After escaping from the desert alive, Yagami ordered Shinmei to lie low in the sand.
He turned his gaze toward the direction where Sarutobi Senjin was hiding.
That man could not be allowed to live.
His connection with Hatake Sakumo must remain absolutely secret.
"Stay here and don't move," Yagami said quietly. "My mission isn't finished yet."
In the distance, Sarutobi Senjin was still lying atop a sand dune, carefully watching the oasis.
He had earned his last promotion by sacrificing his own teammates.
This time was no different—he was once again using their lives to craft a flawless intelligence report.
But something unexpected caught his eye: an ANBU had appeared near Shinmei's position.
It must've been a passing Leaf operative who intervened and saved him.
Senjin frowned and turned to look at his other two subordinates.
They were not so lucky. With no ANBU to rescue them, both were already dead—cut down by Sand ninja.
That was enough. He had gathered sufficient intel.
The oasis held roughly a hundred Sand shinobi, ten of whom were puppet masters.
Cautiously, Senjin began crawling backward down the dune—
and suddenly his foot struck something.
When he turned, horrified, he found himself staring into the blank eyes of a fox-masked ANBU.
Curse Seal of Self-Restraint!
Senjin froze completely, even his jaw locked by the jutsu.
A kunai drove cleanly into the top of his skull.
The strike was silent, hidden within the sandpit—no one would ever know Yagami had been there.
He returned to find Shinmei and led him back toward the Land of Rivers.
They stopped beside a deep ravine where the water roared below.
The sound of wind and running water filled the silence.
Yagami stood with his back to Shinmei.
"You've realized it, haven't you?" he said. "Your captain sent you to die."
"I have." Shinmei's voice was steady.
"Sarutobi Senjin only has the strength of a Chūnin. The reason he became a special Jōnin is mostly because of his surname.
He couldn't finish missions on his own, so he used others as sacrifices."
Yagami replied coldly, "He's done it more than once—offering up comrades to complete his objectives.
If not for that surname, he'd have been executed long ago."
Shinmei's eyes dimmed with grief.
How many of his classmates and comrades had died in silence, their deaths unacknowledged?
After a long pause he said quietly,
"During the Grass War, the Sarutobi, Shimura, and the Ino–Shika–Chō clans all gained a surge of promotions.
More than forty percent of new special Jōnin come from those five clans.
It's painful. We work harder, we fight longer, yet we can only watch them rise.
Their pride grows—so does their arrogance. They sacrifice comrades just to polish their records.
Thank you for saving me. Without you, I'd already be dead."
From his tone, Yagami confirmed Shinmei's resentment toward the clan-dominated hierarchy.
That made him a potential ally.
To build the "light and shadow" balance with Sakumo, Yagami needed someone willing to take risks.
"I didn't save you out of kindness," Yagami said. "I need you to deliver a message to Lord Sakumo."
"What message?"
"Tell him this: Hidden leaf's upper council has set its eyes on him and his circle—including you.
Warn him to stay cautious. Whatever happens, don't take it lightly."
"Circle?" Shinmei blinked in confusion. "We're not some organization. We're just friends—like-minded people."
"It doesn't matter what you think," Yagami said. "What matters is what the council thinks.
If they decide you're a group, then you are—no argument will change it.
I help you because I share Lord Sakumo's vision. The promotion system should be based on merit, not family recommendation.
Otherwise, the clan-born will monopolize every Special and Jōnin position.
And if incompetent men like Sarutobi Senjin can command others, the casualty rate will only grow higher.
In battle, strength comes first.
When rank doesn't match ability, subordinates die for nothing."
Shinmei lowered his head, understanding dawning in his eyes.
This ANBU too saw through village's corruption—another man supporting Sakumo from the shadows.
Yagami continued,
"Don't ever reveal my identity. Guard this secret.
When the time is right, I'll help you again.
Tell Lord Sakumo to stay alert—
and beware Le's darkness.
Know that I'm risking my life to protect you all.
Don't waste that effort."
Shinmei bowed deeply.
"I'll guard your secret with my life.
Not because you saved me—but because you share our dream."
Yagami nodded.
The man was trustworthy. Even knowing Senjin sent him to die, he'd still obeyed orders for the village's sake.
A man like that would not betray him easily.
"You've been a Chūnin for years," Yagami said. "You know how to write a flawless report."
"I won't return right away," Shinmei answered.
"I'll fake a severe injury and hide until I've 'recovered.'
When Lord Sakumo sets up his forward command post at the front lines, I'll report directly to him."
Yagami vanished in a blur of motion.
Left alone, Shinmei found a hidden cave, drew a kunai, and stabbed it into his abdomen.
He knew anatomy well enough to make the wound look fatal without endangering himself.
As the pain surged, bitterness filled his chest.
Why was it so hard to make The Leaf a better place?
Meanwhile, Yagami raced back toward the Hidden Leaf Village.
Once within the village, he went straight to the ANBU headquarters and reported to Captain Yellow Dog.
"Captain," Yagami said flatly, "the target Shinmei is just a mid-level Chūnin.
He doesn't seem to know any core details of Hatake Sakumo's faction.
He behaved normally throughout.
During the recon mission at the Sand's oasis supply point, he was heavily injured and fled deep into the desert.
I didn't pursue further and returned."
Captain Yellow Dog nodded.
"Shinmei's weak. It's no surprise he yielded nothing.
Next, we'll monitor the other members of Hatake Sakumo's circle."
"Should we insert a spy into the group?" Yagami asked.
If so, he was more than willing—
a double agent for both sides, bridging the dark and the light.
The captain thought for a moment, then shook his head.
"Not for now. Sakumo's busy establishing his command structure. There won't be much to find."
After leaving the office, Yagami entered the ANBU archives.
Every active shinobi in village was listed there.
He checked the promotion logs for the past year.
Just as Shinmei had said—the Sarutobi, Shimura, and Ino–Shika–Chō clans dominated.
Not forty percent—nearly fifty percent of new special Jōnin came from the Hokage's five allied clans.
By contrast, the Senju had taken heavy losses.
The Uchiha were buried in Police Force work, stuck on D-rank missions.
The Hyūga handled reconnaissance, rarely in true combat.
All three clans were shrinking in power.
From what Yagami observed, few Hyūga served directly near the village leadership.
When the council did its dirty work, they didn't want the Byakugan watching.
In the original records of history, the Hyūga's later oppression likely stemmed from what their eyes had seen.
Leaf's power balance was shifting quietly.
The Senju, Uchiha, Hyūga, Aburame, and Inuzuka clans were weakening.
The Sarutobi, Shimura, and the Ino–Shika–Chō triad were rising.
As for civilian ninja? Their promotions to special Jōnin were rare.
When even the clans couldn't share the cake, there was nothing left for the common-born.
Barely twenty percent of new special Jōnin came from non-clan shinobi—
and even then, most rose only through luck, patronage, or by risking everything in the ANBU.
The numbers painted the truth:
Half the promotions belonged to the Hokage's clans,
thirty percent to the elder families,
and barely twenty to the rest of the village.
If it continued this way, the Hokage's five clans would soon dominate Konoha completely.
***
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