Yuka directed the Honds to follow Yako's trail.
Once they had reached far enough that the Byakugan couldn't track them, Yako released a Clone and began staging a noisy battle with the dogs.
The barking and howling echoed through the woods—loud, convincing, but harmless. The dogs coordinated well, intentionally avoiding serious blows and letting the clone remain intact.
Meanwhile, Yako and Uzumaki Yuka hid nearby in the shadows.
"What happened, Yuka?"
Yuka's voice was tight with urgency. "Fox, three Konoha shinobi have taken Nagato and his parents!"
"'Taken'—what do you mean taken...?" Yako stiffened.
"Wait. Who did you say? Nagato who?"
"Uzumaki Nagato. The boy among us."
Yako froze.
According to the original timeline, this should be around the time Nagato awakens the Rinnegan.
He had the eyes even before meeting Jiraiya—before the war between Amegakure and Konoha ended. Madara had already implanted his own Rinnegan into Nagato to serve as a vessel for his eventual resurrection.
Nagato's talent was extraordinary. Backed by the vitality of the Uzumaki bloodline and as a descendant of the Sage, only he could withstand the strain of the Six Paths–level Yin-Yang Release.
To Uchiha Madara, Nagato was irreplaceable.
If three Konoha shinobi had abducted his entire family, they were most likely under Madara's Genjutsu.
Which meant... Madara might be nearby.
The more Yako thought about it, the more likely it seemed.
Realizing that three of his squads were still pursuing the enemy, he turned to Yuka.
"Yuka, go back. You're not strong enough to be part of what comes next. This is way more complicated than it looks."
He held her gaze. "Leave it to me. I promise—I'll keep Nagato alive."
He didn't say anything about the parents.
If Madara was watching from the shadows, Nagato wouldn't die. But his parents… might be a different story.
Yuka understood instantly. Fox knew more than he was letting on, and was telling her to back off.
"Alright. I'm going."
She hugged him tightly. He patted her frail back before turning away.
'My poor three squads... Madara, can you at least leave me a few survivors? Don't kill them all.'
When Yako caught up to his squad, he found them gathered at the base of a slope.
He exhaled in relief.
At least they were still alive.
Purple Cat ran up. "Captain! Did you drive off the Summoning Beast?"
"Yeah." Yako nodded. "What's going on with those three Konoha shinobi? Still under Genjutsu?"
White Ram answered. "Yes, sir. No matter what we yell, they ignore us. When we try to get close to release the illusion, they suddenly accelerate. We can't catch up."
Yako issued his orders sharply:
"Maintain distance. Something's wrong. Be ready—they might snap and attack."
The ANBU all nodded grimly.
Too many had died recently—killed by comrades under illusion.
The three Konoha shinobi stood on the hillside, hostages slung over their shoulders, next to a massive boulder.
Then it happened.
Yako's scalp prickled.
The boulder exploded—revealing a hidden cave beneath it.
From the darkness, a figure emerged slowly.
White, unruly hair. A hand resting on a scythe. Loose, sagging skin. Wrinkles deep as ravines.
But it was the eyes that paralyzed them all.
Rinnegan.
Every single one of them fell into Genjutsu: Binding Illusion.
Binding Illusion—a paralysis technique that locked the body in place.
Yako's limbs refused to obey. He strained, sweat pouring from every muscle, but couldn't take a single step.
Uchiha Madara.
Even in this aged, hunched form, with a minor Genjutsu, he had disabled an entire ANBU unit.
'This is it. A level 5 rookie up against a level 99 raid boss.'
Madara raised his hand. His fingers formed a seal beneath his chin.
"Fire Style: Majestic Annihilation Flame!"
A tsunami of fire exploded across the slope, engulfing everything—everyone.
Yako had just reached the night of the full moon…
...and died.
[Death detected. Arc of the Waning Moon system initializing…]
The world went black.
Then—Yako snapped awake.
His eyelids burned. His vision was bathed in red, as if he were still inside that hellfire.
But he had revived.
Back to… just minutes before?
He hadn't even survived the night. Madara had killed him the moment he appeared.
This was, by far, his fastest death since arriving in this world.
In a land ruled by strength, fairness was an illusion.
He'd been on a routine scouting mission, walking through light rain after saying goodbye to one of his lovers—then a monster appeared and stomped him out like a bug.
[Arc of the Waning Moon: Activated.
The host may revive once per full moon cycle, returning to life at the previous full moon night.
You've earned a reward draw:
1 – Fire Chakra Nature2 – Genjutsu: Binding Illusion3 – Uchiha Kekkei Genkai (Mid-High Tier)]
'Fire Chakra? What the hell is that doing here?'
'What a waste of a slot.'
'Should I start picking garbage options first to avoid them showing up again?'
'Binding Illusion's not bad. Would fix my Genjutsu weakness. But without the Sharingan, it'd be way less effective…'
The third choice, though—
Uchiha Kekkei Genkai, Mid-High tier.
Madara's bloodline abilities were undoubtedly top-tier. But Yako's body couldn't withstand a full-power Sharingan lineage, so he'd been given a downgraded version.
Still…
He didn't hesitate.
Third option.
Pain lanced through the back of his skull. His temples pulsed as if his brain might burst out of his head.
Nerves around his eyes and scalp rewired themselves. His vision distorted, then sharpened.
He hadn't awakened the eyes yet—but the seed was there. One day, with enough stimulation…
He'd open them.
Unknowingly, Yako now carried all of Konoha's top-tier bloodlines: Senju, Uzumaki, and Uchiha.
He immediately checked his status screen.
[Host Status]Chakra Reserves: 3.8× Special Jōnin LevelChakra Natures: Earth, Water, Yang, YinKekkei Genkai: Senju Bloodline (Mid-High), Uzumaki Bloodline (Mid-High), Uchiha Bloodline (Mid-High)
Three key changes stood out.
With the Uzumaki bloodline, his reserves had jumped to 2.5×.
Within a month, they naturally rose to 2.8×.
Now, with the Uchiha bloodline strengthening his mental energy—and chakra being a mix of mental and physical—he'd jumped again: 3.8×.
With all three bloodlines, his body was no longer a standard blank slate. He'd entered the express lane of chakra development.
A new chakra nature had been added as well—Yin. The foundation of Genjutsu and spiritual techniques.
And his Kekkei list now included the Uchiha Bloodline.
He hadn't awakened the eyes yet.
But he'd make it happen.
Time to start picking fights with Uchiha shinobi.
Who knows—maybe he'd even pull a one-tomoe Sharingan next time.