In a damp cave somewhere in the Land of Rain, Dan Kato's face was pale.
Ever since he mastered the Spirit Transformation Technique, that forbidden jutsu had never once failed him.
He wasn't as powerful in direct combat as Jiraiya or the others, but on the battlefield, his mere presence was enough to rival even three Jiraiyas combined.
Yet today—he'd been outplayed by an Anbu wearing a fox mask.
When he tried to control the squad captain's body, that captain was suddenly seized by a Yamanaka clan mind technique.
He'd never encountered such a thing before—two souls wrestling within the same body—and he lost the struggle.
It taught him a lesson: never underestimate the Yamanaka again.
Physical wounds could be healed with medicine.
But damage to the soul… only time could mend that.
Dan said to the two Senju guards beside him,
"Give me another half hour. After that, I'll use the Spirit Transformation Technique to scout the return route. If it's clear, we'll head back to the main camp."
As a high-ranking elite of the Senju clan, Dan's words carried weight.
One of the guards frowned.
"Dan, don't push yourself. Don't leave hidden injuries behind."
Dan nodded faintly, assuring them he knew his limits.
Lying down inside the cave, he listened to the soft patter of rain outside.
Clan Head Hanaki Senju had ordered him to investigate the truth behind the Nine Tails' transfer sealing, and Dan had already interrogated several Anbu.
Unfortunately, the Anbu's chain of command was tight—ordinary members knew nothing, only carrying out orders from their squad captains.
Even the captains rarely knew the full story.
And every Anbu he interrogated… he had to kill afterward, to avoid exposure.
After letting that Fox Squad escape, he worried they'd report him to the higher-ups.
So far, none of the Anbu captains he caught had yielded any useful intel.
Was he going to have to go after a Division Commander?
Dan frowned, reviewing what he knew of the Anbu commanders—it would be no easy task.
Yellow Dog, an old veteran and the Hokage's right hand, had once saved Dan's life in the Battle of Ushigamiyama. His taijutsu and ninjutsu were top-tier, and his will was indomitable.
Black Ant, the Nara clan's Anbu commander, served as the division's strategist—second only to the Hokage and Danzo himself in command authority.
Which one of them might know the truth behind that night—the night when the Nine Tails' vessel suddenly manifested Armored Susano'o?
The rain outside grew heavier.
The Land of Rain… such miserable weather. Dan couldn't understand why anyone would choose to live here, starving and drenched day after day.
Suddenly—
"Parasitic Insects!"
One Senju guard shouted. Tiny kikaichū bugs had crept in under cover of the rainfall.
All three men rushed to the cave mouth—two Anbu were charging toward them.
One wore a beetle-painted mask, the other—a fox mask.
That fox mask—!
Dan froze. It was the same Anbu captain he'd fought earlier!
Had his cover already been blown?
"Anbu are here to kill me! Stop them!"
The Senju guards hesitated only for an instant before deciding: protecting Dan was their top priority.
One rushed out to engage, while the other stayed close to Dan to guard him.
"Water Style: Severing Wave!"
A high-pressure jet of water shot from the Senju's mouth, slicing horizontally—cutting both Anbu clean in half.
Even the trees behind them split apart in perfect lines.
The power of the Severing Wave was tremendous.
But the guard's expression suddenly changed.
"No…!"
The beetle-mask Anbu's body crumbled into swarming bugs—it was an Insect Clone!
And the fox-mask ninja melted into mud—a Earth Clone!
As expected of the elite who could track Dan down—they wielded substitution and clone techniques with precision.
"Watch out!"
A moment later, the hiss of explosive tags filled the cave.
One Senju guard shielded Dan with his own body, taking the blast head-on to protect him.
Yoru, the fox-mask Anbu, crawled up from the ground, frustrated. Even with a surprise attack, these Senju guards were strong enough to survive.
Once the heat of the explosion faded, he stepped outside.
Ahead, the two guards were already fleeing north with Dan in tow. Oto, his partner, gave chase.
Yoru followed quickly—Danzo was hiding nearby, and if he got caught slacking, there'd be hell to pay.
After several minutes of pursuit, one Senju guard realized they couldn't outrun them.
He stopped, turned, and shouted—
"Go! Don't worry about me!"
He leapt up to meet Oto midair—but the fox-mask Anbu intercepted him first.
So fast! Body Flicker Technique!
Yoru's short sword clashed against the Senju's kunai, sparks flying.
While Oto kept chasing Dan, Yoru fought the guard one-on-one.
The Senju grew increasingly unsettled—this fox-mask Anbu fought like his mirror image.
Both used Earth Release and Water Release, both possessed monstrous stamina and refined taijutsu.
The Anbu didn't seem intent on winning quickly—only defending with Water Style: Water Formation Wall, dragging the fight out.
The Senju suddenly realized the trap—if the Anbu was stalling, there had to be more hidden enemies nearby!
The real killing blow wasn't his opponent—it was the ambush waiting in the shadows.
He glanced sideways: the beetle-mask Anbu was fighting his comrade with reckless abandon, trading blows as if eager to die—just to get closer to Dan.
Dan, meanwhile, was already sitting on the ground, hands forming seals.
"No—!"
If Dan activated the Spirit Transformation Technique, his body would be defenseless!
At that moment, a shadow appeared behind him.
Danzo Shimura, kunai in hand—its edge humming with Wind Release: Vacuum Blade—stepped forward.
The chakra-infused blade cut the raindrops themselves in midair.
He locked onto Dan's neck.
If he killed Dan here, all trouble would end.
But just as the blade neared Dan's ear—three centimeters away—it stopped cold.
Dan's spirit had left his body faster than the strike!
As expected of the famed Dan Kato—the speed of his forbidden jutsu was unmatched.
Danzo's expression shifted—his entire aura changed.
Dan's spirit form floated before him, calm and cold.
"Lord Danzo… I didn't expect it to be you.
Since you've found me, there's no point in hiding anymore.
I've been investigating that night—the night the Nine Tails' seal was transferred.
Whose Sharingan summoned the Armored Susano'o, causing Lady Mito's premature death?"
Danzo's eyelids twitched violently, his mind torn between rage and guilt.
"Then tell me this—why did you suddenly start wearing an eyepatch?"
As Dan spoke, Danzo's left hand rose slowly.
He lifted the eyepatch—revealing a Mangekyō Sharingan, glowing crimson in the rain.
"So it really was you…"
Dan's eyes widened.
Danzo's right hand tightened around the kunai—then drove it upward—
—into his own throat.
The Vacuum Blade was so sharp it could cut stone or steel as if slicing clay.
Blood spurted out, drowning out even the rain's steady rhythm.
Danzo's body fell forward into the muddy puddle.
Dead.
Again.
"Danzo… died again?"
Twice in one night?
Even Yoru, who had a literal resurrection system, wouldn't dare die this much.
Blood spread across the puddles like dark ink.
"Lord Danzo!" Oto shouted.
But Yoru didn't move. He stared at the fallen man, eyes wide.
Could it be…