The Yamanaka rogue-nin was being hunted by the ANBU, not for leaking the clan's secret techniques, but for developing a new jutsu that could corrupt the Yamanaka clan itself.
Mind-Body Turnover Technique—a dual cultivation between man and woman, the ultimate experience.
What Yamanaka ninja could possibly withstand such temptation?
The Yamanaka clan didn't send their own people to execute the rogue-nin, likely for fear of being seduced themselves.
The rogue-nin had even managed to ensnare two Yamanaka shinobi returning from the border—proving just how enticing this "I sleep myself" jutsu really was.
Corruption.
The Yamanaka clan could not allow their family to fall, so they sought ANBU assistance.
Thanks to the perfect cooperation of the Yamanaka clan's tool-like operatives, the ANBU agreed without hesitation.
Thus, the Fox Squad was dispatched.
Purple Cat Yamanaka Riko could supervise the rogue-nin's death in person. With ANBU oversight, there was no fear she would fall herself.
Only Yako's eyes were hurt.
His eyes had been sullied.
Only Yako's heart was in pain.
Jealousy could pierce deeper than any blade.
Yako made up his mind—he would learn every ninjutsu and secret technique in the shinobi world.
If he had crossed into this life, he would seek out every novel pleasure.
After the explosion, a steaming mist instantly filled the bath.
Four naked bodies panicked in confusion.
"Switch back! Hurry!"
"It's too late!"
Their bodies, weakened after a recent climax, barely responded—stumbling, flailing empty-handed.
Charging at the front was a woman carrying a man's soul.
The man's soul had some sense of responsibility—he was the first to try blocking the attack. Unfortunately, the body he occupied was female, unable to unleash much combat strength.
Through the mist, Yako's blade swept in a horizontal cut.
The woman-with-a-man's-soul grabbed a plate to block the ninjatō.
But Yako's Cloud-Flow Sword Style suddenly shifted from horizontal to upward slash, slicing open her throat.
With his reaction speed boosted twice over, the Cloud-Flow Sword Style—built around last-second changeups—was even deadlier in his hands.
A scream rang out behind her.
The Mind-Body Turnover Technique was forcibly broken.
The man felt the agony of a slit throat; the woman bore its death.
The man's soul snapped back into his own body, crying out the woman's name in anguish.
They were an anomaly—a pair whose souls and bodies were perfectly matched.
One's death left the other wishing for death.
"Ah!!!"
He raised his hands, fingers forming a frame. "Mind–Body—"
A kunai suddenly shot through the air.
The Yamanaka rogue-nin stared in terror as the kunai flew straight through the frame made by his thumbs and forefingers—
—embedding in his chest, blood spraying.
As expected of ANBU—so powerful.
With the two enemies down, Yako turned his gaze elsewhere.
Antelope and Ironstag had killed another female Yamanaka rogue-nin.
Not far away lay a male Yamanaka shinobi, his body bearing the devastating marks of an explosive tag.
With that, all four Yamanaka rogues were down.
Yako glanced at Purple Cat, about to ask how to deal with the corpses.
At that moment, Ironstag suddenly lunged, kunai aimed at Yako's ribs.
"Ironstag! What are you doing?!"
Antelope cried out in shock, too late to stop it.
Yako, holding his ninjatō in a reverse grip, instinctively stabbed backward.
Before Ironstag's kunai could pierce his side, Yako's blade had already gone through Ironstag's throat.
"No!"
Purple Cat dashed toward the Yamanaka rogue-nin who'd been blown up—
That rogue wasn't dead. Half his body was gone, yet he still managed to use the Mind-Body Turnover Technique one last time.
Purple Cat's kunai plunged into his head.
Yako withdrew his blade, looking at Ironstag with a hint of regret.
What a shame Ironstag had to die.
He moved to Purple Cat's side, eyes fixed on the kunai in the corpse's head.
"Purple Cat, you were far too reckless.
First—after Ironstag's death, you rushed in without thinking. As the squad's support-type shinobi, you shouldn't be charging ahead like that.
Second—the rogue's brain could've contained vital intel. Attacking the head with a kunai could have destroyed it."
"Sorry, Captain. I'm inexperienced. I just wanted to make sure he was dead."
Outside the bath, furious pounding echoed against the door.
An explosive tag blasted off the roof. The bathhouse owner, flanked by samurai, stormed in demanding answers.
Yako had no interest in negotiating.
When shinobi carried out missions, property damage was inevitable—and ANBU had no precedent for compensation.
"Carry all the corpses. Withdraw!"
Including Ironstag, there were now five bodies.
Yako wrapped two in a bath towel, Antelope carried two, Purple Cat one. The three retreated quickly.
Once they'd put distance between themselves and the town, Yako called for a rest.
Purple Cat, uneasy, approached the Fox Captain.
"I'm sorry, Captain, because of us Yamanaka—"
"Purple Cat! I don't want to keep lecturing you, but you've made another mistake," Yako said.
"You must always protect your secrets.
ANBU rarely use ninjutsu on missions—most fights are settled with taijutsu and explosive tags—precisely to protect our intel.
An ANBU who leaks intel becomes a prime target for enemy spies.
That ordinary uncle you see strolling in the village by day might be an ANBU squad captain by night.
Unless the mission demands it, don't discuss anything about yourself.
The mission comes first.
Don't carry wounds or guilt over a comrade's death—those feelings mean nothing to ANBU.
Ironstag died honorably on the mission.
He was under enemy control. Killing him stirred nothing in me.
If I hadn't, I'd be the one dead."
Yako had been mildly irritated by Purple Cat's emotions, but upon reflection, a captain's duty included doing mental work for subordinates.
Ensuring their will to fight remained strong boosted mission success rates—and his own survival chances.
Yako continued, patiently:
"That Purple Cat mask used to belong to a teammate of mine.
He died before my eyes—a fellow ANBU I worked with in perfect sync.
I will die. You will die.
When I'm gone, this Fox mask will go to another ANBU.
The only requirement for ANBU is to complete the mission before death."
Many ANBU died because of Danzo's leadership style.
When ANBU were deployed, Danzo would send them to probe for intel, while he either arrived last to finish the job—or simply walked away.
Like in the original story, when Danzo led a team to the Land of Rain to kill Yahiko—half the ANBU elites died in one mission.
Or before Danzo's own death, when he met Obito and Sasuke—sending his most trusted Root operatives to probe Obito while he calmly observed, removing his arm guards.
"I understand, Captain," Purple Cat said quickly. "I'll adjust my mindset and become a true ANBU shinobi."
Ironstag's death had also hit Antelope hard.
Only someone like Yako, who had endured the brutal wars of Uzushio Village, truly understood that death was the ANBU's norm.
By dawn, they returned to the ANBU's Death Forest base. Yako went to report to Captain Black Ape.
Black Ape glanced at the mission report.
"Two extra rogue-nin killed—Yamanaka clan will be pleased.
Oh, Ironstag's dead. I'll request a replacement from Root tomorrow."
His tone was as if discussing the retrieval of a kunai. He added:
"Your subordinates have been with you for over two months now. Lucky they've lasted this long.
We've done mostly in-village missions lately.
It's only outside the village that we can truly test ANBU quality. Make sure Purple Cat and Antelope train hard, no slacking."
"Understood. I'll see to their training. Captain, I'd like to request surveillance duty on Princess Kushina tomorrow. Haven't seen her for two days—I'm not used to it."
"Such a request? Then you get no day off. Fine, tomorrow you'll monitor Princess Kushina."