Yakushi Nono was currently reviewing the orphanage's ledgers. The facility had many trivial tasks, but financial matters—income and expenditures—remained a critical priority.
Suddenly, she stopped. Someone had appeared through the window using the Body Flicker Technique.
It was Fox.
Yagami wrapped his arms around Nono's waist from behind. Feeling the powerful hands resting on her lower abdomen, Nono'u's eyes flickered slightly. She knew exactly what was on his mind.
"Fox, are you checking to see if I'm pregnant?"
"Is it that obvious?"
"Why do this so suddenly? Did you find out another woman was pregnant today?"
Yagami mused that while Qiaoyi and Purple Cat were relatively straightforward, Yakushi Nono immediately grasped the root of his concern.
Nono'u said softly, "I'm sorry, Fox, but I won't be having children. The children in this orphanage are my children."
"Should I feel regretful or be understanding right now?" Yagami asked.
Nono pushed him toward the narrow bed. "I feel a bit like I've let you down. Let me make it up to you tonight."
Yagami thought to himself that it wasn't a massive disappointment; in fact, he felt a slight sense of relief. One more person to care for meant one more weakness. He needed to be promoted to ANBU Deputy Commander as soon as possible; a Division Commander's authority was still too limited.
After "compensating" Yagami, Nono handed him a scroll. Yagami opened it and found... a Contraceptive Ninjutsu Manual?
'Oh, so there's a way to ensure a woman doesn't get pregnant?'
'Man... ninjutsu really is comprehensive.'
...
Time passed day by day. Yagami waited until the New Year—the 41st year of the Leaf.
The war had become a memory from two years ago. The Hidden Leaf Village was peaceful and warm, and the people on the streets looked relaxed. Around the New Year, even Root had fallen silent. After Uchiha Madara killed five of them, Danzo hadn't granted new codenames; instead, he was focused on rigorously training his recruits.
Yagami found it unsettling that Danzo was being so well-behaved this month. 'Why isn't he stirring up trouble?'
Every night, Yagami observed the Hokage building from different angles. On the night of the 13th day of the first month, he was in the Land of Rain.
Inside a tree hollow outside the Uzumaki hiding place, Yagami stood up and began dressing. He remarked, "If only I knew Wood Style. Look at this wooden bed—you've practically shaken it to pieces."
Yuka lay limp on the bed, her fair arm resting weakly on Yagami's leg. "Was I the only one shaking it? Why couldn't you be gentler?"
Yuka's endurance was incredible; the Uzumaki and Senju clans were indeed a perfect match, capable of bringing out Yagami's full potential. Yuka claimed she didn't know what kind of sealing barrier the Second Hokage had placed in the Hokage building. No matter how much he teased or pressured her, her lips remained sealed—she likely truly didn't know.
"Fox, your constitution is getting better and better. Maybe you can master the Senju Wood Style just like Lord Hashirama," she suggested.
"That would be wonderful."
After a quick kiss, Yagami disappeared via Reverse Summoning. He returned to the Leaf, appearing on a wooden balcony using the Mayfly Technique, staring at the distant Hokage building.
'Tomorrow night, I'll try the Hokage building.'
'Dying for the Scroll of Seals... that's probably the most valuable way to go, isn't it?'
...
The following midnight, Yagami stood atop the Hokage Rock, looking down at the building below. The Hokage building was a circular, three-story structure. The first floor was ringed by wooden pillars, and there was a wooden eave between the first and second floors.
These wooden parts were organic matter—Yagami could use the Mayfly Technique to dive directly into the second floor.
However, from the second floor to the third-floor Hokage's office, he couldn't use Mayfly. The technique was powerful but required organic matter to travel through.
Yagami backed away from the stone of the Hokage Rock and stepped into the grass. His form vanished instantly as he sank into the ground. Seconds later, he emerged at the base of the Hokage building. He moved swiftly up a pillar and slipped into the first-floor wooden eaves.
Sneaking along the circular roof, he circled to the back of the building. Hidden in the trees nearby were two ANBU squads—he wasn't sure if they were from the Black Ant or Golden Eagle divisions. He moved to the side of the building. From here, he was only one floor—about three meters—away from the Hokage's office. The lights were off; the Third was not inside.
Yagami emerged from the eaves. The moment he appeared, the building surged with the light of a barrier!
'Is this the Second's barrier? So fast.'
The nearby ANBU were startled. Leaves flew as seven or eight ninja leaped from the canopy, rushing the building. Inside, guards emerged from the corners, charging toward the third floor.
Yagami smashed through the office window. He hit the floor faster than the glass shards and sprinted toward the side compartment—the high-security room where secret scrolls and the Scroll of Seals were kept.
He kicked the door open and saw the massive scroll sitting on a pedestal. He lunged for it.
'The Scroll of Seals! I'm here. Even if I only get one look... After I resurrect, I'll bring the memory back. Should I look for Flying Raijin? Or Reanimation? Can I be greedy and look at both?'
When he was only 30 centimeters away, seal formulas suddenly ignited around the pedestal. A barrier similar to the Four Violet Flames Formation appeared. Yagami's hand slammed into the barrier; even with his [Copper Light] technique active, his hand began to smoke and char.
The chakra concentrated in this barrier was immense—the Third must have maintained it regularly. Yagami swapped hands, and the secret technique Coiling Snake appeared in his palm.
Condensed Water Style chakra collided with the barrier, grinding against its energy. Steam filled the room.
Yagami's eyes dimmed. The barrier was terrifyingly strong.
Suddenly, he found he couldn't move. The shadow beneath his feet deepened—he had been caught by Black Ant's Shadow Stitching Jutsu. As one of the top experts of the Nara clan, Black Ant's bind was not something Yagami could break quickly.
Not only that, but an iron staff thrust through the window with pinpoint accuracy, slamming into Yagami's back.
The Adamantine Nyoi Staff!
Hiruzen Sarutobi was somewhere else, but his infinitely extending staff had arrived first! Yagami was shoved forward by the staff, crushed against the barrier of the Scroll of Seals.
'I failed...'
He deactivated [Copper Light], letting the pincer attack of the barrier and the staff crush his chest.
The Third Hokage flickered into the office. At forty-odd years old, Hiruzen was in his prime; his Body Flicker and taijutsu were so advanced he had traveled from the Sarutobi compound to the office in an instant.
Hiruzen looked at the corpse next to the scroll, his heart burning with rage that someone would dare steal the forbidden techniques. He used the staff to flip the mask off the intruder.
His face went pale. "Fox...?"
[Host death detected. Arc of Moon System is initializing...]