When Danzo entered the Hokage's office, Orochimaru and Fox had not yet departed. Yellow Dog was also present.
"Danzo is here." Sarutobi Hiruzen was in an exceptionally good mood. "Orochimaru, brief Advisor Danzo on the mission to the Hidden Cloud Village."
"Yakushi Nono is an excellent intelligence operative," Orochimaru began. "She secured the rotation schedules for the Hidden Cloud's perimeter outposts and mapped our route. Advisor Danzo once tasked me with developing a hallucinogenic secret drug to counter the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki; I tested it on Blue B, and it was a resounding success."
Yagami felt a chill run down his spine.
'Orochimaru just openly blurted out that Danzo was plotting against their own Nine-Tails Jinchuriki?' He flicked his gaze around the room and noticed that no one seemed particularly shocked.
He had thought he was beginning to fit in with these power players, but it was clear he still had a long way to go. No matter how "bad" he thought he was, he looked like a pure white flower compared to these men.
As for why they were developing drugs against the Nine-Tails? The answer would always be "for the sake of the village." If the Jinchuriki ever defected, there had to be a deterrent, right?
"The Eight-Tails went berserk," Orochimaru continued. "Blue B is dead, and the Hidden Cloud lost eight Jonin and over sixty ninjas. Their modified sealing jutsu is adequate for the Two-Tails, but the Eight-Tails is far stronger. Blue B's seal was unstable. In my opinion, the Two-Tails Jinchuriki remains a greater threat on the battlefield than the Eight-Tails for now."
"In this mission, Fox's performance was also eye-opening. He tanked a hit from the Third Raikage in his Lightning Chakra Mode. In terms of pure defense, Fox is the strongest ninja I've ever seen."
Yagami quickly offered a humble deflection. "I've hovered on the brink of death countless times during ANBU missions; I've simply developed a somewhat specialized understanding of defense."
Danzo asked, "Orochimaru, the results are impressive, but have you considered the Hidden Cloud's reaction? What if they start a war?"
Before Orochimaru could respond, Sarutobi Hiruzen interjected on his behalf:
"Danzo, the purpose of Orochimaru's investigation of Blue B was to suppress Hatake Sakumo's rising prestige. Compared to the threat of the Hidden Cloud, the chaos within our own village is more concerning. Leaf's true threats have never been external, but internal. One must clean their own house before receiving guests, mustn't they?"
'To stabilize the outside, one must first pacify the inside,' Yagami thought. 'Hiruzen, you're playing the long game.'
Danzo stopped questioning and turned to Hiruzen. "Four Root ninjas—F, G, H, and I—were murdered in the Land of Iron. I am initiating a mandatory conscription plan for both Root and the ANBU within the village. Any ninja with outstanding abilities will be forced into the ANBU or Root. Any ninja with exceptional talent will be drafted into Root for 'careful cultivation.'"
Yellow Dog, seeing Danzo's decisiveness, didn't want the ANBU to be exploited by Root. He spoke up: "Advisor Danzo, the ANBU isn't currently short on personnel. Our vacancies are small; supplementing two to three new recruits a month for the four squads is sufficient."
Danzo swept a cold glance over Yellow Dog and turned to leave, leaving the Commander in an awkward silence.
...
As Yagami followed Yellow Dog back to the ANBU headquarters, he asked, "Commander, what is Advisor Danzo up to? Conscripting civilian ninjas is one thing, but will the clans agree to have their geniuses forced into Root?"
"Danzo is desperate," Yellow Dog replied. "Root is down to two and a half people: C, J, and half of Orochimaru. The critical issue is that Danzo still hasn't identified the enemy—the one systematically slaughtering Root ninjas. The Golden Eagle squad has been investigating, but they've found nothing. All we know is that the killer is a Fire Style master with at least the strength of an elite Jonin."
Yagami felt a bit guilty. His Fire Style wasn't quite at the elite Jonin level yet; it only appeared that way because his Mastery-level Fire Style: Fire Dragon Flame Bullet was so fast that enemies had no time to react.
Back in the office, Yellow Dog looked over the mission reports. "Fox, this is your ninth S-rank mission. When I was your age, I hadn't even completed half that many."
"It's all thanks to your leadership, Commander."
Yellow Dog smiled. His assistant, Butterfly, knocked and entered. "Commander, a scroll arrived from Root. Danzo is conscripting at least twenty people for Root training this week. C says Root is short-staffed and requests five elites from the ANBU to serve as instructors for the recruits."
Yellow Dog checked the scroll. "Fox, you've just finished two S-rank missions in the Land of Lightning. Why don't you take a break and serve as an instructor at Root for a while? If you're there leading the others, I'll feel more at ease."
"Understood, Commander."
...
Back in his own office, Yagami had Purple Cat (Yamanaka Rika) bring this month's squad reports. Most were internal surveillance: monitoring the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, the Senju, the Uchiha, and the Aburame.
He needed to find a way to provide Orochimaru with valuable intel—specifically about Shinnosuke's Five-Element Great Combo and the defenses of the Black Ant squad guarding the Scroll of Seals.
One particular scroll caught his interest. The Antelope squad reported a sharp spike in pregnant women at the Hidden Leaf Hospital's maternity ward.
"Purple Cat, what month is it?"
"June."
"The war ended late last year. Once the pressure dropped, everyone's reproductive cells became quite active, it seems."
"Reproductive cells?" Purple Cat glanced at the scroll. "Ah, yes. There's always a baby boom after a Great Ninja War."
Yagami looked at the names recorded by the Antelope squad and could guess who was being born. Kamizuki Izumo, Hagane Kotetsu, Gekko Hayate, Iruka... most of the Special Jonin Naruto would encounter in the future were likely being born right now.
Yagami pulled Purple Cat into his arms, resting a hand on her abdomen. Being touched there felt more intimate than anywhere else; her face flushed crimson under her mask.
"Fox... we are both ANBU. If we have a child, they cannot take your name until you retire..."
"It doesn't matter. I'm just a civilian without a surname."
Yagami didn't mind having children, but he was worried about the bloodline. He currently possessed the genes of the Uzumaki, Senju, Uchiha, and Hyuga. It was a mess. Theoretically, the Senju bloodline was his first and most influential.
'If Yamanaka Rika's child opens a Sharingan or a Byakugan, what then?' He wondered if using a bit of the Senju's self-healing power during their "private time" would increase the probability of passing on the Senju genes.
It would be easier to explain away as a latent trait from a Senju woman marrying into the civilian population.
"Rika," Yagami said, "if you have a child, let them have the character for 'Night' (*Ya*) in their name."
Purple Cat froze. This was the first time Fox had ever shared anything related to his identity. Despite their intimacy, she still didn't know his name. As his assistant, she didn't have the clearance to view his personal files.
"Ya?" She nodded eagerly. "I'll remember."
"It's my fault," Yagami teased. "The baby boom is here and your stomach still has no movement. I'll have to make sure you're well-nourished during this break!"