After narrowly escaping death, Yako ordered Chōta to lie flat in the sand.
He turned his gaze toward the direction of Sarutobi Senjin.
That man couldn't be allowed to live. His private communications with Hatake Sakumo had to remain absolutely secret.
"Stay down and don't move. My mission isn't over yet."
In the distance, Sarutobi Senjin was crouched atop a sand dune, cautiously observing the situation in the oasis.
The last time he was promoted to Tokubetsu jōnin, it was at the cost of a teammate's life.
This time was no different. He planned to use the Sand's reaction to draft a flawless oasis reconnaissance report.
What he didn't expect was that an ANBU had shown up near Chōta—one that had likely been passing through on a mission—and saved him.
Senjin shifted his attention to his other two subordinates.
They weren't so lucky. With no ANBU to intervene, both were killed by the Sand shinobi.
It was enough. These intel pieces would suffice.
Roughly a hundred Sand-nin were stationed in that oasis, among them, about ten Puppet Masters.
Senjin began carefully crawling backward, inching away into the dip of a dune—
And his foot struck a leg.
He spun around in alarm—and locked eyes with a Fox Mask ANBU.
Self-Binding Curse Mark.
Instantly, Senjin was paralyzed. Even his jaw was sealed by the jutsu.
A single kunai pierced straight through the center of his forehead.
It was a shallow sandpit. No one saw Yako make the kill.
He returned to Chōta and led him across the border into the Land of Rivers, where they stood by a flowing stream.
The riverbed beneath them plunged into a deep ravine, and the sounds of rushing water mixed with the whispering wind.
Facing away from Chōta, Yako asked,"Can you tell now? You were sent to die by your squad captain."
"...Yes."Chōta stared at the ANBU's back and replied:"Senjin's strength never surpassed that of a chūnin. His promotion to Tokubetsu jōnin was largely thanks to his last name.
He couldn't complete missions with his own skills, so he used vicious methods."
Yako said coolly, "Senjin has sacrificed teammates on multiple occasions to complete his missions. With that name of his, if no one dares investigate, he'll never be held accountable."
Sadness clouded Chōta's gaze.
How many classmates, how many comrades, had died with no one the wiser?
After a long silence, he spoke:
"During the War with the Land of Grass, the Sarutobi, Shimura, and Ino–Shika–Chō Clans saw a massive surge in Tokubetsu jōnin and jōnin numbers.
Over 40% of newly promoted Tokubetsu jōnin came from just those five clans.
We were struggling. Even though we worked harder—fought harder—we could only watch as they climbed the ladder.
Their clan shinobi grew more arrogant, even reckless. They sacrificed comrades just to boost their mission records...
Thank you for helping me. If not for you, I'd be dead right now."
Yako listened carefully. From Chōta's words, he confirmed that the man held deep resentment toward the ninja clans and the village's upper echelon.
Perfect for cooperation.
To execute the hidden strategy he and Hatake Sakumo had set in motion—one in the light, one in the shadows—he needed someone willing to take risks.
"I saved you," Yako said, "so you could deliver a message to Lord Sakumo."
"What message?"
"Konoha's leadership has their eyes on him—and on all of you. That includes his followers. Tell Lord Sakumo to be cautious. Don't underestimate this, and take it seriously."
"Followers?" Chōta frowned. "We're not a group... just like-minded friends."
"It's not about what you think," Yako replied. "It's about what they decide.
The moment the leadership defines you as a group, that's what you are—no matter how much you protest.
I help you in secret because I believe in Lord Sakumo's ideals. The merit-based exam system should replace the recommendation system.
Otherwise, the clans will monopolize all Tokubetsu and regular jōnin positions.
If their strength truly matched their rank, I wouldn't mind. But if someone like Senjin—weak and unqualified—ends up leading missions, it's the genin and chūnin who die.
Ninja battles are deadly. Skill comes first. A leader who doesn't deserve the title will only get his subordinates killed."
Clarity dawned in Chōta's eyes. The confusion that had weighed down his heart lifted.
