Freed from its restraints, the Five-Tails continued its desperate escape in a frenzy of rage.
The horse-like leg that had been severed began regenerating under the influence of Tailed Beast chakra. Bone grew first, then muscle, and finally a new hoof.
Hatake Sakumo used the Body Flicker Technique once more, appearing directly in front of the Five-Tails.
Another strike followed.
"White Fang Chain Blades!"
The flash of Sakumo's blade cut through the air, and once again the Five-Tails' leg was severed.
Kitsuchi frowned as he looked toward the White Fang of Konoha.
The smoother this cooperation felt right now, the more troublesome it would be once they became enemies again.
He slammed both hands against the ground and unleashed the Mountain Technique once more.
The hundred-meter-wide earth-style hemisphere slammed shut toward the center, trapping the fallen Five-Tails again.
Yamashiro saw Kitsuchi maintaining the technique with both hands pressed to the ground and cast a quick glance at Hayama Shirakumo.
Shirakumo immediately understood.
Their mission was to prevent the Five-Tails from destroying the tribes of the Land of Grass.
But that didn't mean they could allow the Stone shinobi to seal it so easily.
Minato noticed the subtle shift immediately. Yamashiro's toes had angled toward the Stone shinobi.
Minato quietly grasped the chakra-metal short blade behind his back.
If he managed to complete his Wind Release chakra crystallization, what kind of sword technique could he create?
Kitsuchi's frown deepened.
Not because the Five-Tails was struggling.
But because Hatake Sakumo stood too close.
Barely fifty meters away.
At that distance, Sakumo's blade arcs could take his head within a second or two.
Sakumo swept his gaze across the Stone shinobi, carefully noting every position.
He was calculating.
From what angle should the first strike fall to kill the greatest number of enemies?
"Wait."
Sakumo suddenly raised his hand, stopping all the Konoha shinobi.
Everyone followed his line of sight and looked upward.
Descending along the direction of the sun—
—was a small figure falling from the sky.
"Dust Release: Detachment of the Primitive World Technique!"
Hatake Sakumo felt genuine relief.
Ōnoki's first target was the Five-Tails—not them.
"Withdraw!" Sakumo ordered immediately.
The group retreated at once.
From a safe distance, Sakumo observed the battlefield through binoculars.
With Ōnoki's Dust Release entering the battle, even the Five-Tails couldn't endure.
After two blasts of Dust Release, the Five-Tails' five tails were completely destroyed, leaving the beast severely wounded.
Sakumo lowered the binoculars.
His White Fang blade arcs had already reached the destructive peak of Lightning Release-level power. With enough strikes he could also sever the Five-Tails' tails.
But not as effortlessly as Ōnoki.
Lowering the binoculars, Sakumo spoke calmly.
"Let's go."
"The mission is complete."
"The Five-Tails will be sealed. We've fulfilled the Daimyō's commission."
Ōnoki slowly descended toward the ground.
Kitsuchi looked surprised.
"Tsuchikage-sama! Why are you here?"
"Luckily you arrived. Otherwise sealing the Five-Tails in front of Konoha's White Fang would have been extremely difficult."
Ōnoki watched the distant figures of Sakumo and the Konoha team shrink into black dots before disappearing beyond the horizon.
Then he spoke to Kitsuchi.
"After signing the mission scroll, I kept feeling something about this mission was strange."
"The intelligence source was a Konoha spy planted in our village."
"That spy had been lurking in Iwagakure for over a decade—personally placed there by Danzo."
Ōnoki snorted.
"Would Danzo really be so kind as to sell out Konoha's White Fang?"
"The Konoha shinobi I hate most is Danzo."
Kitsuchi blinked.
"Why do you hate him so much?"
Ōnoki sighed.
"Why?"
"Because I don't have someone like Danzo at my side."
"If Iwagakure could produce someone like Danzo, I'd laugh in my sleep."
After thinking for a moment, he continued.
"Konoha's ANBU commander, Yellow Dog, is just an average second-generation shinobi."
"But according to the spy's intelligence, the ANBU vice-commander—Fox—is practically the next Danzo."
"He might even be stronger than Danzo was at the same age."
Ōnoki clicked his tongue.
"It's infuriating."
"People like Danzo—Sarutobi Hiruzen not only has one…"
"He has two."
In the pouring rain of the Land of Rain, Yako received an intelligence briefing delivered by an ANBU hawk.
The report stated that Hatake Sakumo had successfully completed the mission in the Land of Grass and preserved the Daimyō's mission quota.
Yako closed the finger-sized scroll.
Finally finished.
He could rewind time once to help Sakumo.
But he couldn't keep doing it endlessly.
There was no such thing as guarding against thieves forever.
As he was thinking, Yako suddenly felt a signal from contract chakra.
After dismissing the Antelope squad, Yako immediately responded to the reverse summoning.
White smoke dissipated.
Yako appeared inside a palace.
Chisa?
Yako had assumed Uzumaki Yuka was the one summoning him.
When Chisa saw Fox appear, the anxiety on her face eased immediately.
Ignoring the rainwater dripping from his cloak, she rushed forward and threw herself into Fox's arms.
Before she reached him, Yako swiftly removed his cloak and caught her with the dry lining underneath.
"What's wrong, Chisa?" he asked.
"Fox!" Chisa said urgently. "The Crown Prince is trying to drive me and my son away! I don't know what to do!"
She tilted her head upward, peering through the eyeholes of Fox's mask, searching for reassurance in his eyes.
Yako's gaze darkened.
A flash of killing intent appeared—and vanished just as quickly.
"The Crown Prince?"
"Your brother's son?"
"Yes," Chisa replied.
