Inside the Anbu headquarters, in the changing area of the Fox Unit, only Yoru remained.
The empty room felt unusually quiet — he almost missed having Purple Cat around.
Yoru created a Shadow Clone, then lifted his mask slightly and activated his Sharingan.
He posed at different angles as if testing visibility, while his clone adjusted hand signals — showing him when the Sharingan could be seen and when the mask covered it.
After several trials, Yoru discovered something important:
When an enemy stood beyond a 30-degree angle from his field of vision, they couldn't see the crimson glow of his Sharingan at all.
He'd have to use it sparingly — the risk of exposure was too high.
The Uzumaki, Senju, and Uchiha clans all had spies within the Anbu — and, ironically, that same spy was one and the same person.
His Sharingan was still at the one-tomoe stage, but he already had the abilities of Eye of Insight and Eye of Hypnotism, just not as strong as a three-tomoe stage.
A few mornings later, Yoru woke up late, still tired from missions and sleepless nights. Since his return, the tavern had opened later than usual — Shokyo seemed distracted, her spirit dulled by the long war.
Before leaving, Yoru gave her his usual reminder: even if she wasn't a kunoichi anymore, she should keep her body trained.
He smiled faintly and stepped out into the morning light.
He bought a few white flowers and made his way to the Memorial Stone.
There were many new graves behind it — far too many. Yoru stood among them silently, scanning the rows. At this rate, even this sacred ground would soon be too small to hold the fallen.
The trees nearby would have to be cleared for space.
Following his squad's roster, he found the graves of White Ram, Leaf Monkey, and others.
He placed the white flowers down carefully.
He still felt a pang of guilt about White Ram — the man had once reported him to Captain Yellow Dog, but now that he was gone, it no longer mattered.
As for Leaf Monkey…
Was this the fourth one?
He couldn't remember. That mask name had the highest casualty rate in all of Anbu.
Anbu shinobi — they died quietly, without glory, without ceremony.
Most were outcasts of their clans or loners among the commoners. If Yoru died, perhaps only Purple Cat would bring him flowers. And that was only if she lived long enough to learn his real name after being promoted to Squad Captain.
Turning around, he saw two women dressed in black near the front of the memorial:
Lady Hanaki Senju and Princess Tsunade.
Around Tsunade's neck hung the First Hokage's necklace — a glint of history and sorrow.
They stood before the grave of Dan Kato.
His name and photo were carved clearly on the headstone.
As Yoru passed them, he couldn't help glancing at Tsunade — a proud woman crying softly, her shoulders trembling. Her grief was raw and human.
Her life had been one long tragedy of rise and fall. Born the granddaughter of the First Hokage, pampered since childhood, trained personally by the Second Hokage, who appointed Hiruzen Sarutobi as her sensei.
But with the Second Hokage's death, everything changed. The Senju Clan— loyal to the ideals of the First and Second — had fought valiantly in the first two Great Ninja Wars, always the first to charge, the last to retreat. Their numbers dwindled with every conflict.
Then her younger brother, Nawaki, was killed by an explosion — breaking her completely.
The woman who had once been the strongest of the Leaf cried beside his body for days.
During the Nine-Tails' Re-Sealing Night, Tsunade had been stationed on the front lines.
Her grandmother, Mito Uzumaki, her father Rinmu Senju, and her mother — all perished that night by the beast's claws.
And then came Dan's death.
Now Tsunade buried her face in her hands and sobbed — shoulders shaking, heart undone.
Lady Hanaki glanced at the young man who had passed by, silently hoping he would leave quickly to give Tsunade privacy.
He bowed slightly, then moved on, leaving the two women alone by the stone.
After Tsunade's tears finally quieted, Hanaki spoke softly:
"Tsunade… there's something I've kept from you. In my original plan, you were meant to be the bridge between our clan and the village leadership. No matter how bad things became, as long as you stood between them, they'd never turn completely against us.
There were many secrets within the clans I only ever shared with Dan. Now that he's gone… the Senju are at their weakest. I can't keep hiding things from you anymore."
Tsunade wiped her eyes, her hands glowing with green medical chakra, healing the redness and swelling.
Her expression hardened once more.
"Tell me everything, Aunt. I already have my suspicions."
Hanaki explained how she believed the Uzumaki Clan's extermination and the Nine-Tails' rampage were connected — that a hidden faction within the village leadership had deliberately targeted the Senju.
Tsunade listened silently, then turned toward the Hokage Monument.
The stone faces of the First and Second Hokage gazed eternally over the village.
"It's unforgivable," Tsunade said bitterly. "They'd harm their own comrades for power… and we Senju, who can't bring ourselves to strike back, suffer for it.
Aunt, start recalling our clan's shinobi from the front lines. Train them in medical ninjutsu. Until we uncover the truth, no more reckless fighting.
The Leaf has changed — this isn't the village our forefathers built. But… we can't abandon it either. The village was born from the Senju's will.
We'll channel our strength into healing instead of killing. I'll find out who's behind this. Don't worry, I won't act recklessly. I'll survive — and carry on their dreams."
If things had followed the original timeline, Tsunade would soon develop her fear of blood and abandon the Leaf entirely until after the Third Hokage's death.
But now, with Hanaki still alive and the Senju still standing, there was hope.
No matter how deep her pain ran, Tsunade would fight on — for her clan, and for their legacy.
The full moon rose — bright and white as polished silver.
Yoru exhaled deeply; the tension of the month finally lifted.
It had been exhausting: Uchiha Madara, Kato Dan, and Danzo all in one cycle. He was amazed he'd survived it.
Then came a summons — Captain Yellow Dog wanted to see him.
"Fox," Hound said, "we have a new mission. We're accompanying Lord Danzo the Hidden Rain Village.
He's scheduled to meet Hanzo the Salamander for an important negotiation. The meeting was delayed for a month due to Uchiha Madara's interference.
From what intelligence shows, Hanzo and the Rain village don't truly wish for prolonged war.
Orochimaru's unit has been operating in the Land of Rain, and yet the Rain-nin haven't organized a decisive battle.
Lord Danzo believes Hanzo can be persuaded — with the right offer.
Hanzo went to war because Onoki of the Stone promised him great benefits.
The Leaf plans to give up part of its Land of Rivers mission territory in exchange for peace.
We depart for the Land of Rain in a few days. Your job will be to assist and gather intelligence on Hanzo's movements."
Yoru nodded. Another battlefield.
He thought to himself, Hiruzen Sarutobi is becoming more and more a politician — always seeking compromise to maintain balance.
In the ninja world, weakness is the original sin.
The current Hokage and his council lacked the overwhelming might of the First and Second.
To keep the peace, they traded away the Leaf's strength piece by piece — maintaining only an illusion of glory.
A few days later, Yoru joined Danzo Shimura at the forward camp in the Land of Grass, where he finally reunited with his Anbu squad.