Over ten days later, an Uzumaki kunoichi burst into the secluded rainforest, running and crying out in panic.
"Yuka! Yuka! Something terrible's happened!"
Yuka jumped down from her treehouse.
The other Uzumaki women rushed over, alarmed by the desperate cries.
After just a few words, the women all collapsed into the mud, weeping in the rain.
Only Uzumaki Yuka remained standing, trembling as she tilted her head toward the sky.
Tears streamed down her face, blending with the cold rain as they dripped into the muddy earth beneath her feet.
The young leader of the Senju Clan—Senju Nawaki—was dead.
The Fox—Yagami—had infiltrated the Anbu as a spy for the Senju.
He had already discovered the truth and even sent a warning ahead of time.
And yet… Nawaki still died.
The Hidden Stone Village had claimed responsibility, proudly declaring that they had assassinated the Senju heir—
the brightest genius the Hidden Leaf had seen in ten years—
as retribution for the trap set at Mount Niuhe.
But Nawaki had been under the personal protection of someone as experienced as Orochimaru.
How could a mere assassination squad from the Hidden Stone have succeeded?
Only now did Yuka finally understand why the Fox had insisted she not reveal the truth to the Senju Clan just yet.
After the death of Lord Tobirama, the Hidden Leaf had grown cold and unfamiliar,
everything had changed.
The Uzumaki had angered the village when they proposed making Princess Kushina the next jinchūriki of the Three-Tails,
and Uzumaki clan was ruthlessly abandoned by the Leaf's higher-ups.
Now the Senju were facing the same fate.
Their opposition in the matter of the next Nine-Tails jinchūriki had brought misfortune upon them as well.
The Leaf's leadership could no longer tolerate dissent.
The village had become a dictatorship—only the voices of the elders mattered.
Even if the Senju dared to question them, they would be struck down in dark without mercy.
This Hidden Leaf… belonged to Hiruzen Sarutobi and Danzo Shimura.
It was no longer the village it once was.
...
After leaving Uzumaki Yuka, Yagami regrouped with his team in the Land of Rain.
"Captain! Are you alright?" Purple Cat rushed forward anxiously.
When she'd seen her Fox Captain captured by a giant Yatagarasu, she had nearly panicked.
Now she circled him carefully, checking for injuries.
"I'm fine," Yagami said calmly. "I was caught by the summon beast of the remaining Uzumaki,
but I also obtained valuable intelligence from them.
Let's move. We're heading back to the main camp in the Land of Grass to report what we've learned."
They had only made it halfway when shocking news swept across the Land of Rain.
Even ordinary villagers had heard of it—
the young genius of the Leaf, heir of the Senju Clan, had been killed.
The Hidden Stone loudly took credit for it, boasting that they were the ones who slew the Senju heir.
Yagami immediately understood—
this was Ōnoki polishing his own reputation.
Of course Ōnoki wanted Nawaki dead. He wanted every young prodigy of the Leaf destroyed.
But sending too small a unit wouldn't have worked—Orochimaru himself was guarding Nawaki.
Sending too many troops, however, would have drawn attention from the Leaf's frontline camp,
and the skirmish could have escalated into a full-scale battle with even heavier losses.
Yagami could already see the truth.
Captain Yellow Dog of the Anbu, furious after learning that frontline Senju shinobi had made contact with surviving Uzumaki,
disguised himself as a Stone ninja and personally set a trap.
Frontline Commander Mitokado Homura had assigned Nawaki's squad a custom mission—
and Captain Yellow Dog knew every detail of it.
He set the trap along their route… and blew Nawaki to pieces.
The one who designed that trap had skill nearly equal to Orochimaru himself.
Even with Yagami's earlier warning, Nawaki's death had been inevitable.
Yagami had personally reassigned the mission involving the tracking spear "White Heron" to divert Nawaki from being used as bait—
because being the bait meant certain death.
When he returned to the front-line camp, Yagami saw Orochimaru and Jiraiya standing on either side of a mourning tent.
Inside, Tsunade knelt on the ground, sobbing beside the body.
Nawaki had been dead for days, but Tsunade still refused to leave his side.
Outside, Orochimaru leaned stiffly against a wooden post, his eyes half-lidded and unreadable.
Jiraiya glared at him with fury—Orochimaru had likely said something cruel again.
But Yagami knew Nawaki's death had shaken Orochimaru more than he let on.
He was far from indifferent.
There were other bodies inside the tent as well—many of them Senju shinobi from the front lines.
A bit of quiet inquiry told Yagami that both the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, and Danzo Shimura had come to the front.
During a small tactical meeting, Tsunade—still consumed with grief—made a furious proposal:
every squad should include at least one medical ninja.
"If Nawaki's team had even one proper medic," she had said bitterly,
"he might still be alive."
The two Sarutobi and Shimura subordinates assigned to Nawaki's squad were nothing but useless burdens,
forcibly planted there by the higher-ups to "foster camaraderie."
It was said Nawaki's trap had been a two-layer explosive tag.
The first blast sent a bundle of tags up to waist height—
the second detonation went off midair, shredding his body and scattering his organs.
Captain Yellow Dog's craftsmanship had indeed been exquisite.
Among all the jōnin, only Dan Katō supported Tsunade's proposal.
Their bond deepened after Nawaki's death—Dan became one of her few emotional pillars.
Amidst the chaos, Yagami made his way to the Anbu tent.
Inside, he found Danzo and Captain Yellow Dog waiting.
He stepped forward and bowed.
"Lord Danzo, Captain," Yagami reported, "I've gathered intel—
the surviving Uzumaki are moving erratically between the Lands of Rain and Grass.
Their trail is extremely difficult to track."
He then lowered his head and waited for a response.
Captain waved his hand. "You may go."
Yagami bowed once more and exited.
Outside, the Anbu stationed around the tent stood unnaturally stiff.
It felt as if Danzo had just unleashed one of his infamous tirades.
Killing Nawaki had been a desperate measure.
Captain Yellow Dog had made a grave mistake—
allowing the surviving Uzumaki to make contact with the Senju heir forced the Anbu's hand.
Before the Nine-Tails' transfer sealing, they had to act swiftly—cut off all loose ends.
The cost was enormous.
If Orochimaru or Tsunade ever learned the truth, the consequences would be catastrophic.
And behind Nawaki stood the powerful Senju Clan itself.
That night, Yagami's team was on guard duty outside Danzo's tent.
He noticed Orochimaru approaching silently and entering inside.
Yagami perked his ears, trying to listen.
After ten minutes, he still heard nothing—
a sound barrier had clearly been erected to prevent eavesdropping.
Inside, Orochimaru's vertical pupils locked onto Danzo.
Danzo's expression was as impassive as ever—no trace of guilt betrayed the fact that he had ordered Nawaki's death.
After a long silence, Orochimaru finally spoke.
"Human life is so fragile… Lord Danzo.
I had such high hopes for my disciple, Nawaki.
Who would have thought that a few simple explosive tags could end his life so easily?
Those traps were ingenious—so much so that even I might have fallen victim to them.
Unbelievable craftsmanship.
When did the Hidden Stone acquire such an expert in explosive traps?
Their control of detonation timing was… impeccable.
Nawaki's potential far surpassed mine.
It's a shame… such a waste."
He paused, then continued coldly:
"Lord Danzo, I accept the suggestion you once proposed to me—
we will begin research into transplants, augmentations, and modifications of the human body…
for the sake of the Hidden Leaf."