The Ino-Shika-Cho trio had sacrificed much for the village and were desperate for a respite. Shikaku Nara had fully supported Inoen Yamanaka and Yamashiro Akimichi in their confrontation with the Hokage today.
Every Special Jonin in those three clans was a nephew, a cousin, or a younger sibling; losing even one was a stabbing pain to the heart. The Third's announcement of a two-year hiatus from drafting clan ninjas was a massive victory for them.
Danzo Shimura swept a cold glance over Shikaku Nara's relieved expression and spoke bluntly:
"Hiruzen, drafting clan ninjas into the ANBU and Root is one of the primary methods of preventing the noble clans from growing too large. This has been our established strategy for years. Why are you going back on it now?"
Yagami froze, his eyes snapping to the Third. Hiruzen's expression was a sight to behold—looking much like a man who had just swallowed a fly.
Preventing any single clan from becoming too powerful was indeed a core pillar of the high command's strategy. Whether it was the Senju, the Uchiha, the Ino-Shika-Cho, the Hyuga, or any other. However, you didn't say that out loud in front of Shikaku Nara.
There are things you do but never say, and things you say but never do. Did Danzo think Shikaku didn't know? Shikaku knew everything. But saying it to his face was a slap—one that forced Shikaku to decide whether or not to explode right then and there.
When internal conflicts cannot be resolved, a village either turns to external war or internal purging. Drafting clan ninjas into the dark ops was the "soft blade" between war and purge, delaying the eruption of internal friction. In times of peace, the ANBU was used to systematically prune the strength of the clans.
Yagami looked at the Aburame clan and felt a pang of pity for them. They had contributed several of their best experts, ensuring that their powerful but low-population clan remained in a state of perpetual stagnation.
"Danzo!" Hiruzen snapped, cutting through the tension. "Do not presume to interpret the Second Lord's policies with such cynicism! The ANBU is the sharp blade used to execute the most difficult missions for the village; its members are heroes of the Leaf hidden in the shadows!
The ANBU is absolutely not a tool for weakening the clans! Since the Warring States period, the Sarutobi clan has been the witness to the Ino-Shika-Cho alliance. I have zero intention of undermining our bonds!"
Yagami mused that Hiruzen was clever to push the "blame" onto the Second Hokage. The ANBU was Tobirama's creation; if there were flaws, they were legacies of the predecessor. Hiruzen was merely managing the village according to his teacher's will.
Shikaku Nara understood it all, but he remained silent. If he were Hokage, he would do exactly what Danzo did. Preventing clans from overstepping was the job of every Shadow, especially in the Hidden Mist, where they took every opportunity to slaughter bloodline clans.
"A two-year ban is impossible," Danzou stated firmly. "The abilities of clan ninjas are irreplaceable. The Yamanaka's mind-reading, the Hyuga's long-range scouting... I will agree to a one-year hiatus, no more. That is my bottom line."
After more bickering, Danzou's concessions on both the spy system and the recruitment ban gave Hiruzen enough face to settle. They reached an agreement: one year without drafting from the clans, focusing instead on civilian ninjas.
As the argument wound down, Yagami stopped listening. The other three men in the room seemed to have forgotten that Yagami himself was of civilian origin. 'What, so clan ninjas don't want to go to Root, but civilian ninjas are supposed to be happy about it?'
...
The full moon hung in the sky like a silver platter. Another cycle had arrived.
Yagami was starting to worry about Yuka. The other women had shown signs of progress, so why was Yuka's womb still silent? If she could bear a child, the bond between the Uzumaki remnants and himself would be unbreakable. That child would bear the Uzumaki name, and with careful grooming, could eventually lead the clan.
Since Qiaoyi and Purple Cat were already pregnant, Yagami concentrated all his "firepower" on Yuka. Beyond the physical effort, he spent time comforting her, encouraging her to relax and not let the weight of her clan's survival stress her out.
After an hour of hard work with Yuka, Yagami returned to the Leaf. Late into the night, he went to the training grounds to contemplate his path to greater power.
In terms of ninjutsu, he had eight "Proficient" level techniques. On his main account (Fox), he had Earth Style: Earth Flow Spears, Water Style: Water Severing Wave, and the Self-Exerting Binding Seal. On his alt account (Konosuke Sarutobi), he had five five-element jutsus and the S-rank Five-Style Great Combo.
In terms of chakra refinement, his Water Style was only at the "Condensed" stage, not yet "Crystallized." His arsenal was comprehensive with no glaring weaknesses. His chakra reserves were 2.4 times that of an elite Jonin, but natural growth through his physique was too slow.
'Next goal: grind chakra reserves.'
He needed to hit Kage-level reserves as fast as possible using the system. Finding Kage-level targets only yielded elite Jonin-level gains, which felt inefficient. Normal Jonins only gave one-fifth of an elite Jonin's gains—hardly enough to quench his thirst. He needed to pick the right elite Jonins.
But the Leaf didn't have that many elite Jonins. What if he ran out? Would he have to resort to grinding normal Jonins in massive quantities? That would be a project; five Jonins to equal one elite.
The assassination manual was crucial now; it held data on countless Jonins and elite Jonins from other villages.
Yagami waited several days, but Yellow Dog didn't put him in charge of the spy system. Upon investigating, he discovered Yellow Dog had appointed a new assistant: Gibbon.
The spy network was too vital. The two national networks transferred from Root were ultimately handed to Gibbon. Yagami knew Gibbon was Ennosuke Sarutobi, Yellow Dog's cousin.
Yagami looked toward Yellow Dog's office, his gaze cooling. 'So, Yellow Dog still trusts his own blood more... I bled for the ANBU, I performed for the ANBU, and in the end, his cousin plucks the peach. He's plucking my peach.'
The next morning, Yellow Dog sent for Yagami, telling him to go to the Jonin Commander's office to meet Shikaku Nara. Yagami showed no outward change in attitude; Yellow Dog certainly couldn't tell he had a grievance.
"Fox," Yellow Dog said, "Lord Shikaku suggested hiding some of our assassination targets within the bounties of the Underground Exchange. As the ANBU representative, go and listen to his arrangements."
"Understood, Minister."
Entering Shikaku's office, Yagami saw Umeka Nara. He had saved her life once during the war in the Land of Rivers.
"Fox is here," Shikaku greeted.
"Lord Shikaku."
After pleasantries, Shikaku said, "Fox, I plan to forge mission requests for the Underground Exchange to place bounties on enemy Jonins. Umeka will be specifically in charge of this. You and she will investigate the Exchange's intelligence and post the bounties. We'll take the names from the ANBU manual and have them killed via bounty to avoid tit-for-tat retaliation from other villages. Umeka leads the investigation; you are her guard."
"Understood."
Umeka and Yagami headed toward the village gates. Yagami stared at her back, wondering if he should grind some chakra reserves from her...
The next instant, a cold sweat broke out on his forehead. 'No! I've already died at her hands once.' He had even gained the Shadow Imitation Technique from her.
'That cursed memory...' Dying twice to the same person would be a true death. It was a reminder to himself: he needed to keep a " Arc of Moon Death Log" to avoid forgetting who had killed him in previous cycles.
In the future, he had to be careful. If someone killed him once, the best move was to kill them as soon as he resurrected to prevent any accidents.
As Yagami's thoughts shifted, Umeka Nara seemed to sense something and glanced back at him. Yagami acted as if nothing had happened.