Yako sprinted tirelessly through the mountain forests, his breath steady but his chakra running low. He couldn't stay away from the main camp for long—otherwise, Yellow Dog and the command unit would start to get suspicious.
He arrived twenty kilometers southeast of the Capital in the Land of Whirlpools.
There, he quickly found a cave hidden among the cliffs. Forming a hand seal, he called out:
"Summoning Technique!"
With a puff of white smoke, Porcelain, the giant panda, appeared.
"Porcelain," Yako said, "reverse summon Yuka Uzumaki. I have urgent business with her."
The panda raised its thick, fur-covered paw. Despite its short, stubby fingers, they moved with surprising dexterity as it formed a series of hand signs.
Another burst of white smoke filled the cave—Yuka Uzumaki appeared, drawn by the reverse summoning.
It was the middle of the night, yet Yuka stood alert in her battle gear. She was clearly used to sleeping ready to fight, prepared to lead the remnants of the Uzumaki Clan in their endless flight.
"Fox?!"
Overjoyed, Yuka leapt into his arms, clinging tightly to his neck.
Yako removed his mask and pressed a brief kiss to her neck. "Yuka," he murmured softly, "I wish I'd come for warmth, but this isn't that kind of visit."
He straightened, his tone turning grim.
"I've learned something. Danzo has captured the Uzumaki Clan's guardian ninja—the ones who served the Daimyō. They're likely being held in a cavern beneath us… for sealing technique experiments."
Her eyes widened. "The Daimyō's guardians? My father… he was one of them. He's still alive?"
Yako blinked, then said, "We'll find out soon."
He pulled two black masks from his pouch and handed one to her. The fox mask had become too recognizable—it wasn't wise to wear it when doing things that shouldn't be seen.
The two dropped down to the cave's entrance.
Yuka glanced at the opening once and said, "It's fake. There's a sealing barrier—an illusionary cave mouth."
Forming hand seals, she slapped her palms to the ground.
Light rippled before them—the illusion twisted and shifted, revealing a wall covered in Explosive Tags.
"It's a fake entrance," she said coldly. "Anyone who charges through would be blown to pieces. The real one's behind that wall."
"This is one of our Uzumaki sealing arts—"False Domain Seal," she explained. "I replaced the original seal when I cracked it. Those inside probably haven't noticed."
Yako nodded repeatedly. Yuka's sealing skill had improved again.
She formed another seal and performed a Summoning Technique.
At first, nothing appeared—until a long, slick tongue slid out of thin air.
Only then did Yako realize she had summoned an Invisible Lizard.
The two jumped into the creature's mouth, disappearing down its throat as it slithered into the depths of the mountain.
The tunnel was pitch black at first. Then, rounding a corner, they spotted two guards flanking the corridor.
The guards saw nothing—until a gaping reptilian maw opened before them.
Self-Binding Curse Mark spread across the floor, crawling up their bodies. The men froze, unable even to scream, before being swallowed whole.
By the time the lizard closed its mouth, both guards were already dead.
They passed through several more defenses before reaching a vast chamber.
Inside stood twelve glass tanks—six on each side—each containing one of the Daimyō's guardian ninja.
In the first six tanks, only pieces remained.
Severed limbs floated, torsos gone, their organs drifting like red shadows in the green fluid.
Some still had heads attached. Others didn't.
The next two tanks each held a warped, pulsating brain.
And in the final two—bodies still alive.
Their faint breaths formed strings of bubbles that rose silently through the liquid.
Across the room, on an operating table, lay two more bodies—one already cold, the other barely clinging to life.
Yako grasped Yuka's trembling hand. Her body was shaking violently.
Researchers bustled between the tanks and tables, while a tall bookshelf at the back held scrolls—Root's stolen sealing research.
Yako formed hand seals and sent out several Clones.
Each one leapt from the lizard's mouth and scattered around the room, releasing the Self-Binding Curse Mark simultaneously.
Within seconds, over twenty researchers froze where they stood, unable to move.
Minimal damage—that was key. If any Uzumaki survivors remained, they had to be rescued alive.
Sealing techniques were perfect for that.
Yako flicked several kunai across the room.
Beside him, the sound of rattling metal echoed—Adamantine Sealing Chains.
Yuka struck without hesitation, spearing through the paralyzed researchers.
In less than a minute, the lab had fallen silent.
Yako turned to her. "Yuka—guard the entrance. There might be more guards deeper in the base. I'll handle things here. When I'm done, you can turn around. Alright?"
"O-okay…"
The more she hoped her father was alive, the more unbearable the horror around her became. She turned away, facing the door.
After a while, soft sobbing echoed in the chamber.
Yako checked each tank. Two of the subjects were still alive—barely unconscious, sustained as backup experiments. For now, they were safe.
Of the two on the operating table, one was already gone.
The other clung to life, organs missing—liver, gallbladder, stomach—kept alive only by nutrient fluid.
Secret arts… they always required brutal study.
To understand chakra pathways, one had to cut deep—through flesh, through organs.
"...Daughter…"
Yako froze. The worst possibility had come true.
The dying man turned his head weakly, eyes filled with both fear and fragile hope. Fear that it was an illusion… hope that he could see his daughter one last time.
Yako quickly draped a cloth over the man's mutilated body, leaving only his face exposed. In a flicker, he appeared behind Yuka and pulled her trembling form toward the table.
She looked down—and screamed, tears bursting forth.
"Father! Father!!"
"Daughter… you're alive. Thank goodness…"
Yuka's gaze dropped to his sunken chest. She understood immediately.
"Don't be afraid," her father rasped. "To see you before I die… that's enough for me."
A brief surge of vitality flickered in his voice as he continued rapidly:
"The Four Symbols Seal, the Adamantine Sealing Chains, the Tongue Curse Seal—they haven't taken them yet. Come closer, I'll teach you all I can."
When Yuka had fled the Land of Whirlpools, she'd carried with her an ancient scroll from the clan's elders—one containing fragments of the Uzumaki's secret arts.
Now, listening to her father's hurried words, she stayed with him until his eyes finally closed.
Yako knelt beside her, holding her as she shook.
This poor girl…
This cursed clan.
Her thin shoulders trembled, her fingers gripping her father's lifeless hand.
Yako's eyes stung. 'Was he really about to cry?'
He wasn't some soft-hearted idealist. He didn't cry.
And yet—
When he opened his eyes again, two tomoes spun within them.
Twin tomoe Sharingan.
He had always planned to evolve it through calculated means—by confronting another Uchiha with his system's aid.
He never imagined it would awaken like this—born from a pain he could not suppress.