The full moon hung like a silver disc, moonlight cold as frost. Once again, Yako had been given a second chance at life.
On the night of the full moon, he entered the ANBU base. Mask on, he walked through the dim passageways of the ANBU headquarters.
Flickering candlelight danced across the masks of those approaching, their painted expressions even more grotesque in the shifting light.
Everyone walked with urgent steps. After heavily damaging Iwagakure, every ANBU member felt a sense of pride.
Though nominally under the direct authority of the Hokage, the Third Hokage had appointed Danzo as the ANBU Commander, giving him full control.
Danzo and the ANBU carried out the will of the Third Hokage with unwavering loyalty.
From what Yako had seen since transmigrating here, Danzo hadn't made any overly aggressive moves yet.
Still, his ambition was plain as day.
After the battle at Mount Ushiga, Danzo was hailed as the greatest contributor—but the campaign promoting his image came to an abrupt end.
Rumor had it that the Third Hokage personally ordered ANBU to cease all propaganda.
The blow to Iwagakure had been a significant victory, one achieved through the joint efforts of Uzumaki Mito, the Senju clan, and Sarutobi Hiruzen.
Yet in the public narrative, Danzo had become the protagonist. Supposedly, he had been plotting for six months, laying the groundwork for this opportunity.
The Third Hokage made no move to refute those rumors.
Yako arrived at Captain Yellow Dog's office and reported on Captain Black Ape's recovery.
"Another month and a half..." Yellow Dog frowned in thought.
He wanted to assign Fox full command of the squad. Losing a squad leader was a big blow to the unit's cohesion.
But thinking it over, Black Ape was an important figure within the Akimichi clan. Their sentiments had to be respected.
"Alright, I understand," said Yellow Dog, pulling out the mission scroll roster for Black Ape's squad. After a quick scan, he added:
"The Princess Kushina escort mission isn't urgent. I'll assign another team to it.
As for Iwagakure's spies, they've all been cleaned out—every last one is dead.
Until Black Ape returns, you're responsible for training the squad's new recruits."
"Understood, Captain."
For now, there were no issues with Kyoi. The Leaf Monkey Squad had been wiped out, and no one knew the details of Kyoi's situation.
Mei's body had been returned, and the total number of spies matched up. ANBU had found no inconsistencies.
Training newbies and doing basic patrol and guard shifts—Yako figured he wouldn't be leaving the village for the next month and a half.
So, it was time to do something.
Leaving the ANBU base, Yako headed toward Tsurugetsu Tavern, deep in thought as he walked.
Should he march straight to the Hokage Tower? Assassinate the Third Hokage?
Sarutobi Hiruzen's abilities—aside from the Summoning: Enma technique—weren't particularly high-tier. His upper limit was low.
Even if Yako drew Enma from the Arc of the Waning Moon system, he couldn't summon him.
A high-level summon like Enma would probably kill him on sight with one punch.
They had terrible tempers.
What about setting a trap for Danzo within ANBU?
Danzo specialized in Wind Release, and Yako didn't have wind nature chakra. He wasn't going to develop it in a month, either.
Still, he had a strong hunch: one day, he and Danzo would definitely part ways.
And when it came to Danzo, two lives might not be enough.
[Arc of the Waning Moon Alert: If killed twice by the same individual, the host will die permanently!]
The thought triggered a keyword in the system, prompting a special warning.
'Nope. Someone like Danzo is way too dangerous to throw away my extra life on. Better save it.'
What if Danzo came after him one day?
Maybe he should ambush Captain Yellow Dog instead?
Forget it—Yellow Dog knew all his personal info. That would just be an embarrassing death.
Yako leapt onto a lamppost and gazed down at the Konoha nightscape.
What about the Uchiha compound?
If he managed to pull a Sharingan... he'd basically ascend on the spot.
Tempting.
If he was careful enough—and wore his mask—there was little risk of being exposed. He'd just need to kill anyone who saw his Sharingan.
Risky, but manageable.
