"Lord Fox, the village has sent a reply," Nara Kyoichi reported.
"The Jonin Council failed to select a new Foreign Affairs Advisor, so Lord Hokage has ordered us to temporarily continue handling the affairs of the Land of Hot Water."
He paused, then added:
"As for the position of Captain of the Guardian Ninja, once Sarutobi Yamatori recovers, he will resume the post as before."
A flicker of disappointment passed through Yako's eyes.
The Sarutobi Clan had already lost Sarutobi Shinnosuke, Sarutobi Hiaki, Sarutobi Einosuke, along with several elite Guardian Ninja—
and yet Sarutobi Hiruzen still refused to let go?
How many of the clan's elites had already been buried by Sarutobi Hiruzen's ambition?
Couldn't the position of Guardian Ninja for the Land of Hot Water be handed to someone else in the village for once?
Out of the eight or nine thousand ninja in Konoha, was there really not a single one more suitable than Sarutobi Yamatori?
"Understood," Yako said calmly.
"You know how ANBU operates. ANBU isn't suited to protecting a Daimyō.
During this period, Jonin Kyoichi, you will be fully responsible for all affairs here. If armed intervention becomes necessary, notify me."
Nara Kyoichi wasn't surprised.
ANBU ninja were never particularly suited for detailed administrative work.
Killing people? That they were good at.
But asking them to study the defensive layout of a castle town or draft plans for border fortifications?
That was like asking a butcher to write poetry.
The news of the Land of Hot Water Daimyō's disappearance had already spread.
And yet, strangely enough, it was as though no one cared.
Whether it was the Fire Daimyō, the Lightning Daimyō, or the rulers of the smaller nations, all of them tacitly chose silence.
Every Daimyō in the world had already begun to feel the crushing pressure coming from the great hidden villages.
On Konoha's side, the son of the Third Hokage had died in a joint ambush by the Cloud and Stone.
On the side of the Hidden Cloud, they had lost the Two-Tails Jinchūriki, Gomoi, and Totai.
The two villages were like twin volcanoes on the verge of eruption.
One wrong move—
and the next Great Ninja War could begin at any moment.
Neither the Land of Fire nor the Land of Lightning was prepared to face a full-scale war yet.
The Land of Moon, a vassal of the Land of Lightning, bordered the Land of Hot Water.
Yako, leading the Hippo Squad, had just destroyed another Cloud ninja border fortress there.
The entire Cloud detachment stationed inside had been completely wiped out by Hippo's men.
When Hippo returned to Lord Fox's side, he heard him muttering quietly while looking at the ruins.
"Why hasn't the Hidden Cloud responded yet?
What exactly are they waiting for?"
Hippo said,
"Lord Fox, with you personally stationed on the border, the fact that the Hidden Cloud hasn't withdrawn all of its fortress garrisons already takes some nerve.
Should we continue attacking the remaining strongholds?"
"Continue? Of course we continue."
Yako replied casually.
"We've already come this far. Might as well keep hitting them and see what happens. It's not like all these ANBU are here just to take a stroll."
Then he added, almost lazily:
"No matter how slow their reaction is, both villages should've come up with some sort of solution by now.
Surely they can't just let me keep probing forward and doing whatever I please forever."
Hippo thought silently:
So you're aware you've just been causing chaos this whole time, huh…
Still, that was exactly why the village had stationed Lord Fox at the border in the first place.
They wanted him to do as he pleased.
That was Konoha's attitude.
And if the Hidden Cloud still refused to bow its head…
No one could predict what kind of madness Lord Fox might unleash next.
By the time Yako led his men to the second border fortress, it was already empty.
The Cloud ninja had withdrawn.
"The Hidden Cloud's bones aren't all that hard after all," Yako said. "So they ran."
Then he smiled faintly.
"Looks like the Hidden Cloud is getting ready to soften up.
They can take the men away if they want.
But these fortresses stay behind? Not happening.
Use Fire Release and explosive tags.
Blow them all."
By the time Yako was dismantling the fifth Cloud fortress, a ninja hawk finally arrived with orders.
The Hokage had received a personal letter from the Third Raikage.
The Hidden Cloud was requesting peace talks.
The full moon hung in the sky like a silver plate.
At last, Yako welcomed the full moon night of September.
A few days after the full moon, Nara Shikakaku arrived in the Land of Hot Water with a delegation.
Traveling with him was none other than Sarutobi Yamatori, the Captain of the Guardian Ninja.
Under Shikakaku's arrangements, Yamatori reassumed command of the defenses in the Capital of the Land of Hot Water.
Afterward, Shikakaku and his party continued onward, joining up with Fox and making their way to the coastal port city of the Land of Hot Water—
Toga Port.
There, they would wait for the arrival of the Third Raikage.
The moment he saw Fox, Nara Shikakaku let out a dry laugh.
"Fox… if you weren't accompanying me, I wouldn't dare come negotiate with the Third Raikage in person.
