When Konoha was first founded, Senju Hashirama and Uchiha Madara were the two strongest in the village.
Beneath them were Senju Tobirama, Sarutobi Sasuke, Hyūga Amanin, and others.
Facing Uchiha Madara, no matter who among the high command took the position of overall commander, they would be at a disadvantage in terms of presence.
With Orochimaru explicitly refusing, it seemed they could only choose Hatake Sakumo.
Yōkō's heart tightened; the situation was getting slightly out of control.
If Hatake Sakumo were allowed to command a war against Uchiha Madara, just as Orochimaru said, whether he won or lost, Hatake Sakumo would lose to some extent.
If he won, Hatake Sakumo would have solved a problem for the village leadership, but their opinion of him wouldn't change because of his performance.
If he lost, Hatake Sakumo's future would be over.
Yōkō assessed the situation: although Hatake Sakumo was powerful, against Uchiha Madara, he would most likely lose.
Just as Yōkō was feeling a headache coming on, he heard Sarutobi Hiruzen say: "The matter of Hatake Sakumo serving as overall commander will be discussed later."
Either they had the sword of Damocles that was Uchiha Madara hanging over their heads, or they let Hatake Sakumo become the overall commander. Both choices were troublesome for the higher-ups.
Yōkō breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed Sarutobi Hiruzen was more afraid of Hatake Sakumo gaining greater prestige by stepping over Uchiha Madara.
If Hatake Sakumo defeated Uchiha Madara, calling himself the Demigod of Shinobi probably wouldn't be an exaggeration.
On the way back to Konoha, Yōkō went behind Yellow Dog and began to sow discord:
"Battalion Commander, what about the progress of the Assassination Manual?
Root has suffered heavy losses, its codenamed members and newcomers have all died, and it's lost its functionality.
Advisor Danzo surely can't go to meet with all those spy handlers himself, can he?
Should we take this opportunity, using the reason that the Assassination Manual cannot be stopped, to demand the contact methods for some of the spy handlers?
Information is far more critical than assassination. Whoever masters information, the Anbu masters influence!"
Yellow Dog nodded repeatedly; Fox's judgment was extremely precise.
Whoever mastered intelligence, whoever mastered the spy network, the Anbu would master influence.
He said, "Fox, your suggestion is excellent. Attempting to master the spy network is the most important thing our Anbu should do.
There's no need to sympathize with Root. For Konoha to continue weakening the other villages according to the Assassination Manual, we must take control of the intelligence network. Even if we only control one enemy village's spy network, it would be a huge gain for us."
Yōkō thought to himself, Yellow Dog was now also proficiently mastering the 'For Konoha' narrative logic.
'For Konoha' was truly a universal excuse.
Everything I, Fox, am doing now, is it not also for Konoha?
If you can do it for Konoha, can't I do it for Konoha?
Returning to the village, Yōkō followed them to the Hokage's office.
Several higher-ups argued incessantly, still failing to reach a conclusion.
Finally, Yellow Dog began an internal investigation within the Sarutobi clan.
To Yōkō's regret, the Sarutobi clan's dirty laundry was not something he was allowed to participate in.
Really, I still have many plans laid out.
When Yellow Dog couldn't find out who Sarutobi Kanenosuke was, he would come to me.
Only I could find out who Sarutobi Kanenosuke was.
Late at night, White Crane carefully left the Anbu and hurried back to the Yamanaka clan grounds.
She was terrified the whole way.
The intelligence she had passed to Lord Danzo had actually caused Root to suffer heavy losses, with 5 Root ninja dead.
She was very afraid, unsure if Root would cause trouble for her.
With only Lord Danzo left in Root, it seemed they didn't have the energy to confront her over the intelligence.
Safely leaving the Forest of Death, White Crane let out a long sigh of relief.
Entering the village, she felt her whole body warm up a bit.
There weren't many pedestrians in Konoha late at night.
She felt some regret; should she have left the Anbu earlier today? It was a bit late now.
As she passed by a park, a sudden gust of wind blew.
"Who..."
Before the next word could leave her mouth, White Crane saw a Lynx mask!
White Crane was swept up by the gust and slammed against a large tree.
When she looked up, a hand was clutching at her throat.
To think it was Lynx conducting the intelligence reckoning with her!
It's over, I'm finished!
White Crane was left with nothing but despair.
Danzo was the Anbu Commander, and the Lynx squad was Commander Danzo's direct squad.
A higher-up like Danzo was a behemoth to her; even the Yamanaka clan couldn't defy Danzo's orders.
Her throat was tightly gripped by Lynx.
Lynx said, "White Crane, what exactly was the intelligence you got from Fox's squad!
You said there was a Uchiha Madara base in the Valley of the End. Where is it?
We searched carefully underground in the Valley of the End, aside from a collapsed cave crushed by an explosion, there was nothing!
Tell me! What intelligence did Fox get!"
The cave Lynx found was a decoy prepared in advance by Yōkō; there was nothing inside, just to make Yōkō's intelligence logically consistent.
