The dim corridors of the ANBU headquarters echoed with quiet footsteps. White Ram followed behind the Fox Squad Captain, heading toward the changing rooms designated for their unit.
Underneath his porcelain mask, sweat trickled down White Ram's face in cold beads.
The Fox Captain was sharp. He glanced over his shoulder."White Ram, is something wrong?"
White Ram quickly lowered his head, letting the sweat fall onto his collar instead of the floor.
"I'm fine, Captain."
During last night's Nine-Tails transfer and sealing operation, White Ram had stayed on the perimeter, hurling explosive tags at the beast. He hadn't joined the Captain and the Division Commander beneath the Nine-Tails to guard Princess Kushina.
That area was far too dangerous. Out of concern for the Captain, White Ram had kept his Byakugan focused on him the entire time.
He had seen something strange. Several times during the battle, the Fox Captain's chakra had emptied completely.
According to standard procedure, he should have included this anomaly in the squad's mission report.
These reports recorded every shinobi's actions in detail—used to assess performance and calculate rewards.
But White Ram hadn't written it down.
The Fox Captain was meticulous. If he included that detail, the Captain would certainly read it.
So White Ram had stayed behind in the lounge, long after the mission had ended.
He was waiting for an opportunity—to bypass the chain of command and report directly to Yellow Dog, the Division Commander.
Purple Cat had initially planned to share a private moment with the Fox once the others left. But seeing White Ram linger, she gave up.
There was another mission the next day anyway.
Yako noticed White Ram still hadn't left. He walked over and asked,"White Ram, why are you still here? Something on your mind?"
White Ram's heart skipped.'Did the Captain figure it out?'
"No, just tired."
Yako seemed to recall something from the original records—about Hyuga Neji and his hatred for the Branch Family curse seal.He said softly,
"I've heard that all Branch Family members struggle with the Caged Bird Curse Mark.
Every jutsu has a weakness. Every sealing technique has a counter-seal.
Princess Kushina is a sealing specialist. Maybe… when she grows up, she might be able to release it."
Relief swept through White Ram.
The Captain had only assumed he was troubled by the curse mark.
His mental discipline was awful. The Captain had noticed his odd behavior twice now.
Fortunately, the Captain trusted him.
"Thank you for your kind words, Captain." White Ram took the lifeline and added:
"Every time I return to the clan compound, it feels like a heavy stone pressing on me.
To escape that oppressive feeling, I volunteered for the ANBU.
It's just... being in ANBU is slightly more deadly. But everything else is better than staying in the clan."
Yako chuckled, standing up from the bench."'Slightly more deadly'? White Ram, you're funnier than I thought. ANBU is extremely deadly."
He stretched."Don't worry. I've been improving fast lately. Unless it's absolutely necessary, none of you will die."
"Unless necessary?" White Ram coughed."Captain, that's the real joke. Are you saying if it is necessary, we will die?"
"If it comes to that, I'll die too. You and I both carry the Will of Fire. Don't we?"
With that, Yako left the ANBU compound and returned to the Tsurugetsu Tavern.
Only after a long while did White Ram finally rise from the bench.
'The Captain said we share the Will of Fire... am I overthinking things?'
He activated his Byakugan to ensure the Captain had left the building, then exited the changing room and, after some hesitation, made his way to the office of Division Commander Yellow Dog.
He knocked, then stepped inside.
Yellow Dog glanced up. Seeing a Squad Captain, he asked,"Something wrong?"
White Ram saw the desk was stacked with mission reports from the night of the Nine-Tails transfer.
"Commander," he began, "There's a detail I didn't include in the White Ram Squad report. I believe it should be delivered to you in person."
Yellow Dog's hand paused mid-motion.
A direct report. That meant the intel was either extremely important—or it was about someone above in the chain of command.
Was this about the Fox?
"Go on," Yellow Dog said. "Tell me everything."
White Ram swallowed hard."Commander Yellow Dog, I kept my Byakugan focused on our Captain the entire battle, in case something went wrong so I could warn him ahead of time.
During the fight, I observed... one instance of rapid chakra depletion. It was strange. Even unnatural. I left it out of the report because I wasn't sure what to make of it."
The words had changed. He'd wanted to say three times. But in the end, it became once.
The Fox Captain was the first leader he'd ever followed in the ANBU.
The Captain trusted him deeply.
And ANBU wasn't the stuff of nightmares people made it out to be. The Captain never used subordinates like tools to gather information recklessly.
Cold as he was, he never persecuted those beneath him.
The Hyuga had seen far too much on the battlefield. They knew what a truly ruthless captain looked like.
Those kinds of leaders only cared about the mission. Anyone—so long as it helped accomplish the task—could die.
White Ram didn't know why, but he just couldn't say it was three times.
Behind Yellow Dog's mask, his gaze darkened.
Among all his Squad Captains, the Fox had the best record. His success rate was high.
But if he truly was disloyal… no matter how much value he had, he would have to be removed.
"You said the Fox had one instance of abnormal chakra loss?" Yellow Dog asked."What exactly happened?"
White Ram replied,"Commander, when the Captain was near Senju Rinju, his chakra suddenly plummeted to almost nothing."
"But I can't say for sure whether it was because he used up all his chakra avoiding Senju Rinju's final Water Dragon Bullet… or something else."
Yellow Dog's gaze softened slightly."That final Water Dragon Bullet—Rinju's last burst of strength before death. If you hesitate even a split second, it'll send you flying into the sky.
Not just the Fox. Even I would've died if I faced it head-on.
Still, even dodging it full force, the Body Flicker Technique shouldn't drain all of one's chakra.
Did you see him get hit by the Water Dragon Bullet?
Because if he was struck and had to counteract the impact of such a powerful Water Release... then using up all his chakra makes sense."
White Ram shook his head."I couldn't tell. Both the jutsu and the Captain were too fast. Maybe the Captain sensed how strong it was and instinctively pushed past his limit, boosting his speed."
Yellow Dog frowned, deep in thought.
A full minute passed before he finally spoke.
"I understand, White Ram.
Your intel is valuable. But not enough to declare the Fox a traitor. There's no justification to eliminate him.
However... I'm assigning you a covert A-rank mission.
From this moment on, you are to monitor the Fox constantly. Do not relax for a second. Report every piece of intel to me until I personally confirm his innocence."
"Understood!" White Ram bowed. "I won't fail!"
Leaving the Division Commander's office, White Ram felt his heart twist in his chest.
He didn't know if what he did was right.
He didn't know if reporting to the Commander was the right choice. Or if holding back part of the truth was a mistake.
From now on, he would observe the Captain even more closely—
He had to clear the Captain's name.