When the Hidden Leaf Village was first established, Hashirama Senju and Madara were the two strongest in the village. Below them were Tobirama Senju, Sasuke Sarutobi, and Tenjin Hyuga.
Facing Madara, any high-ranking official chosen as Commander-in-Chief would naturally lose their momentum. With Orochimaru's flat refusal, Sakumo Hatake seemed the only choice.
Yagami felt a tightening in his chest; the situation was slipping out of control. If Sakumo were to lead a war against Madara, it would be as Orochimaru said: win or lose, Sakumo would still lose.
If he won, he'd solve a headache for the village elders, but their underlying wariness of him wouldn't change. If he lost, his future was over. Yagami assessed that despite Sakumo's prowess, he would likely lose against Madara.
Just as Yagami was worrying, Hiruzen Sarutobi spoke: "The matter of Sakumo Hatake serving as Commander will be discussed back at the village."
Whether it was the Sword of Damocles that was Madara hanging over their heads, or letting Sakumo become Commander-in-Chief, both choices were thorny for the elders. Yagami breathed a sigh of relief; it seemed Hiruzen feared Sakumo gaining even higher prestige by stepping over Madara. If Sakumo defeated Madara, calling himself a Demi-God of Shinobi wouldn't be an exaggeration.
On the way back to the village, Yagami moved behind Yellow Dog and began to sow discord:
"Minister, what about the progress of the assassination manual? Root has suffered heavy losses; both codenamed members and recruits have sacrificed themselves, losing all functionality. Consultant Danzo can't possibly meet with all those spy leaders himself.
Should we take this chance—using the continuity of the manual as a reason—to demand the contact details of certain spy networks? Intel is far more critical than assassination. By controlling the intelligence, the ANBU controls influence!"
Yellow Dog nodded repeatedly. Fox's judgment was precise. Whoever held the intelligence and the spy networks held the influence.
"Fox, your suggestion is excellent," Yellow Dog said. "Attempting to seize the spy system is exactly what the ANBU should do. There's no need to pity Root. For the sake of the Leaf, and to continue weakening other villages via the manual, we must take over. Even taking one enemy village's network is a massive gain for us."
Yagami thought to himself: 'Yellow Dog is quite skilled at using the 'For the Leaf' narrative now.' It was the perfect universal excuse.
'Everything I, Fox, am doing... isn't it also for the Leaf? If you can do it for the village, why can't I?'
Back at the village, Yagami followed them to the Hokage's office. The elders argued incessantly without reaching a conclusion. Finally, Yellow Dog began an internal investigation of the Sarutobi clan.
To Yagami's regret, he wasn't allowed to participate in the clan's private shame.
'Truly, I had so many arrangements prepared. When Yellow Dog fails to find Konosuke Sarutobi, he'll come to me. Only I can 'find' who Konosuke is.'
In the middle of the night, White Crane cautiously left the ANBU and headed back to the Yamanaka clan compound. She was terrified. The intel she had passed to Danzo resulted in Root's heavy losses and the death of five ninjas.
She feared Root would come for her, though with only Danzo remaining, he seemed to lack the manpower for an immediate confrontation. Safely leaving the Forest of Death, White Crane let out a long breath. Entering the village proper, she felt a bit of warmth return.
The village was quiet at midnight. She regretted not leaving earlier. As she passed a park, a crosswind suddenly blew.
"Who—"
Before she could finish, she saw a Lynx mask! White Crane was swept by the wind and slammed into a large tree. As she looked up, a hand gripped her throat. It was Lynx, coming to settle the score!
'It's over, I'm finished!' Despair washed over her. Danzo was an ANBU Minister, and the Lynx squad was his direct unit. To her, elders like Danzo were titans; even the Yamanaka clan couldn't resist his orders.
Her throat was held in a death grip. Lynx spoke: "White Crane, what was the intel you got from the Fox squad? You said there was a base in the Valley of the End. Where is it? We searched the underground thoroughly; aside from a cave collapsed by the explosion, there was nothing! Speak! What was the actual intel Fox had?"
The cave Lynx found was a fake Yagami had prepared in advance to close the logic loop of his intelligence.
White Crane said in terror: "When I delivered the scroll for Purple Cat, I only had a short window. I peaked and saw what Yak wrote about the Valley of the End. As for whether it was accurate or if there was a base... shouldn't Root have verified it first? We learned this at the Academy—verify intel to avoid traps."
Lynx punched and shattered White Crane's mask, staring at her mouth. "The Lord placed the Cursed Tongue Eradication Seal on you; there's no need for words here. Come with me to see the Lord! He will use the seal to determine the truth of what you say."
White Crane's eyes filled with even more terror. Hearing Danzo's name made the air turn cold. Especially now, when Danzo was in a blind rage.
She couldn't resist. She had been an ordinary Yamanaka ninja with a good "Ino-Shika-Cho" squad until she was drafted by the elders into Root training. Now, she was caught between monsters like Danzo and Madara. 'Someone, please help me...'
"You won't move?" Lynx applied pressure, intending to drag her away.
At that moment, a figure flickered down. White Crane saw a Fox mask! Yagami grabbed Lynx's wrist, squeezing with enough force to make the bones creak. Lynx's hand was forced open, releasing White Crane. Yagami threw Lynx aside. Lynx was shocked—why was Fox's strength so immense? It was like the Monstrous Strength used by the Senju.
"Lynx, White Crane is my subordinate. Since when can your hand reach into my squad?"
Under the Lynx mask, brows furrowed deeply. Fox was a problem. He was strong and held the trust of both Yellow Dog and the Third Hokage. Whether by force or authority, he was hard to handle. Seeing Lynx silent but unwilling to leave, Yagami said:
"White Crane is involved in an intelligence leak within the Fox squad; she must come with me for investigation. It seems you, Lynx, were also involved. Think about how you'll explain this to Lord Yellow Dog and the Hokage."
