The battle ended, and Yako immediately went to find Captain Yellow Dog.
Captain Yellow Dog and Kato Dan were both covered in dirt, standing over the corpse of an elite jōnin from Iwagakure.
Yako couldn't help but sigh. As expected of Captain Yellow Dog, one of the six captains of the ANBU—his strength was overwhelming.
When he saw Yako approaching, Captain Yellow Dog avoided Kato Dan and led him aside.
"Fox, the village reinforcements will arrive soon.You, Purple Cat, and the others in the squad should take off your masks, pose as ordinary shinobi, and spread the heroic deeds of Lord Danzo.
For half a year, ANBU Commander Lord Danzo has been laying his plans—using Uzumaki Mito's old age as cover and the arrival of Princess Kushina in Konoha as bait—to set a trap for Iwagakure.
In this battle, six elite jōnin from Iwagakure were killed, along with more than thirty jōnin and over three hundred chūnin.
Lord Danzo, the Shinobi of Darkness, is the hero of the war in the Land of Grass!"
Yako froze, thinking to himself: What a shameless bastard…
"Understood, Captain. I'll make the arrangements." Yako then asked, "Captain, Captain Black Ape and White Ram were injured. I don't know if they managed to stay hidden. After spreading Lord Danzo's propaganda, can I go save them?"
"First complete the propaganda mission. Afterward, I'll assign you a Hyūga shinobi."
"Alright."
Yako and Purple Cat passed along the captain's orders, then took off their masks and put on their headbands, disguising themselves as ordinary shinobi.
Half an hour later, as expected, many shinobi arrived from the direction of the village—clan heads and well-known jōnin among them.
Yako and Yamanaka Riko blended into the crowd, spreading rumors.
"Did you hear? Six Iwagakure elite jōnin were killed—all by Lord Danzo!"
"Lord Danzo planned this for half a year, and tonight he closed the net—slaughtering over three hundred chūnin! Do you know how many chūnin even graduate in one exam?!"
"Ōnoki can still call himself Tsuchikage? He's an idiot! He got toyed around by Lord Danzo, dared to step into the Land of Fire, and got beaten black and blue."
"The Shinobi of Darkness, worthy of the name—that's Lord Danzo for you."
"Rather than waiting for other factions to stir up chaos after Uzumaki Mito's death, why not preemptively strike and give them a warning?"
After spreading the rumors, Yako sat down to drink water.
Disgusting… How can they praise Danzo like this?
Suddenly, Yako thought of Kyoi.
Maybe her identity as a spy had been exposed long ago, and ANBU kept her around only to feed Iwagakure false information.
If Kyoi was exposed, wouldn't that make him look suspicious too?
No, he had to save Captain Black Ape—make sure the captain cleared him of suspicion.
Standing by the valley, Yako watched Sarutobi Hiruzen, Senju Rinju, and other high-ranking officials depart amidst the cheers of the supporting shinobi.
When the crowd dispersed, a Hyūga shinobi finally arrived.
It was time to search for Captain Black Ape.
They searched most of the night until the Hyūga shinobi discovered two people crammed inside a hollow tree trunk.
Yako leapt onto the tree and tapped out a coded rhythm, letting them know it was friendly. When the answering signal came, he jumped down and pulled aside the camouflaging brush.
"Captain Black Ape! Are you alright?"
Hearing Fox's voice, Captain Black Ape's pale face finally regained some color.
"Good… good… Fox, did we win?"
"We won—won big!"
Yako immediately went to check on them.
Captain Black Ape's leg was shattered, bones splintering and piercing blood vessels. It bent outward at a grotesque angle and was badly swollen.
If he didn't get treatment soon, he might need an amputation.
The captain had already lost his left arm—if he lost his right leg too, he'd have to retire on the spot.
White Ram was in no better condition. His abdomen had been pierced straight through, exposing his organs.
If not for the special resilience of shinobi bodies, he would've died long ago.
Captain Black Ape had performed crude first aid, keeping White Ram barely alive.
"Let's go! We'll get you to Konoha Hospital—Princess Tsunade is there right now. You'll be fine!"
Captain Black Ape was deeply moved.
Of all his squad leaders, Fox had been with him the longest, always outstanding, always completing missions.
Fox had already saved him twice—once in the capital of the Land of Waves, and now here.
A true bringer of fortune.
After delivering them to Konoha Hospital, Yako watched as several medical-nin entered the ward, led by Tsunade herself.
She examined the unconscious White Ram first, then immediately decided:"Intestinal rupture with infection. The intestines are long—resect part of it."
The medical-nin behind her noted the plan and pushed White Ram toward the operating room.
Then Tsunade examined Captain Black Ape. This time, the check took much longer.
"Hmm… very tricky. Amputation poses no risk to his life, and he'd be discharged quickly.
If you want to preserve combat ability, we'll need a major surgery on the leg. The bones have damaged blood vessels, muscles, and nerves. Success chances are low, and recovery will be long.
If he's unlucky, he'll need amputation anyway."
She turned and spotted the ANBU in the corner—recognizing Fox's mask.
"It's you? I was about to ask the family which option they'd choose."
But Captain Black Ape interrupted:"Princess Tsunade, I choose the surgery. I must stand again—I must regain my combat ability."
Tsunade closed her record book."Then push him in—operate now."
The ward was quickly emptied.
Ten minutes later, Captain Yellow Dog entered and asked:"Where's Captain Black Ape?"
"In the operating room."
"Surgery? Then there's still a chance?"
"Princess Tsunade said so."
Captain Yellow Dog immediately headed to the OR.
When he returned, he said:"Black Ape's squad has only four left. Since he's in surgery, he recommended you as acting captain.
Depending on his recovery, if he doesn't regain combat ability, you'll officially replace him.
ANBU has many matters right now—get Black Ape's squad moving again quickly.
Return to ANBU at once and familiarize yourself with all their missions."
The captain's assistant was waiting outside, escorting Yako back to ANBU and handing over the acting captain's duties.
A promotion.
Yako first went to the ANBU archives, where he found the records of Black Ape's squad.
He already knew that Captain Black Ape was from the Akimichi clan, and Purple Cat from the Yamanaka clan.
Looking through his own file, he saw his service history: missions with Captain Brown Bear's squad and then with Captain Black Ape's.
Then he noticed something: Captain Brown Bear's file said he had long operated in the Land of Grass, interrogating many Iwagakure shinobi.
An idea struck Yako. He could claim that he had learned Earth Substitution Technique from Captain Brown Bear.
Captain Brown Bear had died in Uzushio, so no one could refute it.
After all, if an ANBU suddenly displayed a new ability, they'd be investigated for ties to enemy villages.
So Yako amended his file: he had received a Doton scroll from Captain Brown Bear and mastered Earth Substitution after several months of study.
And as for why Brown Bear had favored Fox? Just look at Captain Black Ape—he treated Fox even better.
Promotion felt wonderful—greater autonomy, greater freedom.
If he became an ANBU Captain one day, wouldn't he be able to do as he pleased?
If he became ANBU Commander, he would be a giant influencing the entire shinobi world.
If Danzo could be the Shinobi of Darkness—why couldn't Yako?