Uzumaki Yuka was gravely wounded, the Kumo squad leader locked in place by her sealing jutsu.
Yet Purple Cat remained fixated on the ANBU mission—priority one: ensure Uzumaki sealing techniques didn't fall into enemy hands.
Killing Yuka would indeed fulfill the mission.
But Yako thought, Even if we succeed in the mission, won't I still die right after?
Sometimes, he really couldn't understand the way Konoha shinobi thought.
Every day in ANBU, if they weren't training, they were being lectured by captains—drilled endlessly with the ideology that shinobi were tools for executing missions.
"Mission comes first"—in ANBU, that wasn't just a saying. It was doctrine.
As he pursued Purple Cat, Yako used her back to block the sightline, stealthily forming hand seals behind her.
Just as Purple Cat's kunai came within ten centimeters of Yuka's throat—it stopped.
Her whole body froze—joints locked, limbs seized.
Exactly like the Kumo squad leader before her. She'd been caught by a sealing jutsu.
Purple Cat was stunned. How the hell?! She took two sword wounds and still had this kind of strength?
Yuka, equally shocked, realized—it wasn't her who cast that Self-Paralysis Curse Mark.
Then she saw Fox behind Purple Cat, and it all clicked.
No wonder he's been looking after me this whole time… He must be from the Senju Clan!
This kind of Uzumaki-exclusive sealing technique wouldn't be passed to anyone besides direct disciples or those absolutely trusted.
If Fox knew it, he had to be one of them. That realization stunned her.
No wonder he didn't try to kill her when things got dangerous—he immobilized Purple Cat instead.
Yako didn't hesitate. He lunged at the Kumo squad leader, driving a kunai toward his heart.
But this man was no pushover. A true elite jōnin at the very least—he'd already broken free of the seal Yuka placed on him while wounded.
He swung his blade upward at Yako's wrist.
I'm gonna die.
This month's resurrection was used up. If he died now—he was really dead.
Yako deliberately let his knees buckle—his body dropped just enough to dodge the upward slash by pure chance.
The kunai missed the heart but pierced the abdomen.
Landing hard, Yako rolled and crawled backward like his life depended on it.
Because it did.
He had nothing left to contribute. He'd done all he could.
His chakra was average. Purple Cat's paralysis had worn off.
Now face-to-face with the Kumo captain, she had no choice but to fight.
But the Kumo-nin backed off immediately, wary of another sealing trap. Purple Cat gave chase.
Yako dragged himself to Yuka's side and began stopping the bleeding, applying salves with practiced care.
Basic treatment done, her condition stabilized significantly.
Then Yuka grabbed his hand—shaking, but firm—and guided it to her thigh.
Yako blinked. Now? Really?
Under her skirt, his fingers brushed along her thigh—until he felt it: a scroll strapped to the inside.
"Throw it! At the Kumo-nin! That's what they're after—it's our secret weapon!"
Yako's heart surged. I knew saving her was the right call. And now I get a bonus!
He hurled the scroll at the Kumo squad leader.
Only then did he notice—Purple Cat was dead. Killed by the Kumo-nin moments ago.
The scroll unfurled in midair, glinting with golden light.
A harsh, metallic rattle filled the air—as dozens of chains burst forth, tipped with spiked weights. A massive net of steel.
Yako dropped flat.
Everyone standing nearby was pierced, bound, or impaled.
Adamantine Sealing Chains?!
The Uzumaki had turned their strongest sealing jutsu into a one-use weapon—like an explosive tag?
Adamantine Chains used to be an advanced technique reserved for the most gifted of the clan. Now even average members could wield them?
Yako scrambled up and flung several kunai.
The immobilized Kumo squad leader died with steel in his throat.
Yako finally exhaled.
It was over.
"Fox! Keep going!"
Captain Antelope's shout startled him—Yako turned and saw even the captain was wrapped in chains, unable to move.
This sealing jutsu was no joke.
Yako's kunai flew again—each one cleanly striking the remaining Kumo-nin in the throat.
The battle ended.
All eight Kumo-nin were dead. Both male Uzumaki were dead. Purple Cat was dead.
Yako stood beside Purple Cat's corpse, a trace of regret in his eyes.
They'd just started syncing as a team… and now she was gone.
She'd been a civilian shinobi too. A pawn. Just like him.
Captain Antelope approached, voice full of regret. "Purple Cat was the first to die? That's surprising."
Yako and Horned Ox both turned their heads.
What?
What do you mean… the first?
What was your expected death order, exactly?
The captain didn't answer. He walked toward Yuka.
"Captain Antelope, please—have Fox carry me. Let's return to Uzushiogakure as soon as possible," Yuka said from the ground.
Yako noticed a tension in the captain's body—a subtle hesitation.
Uzushiogakure was an ally of Konoha… right?
What orders had the captain actually received?
The directive to prevent sealing techniques from falling into enemy hands—that he could understand. But now that the enemy was dead… what was he hesitating for?
Only the captain knew the true mission. Yako was just here to follow orders.
The Adamantine Chains scroll—Antelope had already taken it, storing it on his back, not returning it to Yuka.
Finally, the captain said, "Fine. We'll head for Uzushiogakure immediately."
Yako lifted Yuka onto his back and set off toward the village.
During a rest stop, he laid her down gently and checked her wounds.
Healing well.
He glanced at her thigh—no scroll this time.
Last time he'd been too focused on the curves, he'd missed the scroll strapped to her other leg.
Yuka waited until the captain walked out of earshot, then leaned against Yako and whispered:
"I know you won't admit it, but… you learned the Uzumaki's secret jutsu—the Self-Paralysis Curse Mark. You must be from the Senju Clan.
So I'll treat you as one of us.
Please. Help me. Get me home safely.
Lately, there've been rumors in the village—one says that after Lord Tobirama, the Second Hokage, died, Konoha no longer intends to honor the Senju-Uzumaki alliance.
The current Hokage isn't from the Senju, but from the Sarutobi Clan—Hiruzen Sarutobi.
Konoha's attitude toward us grows colder by the day. Only those with Senju blood ties still cling to the contract."
Yako nodded faintly, giving the illusion of agreement.
But if Captain Antelope ordered him to kill Yuka, he wouldn't hesitate.
He couldn't beat the captain. So he'd obey the captain.
And yet… when he finally saw Uzushiogakure with his own eyes, Yako froze in place.
Staring, stunned, unmoving.
Uzushiogakure… was this powerful?