.
If Muratsuki had liquefied and passed through it, the poison would mix with his fluid body—
crippling his regeneration.
The others frowned at the escape.
Then—another Steaming Danger Tyranny charged at them.
Again it expanded.
Again it exploded—steam and oil combusting into a violent shockwave.
Elsewhere, Yellow Dog still hadn't subdued Fuguki Suikazan.
And now…
Fuguki escaped too.
Uchiha Tōka grimaced.
"Two elite jōnin, gone. Damn it."
Yellow Dog growled.
"Fuguki's chakra reserve was insane. Whether it's Water Release or that damn needle technique, he's relentless."
With no more targets to pursue, Yamashiro and Kento pivoted to clearing out the remaining Mist shinobi.
Yako joined them.
This ambush wasn't about eliminating figureheads—
It was about delivering decisive strategic results, earning Yellow Dog enough merit to rise to ANBU Vice Commander.
With Konoha jōnin flooding the field, the remaining three Mist squads crumbled fast.
The battle ended.
On the summit, Yellow Dog, Yako, and the others stood while Butterfly compiled the casualty report.
Soon, she approached, out of breath.
"Commander! Confirmed: four Mist jōnin killed, and over 330 enemy casualties."
Yellow Dog exhaled deeply.
"Excellent. A true victory."
Such numbers would silence critics.
"Butterfly, record it all. Log our own losses. Prepare the report immediately."
"Wait."
Everyone turned. Yako stepped closer.
He whispered in Yellow Dog's ear:
"Commander…
During interrogation, a Mist shinobi mentioned that Fuguki Suikazan covets Samehada.
Muratsuki was badly wounded by us.
What if—just maybe—Fuguki finishes the job for us?"
Yellow Dog blinked.
"Would Mist infighting go that far? Two elite jōnin coming to blows?"
Yako nodded.
"It's possible.
In the shinobi world…
Rivalries are rarely resolved with words."
Yellow Dog considered it.
Even within the Five Great Nations, only Kumogakure had strict internal discipline after the Gold and Silver Brothers' rebellion.
The rest?
Constant power struggles.
"No one's gonna preach the Will of Fire when Samehada's at stake," Yako added.
Down the hill, Uchiha Fugaku stood in silence.
He stared at the summit where six elite Konoha shinobi gathered.
'When will I stand among them… as a full-fledged jōnin?'
The battle over, the troops regrouped and marched back to base.
Elsewhere, on a remote shore in the Land of Whirlpools
Fuguki Suikazan slung Samehada over his shoulder.
At his feet lay a shredded corpse.
"Fed you to five sea lion summons, Muratsuki.
I'd like to see your Water Body Technique get you out of that…
Sliced into pieces and digested separately? You're not coming back."
He hoisted the massive blade.
Heavy—but satisfying.
"Muratsuki was slain by Konoha.
I recovered Samehada from them.
Prevented it from falling into enemy hands.
That's the story I'll tell. And any jōnin worth a damn will back me."
One Mist elite jōnin's head was worth far more than a hundred soldiers.
He looked back at the sea lions.
Each began convulsing—
Then collapsed.
Poisoned.
Fukuki raised a brow.
"So that's why it went so smooth.
He was already poisoned… and hiding it.
Guess The Wandering Miko didn't lie entirely.
She gave me the chance to take Samehada."
At the Konoha forward base, Yellow Dog returned to a hero's welcome.
Soon after, camp exploded with news:
Muratsuki—the strongest of the Hōzuki Clan—was dead.
Bearer of the forbidden technique Steaming Danger Tyranny,
Now reduced to scraps.
In the command tent, Uchiha Kagen delivered the scroll personally to Danzō.
"Advisor, it's confirmed—Hōzuki Muratsuki is dead.
Samehada changed hands—Fuguki Suikazan now carries it.
Yellow Dog's ambush crushed the Mist Sword Retrieval Unit, killed its leader, and dealt a heavy blow to their morale."
Danzō skimmed the scroll.
"Mm."
A grunt. That was it.
Kagen's joy froze on his face.
Then he wiped it away. He knew better.
No emotion. Not here.
Danzō's hatred for the Uchiha was personal—
Baseless, but consuming.
Kagen had never offended him, but the loathing was always there.
He turned to a staff officer.
"Summon Yellow Dog to the command tent."
The tent flap lifted.
"B" of the Root division entered silently.
He shook his head.
Then dropped a scroll.
Danzō unrolled it.
The two Root shinobi sent to meet Yakushi Nonō and Fuguki were dead.
Bodies hidden.
But B had found them—tracked the remains using Destruction Bugs, and destroyed their brains to protect secrets.
Danzō pointed to a single character on the scroll:
"woman."
B nodded.
He understood.
Contact Wandering Miko.
She had brokered the alliance between Root and Fuguki Suikazan.
She would know what went wrong.
As B left the tent, he passed Yellow Dog's entourage on the way in.
Yako, walking in the rear, spotted the man's retreating silhouette.
His heart sank.
B… was going to investigate the Root corpses.
Only White Ram had gone to recover those bodies.
Did he make it in time?
Somewhere near the coastline
Hidden among the brush, White Ram's team finally located the corpses.
But…
It was too late.
Both bodies had been thoroughly destroyed—especially the brains.
They hadn't dared seal the remains earlier, to avoid leaving evidence.
Now…
There was nothing to prove Danzō's hand.
White Ram clenched his fists.
'Without these bodies… we can't prove anything.'
No evidence.
Accusing Advisor Danzō without proof…
Would be suicide.