Yellow Dog felt that Fox was becoming increasingly reliable.
Recently, Fox's unit had maintained the lowest casualty rate among the three units under Yellow Dog's command. A low casualty rate meant that the strength of these Anbu ninja was steadily growing. Experience is a form of power; if a ninja can live to be thirty, their experience alone makes them an exceptional squad commander.
Yagami continued, "Commander, I witnessed a large gathering of puppeteers within the Land of Wind. Their movements are suspicious. I suspect they will set sail from Shapo Port and take a sea route to circle behind the Leaf's battle lines."
"Hmm?" Yellow Dog glanced at the map hanging on the side. "If they take the sea route... it's highly likely they'll sail upstream via the White Field River in the western Land of Rivers. Fox, write a detailed mission report first, then head to the command tent."
When Yagami entered the command tent, he found that the expressions of both Nara Shikaku and Hatake Sakumo were grim—it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say their faces were ashen.
Commander Yellow Dog said, "Fox, give us your report."
"While we were in the Land of Wind..."
Yagami had barely started when Yellow Dog interrupted him.
"Don't report on the Land of Wind intel yet. Report on another matter first."
Yagami was confused. What could be more important than elite Sand puppeteers circling behind for a sneak attack?
Nara Shikaku waved his hand at the others in the tent, signaling them to leave. Soon, only Shikaku, Sakumo, Yellow Dog, Yagami, and Nara Umeka remained.
Yellow Dog said, "Fox, report on the mission to eliminate the Nara clan rogue ninja."
Unsure of the reason but following orders, Yagami recounted the mission honestly. He had handled one target personally, and his three squads had each handled one, totaling four. They had disguised themselves as Mist ninja to carry out the executions.
Shikaku asked, "Captain Copper Fox, after your unit finished the execution, did anything else happen?"
Yagami replied:
"No, nothing. Immediately after the elimination was complete, I received the order to rescue Jonin Nara Umeka. I didn't delay; I submitted the completion of the execution task, accepted the rescue mission, and left the camp immediately."
Shikaku nodded, but his expression didn't soften in the slightest. He said:
"Nasty rumors have surfaced in the camp, saying every Leaf ninja needs to be wary of the Nara. They say Nara ninja use Shadow Secret Techniques to manipulate their teammates into their deaths. Were these rumors spread by your unit?"
"It definitely wasn't me! And it was absolutely not my unit."
Yagami's tone was hurried, but his heart was calm. This storm wasn't meant for him; an obscure Anbu captain wasn't worth framing with rumors. The title "Copper Fox" had some minor fame, but ordinary ninja didn't even know which Anbu member was Copper Fox.
Yagami stole a glance at the dark-faced Hatake Sakumo. If these rumors were targeting the Nara clan on the surface, they were targeting Sakumo in reality.
Sakumo's extremely high moral standards did not allow Leaf ninja to kill one another. He had spearheaded the initial investigation into the Nara rogue ninja; he was the one who brought it to light, forcing the Nara clan to clean house. Normally, the matter should have ended after the execution.
Now that rumors had emerged, the Nara clan was in an incredibly embarrassing position. Which ninja clan didn't have rogue ninja? Uchiha Madara had caused immense damage to the village. Even the Senju had rogue ninja, though fewer in number. When ninja encounter injustice, they are prone to solving problems with a kunai; once a catastrophe is brewed, they have no choice but to become rogues. Even among the Sannin, when Orochimaru eventually becomes a rogue, no one blames the Third Hokage for it.
The Nara clan had produced some scum; Shikaku, as Clan Head, had accepted the loss and commissioned the Anbu for a swift cleanup. There was no issue with that. However, spreading rumors to continue the attack felt like kicking a man while he was down.
Yagami's gaze shifted between Sakumo and Shikaku, wondering how the two would settle this.
Sakumo spoke up: "Lord Shikaku, your handling was very timely, and the rogues have been executed. I am very surprised by the rumors in the camp."
Shikaku's eyes shifted before he said:
"Vice Commander Sakumo, a great battle is imminent. Minor rumors are not worth mentioning. Let us instead hear the intelligence Copper Fox brought back from the Land of Wind."
Yellow Dog nodded to Yagami. "Go ahead then, Fox."
Yagami thought to himself: 'This is bad. Sakumo wants to be Hokage, but the Nara clan—and by extension the Ino-Shika-Cho trio—won't support him now. At least not in the short term.'
Yagami quickly changed the subject. "Commander-in-Chief, Vice Commander, Battalion Commander... inside the Land of Wind, we discovered abnormal activity in the Yellow Ironwood market. Large quantities were being purchased and sent toward the Hidden Sand. On the road to Shapo Port, we saw the mobilization of elite puppeteer units. At least 200 puppeteers, with a vast number of puppets, are heading for the port. Based on the price surge of the wood, the 200 we saw might only be one group. The final number of Sand ninja gathering at Shapo Port will certainly exceed 200."
Shikaku looked at the map on the table and said:
"Our Leaf is fighting on three fronts; whether it's the replenishment of Genin or the supply of materials, we are like a bowstring stretched to its limit. But the Hidden Sand's situation is worse. They have faced repeated setbacks on the front lines and suffered a massive blow at Shapo Port, losing a huge amount of logistics. They can't wait anymore; they are making a final, desperate gamble like a cornered beast."
Shikaku paused for a few seconds before declaring:
"Let's settle the Hidden Sand once and for all with a decisive battle. Vice Commander Sakumo, I will handle the front-line battlefield. You will be in charge of countering the Sand's elite surprise attack force. This may be the final battle of the Land of Rivers war. You and I will cooperate; with all Leaf ninja united in spirit, we will surely secure victory for the village."
For a brief moment, Sakumo's killing intent flared so intensely that Yagami's scalp went numb, and his Copper Light absolute defense nearly manifested.
The rumors against the Nara clan weren't spread by Sakumo, but the blame had been pinned on his head regardless. A simple rumor had pushed Shikaku and Sakumo into opposing camps, and Sakumo was stifling a surge of frustration.
The Hidden Sand were about to become Sakumo's punching bag.
After Sakumo and the Anbu had left, Nara Umeka stepped forward. "Clan Head, the rumors definitely weren't spread by Copper Fox's unit, but they couldn't have been spread by Sakumo either. Should I organize an investigation to find the source?"
Shikaku's eyes were clear, showing none of the anger he had displayed earlier. He said:
"I know the source wasn't Copper Fox or Sakumo. However, someone wants us to be at odds with Sakumo. We simply need to play our part in the script. From now on, when we target Sakumo a few times, others won't be able to say we're being unreasonable."
Umeka was stunned for a moment, but she quickly understood the political maneuvering behind his words.
***
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