White Crane said fearfully, "When I delivered the scroll to Purple Cat, I only had a very short time window. I opened the scroll and took a glance, and saw intelligence related to the Valley of the End written by Squad Leader Yak.
As for whether the intelligence was accurate, whether there really was a Uchiha Madara base under the Valley of the End, shouldn't Root have verified it first?
We learned this in the Ninja Academy: verify intelligence upon obtaining it to avoid it being false."
Lynx punched and shattered White Crane's mask, staring at her mouth:
"The master has placed the Cursed Tongue Eradication Seal on you, there's no need to waste words with you.
Come with me to see the master!
The master will naturally use the Cursed Tongue Eradication Seal to determine the truth of your words."
White Crane's eyes showed even greater terror.
Hearing Danzo's name, the wind around her seemed to grow colder and more sinister.
Especially since Danzo was currently in a state of rage.
But White Crane couldn't resist.
Originally, she was just an ordinary Yamanaka clan ninja, who had just formed a good team with an Ino–Shika–Chō squad, when she was suddenly named by the higher-ups and forced to undergo Root training.
Now, she was caught up in an extremely terrifying incident involving Danzo and Uchiha Madara.
Is there anyone who can help me...
"You're not coming, is that it?"
Lynx increased the pressure of his grip, about to drag White Crane away.
At that moment, a figure landed with a Body Flicker.
White Crane saw a Fox mask!
Yōkō grabbed Lynx's wrist, exerting force and making the bones in Lynx's wrist creak.
Lynx's hand had to loosen, releasing White Crane's throat.
Yōkō flung his hand, throwing Lynx into the distance.
After landing, Lynx was secretly shocked; why was Yōkō's strength so great?
It was somewhat like the super strength of those Senju clan ninja.
"Lynx, White Crane is my subordinate. What can your reach extend into my squad now?"
Under the Lynx mask, his brow furrowed deeply.
Fox was not someone to be trifled with.
Fox himself was very strong, and coupled with the trust of Yellow Dog and the Third Hokage, dealing with him—whether through direct confrontation or using authority—was difficult.
Seeing that Lynx didn't say a word and showed no intention of leaving, Yōkō said:
"White Crane is involved in an intelligence leak incident within the Fox Squad; she must come back with me for investigation.
It seems Lynx, you are also involved in the Fox Squad's intelligence leak.
Think about how you will explain this to Battalion Commander Yellow Dog and the Hokage-sama."
White Crane was about to speak, to say that Danzo had ordered her to spy on and collect intelligence from the Fox Squad. The moment this thought arose, the seal on her tongue activated, and she was already completely paralyzed, collapsing to the ground.
Yōkō reached out and grabbed the back of White Crane's collar.
Seeing this, Lynx said, "Lord Danzo is furious. You should think about how to explain to Lord Danzo why your intelligence contained such major problems first!"
"You stole my intelligence, and now you're questioning me?"
Lynx vanished with a Body Flicker.
Yōkō frowned and left with White Crane.
Along the way, White Crane was completely paralyzed. She really wanted to tell Fox Squad Leader that she was spying for Danzo.
However, whenever the thought arose in her heart, she would become paralyzed, her nervous system attacked by the seal.
Returning to the Anbu, Yōkō found Yellow Dog.
Yellow Dog was very confused when he saw Fox carrying White Crane into the office.
Yōkō said: "Battalion Commander Yellow Dog, I've found a pretext to force Advisor Danzo to give up the spy network!"
"What pretext?"
Yōkō placed White Crane on a chair, and Yellow Dog also came to the side of the chair.
Yellow Dog looked at White Crane's condition, very puzzled.
Yōkō explained: "Battalion Commander Yellow Dog, if I'm not mistaken, White Crane has been placed under the Cursed Tongue Eradication Seal!
I obtained intelligence and originally planned to assemble at least two squads to scout the Valley of the End.
But Root acted first because Root planted spies within our Anbu.
White Crane is one of those spies.
She was marked with the Cursed Tongue Eradication Seal and forced to pass intelligence to Danzo.
Battalion Commander Yellow Dog, I suspect there are other spies within the Anbu!"
Yellow Dog's eyes lowered, his expression under the mask grim.
He never thought Danzo would be so despicable as to plant spies even within the Anbu.
Yōkō said quietly: "Battalion Commander Yellow Dog, it's possible the Black Ant Squad also has Danzo's spies!"
The Black Ant Squad was the Third Hokage's direct squad, responsible for relaying his commands.
If the Black Ant Squad was infiltrated, what secrets would the Third Hokage have left?
Yellow Dog's eyes trembled, then he said, "Don't spread this matter for now. We'll investigate secretly, identify all the spies, and then go together to demand an explanation from the Hokage-sama.
If everyone acts like Danzo, how can the Anbu operate?
Might as well just mark the entire Anbu with the Cursed Tongue Eradication Seal and let Danzo run everything single-handedly!"
