Yako once again dug out the Black Ape Unit's mission records.
Among the missions still ongoing were the surveillance of Princess Kushina, the investigation into Iwagakure's spy network, and several others Yako hadn't been involved in.
He immediately spotted a familiar name—Kyoi.
As expected, Kyoi's cover as a spy had indeed drawn suspicion from the ANBU. But since this current operation was meant as a larger trap, minor suspects like Kyoi, who posed less immediate danger, had been deliberately left unchecked.
Inside the investigation record on Kyoi, his own name also appeared.
The Leaf Monkey Squad had once monitored Kyoi and discovered Yako inside her tavern. They concluded Fox seemed suspicious.
The Black Ape, however, wrote in the comments below: Fox had already voiced doubts about Kyoi's identity in an earlier mission and was likely continuing his own investigation.
Later, Yako and Captain Black Ape caught a Kumogakure spy inside Kyoi's tavern, and from that lead, managed to rescue the abducted Princess Kushina.
At the end of the scroll came Captain Black Ape's conclusion: Fox was clear, not to be suspected. If Fox really were a spy, then wouldn't he have gone after a target far more valuable than Princess Kushina?
So that's how it was. Through a series of coincidences, ANBU had ended up doing so much already.
Yako called in Purple Cat and had her requisition recruits from Root to reinforce both Fox's squad and the Black Ape Unit.
Once Purple Cat left for Root to select new blood, Yako departed the ANBU base and headed toward Kyoi's Crane Moon Tavern.
Today, the Crane Moon Tavern displayed a closed sign.
Yako thought to himself, This brainless, foolish woman… closing up now is practically announcing to ANBU that she's compromised.
By sheer luck, the Black Ape Unit was temporarily incapacitated, and the Leaf Monkey Squad had been wiped out. Otherwise, Kyoi would already be in the ANBU interrogation chambers tonight.
"Open up!"
A woman's voice called from inside.
"Sorry! We're closed tonight!"
"It's me!"
There was the sound of furniture being shifted.
The door creaked open, and Yako saw Kyoi, her clothes creased and rumpled.
Her eyes brimmed with hopeless terror, like a startled kitten.
"Closed, huh? Perfect. Tonight, you're serving only me."
Yako stepped inside without waiting for permission.
Kyoi quickly shut the door and hurried after him, asking nervously, "What missions have you been on these past few days? Why haven't you come see me?"
In her heart, she thought: With Mount Ushiga so near Konoha, and Iwagakure suffering such a devastating blow, the village is celebrating. As for me, an enemy spy… maybe my usefulness has reached its end.
I'm doomed. Whether it's Konoha or Iwagakure, neither will tolerate me.
"You were part of the mission against the Iwa-nin at Mount Ushiga, weren't you?"
At her words, Yako turned back, lowering his gaze to look at her.
For a moment, panic flickered in Kyoi's eyes. Then she stubbornly lifted her chin and met his stare.
Yako sighed inwardly—she already had the look of one resolved to die.
"Of course not. With my strength, how could I take part in something like that? Six elite jōnin dead, over thirty jōnin, and more than three hundred chūnin gone. Truly a cause for celebration."
As he spoke, Kyoi's chest trembled uncontrollably.
Her lips quivered; she was already on the verge of breaking down.
"Bring me a bottle of sake. Whatever happens tomorrow, tonight, we should enjoy ourselves. Don't you think?"
"Whatever happens tomorrow?" Kyoi swallowed hard, then murmured, "Yes… whatever happens tomorrow is for tomorrow to worry about."
She lunged at him, knocking Yako back onto the sofa.
On the sofa, on the table, against the counter—every time Yako tried to take control, Kyoi resisted wildly and pinned him beneath her.
She was like a madwoman, venting all her pressure and despair.
Yako couldn't fight back and eventually surrendered to the moment.
Her waist was firm and sculpted, not a trace of excess. Like a statue carved in stone.
Yako recalled that during one of his reward draws, there had been an option labeled Constitution: Boulder Body. Perhaps the training methods of Iwa-nin really did produce unnaturally solid physiques.
That was, after all, the village that would one day give birth to the Shadow of the Rock. Kyoi's legs were likewise straight, round, and brimming with strength.
When the frenzy ended, Yako discreetly picked up a kitchen knife, torn by hesitation.
To remove all doubt and risk, he ought to eliminate Kyoi here and now.
But she lay against his chest, unaware of his inner turmoil.
"If… if only I could stay by your side," she whispered.
Yako slowly set the knife down. He wrapped his arms around her smooth back, pressing her tightly to his chest.
At some point, he drifted into sleep.
Kyoi rose, gently cleaned him up, dressed herself, and with one last longing glance from behind the counter, left through the tavern's back door.
For her, everything with Konoha was over.
Inside the tavern, Yako's eyes suddenly opened.
Meanwhile, Kyoi made her way to a park in Konoha's southern district.
To call it a park was generous; it was more like a stretch of dense greenery. Towering trees blocked all sight in the night.
There, she searched the roots of each great tree for Iwagakure signals.
After an hour, she finally found the mark and waited beneath the tree.
Before long, a figure crawled out from the bushes.
"Mei, is that you?"
It was her younger sister, rising from the ground.
"Sis, your mission is finally over. Come back to the village with me."
Yet Kyoi showed no joy.
The intel she had passed on had led to a disastrous defeat for her village. Uzumaki Mito showed no sign of weakening—her battle power remained formidable.
Kyoi knew her village well. Even if she returned, what awaited her was the terrifying torture chambers of Iwagakure's ANBU.
But for the sake of her sister's future, she had no choice.
"Alright, little sister. Let's go home."
Mei threw her arms around Kyoi, hugging her tight.
In the dense forest of Konoha's park, two sisters from Iwagakure clung to one another for support.
"Mm…"
A kunai stabbed into Kyoi's abdomen!
She stared at Mei in shock and disbelief.
"Sister! You betrayed the village! They issued a kill-on-sight order! Every spy in Konoha… is now a traitor!"
Kyoi sobbed, "Mei… I was going to return with you. If I cleared my name in the interrogation unit, you wouldn't be implicated…"
But Mei steeled herself. The only way to prove her loyalty was to kill her traitor sister and return with her head.
She took a step back, raised her foot, and drove the kunai deeper into Kyoi's stomach. Then she drew another and aimed for her throat.
Kyoi suddenly smiled.
So all those years of sacrifice… had moved no one but herself.
Her sister—raised in the shadow of Iwagakure—had become a shinobi who thought only of the village and herself.
A shinobi… So this is what it means to be one?
The kunai sank into her throat—
SLAP!
A large hand caught Mei's wrist.
Mei froze in horror. The blade stopped half a centimeter in.
Not only that—curse marks erupted across her body. Every joint sealed.
Yako was very satisfied. Even after all this time, the Self-Binding Curse Mark remained effective.
He gripped Mei's chin, studying her.
"Impressive. A spy from Iwagakure finds a villager who looks just like her… and uses that coincidence to run spy ops."
He smirked.
"It's good enough explanation. You can die now—Iwagakure spy."