"Clan extermination"—in the original work, it's a cold, clinical term. At most, it's dressed up with a name like "Night of the Massacre."
But in reality, extermination means countless living, breathing people, slaughtered in cold blood.
The Uzushio clan. The Uchiha clan. The Fūma clan. The Kaguya clan. And many others, erased from history without even a name left behind.
Once a shinobi clan is wiped out, the survivors are fair game—mocked, vilified. As if their destruction was somehow deserved.
Not because they were truly evil… but because there's no one left to speak in their defense.
Sure, there are some good people in Konoha. So are we to believe not a single good person existed in the Uchiha clan?
Konoha's official story sealed the Uzushio clan's fate.
Their destruction, it was said, came from their greed—trying to claim the Three-Tails from Kirigakure, and paying the price.
But whether that greed was real or fabricated… no one cares anymore.
Once she calmed herself, Yuka wiped her tears and got to work.
Every research scroll was sealed away by Yuka using her clan's fūinjutsu.
Yako placed explosive tags on every corpse's forehead—obliterating the experimental remains—and buried the entire cavern using Earth Release.
He carried the two unconscious Uzushio guardian shinobi, and together with Yuka, left the ruined base.
Holding Yuka tightly, Yako whispered:
"I'm sorry, Yuka. I can't go with you to the Land of Rain. Root is bound to launch an investigation—I've already pushed my luck."
Yuka, now composed, was far removed from the panicked girl who'd first heard about her father.
"I understand, Fox. You'll be walking through fire just by investigating within Konoha. It's far more dangerous than hiding in the Land of Rain. Please be careful.
Thank you—for telling me about my father, for letting me see him one last time… even escorting him to his final rest. I'm already at peace.
And you even saved two of our clan: Uzumaki Kaicho and Uzumaki Gencho—both jōnin. I'll treat them. They'll recover.
I'm sorry you had to risk so much for us."
Yako said nothing. He only held her close, listening to her breath at his neck.
"Yuka, Uzumaki Nagato is with Jiraiya right now. He's safe for the moment. But don't go near him. He's surrounded by danger—far beyond what you or your clan can handle."
"...I understand." Yuka nodded. "Fox… if it's possible, could you use Giant Panda's reverse summoning to come see me?"
Yako smiled. "I'll soon be promoted to Captain of the ANBU. Once that happens, I'll have more freedom. When I do, I'll visit you in the Land of Rain."
Yuka nodded, summoned the giant panda. In a flash, it disappeared.
It reappeared in the bamboo forests of the Rain Country, reverse-summoning Yuka and the two unconscious Uzushio shinobi.
Yako quickly made his way back to the main camp.
As the Yellow Dog Unit's ace fighter, disappearing for so long during such a critical period in the war was… questionable.
Still, he had his cover story prepared. He wasn't worried about suspicion.
He entered Yellow Dog's command tent. Yellow Dog waved the others away immediately.
"Fox. You've been gone for days. Where have you been?"
After their successful ambush operation, there were still plenty of things Yellow Dog needed to coordinate—and many of them couldn't proceed without Fox.
Yako cast a glance at Butterfly, standing nearby.
"She's trustworthy," Yellow Dog said flatly. "You can speak."
Yako nodded. "Captain, I had a premonition. That the Hōzuki clan—or Kirigakure—might launch a counterattack. So I scouted the coast."
He paused.
"While there… I found Suikazan Fuguki standing over the corpse of a Konoha shinobi."
He let that sink in before adding: "That shinobi was B from Root."
"B?!" Yellow Dog's eyes widened. "You're certain?"
"Absolutely. I've worked missions in the Land of Rain with B before. He was an elite jōnin of the Aburame clan. Incredibly powerful.
But… he wasn't a match for Suikazan Fuguki.
I don't know why they encountered each other—but based on the battlefield, with so many kikaichū dead… I'm almost certain B was killed."
Yellow Dog clenched his fists.
B wasn't just any operative. He was one of Danzō's most trusted subordinates.
Sure, A was Orochimaru—but that was more symbolic, a title given out of respect for power.
B—Aburame Ryōma—was the one Danzō actually relied on.
Without B, much of Danzō's web would unravel.
Just like Yellow Dog himself: without Fox, it'd feel like he'd lost an arm.
To those in power, a capable subordinate was more valuable than family.
One good subordinate could make everything easier—plans smoother, control tighter.
Fox uncovering B's possible death? If it had been Hippo or Yak Squad, they'd never have gotten intel that sensitive.
"This is serious," Yellow Dog muttered. "I'll go to Central Command and verify if B is still active."
He turned to Yako. "Stay in the main camp for now. We'll be heading to the Uzushio border soon to receive Advisor Mitokado Homura.
He'll be leading the negotiations with Kirigakure. The war's almost over."
"Understood."
With quick steps, Yellow Dog entered the command tent.
Not only was B missing—so was Danzō.
Uchiha Kagen claimed ignorance, saying he hadn't seen either since morning.
Yellow Dog frowned. Something's happened to Root. Could it be… B really is dead?
===
20 kilometers southeast of the Capital, Land of Whirlpools.
Danzō stood before the ruins of a former base, flanked by four Root operatives.
The entire facility had been annihilated. Only a single wall remained, lined with explosive tags—evidence of what once stood.
Staring at the tags, Danzō said nothing.
Someone had broken through the False Domain Seal using powerful fūinjutsu—and found the real entrance to the lab.
Operative C stepped forward. "Shall we begin excavation, sir? Maybe something can still be salvaged—"
"Don't waste your time," Danzō cut him off.
"The enemy knew fūinjutsu. They would've destroyed everything inside.
Digging it out will only waste manpower.
Only the remnants of the Uzushio clan could've broken the seal so easily."
"...No word from B?"
C shook his head. "Sir, he went to meet the Wandering Miko. We still haven't heard from him."
At that moment, D arrived at a run.
"Sir! We found a coded marker on the coast—left by the Miko. She left a scroll. You'll want to see this."
Danzō opened the tiny scroll. The message inside was short and cold:
Fuguki knew he got deceived—went berserk and has been chasing her ever since.
B intercepted him, but was unexpectedly killed.
Yakushi Nonō added that J and K were also eliminated.
Someone tampered with their intel scroll, fed them false information—leading to the failed retrieving blade raid and her own exposure.
She's now being hunted relentlessly by Kirigakure.
This is her last communication with Root for the foreseeable future.
Danzō crushed the scroll in his hand.
"...Yellow Dog."
So Sarutobi's brat is grown up. And now he's tearing everything down.