One of White Ram's squad members saw how badly Black Ox's chest had been mangled by the explosion tags. He leapt down from a tree, trying to help.
"Wait! Don't go near him! Be careful!"
White Ram shouted—but before his warning reached the man, the ninja slashed Black Ox's throat with a kunai.
Blood spurted out, splashing across Black Ox's burned chest, turning it a mess of red and black.
Chaos. Total chaos.
Yoru barked, "Everyone fall back! Keep at least fifty meters between each other! Don't get close to anyone!"
Following their captain's command, everyone retreated.
In the rain-soaked darkness, only the sound of pouring rain remained—drumming against leaves, puddles, and mud.
Five minutes passed. Nothing.
Ten minutes. Still nothing.
Fifteen minutes later, Yoru carefully approached Purple Cat, crouching down to tend to her injuries.
She didn't attack him—apparently, Dan Kato had already withdrawn his control.
After confirming she was back to normal, they spoke quietly, discussing new tactics.
Next time, they couldn't afford to be this passive.
As they continued their journey, Yoru ordered everyone to stay twenty meters apart—far enough that explosion tags couldn't take out more than one person.
He also changed their route. Instead of heading southeast toward the Land of Fire, they turned south, taking a much wider detour.
He was afraid Dan Kato might predict their escape path and set up an ambush.
After two hours of walking through steady rain, everything seemed calm again. Yoru finally began to relax. Maybe Kato had lost patience—an elite jōnin wouldn't waste his time endlessly toying with one small ANBU squad.
They found a dense grove to rest in, each choosing a tree to sit beneath.
Yoru leaned back against a trunk. The canopy above blocked most of the rain.
He looked up at the heavy black clouds overhead and thought, If lightning struck now, would it kill me instantly?
In his past life, he remembered: never hide under a tree in a thunderstorm.
But finding a cave wasn't realistic. What, would they take turns inside?
A flash of lightning tore across the sky, followed by a deep rumble of thunder.
Yoru stood up, ready to order the team to move again.
If necessary, they'd circle farther south through the Land of Rivers, then cross into the Land of Fire from there.
Then—another flash.
Yoru narrowed his eyes.
Wait… why is this lightning lasting so long?
A ninja hurled a flash bomb—straight toward White Ram!
Damn it, not again! Dan Kato's still following us?!
Yoru's hands blurred through seals. Body Flicker Technique!
He appeared in front of White Ram in an instant.
White Ram was the squad's sensor. Losing him would be catastrophic.
Without him, the unit would be blind in the treacherous Land of Rain—filled with Rain-ninja, Stone-ninja, rogue ninja, even the likes of Madara Uchiha.
Flash bombs and smoke bombs—classic tools against dōjutsu users.
The intense light would've blinded White Ram instantly.
Yoru intercepted, kicking the controlled ninja away before he could strike.
He refused to kill them—Leaf Monkey and Black Ox were already dead, their deaths meaningless.
Then—he heard it. The sharp whistle of something cutting through the rain behind him.
Not good!
Even someone with Byakugan couldn't resist Dan Kato's possession technique?
White Ram's taijutsu was far stronger than the others, his movements much faster.
Yoru shifted sideways, body twisting as he dodged—but White Ram was already upon him.
A sharp strike landed—his left arm went numb. His tenketsu had been sealed.
White Ram's Gentle Fist came at him in rapid succession.
The movements weren't as fluid as usual, but still held seventy, eighty percent of his normal power.
So Kato even understands the Hyuga clan's techniques this well… Yoru realized.
The Hyuga had often been assigned to protect Kato in the past. He must've studied their fighting style closely.
Yoru fought back one-handed, deflecting blow after blow.
"Purple Cat! Help me!" he shouted.
A short distance away, Purple Cat formed hand seals, activating her Mind Transfer Jutsu.
Just then, White Ram froze briefly—then shouted, "Captain! I'm free! Purple Cat's been taken over!"
White Ram suddenly lunged forward, positioning himself between Yoru and Purple Cat—to protect his captain from being possessed.
Purple Cat hesitated for a heartbeat, her jutsu slowing as she processed his words.
But the next instant, White Ram's body jerked violently—his hand slashing with a kunai straight toward Yoru's throat!
Yoru ducked and twisted left.
The kunai was too fast—its edge sliced through falling raindrops, splitting them midair into a fine spray.
In that flash of motion, Yoru surged forward instinctively, colliding into White Ram's chest.
White Ram's kunai pierced the back of Yoru's neck—its tip sinking half a centimeter into flesh.
"Ugh!"
White Ram gasped as Yoru's own kunai drove deep into his abdomen.
It all happened in an instant—pure instinct.
If White Ram had been a fraction faster, Yoru's throat would've been slit open.
Yoru looked down. His kunai had pierced White Ram's lung; the four-edged blade had cracked his ribs.
In his last moment, Dan Kato had forced White Ram's body forward—turning a serious wound into a fatal one.
White Ram clutched at Yoru, his breath ragged. "Captain… I sensed him… that direction… to the north… I'm sorry…"
White Ram died.
Twenty kilometers away, in a mountain cave, Dan Kato snapped awake—frowning. "What a troublesome squad… I thought I could control a Hyuga ANBU easily."
White Ram had been with Yoru for a long time—second only to Purple Cat in trust and importance.
Yoru had always been cold, mechanical in carrying out ANBU missions.
White Ram was gentle—like most branch-family Hyuga.
Now he was dead.
And Yoru had killed him with his own hands.
For someone who already felt detached from this world, who viewed everything and everyone as distant—this time, the guilt hit harder than anything before.
Rain streamed down his face, mingling with tears he refused to acknowledge.
His eyes burned.
Suddenly, chakra surged from deep within his brain—flooding through his optic nerves, exploding into his eyes.
Yoru's pupils turned blood-red, and a single black tomoe spun into being within each eye.
Sharingan—awakened.
That cursed bloodline limit—every tomoe born from the death of someone close.
For those with ordinary talent, only the death of a dearest friend could awaken it.
For geniuses, even a pet's death might be enough.
No wonder so many Uchiha kept cats—and even summoned cat spirits. Their ancestors believed a cat's death made awakening easier.
But for the untalented ones, even slaughtering their entire clan wouldn't open their eyes.
To be an enemy of the Uchiha was dangerous.
But to be their friend—was fatal.
White Ram's body leaned weakly against Yoru. He whispered, "Captain… I reported something to Captain Yellow Dog. During the Nine-Tails' attack… your chakra—it changed once…"
Yoru froze.
So Yellow Dog is suspicious of me now?
He looked down. White Ram's mask stared blankly, the pale Byakugan fading to a milky blur.
Yoru stood slowly.
White Ram was gone.
Now, he had to make sure Purple Cat and the rest survived.