Hatake Sakumo soon departed from Konoha's Rain Country camp.
Since he intended to act under another identity, he naturally moved as the ANBU Commander, bringing with him three full squads—
an entire ANBU platoon, essentially every ANBU operative he could currently mobilize.
Sakumo and his men quickly arrived at the area where an ambush was suspected, then deliberately slowed their pace.
Because this was the Rain Country, the sky poured endlessly.
The rain washed away most traces of chakra and scent, so Sakumo initially did not rely on sensory perception.
But after advancing a short distance, everyone's expressions changed.
There was an extremely heavy stench of blood—
so thick that even the relentless rain failed to wash it away.
Several ANBU operatives spread out to investigate, and soon discovered a battlefield that looked like hell itself.
Shock flashed through their eyes.
Sakumo arrived shortly afterward.
When he saw the scene before him, even he could not hide his astonishment.
Every corpse on the field belonged to Iwagakure shinobi.
This had to be the infiltrating Iwa assassination unit—
yet they had all died here!
Who killed them?
Who possessed such terrifying power?
"Commander," one ANBU reported, "all of them are Iwagakure elite shinobi. But the wounds are difficult to analyze… it's as if they were crushed directly by some kind of overwhelmingly violent force."
"Any ideas?" Sakumo asked in a low voice.
"It doesn't seem like ninjutsu or taijutsu. It might have been a summoning beast's attack. A human shouldn't be capable of this level of destruction," the ANBU replied uncertainly.
Sakumo fell into deep thought.
At that moment, another ANBU made a discovery.
"Commander! There are signs of corpse processing here—this looks like our methods!"
"…What?!"
Sakumo's eyes widened in surprise as he hurried over.
He quickly spotted the traces left on the ground.
When ANBU operatives die in the field, their bodies are never brought back.
Even the cause of death is kept secret.
They are shinobi who protect Konoha from the shadows, and when they die, they vanish in silence.
Moreover, ANBU operatives often carry classified information.
There are countless ways to extract secrets from a corpse.
Therefore, whenever possible, surviving teammates will erase the bodies using special techniques.
This was standard protocol.
"How could one of ours be involved…?" an ANBU said in disbelief.
"Did one of our squads encounter them? But aside from you, Commander—who could wipe out an entire Iwa elite unit like this?!"
"Perhaps one of the division commanders," another suggested.
"Or possibly Root operatives."
As his subordinates analyzed the situation, Sakumo's expression shifted repeatedly.
In the end, he shook his head.
"Let's go. Since they're already dead, there's no need for us to intervene. Their heads were taken—this was clearly done by an exceptional shinobi on our side."
Pausing slightly, Sakumo added, "Judging by the damage… it might be some special technique Orochimaru developed. Still… these wounds do remind me of someone."
He led the ANBU back the way they came, his brow furrowed in thought.
Then he gave a quiet, self-deprecating chuckle and shook his head.
Impossible.
Yu Ye was still far too young.
Though he was also on this battlefield, his strength could not possibly have reached this level—especially after only a few months.
Sakumo understood Yu Ye's abilities very well.
Yes… it must have been Orochimaru.
After all, Orochimaru's public identity was that of an elite jōnin, but in secret, he was also one of the ANBU division commanders.
Rain Country – Konoha Camp
After Sakumo's departure, Shimura Danzō temporarily took charge of all matters.
As the Hokage's advisor, his authority naturally exceeded Sakumo's in rank.
At that moment, a Root operative wearing a mask appeared before Danzō, kneeling on one knee.
"Danzō-sama, some ANBU have returned."
"Mm. Let them in," Danzō replied calmly.
Most of the camp's ANBU had been taken by Sakumo, so these matters now fell to him.
Soon, Yu Ye, Yamanaka Inoshi, and Asama Sana entered the command center.
After returning to camp and losing their captain, Moonlight Red Lotus, Yu Ye didn't know the exact procedure for reporting in.
Thus, he had intended to seek out Hatake Sakumo directly.
What he did not expect was that the one seated in the command room was not Sakumo—
—but Danzō.
Sakumo's outgoing route and their return route had differed slightly, causing them to miss each other.
"One person is missing," Danzō said, frowning as he looked at the three.
"Who was your captain?"
Asama Sana took a deep breath.
"Our captain, Moonlight Red Lotus, was killed in action."
Danzō showed a trace of surprise.
Moonlight Red Lotus?
As Hokage advisor, Danzō was well aware of ANBU deployments, even if ANBU technically answered directly to Hiruzen Sarutobi.
"A fallen captain implies an extremely dangerous situation," Danzō said slowly.
"That you three managed to return alive is… commendable."
He nodded, then turned his gaze toward Yu Ye.
Now that he knew this was ANBU Squad Eight, recognition dawned instantly.
Even with the mask on.
After a brief flicker in his eyes, Danzō rose to his feet and said flatly,
"The three of you—come with me."
Asama Sana and Yamanaka Inoshi were about to respond when Yu Ye suddenly spoke.
"Sorry, Danzō-sama. You don't have the authority to directly command us."
"…What?"
Danzō's gaze sharpened instantly as he turned to Yu Ye, his voice cold.
"Is that so?"
"Yes," Yu Ye replied calmly.
"We are ANBU. We answer directly to the Hokage. Other than our captain or the Hokage himself, no one—including you, Danzō-sama—has the authority to mobilize us."
Was he joking?
If Danzō took them away, who knew where he intended to drag them!
Following Danzō was the stupidest possible choice.
Danzō snorted, his face darkening.
"The Hokage isn't here. As Hokage advisor, I can temporarily exercise the Hokage's authority. Are you defying orders?"
An oppressive aura subtly spread from him.
But Yu Ye did not fear Danzō in the slightest.
"I require a direct order from the Hokage," Yu Ye replied evenly, neither servile nor arrogant.
At this point, if Asama Sana and Yamanaka Inoshi still couldn't read the situation, they wouldn't deserve to be ANBU.
It was obvious—
Yu Ye and Danzō were at odds.
Danzō narrowed his eyes, staring at Yu Ye, anger rising in his chest.
Previously, Hiruzen Sarutobi had always stood in the way.
But now, Yu Ye dared to confront him head-on!
A mere brat—did he think joining ANBU meant he could ignore the Hokage's advisor entirely?
No matter how talented he was, he was still just an ungrown child.
"Impudent," Danzō said coldly, his voice heavy with frost.
Whoosh!
In the next instant, several masked Root operatives appeared, surrounding Yu Ye and the other two.
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