Chapter 5 – The Trail
The sky over Ame was a low ceiling of steel-gray clouds when Yami finally set aside his experiments.
The last flicker of black flame faded from his palm, leaving behind only the faint warmth of the Aether thrumming in his veins.
Time to head back.
But as he walked the quiet streets, a thought gnawed at him.
"The Konoha squad I ran into…" His eyes narrowed. Their leader had spoken about avoiding witnesses. If they failed their mission, someone would come looking. And someone like him didn't survive long by being found.
He clicked his tongue in irritation.
"And I left a trail of deer leading straight to my door. Brilliant, Yami. Should've doubled back to erase it."
Regret was useless now. The only thing left was to move before trouble arrived.
⸻
Konoha Forward Camp – Near Amegakure Borders
The command tent smelled faintly of ink and damp canvas. Maps were spread across the central table, dotted with markers showing patrol routes, supply lines, and border skirmishes.
Shikaku Nara leaned over them, rubbing his temple as his brush danced across a mission report.
"Shikaku," a voice called. Inoichi Yamanaka stepped inside, his brow creased. "Squad 3 hasn't reported in. It's been five days."
Shikaku let out a quiet sigh. What a drag.
"They were supposed to infiltrate Ame," he said, straightening. "Track Hanzo's movements, see if he's getting ready to throw his lot into this war."
Inoichi nodded grimly. "That's why we sent a Hyūga, an Aburame, and an Inuzuka—plus sensory backups. If they're gone, it's going to cripple the unit's reach. We're already stretched thin."
Shikaku's mind ticked through the bigger picture. The Kazekage's rumored death. Suna's sudden aggression. Iwa's movements along the western front. Ame sitting like a dagger at the center of it all.
"Fine," Shikaku said at last. "I'll write to the Hokage for reinforcements, but don't expect much. The main battlefield's in Suna's deserts, and if Iwa joins in fully, we'll be choking on requests."
As Inoichi turned to go, he paused. "One more thing… Is it true? About the Third Kazekage?"
Shikaku's eyes narrowed. "No confirmation. But no spy has seen him in Suna for months. And their council's milking his 'death' to justify war."
Inoichi exhaled sharply. "They never forgot the Second War… or what the White Fang did to them."
When he was gone, Shikaku's voice cut through the tent. "Inu."
A shadow flickered into being—a shinobi in a black cloak, dog mask concealing his face.
"Inu," Shikaku said, "take your squad. Find Squad 3. If they're alive, bring them back. If they're dead, bring their bodies… and the truth of what happened."
The reply came cold, precise. "Yes, Commander."
⸻
The ROOT team moved like wraiths through the mist. Three masked figures trailed behind Inu—Fox, Boar, and Crow.
They found the first sign within hours: churned mud, splintered kunai, and a half-rotted Ame-nin corpse.
Fox knelt, gloved fingers brushing the damp ground. "Five days old. All ten members of Squad 3 were here."
They followed the trail deeper, finding drag marks in the mud.
Boar frowned. "No way a Special Jōnin, four Chūnin, and five Genin vanish like this. Something's off."
The trail ended abruptly at the edge of the marsh—no footprints, no chakra residue.
Fox's senses prickled. "There." He pointed toward a weather-beaten thatched hut half-hidden under drooping branches. Closing his eyes, he reached out with sensory ninjutsu.
"…No one inside."
The hut was quiet. Dust motes hung in the sunlight like lazy snowflakes as the ROOT operatives fanned out.
"Inu, nothing unusual—just signs of someone living here," Cat reported, kneeling by the futon. "Bed's warm. Whoever it is, they haven't been gone long."
Inu's gaze swept the one-room dwelling. "Then they may have information on Squad 3." His voice was cold, each word precise. "Fox—lookout. Keep sensory active. Boar—trap the perimeter. Cat—inside with me."
They moved without a word. Within minutes, steel wire traps and paper seals crisscrossed the hut's approach. The waiting began.
⸻
Remote Valley, Outskirts of Ame
Yami moved fast. The earlier unease of leaving the trail was now a steady hum at the base of his skull. He had found a cave on his way back—a perfect fallback.
Kneeling in the shadows, his right eye changed and become black star with a golden ring. Space warped faintly as he placed an anchor there, an escape plane for when things went wrong.
By the time his hut came into sight, the hum had become a chill. His instincts screamed. Someone's there.
He kept walking, expression neutral. Then, as though reconsidering something trivial, he turned back toward the cave. Calm steps, measured breaths.
From the treeline, Fox's voice came quietly over the comm link. "Target spotted. Changed direction—suspicious."
Boar flickered into existence before Yami could blink. His hand clamped onto Yami's wrist like an iron shackle, twisting it up behind his back.
The world tilted—ground, sky, pain—and Yami found himself face-down in the mud.
"Kid," Boar's voice was a low growl, "why were you heading away from the home suddenly ? Who lives there?"
Yami coughed, forcing tears to his eyes. "I—I don't know! I'm just… a war orphan! I don't even—"
Boar wasn't buying it. He hauled Yami upright. "We'll see what you say when we dig it out of your head."
Panic flared. Yami's pulse pounded in his ears. Quietly, he called the Aether, felt it coil like a living shadow under his skin. Black tendrils shimmered at the edges of reality.
When Boar shifted his grip, Yami struck—void constructs lashing out. The tendrils tore through the man's arm guard, biting deep and attacked his ribs.
In that instant, Yami's Seigan ignited fully. Space folded, and he vanished—reappearing inside the cave's cold darkness.
The strain hit like a hammer. His knees buckled. Too far… too much. The world dissolved into black.
⸻
Amegakure – Thatched Hut
Boar collapsed, clutching his bleeding arm and side of his chest.
Fox's head snapped toward him. "He's gone. Completely off my sensory net."
Inu's mask tilted. "Then it's not a jutsu—it's likely a unknown kekkei genkai. Young for that kind of power." His voice was thoughtful. Dangerous.
Orders came fast. "Fox—stop his bleeding. Carry him. Neko—compile a full description: unknown kekkei genkai, black constructs, space-time capability."
They moved out, silent as the grave.
Then, in the shadows of the forest, Inu fell back a step… then another, until Fox and Boar were just ahead of him.
His hand signaled once.
Steel hissed.
Two blades flashed, and Fox and Boar fell without a sound.
Neko didn't flinch. She bent to the grisly work of disposal, scattering their corpses into the river's dark current.
Inu took the scroll from her hands, tied it to a small messenger hawk, and whispered the order. The bird vanished into the sky.
⸻
Land of Fire – Konoha – Underground ROOT Base
The hawk landed on a silent perch deep beneath the village. A masked operative retrieved the scroll and hurried into the central chamber.
Inside, the air smelled faintly of old paper and iron.
Danzo Shimura sat behind a low desk, one arm hidden under bandages, the other holding a porcelain cup of steaming tea. His single eye was half-lidded, but sharp.
The ROOT shinobi knelt. "Danzo-sama, high-priority intel from Amegakure camp."
Danzo accepted the scroll. He read in silence. Then, slowly, a smile cut across his weathered face.
"…A boy with an unknown kekkei genkai. Black constructs. Space-time jutsu…" His voice was almost reverent.
He set the cup down with deliberate care. "Hiruzen… the Leaf will prosper under my guidance."
The chuckle that followed was low, dark, and final. "And I will be Hokage."
Within the hour, orders had gone out to ROOT operative near amegakure : Find the boy. Capture him alive.