Yako used the Hidden Fish in Earth Technique to tunnel underground with the maid's corpse, leaving the Ōkura estate behind.
In a back alley in Kyoto, he located the White Ram Squad using their pre-arranged signal.
When the squad leader tossed down a corpse, White Ram hurried over to inspect it. After examining the body, he said:
"It's a ninja. The body's well-trained. At least chūnin level."
Yako replied,
"I plan to lure the target noble out of Kyoto using the hydroelectric plant's groundbreaking ceremony.
The issue is, Kyoto isn't just crawling with us and Suna-nin. There are Iwa-nin spies in the city too.
Ōnoki puts tremendous value on intelligence. He's planted spies all across the shinobi world.
Ever since the hydroelectric plant was introduced, the Land of Rivers no longer relies on the Land of Earth for coal. I've uncovered intel that the Iwa-nin agents here plan to sabotage the ceremony—my entire plan.
White Ram, your job is to find those spies and alert me. I'll handle the elimination myself."
"Captain, we can take care of them. You should focus on the ceremony."
Yako had seen these Iwa-nin spies in his previous life. They weren't pushovers.
"They have to die—if we let them live, they'll ruin everything.
But we can't kill all of them either. Without chaos, we'll have no cover for our true move."
White Ram nodded repeatedly. If some Iwa-nin had to be left alive, it was best the captain controlled how far things went.
When Yako returned to the Ōkura estate, he saw that Chisa Kojii had collapsed from exhaustion and was fast asleep.
Yako thought, 'She's tired… Fine. Let's not push it tonight.'
Over the next several days, Yako spent his days refining the hydroelectric plant's blueprints and construction strategy—then spent his nights enjoying Chisa Kojii as she danced between her intellectual charm and wild allure.
On the day before the ceremony, Yako and the White Ram Squad made their way to the abandoned thermal power plant on the outskirts of Kyoto.
The plant had shut down due to a coal shortage. The smokestacks and cooling towers no longer belched smoke.
As Yako walked through the empty facility, he felt a strange disconnect in the world.
Here were shinobi with supernatural powers… yet also power lines, turbines, and electrical grids.
With the plant inactive, most of the craftsmen had returned home. Only the core workers remained.
Yako and the White Ram Squad moved from dorm to dorm. According to White Ram's intel, they took out four Iwa-nin spies.
Yako said:
"The remaining spies will stir up enough chaos without sabotaging the entire operation.
Let's go. Tomorrow is our moment.
Assassinating an uncooperative noble is one of the highest-tier ANBU missions. There's no such thing as being too cautious.
Taking half a month to prepare is perfectly reasonable, right, White Ram?"
White Ram gave a half-hearted nod. Half a month? More like you were drowning in your obsession with the girl in glasses.
He'd already heard the rumors circling Kyoto. The daimyo's younger sister, Lady Chisa Kojii of the Ōkura family, had fallen for the newly appointed Kawachi.
People whispered she was about to get married.
The next morning, the groundbreaking ceremony began.
Nobles from all over Kyoto gathered. As a Kawachi, Yako had specifically invited his assassination targets—the Commander of the Left Imperial Guard and the Minister of the Central Palace.
Chisa Kojii wore a fitted gown, glasses perched on her nose, as she took the podium to speak about the significance of the hydroelectric plant.
The wind from the river swept up the canyon, rustling her hair.
A lock drifted across her face. She raised a pale hand and gently brushed it aside.
Yako felt a twinge of regret.
After today… they might never meet again.
If we ever do meet again… I hope it's to protect her.
Life was full of regret—especially for shinobi. More so for someone like Yako, a shadowy Anbu who could never step into the light.
Among the craftsmen, four Iwa-nin spies suddenly sprang into action.
"Kill the Kawachi! How dare he abandon the Land of Earth's coal! He must die!"
"Earth Release: Rock Iron Cannon Jutsu!"
Chunks of rock flew toward Yako.
Chisa Kojii moved swiftly. Despite her delicate figure, she possessed surprising strength.
She drew her thin sword and leapt in front of Yako, slashing down the incoming rocks with a flurry of precise strikes.
Yako thought, 'If Chisa really were as fragile as she looked… she wouldn't have lasted over an hour last night, would she?'
As the stones shattered, Chisa exhaled in relief. She turned, intending to grab Mikū and get him out of there—only to find he had vanished.
She looked around in alarm—then spotted Mikū putting on a mask.
That mask...
Anbu?
And on the mask—was the symbol of Amegakure.
Amegakure Anbi?
Yako and the White Ram Squad had carved the Amegakure symbol into their masks beforehand, disguising themselves as Ame-nin.
Yako had already informed White Ram of the two nobles' guard details. The squad had allocated the exact number of explosive tags needed.
The Suna-nin bodyguards received special attention.
Yako drew his blade and used the Body Flicker Technique to dive into the smoke.
When it cleared, the Commander of the Left Imperial Guard and the Minister of the Central Palace had both been slit across the throat, blood spraying through the air.
Yako waved his hand.
"Retreat! We're heading back to the Land of Rain!"
No sooner had he taken a step than he heard someone crying behind him.
"Mikū! Who are you really?! Don't leave me!"
Yako didn't slow down. Chisa Kojii abandoned the ceremony and sprinted after him.
White Ram noticed—Fox Squad Captain's speed had dropped.
He's strong—this isn't fatigue. Not during a retreat.
Yako kept glancing back… watching Chisa Kojii chase him with everything she had.
When he saw her legs begin to tremble—her stamina clearly depleted—Yako came to a stop.
He said to White Ram, "Take the squad and go. I'll handle the loose end."
White Ram looked back at Lady Chisa, then turned away without a word.
Poor woman. Doesn't even realize he might never have truly cared for her.
In matters of love, the women of the Aburame Clan had a clear advantage. You could always tell a man's true feelings from the behavior of his kikaichū.
A man's mouth could lie. But not the hormones that influenced his parasites.
If a man fell out of love, the kikaichū would physically reject the woman's scent.
White Ram suddenly thought of Aburame Chima.
Their insects had lived in perfect symbiosis. Sometimes, even he couldn't tell which ones were hers… and which were his.
Love… who really understands it? I used to resent her. But now she's gone, I think of her more often than I ever expected.
Yako stood at the riverbank, waiting for Chisa to catch up.
The two stood on opposite sides of the stream, gazing at each other.
Tears welled in Chisa's eyes. Her lashes were wet, and her lids flushed as if she were wearing faint pink eyeshadow.
She clenched her fists, gasping for breath.
"Mikū! Who are you, really?! Why did you lie to me?!"
Yako didn't answer that question. Instead, he said:
"Lady Chisa. There's one thing I never lied about.
The hydroelectric plant's blueprint is real. The construction plan is real. The idea of harnessing the canyon rivers of the Land of Rivers to generate electricity—it's all real.
Protect that plant. Think of it as my final gift to you.
Goodbye… Lady Chisa."
He raised his hand, formed the hand seal for the Body Flicker Technique—and vanished.