The capital of the Land of Grass was unique; it was the only capital with a shifting location. Every year, it migrated along with the pastures, resembling a massive mobile encampment of sprawling tents.
After listening to Yuka Uzumaki's intelligence summary and learning that the target would depart at dawn, Yagami looked at her White Ghost mask.
"I'll handle things from here," he said. "You just need to wait for me at a distance. Yuka, give me your mask. I'll wear the White Ghost mask of the Uzumaki to deliver the first strike against the Shimura."
Yuka removed the mask and handed it to him. Kaicho noticed that beneath the Fox mask, Yagami wore another cloth face covering; his features remained a complete mystery. Putting on the White Ghost mask, Yagami's aura shifted instantly, becoming more sinister and jagged.
An hour later.
Tan Shimura, a Special Jonin, along with two Chunin from the same clan, left the capital and set off on the road back to the village.
"Tan-aniki, once we're back, you'll be promoted to Jonin. Our clan will have another powerhouse!"
"Aniki, do you want to be a Guardian Shinobi? I think they look so imposing—even the Daimyo has to listen to them."
The two followers flattered the young talent leading them, who was currently basking in his own success.
"Don't speculate," Tan Shimura said. "My assignment after the promotion is up to the Clan Head. Honestly, I'd like to join the ANBU or Root, but since the ANBU downsizing, they aren't lacking people. It's a 'one out, one in' system, which is a hassle."
The trio moved quickly. In the distance, the sun had already crested the horizon. Tan's peripheral vision was caught by a glint of light. Beside the road was a puddle of water, reflecting the morning rays. The grass here was lush and the water plentiful; the capital wouldn't be moving for several months.
Just as the three of them stepped past the puddle, a sharp whistle cut through the air!
Tan turned in horror to see a figure in a black hooded cloak and a White Ghost mask appear instantly through a Body Flicker! The figure materialized at his side, driving a kunai deep into his flank.
'What level of Body Flicker is this?!'
Most of the kunai sank into Tan's side; he was already heavily wounded. After the successful strike, the "White Ghost" leaped back, forming hand signs mid-air.
Tan's eyes widened. Those signs... wasn't that the signature jutsu of the Sarutobi clan, the Fire Dragon Flame Bullet?
After seven signs, Yagami unleashed the technique. A towering dragon of flame erupted. Tan desperately formed signs for a Wind Style counter, but high-temperature fire disturbs airflow—their Wind Style was naturally countered by the intensity of the heat.
'Why is someone trying to kill me?'
One Fire Style against three Wind Styles, yet the fire held the upper hand. Yagami continuously poured chakra into the technique. The flames shifted from orange-red to a searing brilliant white, its power surging.
The two Shimura Chunin were initially shocked that someone would dare an assassination, then looked to Tan for a reversal. Tan was about to be a Jonin; with his strength...
Their eyes instantly filled with terror. Why was Tan's Wind Style retreating so pathetically before the assassin's fire?
Despair took root. There had been rumors in the clan that Tan lacked the actual strength for the promotion, but they hadn't believed it. The Hokage himself had approved the exam; what could be wrong? They realized too late that before a true expert, a wounded Tan Shimura had no power to fight back.
The flames dissipated, the heat cooled, and three charred corpses lay on the grass.
Yagami shook his head. The Shimura were too greedy. This man didn't have the strength of a Jonin at all; even among Special Jonin, he was only mid-to-high tier, not even top-level. Between the Water Flicker ambush and the fire suppression, there had been almost no resistance.
When talent doesn't match the position, promoting such a person is a disaster for other leaf ninja. Look at this—he'd already gotten two of his own clan's Chunin killed.
Yagami threw three kunai, shattering the brittle skulls of the victims.
'So, after a high-heat roast, human heads become quite fragile,' he noted.
Two hours later, a nomadic herder riding toward the capital was startled by three black shapes by the road. He stopped to look, thinking they were cocoons. Then he realized: they were charred humans.
He raced to the capital and reported to the samurai. Soon, Shimura Kofei, the captain of the Daimyo's guardians, appeared beside the corpses with several subordinates.
"Who did this?! Who did this?!"
Given the timing and height, these were clearly Tan Shimura's group. Kofei examined the scene. The most obvious trace was the clash between three Wind Styles and one massive Fire Style. However, the assassin's fire had been overwhelmingly powerful.
In the shinobi world, almost all Fire Style masters were concentrated in Hidden Leaf. Kofei immediately suspected someone within the village was retaliating against the Shimura.
But who? Their clan head was Danzo Shimura, the Hokage's advisor. Who would be insane enough to assassinate a Shimura? And a rising star like Tan at that.
Makoto Hyuga, a guardian from the Hyuga clan, inspected the kunai in the charred heads.
'The assassin was too cautious,' he thought. 'They're burned to a crisp, brains turned to ash—was it really necessary to destroy the heads too? Or is this just a force of habit for a serial killer?'
Makoto remarked, "Captain Kofei, the killer didn't leave a single footprint. This is an extremely cautious and ruthless individual. I'm afraid I can't find any actionable intelligence."
Kofei's mind raced. 'It must be the evil Uchiha! It has to be!' He dispatched a subordinate to race back to the village and inform Lord Danzo of the murder.