"My older brother—the Daimyō—is more than ten years older than me."
"I control three large hydroelectric power stations in the Land of Rivers."
"I also control the construction techniques and craftsmen needed to build them."
"The Crown Prince has never been able to do anything about that, because my brother trusts me deeply."
"But ever since our son, Naito, was born..."
(T/N: Koji Naito.)
"He began investigating him."
Chisa's voice trembled slightly.
"I've received word that he plans to offer a huge bounty to find Naito's father."
"He wants to publicly search for the child's father to humiliate me."
"I can stall for a day or two—but not much longer."
"The Crown Prince's influence is growing rapidly."
Yako's killing intent surged again.
This was going too far.
Want the hydroelectric stations?
Understandable.
Wealth and influence—everyone wants them.
But what's this about looking for me?
If you can't find me—
are you planning to find my son some random father?
Yako asked quietly,
"What does your brother think?"
Chisa shook her head bitterly.
"That's the problem."
"My brother has fallen seriously ill."
"Recently he's been extremely weak and frequently unconscious."
"He's stopped handling state affairs."
"The Crown Prince has gained the support of Guardian Captain Mitokado Etsu."
"Inside the Capital, they've become increasingly aggressive."
"Mitokado Etsu is the son of Konoha's advisor Mitokado Homura."
"He's investing in the Crown Prince—supporting him to replace my brother as the next Daimyō."
With the backing of his father, Mitokado Etsu held the lucrative position of Guardian Captain of the Land of Rivers.
As for his strength—
he had some.
But not much.
"Chisa, don't worry."
"I'll handle it."
Yako spoke calmly.
"It's just a Daimyō's son and a Guardian Captain."
Chisa quickly shook her head.
"Fox, if it were only the Crown Prince, I could deal with him myself."
"Even with the Guardian Captain involved, I could still stall for some time."
"I know you're busy. Your missions are dangerous."
"The real problem is..."
She hesitated.
"I've heard that Konoha's advisor, Mitokado Homura, will soon arrive in the Capital."
"The Daimyō of the Land of Grass intends to shift allegiance toward the Land of Earth and Iwagakure."
"To preserve Konoha's mission quotas, Mitokado Homura has been visiting the various allied nations."
"The Land of Rivers is his final stop."
"When he arrives here and supports the Crown Prince..."
"I won't be able to resist at all."
"Mitokado Homura..."
Seeing Fox fall silent in thought, Chisa grew nervous.
Fox shouldn't fear the Guardian Captain.
But Mitokado Homura was a Konoha advisor.
Both his status and his strength made him extremely difficult to oppose.
Yako, however, wasn't afraid of Mitokado Homura.
Instead—
a plan had just formed in his mind.
He had spent enormous effort helping Hatake Sakumo overcome that crisis.
And what did Sakumo receive?
An S-rank mission reward.
Nothing else.
It felt like a story with a grand beginning and a weak ending.
Sakumo might be satisfied.
Yako wasn't.
After all—
the one who had paid the greatest price was Yako.
He had wasted an entire month on time reversal.
That level of selflessness didn't suit him.
Advisors...
were determined by strength.
Yako said calmly,
"It's fine, Chisa."
"With me here, these are just minor problems."
"Delay them for now."
"When Mitokado Homura arrives in the Capital..."
"I'll solve everything at once."
Chisa visibly relaxed after hearing Fox's reassurance.
Yako adjusted her glasses gently.
"I'm currently on a mission in the Land of Rain. I can't stay away too long."
"When Mitokado Homura is about to arrive, notify me immediately."
"I'll resolve the Crown Prince's problem completely."
"Alright."
Yako pulled his cloak back on.
With reverse summoning, he returned to the endless rain of the Land of Rain.
After some time, the Antelope squad regrouped with him.
They had found nothing.
Ironstag shook the mud from his boots and asked,
"Sir... when will we finally find the rogue organization of Uchiha Madara?"
"You should be grateful you haven't," Yako replied calmly.
"Uchiha Madara likes to talk trash before fighting."
"If you're lucky, you might run a few steps while he's boasting."
"Sarutobi Kanosuke's Five Elements Great Barrage requires Shadow Clones and preparation time."
"You might survive a few extra seconds."
"But if you encounter Spiral Zetsu..."
"You're dead."
"His Mangekyō techniques activate instantly."
The four members of the squad exchanged uneasy glances.
After thoroughly frightening them, Yako continued casually,
"I sent you out in pairs to investigate so our mission report would be longer."
"Maintain the proper attitude."
"The mission might fail—but the report must be long."
"Rest for thirty minutes."
"Then head out again."
"Search the area for intelligence we can include in the report."
Yako thought to himself:
Spiral Zetsu had just awakened his Mangekyō.
Wouldn't he want to test it in real combat?
For example—
killing a high-ranking Konoha official?
If Mitokado Homura died to White Zetsu's Mangekyō...
the village wouldn't suspect Yako, would they?
After the break, the Antelope squad split into pairs again and set out.
Within this squad, Antelope and Ironstag had followed Yako for a long time.
The other two were new recruits.
New members required long testing—both for strength and loyalty.
That was assuming they lived long enough to pass Yako's evaluation.
Once they passed—
he would brand them with the Ten Seal, his hidden trump card, allowing their strength to grow rapidly.
During this period, Yako would frequently send the Antelope squad away.
That way he could secretly travel to the Land of Rivers.
The full moon hung like a silver plate in the sky.
A new night of the full moon had finally arrived.
Yako leaned against a wall within the Ōkura Temple, removing his rain-soaked hood.
Mitokado Homura would soon arrive in the Capital of the Land of Rivers.
Next—
it was time to deal with the troubles surrounding Chisa.