Just from Yōkō's knowledge, there were 5 Anbu members marked with the Cursed Tongue Eradication Seal: besides White Crane, 3 from the Black Ant Squad and 1 from the Golden Eagle Squad.
If the Hokage found out the Black Ant Squad were Danzo's spies, who knows if he would be furious.
Sarutobi Hiruzen had a temper, too; he certainly wouldn't be happy about being monitored by Danzo.
Yōkō said, "Battalion Commander Yellow Dog, I wonder where I can get the Cursed Tongue Eradication Seal? I want to try to break the seal, otherwise White Crane cannot cooperate with us."
Yellow Dog said, "After Princess Tsunade gave the Cursed Tongue Eradication Seal to Danzo, the Hokage-sama recorded this sealing technique in the village's Scroll of Seals.
This matter is of great importance. I know you have talent in sealing techniques. Wait half an hour, I'll go get this sealing technique for you."
He really was the Hokage's eldest son; he could just fetch a technique from the Scroll of Seals like that.
Half an hour later, Yellow Dog brought a scroll and handed it to Yōkō.
"This is the ninjutsu scroll for the Cursed Tongue Eradication Seal. Start researching this technique immediately, and find out all the spies Danzo planted in the Anbu!"
"Yes! Battalion Commander Yellow Dog!"
Taking White Crane back to the Fox Squad, the squad was empty at this time.
Yōkō laid White Crane horizontally on his desk.
White Crane pursed her lips, continuously sobbing.
Being threatened by Lynx, being carried by Fox, and placed before Yellow Dog, hearing them talk about making Danzo give up the spy network... she felt she had no dignity left.
Yōkō deliberately drew out his tone, saying slowly:
"You know nothing of the darkness.
White Crane, welcome to the shadows of Konoha Village.
This is just the beginning of your exposure to the cruel side of Konoha.
Konoha isn't just about the deep bonds of the Ino–Shika–Chō clans being like brothers; there is also endless darkness."
After White Crane had absorbed this truth, Yōkō continued:
"Don't be sad. You are Purple Cat's sister; from now on, you won't be under Danzo's control.
Battalion Commander Yellow Dog has already noticed you, and the Third Hokage won't let Danzo continue to harm the Anbu.
I will now study your seal and attempt to remove the Cursed Tongue Eradication Seal."
Hearing that her seal could be removed, hope ignited in White Crane's heart.
Many things weren't done by her own will; she was forced into them.
She looked at Fox Squad Leader with expectant, kitten-like eyes.
Yōkō untied White Crane's collar, exposing her neck and shoulders, and a small part of her chest.
Even with talent in sealing techniques, there had to be a research process.
All night, Yōkō, holding the ninjutsu scroll for the Cursed Tongue Eradication Seal, explored on White Crane's body.
Until dawn, he bit his finger and began drawing cursed seals with blood on White Crane's forehead, face, neck, shoulders, and chest.
The Cursed Tongue Eradication Seal was a blood curse; Danzo's blood was used during its application. Correspondingly, blood was also needed to remove the seal.
After forming hand signs, the blood-drawn curse patterns glowed red and began to writhe.
The curse patterns slowly crawled into Yamanaka Ryuu's mouth. Yamanaka Ryuu tasted a metallic in her mouth.
It took twenty minutes for Yōkō to carefully remove the seal.
On White Crane's tongue, the six lines of the Hexagram of Escape disappeared one by one.
He really was a sealing technique genius; after pretending to research all night, he had removed the seal.
As for whether Danzo would find out, Yōkō didn't care anymore.
Soon the Anbu would confront Danzo.
Danzo monitoring the Third Hokage through spies – Yōkō didn't believe the Third wouldn't be angry.
After completing everything, Yōkō breathed a sigh of relief and said, "Alright, White Crane, your seal is removed."
White Crane swallowed with difficulty and said, "Has the seal Danzo placed on me disappeared?"
"See, you can even say Danzo's name directly now. The seal is removed."
"Then... then what if Danzo and Lynx come for me later?"
Yōkō said: "Don't worry, I will shield you from the coming storm. Tell us about the other spies, and the Third Hokage-sama and Battalion Commander Yellow Dog will protect you."
Yamanaka Ryuu's eyes reddened again, this time not from pain and humiliation, but from relief and gratitude.
No wonder, no wonder her sister was so devoted to Fox Squad Leader. It turned out Fox could give her such a sense of security.
Her sister had borne a child for Fox, but when questioned by the family, she never said who the father was.
Just as Yōkō was about to leave, White Crane, Yamanaka Ryuu, suddenly grabbed Yōkō's hand.
"Don't go, please don't go."
Yamanaka Ryuu glanced towards Fox's side room and said: "I've smelled my sister's scent in there..."
Yōkō picked up Yamanaka Ryuu and walked towards his rest room.
A few minutes later, Yōkō gasped in amazement.
Purple Cat had light golden hair and skin so fair it seemed to glow, but her younger sister Yamanaka Ryuu was even more tender and delicate than Purple Cat.
Thus, the sisters' affection was of the same depth.
***
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(End of Chapter)