Inside the examination room of the Jonin Council.
Yagami stood behind Nara Shikaku, watching White Sheep undergo his evaluation.
"We will now begin the interview portion. I will ask you three questions. Do not hesitate; state the first answer that enters your mind. Any hesitation will be marked as failure," Shikaku said sternly. "Question one: If the village ordered you to go undercover in the Land of Vegetables for thirty years, what would your move be?"
White Sheep answered immediately. "The Land of Vegetables has no high-value targets worthy of an ANBU's thirty-year commitment—unless the objective is total annexation and control."
Shikaku paused, turning his head to glance at the Fox. He remembered that when Fox had taken this exam, his logic followed the exact same path.
White Sheep continued, "I would stage a 'Chrysalis Puppet Play' within the Daimyo's castle. I would transform every key official into a living cocoon. Their skin would appear normal, but beneath the surface, their flesh and organs would be hollowed out and replaced by a hive of Parasitic Insects. To the world, the castle remains populated by men; in reality, they are walking hives. When the Hidden Leaf gives the signal..."
"Stop!" Shikaku interrupted. He felt the ANBU were becoming entirely too extreme.
This answer was second only to Fox's infamous response about making the Land of Vegetables' Dowager Empress his mistress. The other nine Jonin examiners looked on with wary eyes. 'Is this the tactical inclination of the modern ANBU?'
Yagami, however, nodded repeatedly in approval. As expected of a subordinate who had followed him for so long; their thought processes were perfectly synchronized, and the execution was flawless.
Shikaku cut off White Sheep's answers for the next two questions as well. It wasn't just the extremism; White Sheep solved every problem with insects, and his descriptions were becoming physically nauseating.
During the subsequent combat trial, White Sheep passed with ease. At nineteen years old, he was entering his prime. After the evaluation, Yagami and Yellow Dog escorted him to the Hokage's office.
The Third Hokage personally lectured White Sheep on the Will of Fire. In response, White Sheep vowed that he would complete every ANBU mission at any cost, even if it meant sacrificing his very last Parasitic Insect.
With the promotion finished, Yagami led the Flower Deer squad into the depths of Root.
Root's headquarters featured a massive circular atrium. Far below the cross-shaped walkways lay freezing subterranean waters. Yagami stood at the center of the bridge, waiting for Danzo.
Danzo slowly emerged from the darkness, stepping into a shaft of light falling from the ceiling.
"Lord Danzo," Yagami began. "The Lord Hokage has decided I am to replace Lord Orochimaru at the border of the Land of Rain. I am here to receive your specific instructions regarding the search for the Uzumaki remnants."
Danzo looked at the Fox, wondering how he had overlooked such talent before. Had he recruited Fox into Root early on, he wouldn't be facing such a shortage of capable officers now.
"Fox, you are a veteran of the ANBU," Danzo said. "You participated in the fall of the Land of Whirlpools alongside Yellow Dog. You understand better than most what a threat the Uzumaki remnants pose if allowed to regroup. This mission to the Rain is critical. Find them. Retrieve their brains, or bring them back alive for processing. Do not leave a single soul alive."
"I understand," Yagami said. "There will not be a single soul left alive."
'I'm just not sure which side's souls I'm talking about,' Yagami added silently. 'But someone is definitely dying.'
"K is in charge of intelligence in that sector," Danzo continued. "Once you arrive, he will provide the current status report. This is a mission scroll; K will cooperate once he sees it."
'K is in the Rain? Perfect.*
C emerged from the shadows behind Danzo and tossed a scroll. Yagami caught it, bowed, and departed the Root base.
Once Fox was gone, C asked, "Lord Danzo, was it worth recalling Lord Orochimaru and halting the hunt just for the sake of the experiment?"
Danzo thought of the world-shaking power of Wood Style. "It is worth it. From now on, provide full cooperation to Orochimaru to push the research forward."
"My Lord," C reported, "the first batch of fifty test subjects is ready for injection. They are children from foreign villages with affinities for both Earth and Water. However, A says the mortality rate will be high. Should we begin securing the next batch of subjects?"
"Watch this batch first," Danzo ordered. "If they all perish, we will look for subjects with Senju blood. Start with the women who married out of the Senju clan; their children still carry the bloodline, but since they've changed their surnames, their disappearance is less likely to cause immediate chaos. Screen the targets now so we can move quickly when needed."
"I will arrange it, My Lord."
Danzo then asked, "How is the stability of the Cursed Tongue Eradication Seal?"
C swallowed hard, feeling the cold weight of the seal Danzo had placed on his own tongue. Until recently, he had believed himself to be Danzo's absolute confidant; he had clearly overestimated his standing.
"My Lord, the four new recruits to Root are completely under control. The five spies planted within the ANBU also show no issues with their seals."
"I suspect there is a traitor within the ANBU," Danzo mused.
C looked uneasy. "A traitor in the ANBU?"
"The strikes against the Shimura clan and Root have been too precise, too lethal," Danzo said. "Root's intelligence is top secret; most Leaf ninja don't even know we exist. Someone must be leaking our movements to the Uzumaki remnants for them to strike with such surgical accuracy."
Danzo paused. "Yellow Dog is skilled in Fire Style, but he also knows Wind..."
He didn't finish the thought, and X didn't dare listen further. C interjected quickly, "But Sarutobi Yui was killed as well. Surely it couldn't be Yellow Dog?"
Danzo said nothing. One didn't become the Deputy Commander of the ANBU without a cold heart. Perhaps Yui's death was merely a distraction to shift suspicion.
...
The full moon hung in the sky like a silver plate.
Another month, another full moon night.
In the late hours, Yagami left the ANBU base, wandering the village in his mask. Once certain he wasn't being followed, he entered the orphanage.
Inside the cramped Director's office, Yakushi Nono was sitting next to a basket of laundry, sewing patches onto children's clothes. She loved the energetic ones; they brought laughter to the orphanage, even if they were the hardest on their clothes.
Nono suddenly looked up, sensing a breach in her sensory barrier. A figure appeared behind her.
Yagami peeked over her shoulder, his eyes lingering on her chest. "Lucky me. You aren't wearing that ultra-tight binding today."
"I'm at the orphanage. I don't need a disguise here."
Nono put down her needlework and leaned forward, accommodating the Fox.
After enjoying the familiar intimacy, Yagami stroked her waist. "Is it confirmed? Has K been branded with the Cursed Tongue Eradication Seal?"
"Confirmed," she whispered.
"Good," Yagami replied. "That's exactly what I needed."