Nothing happened during the night, so Yako put on a mask and wandered through taverns and bathhouses, quietly spreading rumors.
Drunk people, dizzy and unfocused, were the easiest targets for genjutsu.
Inside the Konoha Police Force, six out of every ten crimes were excused with the same phrase: loss of control after drinking. Life was too bitter; alcohol was the only way to numb it.
"Have you heard? One of the Legendary Sannin, Jiraiya, finally returned to the village."
"Returned? Where was he before? Some secret mission?"
"He didn't show up during the war. Did he even fight? Feels like no one's seen him for nearly three years."
"I heard Hanzo defeated him, and he stayed in the Land of Rain training their ninja."
"Bullshit! How could Lord Jiraiya be beaten into submission? And train Rain ninja?"
"That's nothing—I heard he's already the principal of the Hidden Rain Academy!"
The rumors grew increasingly absurd.
Within the rumors, becoming a missing-nin was the lightest accusation against Jiraiya.
During the Second Shinobi World War, both the Land of Rivers and Uzushio battlefields had seen him vanish completely.
For someone so important—so famous—his disappearance naturally left civilians and ordinary shinobi confused.
Mount Myoboku.
Jiraiya reclined against a rock, half-slumped. A low table sat before him, crowded with empty sake bottles.
Looking at the dejected man, Elder Fukasaku said, "Jiraiya, pull yourself together. Sarutobi Hiruzen will eliminate the impact of those rumors. A few rumors mean nothing to a Hokage."
If Yako stopped spreading rumors, they would naturally fade away.
And if another scandal appeared, public attention would shift immediately.
Soon enough, a new explosive story spread—Sarutobi Yama, a playboy from the Sarutobi clan, had refused to marry a widowed woman from the Nara clan. The scandal spread like wildfire and quickly overshadowed the rumors about Jiraiya.
Jiraiya sighed.
"I know. Sensei already ordered ANBU's Fox to deal with the rumors. Fox… Fox is one of ANBU's elite squad leaders. He'll resolve it soon.
"I hate ANBU methods… yet now I have to rely on them."
Fukasaku nodded.
"You still must continue searching for the Child of Prophecy foretold by the Great Toad Sage.
"This setback means nothing. Finding and raising the child who will change the shinobi world—that is what truly matters.
"This is the understanding between Mount Myoboku and Sarutobi Hiruzen. Mount Myoboku fights for Konoha, and you help us find the Child of Prophecy.
"You stayed in the Land of Rain for nearly three years—we bear responsibility as well. My apologies.
"When the rumors end, perhaps search for the Child of Prophecy within Konoha?"
Fukasaku's expression darkened.
"In the Great Toad Sage's new prophecy, the future of the shinobi world has grown even darker. He does not know where things went wrong.
"We need the Child of Prophecy now more than ever."
Jiraiya let out a long breath.
"I'm preparing to leave Konoha. For now… I can't stay here. Maybe the next war will completely change how people see me.
"I heard there are a few talented youths in Konoha… but I'm not ready to see them now."
At the Ninja Academy, Namikaze Minato, six months away from graduation, had no idea his fate had just changed forever.
————
The full moon hung like a silver disk in the sky.
This was the final full moon of Konoha Year 40.
In fifteen days, the New Year would arrive.
Wearing a mask, Yako entered Tsurugetsu Tavern, carrying a bag of dango.
Saka, the employee hired by Kyoi, finished wiping a table and smiled.
"Mr. Miqū, welcome back!"
Saka was an orphan without chakra talent. She had failed to enter the Ninja Academy and worked odd jobs around the village.
"Yeah, I'm back."
She had worked at the tavern for over a month but rarely saw the owner, Mr. Miqū.
He frequently left the village for missions.
Yako stepped into the backyard to see Kyoi.
Since becoming pregnant, her expression had softened noticeably.
The past she carried—life in the Hidden Stone Village, the pressure of espionage—had faded away.
Seeing the dango he brought back, she smiled happily.
Yako chatted with her for a while, then took out one million ryō, telling her not to worry about money. He could always earn more through missions.
That night, Yako arrived at the ANBU base.
He opened a scroll cabinet and found Konoha's defense deployment records.
Unrolling it, he studied the defensive layout of the Hokage Tower.
Now that he possessed the Mayfly Technique, it was time to pay a visit to the Scroll of Seals.
Every jutsu within was S-rank forbidden techniques. Aside from Multiple Shadow Clone, any single technique would be a massive gain.
Yako frowned.
One line of information caught his eye—the Second Hokage had installed a surveillance barrier within the Hokage Tower.
The Scroll of Seals was stored in the Hokage Tower rather than the Sarutobi clan compound. Clearly, the tower's defenses far exceeded those of the clan estate.
After reading for a while, Yako summoned Purple Cat.
He wanted to check whether the Fox Squad had recently carried out any guard missions for the Hokage Tower.
Maybe updated intelligence existed in those mission reports.
Purple Cat entered his office.
Yako pulled her into his arms, seating her on his lap. Just as his hands began to wander, she grabbed his wrist.
A sudden sense of unease rose in his chest.
Hmm?
Purple Cat removed her mask.
Beneath her pale golden hair, her face appeared unusually fair.
Like a kitten exposing its soft belly in trust, she shed her disguise.
She removed Yako's mask as well, revealing the covering beneath.
Pressing her forehead against his, Yamanaka Ruri whispered,
"I'm pregnant…"
All thoughts of investigating the Hokage Tower vanished.
Yako stared at her in shock.
He removed his face covering and kissed her soft lips.
"Ruri, don't overexert yourself around the New Year. Rest properly."
Purple Cat cupped his handsome face, studying him carefully.
In the dark underground ANBU base, two young people leaned against each other.
War, death, injury—those cruel realities were held back, if only briefly, by warmth.
"Ruri, I'll have White Ram temporarily take over as my assistant."
"No," she said calmly. "I'm a ninja. Even if I'm pregnant, handling simple paperwork isn't a problem.
"But I won't be able to accompany you outside the village on missions anymore."
"Next year, I'll reduce long-term missions outside the village. I'll stay with you more."
And silently, he added, 'all of you.'
A sudden wave of worry rose in his heart. If all his women were pregnant… what was he supposed to do?
'Couldn't you at least stagger it… take turns… give this burning fire somewhere to go…'
Purple Cat suddenly flushed red.
"Fox… I heard that after three months it's fine. Right now it's only been one and a half months—you'll need to endure for another month and a half…"
Yako laughed softly.
"I knew you couldn't endure either. But your health and the child come first."
With the care of the Yamanaka clan, there shouldn't be any problems.
A cold glint flashed in Yako's eyes.
White Crane Yamanaka Ruri was troublesome. He would need to be cautious around her.
After chatting a while longer, Yako began reviewing the squad's mission reports.
Recently, the Fox Squad had not carried out any guard missions for the Hokage Tower.
Security there was primarily handled by the Black Ant Squad and the Golden Eagle Squad.
The Fox Squad had become ANBU's foremost strike force—whenever elite jonin or even Kage-level enemies appeared, Yellow Dog always turned to them first.
The full moon had just passed.
Yako decided he would act before the next full moon—around the fourteenth day of the first month next year.
After leaving ANBU, he thought,
'I'll go check on Number Six. Number Six won't reject me too, right?'
Using the Mayfly Technique, he infiltrated near the orphanage—then used the Body Flicker Technique to slip inside.