Then he looked toward the Senju compound.
The Uchiha massacre wouldn't happen for a long time. No rush. But the Senju clan? Their downfall was only a year or two away.
'Better pick the Senju. They're strong too—high chakra reserves, great physical constitution.'
Time to draw up a plan.
On the night of the 14th, he would challenge the strongest ninja in the Senju clan.
Clan head Senju Rinju, or maybe even Tsunade—either would do.
Back at the tavern, Yako applied the best ANBU-grade medicine to Kyoi's wounds.
'She better recover soon. Long nights are boring as hell.'
Back in his previous life, he worked like a dog. Now in this new world, he deserved to enjoy himself a little.
The next day, deep within the Forest of Death's training grounds, Yako stood on a stone, looking down at the new recruits:
"I'm acting captain of Black Ape Squad. While Captain Black Ape recovers, I'll be in charge.
I'm also the leader of Fox Squad. You may call me Fox.
There are three squads in Black Ape's unit.
White Ram Squad's leader is also recovering, expected to return in two weeks.
Leaf Monkey Squad is entirely new—rookie leader, rookie members.
Today's training will begin with the basics: coordinated kunai throwing drills..."
Suddenly, the one wearing the Leaf Monkey mask stepped forward.
"Fox, I may be new to ANBU, but I've already completed many A-rank missions as a regular shinobi.
Isn't this training a bit too basic? I believe I'm qualified to—"
Inside her mask, Purple Cat frowned. Root had just been established... had they not sorted out internal discipline yet?
'What kind of training are they giving new recruits in Root, to produce someone this bold?'
"You're qualified to do what, exactly?"
In an instant, Yako used Body Flicker Technique to appear right in front of Leaf Monkey and slashed toward his shoulder.
Leaf Monkey really was strong—he ducked to dodge the blade.
He reached out to grab Fox's wrist, trying to de-escalate. "Fox! I didn't mean anything by it, I just—"
But he only grabbed a fistful of sludge.
Earth Substitution Technique?
Leaf Monkey didn't have time to stand. He rolled on the ground, guarding his back against a sneak attack.
But there was no one behind him.
Everyone watched as Fox emerged from the mud, having predicted Leaf Monkey's rear guard stance.
Yako reversed his grip on his blade and smashed the pommel directly into Leaf Monkey's brow, sending him flying—and knocking him out mid-air.
"Captain!"
One of Leaf Monkey's teammates shouted but quickly shut up as Fox turned to look his way.
Yako jumped back onto the rock and shook his head.
"ANBU's gone downhill. You're the worst batch I've ever seen."
Then he froze.
'Wait, why does that sound so familiar...?' In his past life, he'd heard countless teachers say the same thing at school.
Those teachers never knew how to appreciate what they had. 'One generation worse than the last,' they said.
But really, this generation would probably be the best in years to come.
Shaking off the thought, Yako said:
"Leaf Monkey has been expelled from Black Ape Squad. He'll face punishment from both ANBU and the village.
Root, which trained him, will also be held responsible.
The mission of an ANBU shinobi is simple: give everything you've got—your life if needed—to complete the mission!
I have one word to the rest. Obey. Obey. And obey the damn orders!"
The training resumed. Only now did the newbies start to understand how harsh ANBU really was.
By the end, Leaf Monkey was still unconscious.
Yako hoisted him over his shoulder and returned him to Root.
Root wasn't large—just ten members, labeled A through J.
When they heard that someone had publicly challenged the acting squad captain, all the Root shinobi looked straight at D.
Breathing heavily, D took the unconscious Leaf Monkey and said:
"You can rest assured. I'll evaluate whether he's salvageable. If not, I'll dispose of him per ANBU regulations."
Judging by D's tone, Leaf Monkey was probably a goner.
Konoha had no shortage of simple-minded shinobi—ones who truly believed in the higher-ups' propaganda about love, comradeship, and the Will of Fire.
They were adorably stupid.
But that same blind loyalty would eventually get them killed by the very propaganda they believed in.