Yako summoned Longspear Egret. The bird circled above briefly before locking onto the direction of its kin.
With the egret leading the way and Yako tailing swiftly behind, they reached the Uzumaki Clan's hideout half an hour later—not far from the Giant Panda bamboo grove.
A secluded forest sheltered the last remnants of the Uzumaki clan.
Self-sufficient and cut off from the outside world, they deliberately avoided contact to prevent discovery by other powers.
Konoha's ANBU was terrifying. The other villages were no better.
Living Uzumaki were priceless test subjects—no shinobi village could resist that temptation.
When Longspear Egret returned, Uzumaki Yuka was puzzled—when had that bird slipped out?
But it seemed to want her to follow, and so she did.
Leaving the hideout, she caught sight of a tall, familiar figure in the distance.
Her heart skipped. She ran full speed and threw herself into Yako's arms.
"Fox! You came!"
"Yeah, I'm here."
Given Fox's secretive identity, he rarely showed his face. Most Uzumaki didn't even know he existed—for good reason.
If they were ever captured and intel extracted from their corpses, Fox would be in grave danger.
Yuka took his hand. "Come with me. I've had a place ready for a long time—I've been waiting for you."
Through the rain, she led him to a massive tree. Behind the bushes, a hollow trunk formed a cozy den.
Inside, Yako found it clean and dry. A wooden bed stood neatly off the damp earth.
He had wanted to start slow, talk about their plans first. But sometimes, women moved faster than men.
That entire afternoon, Yako put every technique he knew to use—from localized Bronze Light hardening to hydration healing techniques that eased fatigue...
Yuka had grown stronger. She still matched him in endurance and skill.
Yako gave it everything—and then some. But in the end, he eked out the win, getting the first glimpse of Yuka utterly undone.
Now resting on his chest, Yuka traced circles with her finger.
Yako thought privately: Good thing White Porcelain didn't sense danger and reverse summon me mid-act... that would've been unbearable.
"Yuka," he asked, "how are the two Guardian Shinobi we rescued doing?"
"They were under control for a long time—physically weak. But they're recovering steadily. I think in three months, they'll be back at jōnin level." She looked at him worriedly.
"Will saving them cause trouble for you?"
Fox had secretly struck against Danzo and Root. If discovered, he'd be in deep danger.
"I'm the acting ANBU unit commander now," Yako said. "If Root ever catches the culprit, I might even be ordered to hunt him down myself."
"You got promoted to commander?" Yuka's eyes widened with admiration.
Fox had started as a simple undercover operative in ANBU… and now he was commanding a unit?
A true Senju prodigy—Konoha's placement of him had been flawless.
"Konoha's restructuring ANBU. Going forward, we'll be called squad captains—only four squads in total."
Yuka teased, "If you stay undercover any longer, you'll end up the ANBU Commander."
Yako chuckled. "If I ever become Commander, I'll pull some strings. I'll arrange for you to meet Princess Kushina."
Yuka's eyes sparkled. That was her greatest hope.
She clasped his hand. "Fox, promise me—you must be careful. Don't take risks.
We've adapted to this life.
Staying hidden in ANBU must be incredibly dangerous. I don't want you risking everything for us.
Konoha's higher-ups are powerful. They're not easy to deal with."
Yako gently caressed her smooth shoulder.
"The truth about the Uzumaki clan… only once I'm ANBU Commander will I have the power to expose it.
Until then, I'll build strength and gather evidence from the shadows.
Just like we uncovered Root's lab in Uzushio—I'll save as many of our people as I can."
A thought crossed his mind: once he returned to the village, he should visit Yakushi Nonō's orphanage.
She likely held classified intel on Root.
"Yuka, is the area around your hideout dangerous? Do you need help?"
She shook her head.
"Not for now.
Amegakure lost too much in the war. They don't have time to care about remote areas.
Iwagakure's still angry that Hanzo yielded to Konoha, so the border between the Land of Rain and the Land of Earth is full of tension.
Hanzo's overwhelmed. We're safe.
There are many summoning beast clans around our hideout too. They help alert us, even fight if needed."
The Uzumaki's advanced sealing techniques had allowed them to form contracts with many unique beasts.
Only a Tailed Beast was missing from their arsenal—then they would rival Kage-level forces.
Of course, Kushina's Nine-Tails didn't count. That was Konoha's forbidden treasure—off limits.
Yako said, "Keep a Giant Panda by your side—so you can reverse summon me here if needed.
Once I become an ANBU Squad Captain, I'll have more autonomy—less reactive, more strategic."
"Alright. I'll have White Glaze stay with me."
Unlike Yako, who sought partnership with the Giant Pandas, the Uzumaki typically commanded their summons directly.
They had too many to form close bonds with each one.
The Contract Seal ensured strict obedience anyway.
Yako said, "Yuka, I've been practicing the Self-Binding Curse Mark and discovered a shortcut. I can now activate it with a single seal.
Watch closely—I'll guide your chakra flow."
Yuka was astonished. Of course a Senju elite spy like Fox would improve such a complex technique.
She had deduced his identity long ago thanks to his mastery of sealing jutsu.
Following his guidance, her fingers traced the chakra route. She memorized it quickly, though her first attempt failed.
Yako reached out, guiding her hand directly along the correct path.
After a few tries, Yuka had the circulation down—she just needed more practice.
His fingers continued tracing… lower and lower.
"Huh? There's chakra flow there too? What kind of jutsu are you guiding me through?" Her face flushed red a moment later.
The second time they began with determination, but ended in total collapse.
After getting dressed, Yako made a hand seal to signal White Porcelain.
Hidden in the forest above Hokage Rock, White Porcelain activated the Reverse Summoning and brought Yako back to Konoha.
"I'll put together a few Earth Release techniques," he told the panda. "Let's see if you guys can learn them."
"Thanks," Porcelain replied before vanishing.
Yako glanced down at the scroll in his hand—Yuka's personal notes on sealing techniques.
She had entrusted him with her research.
He planned to study them carefully and enhance his own understanding of sealing.
But after just a few steps, he felt a soreness in his lower back and abdomen.
Too weak… he winced. She drained me dry.
Now, what excuse could he give Kyoi tonight?
Or should he just go to the Akimichi clan's secret apothecary and get some of that blue special tonic? Go all in?
Failing on just the second day back? Unacceptable.
No man should admit defeat.
He turned and headed straight for the Akimichi secret pharmacy.
So this is what peace feels like… No wonder everyone wants it.