...
Yuka and the others saw Fox return. Kaicho and Gencho were now thoroughly convinced of his resolve. Fox had actually killed three leaf ninja. They had assumed that even as a spy, he was still a Leaf ninja and wouldn't be able to strike down his own.
They were wrong. Fox was merciless toward the Leaf. If the entire ANBU were composed of ninja like him, the Uzumaki truly stood no chance. Fortunately, he was one of them—the Senju's spy in the ANBU.
Regardless, the Uzumaki's revenge had finally begun.
"We can't rest yet. I have more intel. The retaliation doesn't stop," Yagami said. "A Special Jonin of the Sarutobi clan is currently in the capital of the Land of Steam, helping their clan's Jonin solidify his position as the Guardian Captain. He is also returning next month for the exam. Yuka, the plan is the same. Be careful, track him, and call me."
"Understood, Fox." Yuka was elated. Today had been good, but it was getting even better.
Yagami continued, "Yuka, Kaicho, Gencho—let me explain the power distribution within Lead village so you understand our enemies. In the post-war Jonin Council, the 'Five Rising Noble Clans'—a name I use for the Sarutobi, Shimura, and Ino-Shika-Cho—have taken total control. After this round of exams, leaf will have 220 Jonin. Between those five clans, the ANBU, and the children of the elders, they will hold 77 seats—about a third of the total."
"Other clans, including the Senju and Uchiha, have only 39. The Senju have plummeted to just 9 Jonin. Of the remaining 104 commoner Jonin, over 80 are puppets of the Third Hokage and the five noble clans. Many of these commoners can be won over, but for now, they follow the status quo."
Kaicho's face darkened. He hadn't realized the Senju's situation was so dire.
"Regarding Princess Kushina," Yagami added, "there is at least one ANBU squad monitoring her at all times. We cannot contact her yet. You must be patient."
"We understand," Yuka said. "Hidden Leaf is a giant. We cannot shake it yet. We won't be reckless or expect to reach the Princess now."
Kaicho thought to himself: 'Fox is an ANBU squad leader. If someone of his caliber is guarding the Princess, contacting her is suicide for now.'
The strength and mindset of an ANBU captain were truly terrifying.
"I like this White Ghost mask," Yagami noted. "I'll use it for future revenge missions."
"Give it to me first," Yuka suggested. "I can place several anti-perception barriers on it so no one can see your face through the eyeholes or use sensory jutsu to identify you."
"Deal. I'll take it next time." Yagami gave Yuka a brief hug, handed over the mask, and signaled Hakuji to reverse summon him.
After he vanished, Kaicho remarked, "I never expected the Senju to have a spy so high up in the ANBU hierarchy."
"Fox is powerful," Yuka agreed. "We are the three strongest remaining Uzumaki. This must stay between us. The fewer who know, the better. Even if we die, we protect Fox's secret to ensure he remains embedded in the heart of leaf."
...
Back in the village, Yagami acted as if nothing had happened, going out to buy breakfast for himself and Qiaoyi. His "investigation" of her training the night before had been a bit excessive; she couldn't get out of bed this morning.
His physical training was paying off. Investigating in the evening and killing at dawn—he didn't miss a beat. He glanced toward the Shimura district, wondering when they'd get the news.
Five days passed at the ANBU base with no word. None of the other squads had been assigned to investigate Tan's death yet.
'If only I were the ANBU Deputy Chief,' he mused.
'I'd know everything and could even assign myself to investigate myself.'
A few days later, he saw Captain Golden Eagle rush back to the base. Soon, Danzo himself arrived. Golden Eagle and the Yellow Dog Commander entered the Chief's office—a large, usually empty space.
'Golden Eagle must have finished his investigation and found nothing,' Yagami thought. With Water Flicker and a pre-prepared trap, killing someone was easy. Sure enough, Danzo left with a face like thunder. The Shimura clan had to swallow the loss of a rising star who died for no apparent reason in the Land of Grass.
Yagami returned to monitoring Kushina. Nothing happened. She went to school, walked home with Minato, and they parted at a crossroad—she to the Senju, he to the training grounds where Sakumo trained him and a young Kakashi.
The month passed. Yagami waited for word from Yuka in the Land of Steam. The Jonin exams were ending, with only the last batch remaining. Three days after the full moon, he felt the contract chakra.
He checked his surroundings with the Byakugan, dove into his underground hall, and reverse summoned to the border of the Land of Steam.
Yuka met him and handed over the upgraded White Ghost mask. "After the Shimura ninja was killed, they seem suspicious. The Sarutobi target has been erratic with his speed and route. We've tracked a man named Yui Sarutobi to a bathhouse tonight. He plans to move again at sunrise."
Yagami put on the mask. It now felt different—like Danzo's bandages, it could block the prying eyes of the Uchiha or Hyuga.
"Good. Hide yourselves. I'll take it from here."
Yagami vanished. He didn't rush into the inn. Instead, he observed the layout and found the water intake. In the back courtyard, spring water was collected in a water tower before flowing into the baths.
Yagami flickered onto the tower and slipped inside. A bathhouse was a sanctuary of water—his absolute home field.
'Yui Sarutobi, I'm coming for you.'