Black Ape glanced at Yagami. From his voice alone, he could tell it was the Fox, and his eyes immediately brightened in surprise.
"How did you find me?" Black Ape asked, but his expression darkened right after.
"It's not hard to find, is it? There are only about a dozen Akimichi ninja in the clan who've lost both arms. Just check one by one, and you'll find me soon enough."
"Yeah, I went door to door to find you," Yagami replied, not mentioning that he'd actually gotten the information from the auntie at the street-side intelligence post. Saying he found him one by one just sounded more sincere.
"So, why are you moving?" Yagami asked.
Black Ape sighed. "After I retired, I stopped receiving income. My wife retired even earlier to take care of the family. We can't afford to live in such a nice house for long. That damned woman said we should move early to save money for our daughter's future."
Yagami sat nearby, watching a few young Akimichi clansmen carrying boxes out.
"Judging by your tone, your wife hasn't treated you too kindly since you retired?" Yagami asked. After a pause, he added, "I can lend you some money. I don't have kids to raise anyway.
Consider it your private stash—just make sure you learn to use your feet as hands soon, or you won't be able to get your secret savings out even if you have them."
He thought to himself, If that doesn't work, I'll just owe Qiaoyi some money again.
Black Ape growled, "It's not that she's been treating me badly—it's that she's been lying to me! For over ten years! All women are liars! Not one of them can be trusted!"
Yagami was about to ask why when Black Ape's wife walked out of the house.
He'd met her before at the hospital. Back then, her assets were impressive—almost rivaling Tsunade's.
But now… she was completely flat-chested?
Black Ape looked like he was about to cry.
"She confessed everything," he said miserably. "When she was a kid, she once sneaked a look at my hidden stash of adult magazines and found out my preferences.
So, since puberty, she's been using Partial Expansion Jutsu to keep her chest big!
If that's not deception, what is it?
A liar! A big liar! She fooled me for over ten years—an entire decade!
Now that I've lost both arms, she says she doesn't have to maintain the technique anymore, and she's gone back to her real body.
To think the woman I've slept beside all these years was lying to me the whole time…"
Yagami was dumbfounded.
The Yamanaka Clan specialized in mind-transfer techniques—I sleep with myself was already beyond his imagination.
But now the Akimichi Clan was doing body modifications?
Could it be that the Ino–Shika–Chō trio were all perverts? Yagami couldn't help wondering what sort of strange fetishes the Nara Clan had.
Yagami looked at Black Ape with pity.
"That's too cruel. You only lost both arms—you're not blind. How could she do that to you?
Can't touch is one thing, but she won't even let you look? That's just bullying you.
But still, think about it—she used that jutsu for you for over ten years. Isn't that a kind of love in itself?"
As Black Ape's wife came over, Yagami quickly shut up.
Black Ape looked pitiful, his lips quivering.
His wife walked over, carrying a plate of cut watermelon. "Everything's packed from the fridge. There's half a watermelon left—eat the rest."
She tried to feed him, but Black Ape turned his head away.
Leaning closer, she whispered, "Don't be mad. Tonight, I'll change back for a little while, alright?
And don't think I don't know—you've still been using Partial Expansion Jutsu. Sometimes it's big, sometimes small. I even thought someone else used Transformation Jutsu to pretend to be you."
Black Ape's dark face turned red instantly. He opened his mouth and didn't dare say another word.
Watching her patiently feed him slice by slice, Yagami felt relieved. After leaving some braised meat for them, he left quietly.
Black Ape was lucky.
He couldn't touch anymore, but at least he still had a woman by his side.
...
After the New Year, Yagami finally awaited another full moon.
During this time, he had been tasked with monitoring the Senju Clan.
Late at night, outside the Senju compound, the entire area was surrounded by Anbu.
They didn't need to hide in treetops or disguise themselves as chimneys or stones.
They stood openly on rooftops and walls, all their eyes fixed on the depths of the Senju estate.
There was no need to hide anymore—the Nine-Tails' chakra had already spread through the air, touching everyone nearby.
During the day, it was manageable while Uzumaki Mito was awake and suppressing it.
But once night fell, when she drifted between sleep and consciousness, the Nine-Tails grew more and more restless.
At times, even its dark red chakra could be seen with the naked eye.
Yagami carried three scrolls as he arrived at his three squads: Purple Cat Squad, White Ram Squad, and Monkey Squad.
He couldn't help glancing twice at the Monkey Squad.
Ever since he joined Black Ape's unit, that squad had been wiped out three times and rebuilt four.
He wondered how long this fourth generation would last.
He naturally looked out for Purple Cat, since they had a long-standing bond.
White Ram was from the Hyuga Clan—their sensory ability made them a key asset, and their evacuation priority even surpassed Purple Cat's.
As for Monkey… he could only wish them luck.
Monkey, a newly promoted elite chunin, felt chills down his spine as he caught Yagami's gaze.
Is the Nine-Tails' chakra really putting this much pressure on me? Why does the captain's look feel so ominous?
Why did he glance at me like that…? Is the darkness of Anbu about to fall on me?
He sighed inwardly.
When will this war finally end? Even the Leaf can't sustain these losses forever.
In the original story, during the Third Raikage's death battle, over ten thousand ninja from the Hidden Stone Village died. The ninja wars were brutal.
Every battlefield was a meat grinder, and each new wave of casualties meant younger and younger soldiers being sent to the front lines.
Yagami handed out the scrolls. "The Senju compound spans more than three hundred meters. Our squad is in charge of maintaining the eastern barrier to prevent chakra leakage that could affect the rest of the village."
That night, the Leaf grew cold.
The Hokage Building explained it as an unusually harsh winter, and civilians believed it.
But the shinobi knew better.
This wasn't winter's chill—it was something else. A chakra far more sinister.
The three squad leaders had just received their scrolls when a Senju ninja jumped over the wall.
"Anbu! The Hokage has revoked the order! You're not allowed to seal the Senju compound!
Using a barrier like that is basically announcing to the whole village that there's something wrong with the Senju Clan!"
The three Anbu captains ignored him and continued preparing the barrier.
Even Senju Rinki wouldn't have the authority to command ordinary Anbu members directly.
The Senju ninja's expression turned ugly. Though he was a jonin, he was being completely ignored.
A few seconds later, an Anbu operative appeared beside Yagami.
"Captain Fox! Orders have been recalled—halt the barrier formation! You're to report to Captain Yellow Dog immediately. There's a new directive."
Yagami raised an eyebrow.
It was rare for an Anbu command to be withdrawn mid-mission. The dispute between the Senju and the higher-ups must've been intense.
He headed south toward the Senju compound and saw the Leaf's top brass gathered there.
In the center stood Hiruzen Sarutobi. To his left was Danzo, and to his right—Senju Rinki.
Once again, the Senju Clan and the upper echelons were at each other's throats.