This ANBU had also seen the darkness in Konoha—and supported Lord Sakumo from the shadows.
"Don't expose my identity," Yako continued. "Guard my secret. I will help you again—when the time is right.
Remind Lord Sakumo to always be wary of the darkness in Konoha.
I'm taking a huge risk for your sake. Don't let me down."
Chōta nodded solemnly.
"I will guard your secret with my life. Not because you saved me—but because you share our ideals."
Yako gave a small nod. Chōta was trustworthy.
Even knowing Senjin had used him as bait, he still went forward for Konoha—calmly, knowingly, to his own death.
For such a man to swear an oath on his life meant something.
"You've been a chūnin for years now, with plenty of field experience," Yako said. "I'm sure you know how to report the mission without raising suspicion."
Chōta nodded."I won't return to the village for now. I'll pretend I was gravely wounded and hide in a safe place. Once I've recovered and Lord Sakumo sets up his forward command base, I'll report directly to him."
Yako vanished with the Body Flicker Technique.
Chōta snapped back to awareness, found a secluded cave, and took out a kunai. Without hesitation, he plunged it into his abdomen.
He'd dissected corpses before. He knew where to stab to make the wound look horrific—but not fatal.
Pain twisted through his chest.
Why is it so hard… just to make Konoha a better place?
Yako returned swiftly to the Hidden Leaf.
Back in the ANBU headquarters, he went straight to Captain Yellow Dog to deliver his report.
"Captain, the target—Chōta—is just a chūnin. It doesn't appear he knows anything crucial about Hatake Sakumo's group.
He showed no suspicious behavior along the way.
During the recon mission of the Sand's oasis supply base, he was severely wounded and fled deep into the desert.
I chose not to pursue and returned instead."
Captain Yellow Dog gave a slow nod.
"Chōta's one of the weaker members of Hatake Sakumo's circle. It's not unusual to get nothing from him.
ANBU will now shift focus to monitoring the others in that group."
Yako asked, "Should we insert a spy into the group?"
If so, he'd volunteer.
An ANBU mole inside Sakumo's group—and a Sakumo loyalist inside ANBU. It would complete the loop.
But Captain Yellow Dog thought for a moment and shook his head.
"Not for now. Lord Sakumo is still busy building his forward command. We won't find much during this stage."
Yako exited the captain's office and made his way to the ANBU archives.
Inside were the full records of all active ninja in Konoha.
He pulled up the promotion records for Tokubetsu jōnin over the past year.
Just like Chōta had said—the Sarutobi, Shimura, and Ino–Shika–Chō Clans had grown alarmingly dominant.
It wasn't 40% as Chōta had guessed—it was closer to 50%.
Half of all newly promoted Tokubetsu jōnin now came from the Five Clans aligned with the Hokage lineage.
In contrast, the Senju Clan had suffered heavy casualties. The Uchiha were stuck running D-rank missions in the Konoha Police Force, and the Hyuga were mostly tasked with low-combat reconnaissance.
Their presence among Tokubetsu jōnin was shrinking.
From Yako's observations, very few Hyuga served close to the village leadership.
Of course not. When you're doing something shady, the last thing you want is a Byakugan watching your every move.
In the original timeline, the Hyuga were suppressed. Maybe it was because they'd uncovered too many secrets by accident.
The power balance within Konoha's ninja clans was quietly shifting.
Senju, Uchiha, Hyuga, Aburame, Inuzuka—they were fading.
Sarutobi, Shimura, Akimichi, Nara, Yamanaka—they were rising.
As for civilian ninja making Tokubetsu jōnin?
Rare.
There wasn't even enough of the "cake" for the clans. Why would they share with civilians?
Only around 20% of the promoted Tokubetsu jōnin were civilians—and even then, each one had clawed their way up through sheer luck, or sacrifices.
Some gained favor by siding with important figures.
Others—like Yako—offered up their lives to the ANBU in exchange for a future.
The political landscape was grim.
If things continued, the Hokage's five main clans would only grow stronger.