White Crane opened her mouth to say Danzo forced her, but the moment the thought surfaced, the seal on her tongue activated. She collapsed, paralyzed. Yagami grabbed her by the back of her collar.
Lynx said: "Lord Danzo is furious. You should think about how you'll explain why your intel was so flawed!"
"You steal my intel and then come to question me?"
Lynx flickered away. Yagami frowned and took White Crane with him. Along the way, she remained paralyzed. She desperately wanted to tell Fox that she was spying for Danzo, but every time the thought arose, the seal attacked her nervous system.
Returning to the ANBU, Yagami found Yellow Dog. Seeing Fox carrying White Crane into the office, Yellow Dog was confused.
Yagami said: "Lord Yellow Dog, I've found an excuse to force Consultant Danzo to give up the spy system!"
"What excuse?"
Yagami placed White Crane in a chair. Yellow Dog approached, puzzled by her state. Yagami explained: "Lord Yellow Dog, White Crane has been afflicted with the Cursed Tongue Eradication Seal! I obtained intel and planned to gather two squads to scout the Valley. Root beat us to it because they planted a mole in our ANBU. White Crane is one of them. She was branded with the seal and forced to pass info to Danzo. Lord, I suspect there are other moles in the ANBU!"
Yellow Dog's gaze lowered, his expression grim behind the mask. He hadn't expected Danzo to be so lowly as to plant spies within the ANBU itself.
Yagami whispered: "Lord Yellow Dog, it's possible even the Black Ant squad has Danzo's spies!"
The Black Ant squad was the Third Hokage's direct unit, responsible for relaying his orders. If they were compromised, the Hokage had no secrets. Yellow Dog's eyes shook. "Don't spread this yet. We will investigate secretly, identify the spies, and then confront the Hokage for an explanation. If everyone acted like Danzo, how could the ANBU function? We might as well all take the seal and let Danzo rule everything!"
Yagami knew of at least five ANBU with the seal: White Crane, three in Black Ant, and one in Golden Eagle. If the Hokage knew his own direct squad was full of Danzo's moles, his rage would be immense. Hiruzen had a temper, and being monitored by Danzo would certainly set him off.
Yagami said: "Lord Yellow Dog, where can I get the Cursed Tongue Eradication Seal? I want to try to break it, otherwise White Crane can't cooperate."
Yellow Dog replied: "After Princess Tsunade gave the seal to Danzo, the Hokage recorded it in the village's Scroll of Seals. This is a major matter. I know you have a talent for sealing jutsu. Wait half an hour; I'll get it for you."
The perks of being the Hokage's eldest son—techniques from the Scroll of Seals were his for the taking. Half an hour later, Yellow Dog returned with a scroll. "This is the ninjutsu scroll for the Cursed Tongue Eradication Seal. Study it immediately and find the moles Danzo planted!"
"Yes, Lord Yellow Dog!"
Taking White Crane back to the Fox squad's empty office, Yagami laid her across his desk. She sobbed quietly. Threatened by Lynx and then put before Yellow Dog like a piece of evidence to dismantle Danzo's power, she felt she had no dignity left.
Yagami spoke slowly, in a drawn-out tone: "You know nothing of the darkness. White Crane, welcome to the shadows of the Hidden Leaf. This is just the beginning of your contact with the village's cruel side. The Leaf doesn't just have the deep bonds of the Ino-Shika-Cho; it has endless darkness."
Once she processed this, Yagami continued: "Don't be sad. You are Purple Cat's sister; you won't be under Danzo's thumb anymore. Lord Yellow Dog has noticed you, and the Third Hokage won't let Danzo continue ruining the ANBU. I will study your seal and try to break it."
Hope ignited in her. Much of what she did wasn't by choice, but under duress. She looked at the Fox Commander with the expectant eyes of a kitten. Yagami loosened her collar, revealing her neck, shoulders, and part of her chest. Even with talent, research took time.
All night, Yagami used the scroll to explore White Crane's body. At dawn, he bit his finger and began drawing seals on her forehead, face, neck, shoulders, and chest with blood. The seal was a blood curse; it used Danzo's blood to cast, so breaking it required blood as well.
After the hand signs, the blood-drawn patterns glowed red and began to crawl. They slithered into her mouth. She felt a metallic sweetness.
After twenty minutes, Yagami carefully broke the seal. On her tongue, the hexagrams of the seal vanished one by one. He truly was a sealing genius; after a night of "study," it was gone. As for whether Danzo would know, Yagami didn't care. Soon, the ANBU would turn on him. Monitoring the Third would not be forgiven.
Yagami breathed a sigh of relief. "It's done, White Crane. Your seal is gone."
She swallowed hard. "The seal Danzo gave me is gone?"
"Look, you can say his name directly. It's gone."
"Then... what if Danzo or Lynx come for me again?"
"Don't worry," Yagami said. "I'll shield you from the coming storm. If you identify the other moles, the Third and Lord Yellow Dog will protect you."
Her eyes reddened again, but this time with relief. No wonder her sister was so devoted to the Fox Commander; he provided such a sense of security. Her sister was pregnant with his child and never breathed a word of the father's name to the clan.
As Yagami turned to leave, she grabbed his hand. "Don't go. Please don't go." She glanced at the lounge in the side of the office. "I've smelled my sister's scent in there..."
Yagami picked her up and walked toward the lounge. A few minutes later, Yagami was amazed. Purple Cat had pale blonde hair and skin that glowed white, but her sister was even more supple.
From then on, the sisters' feelings were just as deep.