I heard he's been in a constant fury these past few days. Apparently he didn't just wreck the Raikage Building—he tore up its foundations with his own hands."
"Don't worry, Lord Shikakaku," Yako said in an even tone. "If I only need to keep you alive, then I'm confident I can protect you even in front of the Third Raikage."
The expressions of Shikakaku's bodyguards immediately turned unpleasant.
What was that supposed to mean?
So they didn't need protecting?
So they weren't afraid of the Raikage?
Was he really not even willing to offer a single polite reassurance?
Yako ignored their reactions and continued:
"I didn't expect Lord Shikakaku himself to come handle the negotiations.
Has the village still not decided on a new Foreign Affairs Advisor?"
Shikakaku let out a sigh.
"Neither Orochimaru nor Jiraiya is willing to take the position. So in the end, I had no choice but to make the trip myself."
Konoha really was running short on capable people.
Yako gave a small nod.
"Lord Shikakaku, if there are dangerous missions outside the village in the future, I can accompany you as an escort."
Shikakaku froze for a moment.
Fox…
…was actually taking the initiative to show goodwill?
The Ino-Shika-Chō clans had long been eager to establish a formal allied relationship with Fox.
After all, a man who could kill a Tailed Beast head-on could no longer be judged by the standards of an ordinary Kage-level shinobi.
The three clans had yet to find the right opening—
and yet Fox had just offered one himself.
After a moment of thought, Shikakaku gestured for the guards behind him to step back a little.
Then he lowered his voice.
"Fox… the position of ANBU Commander can't remain vacant forever.
Tell me honestly—do you intend to take it?"
Behind the fox mask, Yako smiled faintly.
Talking to smart people really was easy.
Shikakaku had clearly already seen through his intentions.
Within Konoha, Fox had never once bothered to hide his ambition.
Squad Leader.
Unit Leader.
Division Captain.
Vice Commander.
Commander.
Truthfully, what he wanted from Konoha had never been all that much.
"I do indeed have designs on the position of ANBU Commander," Yako said bluntly. "The only question is whether the rest of the village's leadership will agree."
Nara Shikakaku gave him a meaningful look.
"Fox… it seems you still don't have a clear understanding of your own strength.
Learning Wood Release alone might not mean much. Konoha has all kinds of secret arts.
But your ability to kill a Tailed Beast head-on…"
His gaze sharpened.
"That has made you something even more frightening than a Tailed Beast.
If you want to become ANBU Commander, then you are the only candidate.
And if you wanted to become Foreign Affairs Advisor instead, then even if Orochimaru and Jiraiya both desired the position…"
He let out a slow breath.
"They'd still have to step aside for you."
Yako shook his head.
"I have no interest in being Foreign Affairs Advisor. Lord Shikakaku, you understand ANBU."
He looked out toward the sea.
"I'm not suited to walking under sunlight.
Becoming ANBU Commander—
that's my final goal."
Nara Shikakaku nodded.
Fox's self-assessment was extraordinarily accurate.
He only wanted to become ANBU Commander.
He had no interest in becoming an advisor, a senior village elder, or even Hokage.
During this period, Fox had beaten the Cloud ninja into collapse.
And in the darkness where no one saw, he had even assassinated the abbot of the Fire Temple.
That old monk had not been an easy target by any stretch of the imagination.
If Fox ever infiltrated the Land of Moon or the Land of Lightning and began carrying out sustained assassinations…
Then even the Third Raikage would likely start losing sleep.
Two days later, the Third Raikage arrived at Toga Port.
Standing at the bow of the ship, the Third Raikage looked enormous and imposing.
The moment he saw Konoha's group waiting on the shore—
especially that ANBU in the fox mask—
lightning suddenly erupted around his body.
In an instant, he entered Lightning Release Chakra Mode.
"FOX!"
The Cloud ninja all tensed up in alarm.
Before leaving the village, the higher-ups had repeatedly warned the Raikage not to act impulsively.
And yet the instant he laid eyes on Fox—
he still lost control.
The newly appointed Foreign Affairs Advisor, Betsuki, hurriedly shouted:
"Lord Raikage! Please calm down! Think about why we came here!"
But his voice was swallowed up by the roar of crackling lightning.
The Raikage smashed through the ship's front railing and shot forward like a bolt of living thunder.
The Cloud ninja saw nothing but splintering wood flying in every direction.
On the shore, every Konoha ninja felt their hearts tighten.
That fatal pressure of being locked onto by a true monster was enough to make the skin crawl.
Nara Shikakaku's breathing remained steady.
Inside, however, he sneered.
The Third Raikage really does think too little of everyone else.
To lose control in a setting like this…
If he didn't have a few cards in hand, would he really have come all the way here to negotiate in person?
And sure enough—
he saw Fox step forward.
Then bring his hands together.
"Absolute Defense: Crystal Mist!"