The Third Hokage looked at the Uchiha group—men who were rarely seen in this office and often marginalized—and spoke calmly:
"Patriarch Hikaku, do not take Advisor Danzo's words to heart. The lethal threat Uchiha Madara poses to the village hangs over us like a persistent dark cloud, which explains Danzo's aggressive stance. I believe in you. I believe the Uchiha clan remains loyal to the Hidden Leaf Village and will not follow Madara. Let Fox speak with you so you can understand the current extent of Madara's power."
Uchiha Hikaku, Fugaku, and Uchiha Toki all turned curious eyes toward Fox. The Uchiha did not wish to suffer alongside Madara, but they knew the terrifying strength of their ancestor.
Madara was a figure who stood above tens of thousands, second only to the First Hokage. Except when facing Hashirama Senju, Madara treated everyone with mockery and disdain, backed by overwhelming power.
Yet, Fox had survived him. Between the Third Raikage and Uchiha Madara, these titans had failed to kill Fox. His reputation was forged through surviving one beating after another; he was undeniably resilient.
"Patriarch Hikaku," Yagami began, "Madara is hunched with age, but his chakra reserves are staggering. I believe his chakra hasn't diminished with time. His taijutsu may have weakened, but his ninjutsu remains formidable. Somehow, he has mastered Wood Style and primarily uses it in combat."
"Deep Forest Emergence, Deep Forest Bloom, Wood Dragon Jutsu, and the Cutting Technique," Yagami listed. "These four techniques dismantled five Root ninja, two squads from the Lynx Division, Lord Jiraiya, myself, and the Flower Deer squad. Madara's ninjutsu has a massive range and devastating power. Even his use of toxins—a method rarely used with such scale—is exquisite."
"He seems to have trouble moving his legs; he remained stationary on a wooden bridge or his dragon throughout the fight. In my estimation, any Leaf force smaller than three battalions should flee immediately upon sighting him. Only three battalions led by Sannin-level ninja like Lord Orochimaru, utilizing coordinated ninjutsu, could hope to stall him. To actually defeat him would require far more men and greater power."
The Third and Yellow Dog exchanged looks, accepting Fox's assessment. If it took three Sannin-led battalions just to stall an elderly Madara, one could only wonder how strong he was in his prime. The good news was the intel about his limited mobility; it noticeably eased Hiruzen Sarutobi's tension.
"Captain Fox," Hikaku asked, "what of his Sharingan?"
"We only saw four Wood Style techniques," Yagami admitted. "We had no chance to test his eyes. Appearance-wise, he possessed the three-tomoe Sharingan, not the unique Mangekyo patterns recorded in the archives from his battles with the First Hokage."
Danzo's previous encounter with Madara had involved Susanoo, but that intel was a state secret and wouldn't be shared with the Uchiha. Since the clan's founding in the village, the Mangekyo had faded into legend.
Hikaku sighed. "Lord Third, it seems Madara prefers Wood Style now. I can offer little advice on how to counter him. Perhaps you should speak with the Senju clan to see if they have records or research on Wood Style."
The Third had no intention of doing that. If the matter of Uzumaki Nagato leaked, Tsunade's reaction would be explosive.
"Patriarch Hikaku, we shall end the discussion here. Inform the village immediately of any new leads," the Third concluded.
Hikaku stood up. "Lord Third, Root and the ANBU have suffered many casualties. Please speak with Lord Danzo on our behalf; we are deeply sorry." He was genuinely afraid of Danzo's next round of fury.
"I understand. I will speak with him," the Third replied. The unspoken implication was: 'If I can't persuade him, there's nothing I can do.'
Hikaku left, looking dejected. Once outside the building, Fugaku asked, "Father, teacher... is Fox hiding his strength? Can someone really survive Madara?"
Uchiha Toki answered, "Copper Fox withstood a full-power strike from the Third Raikage. He is arguably the Leaf's strongest defender. His survival isn't entirely surprising."
"Yes," Hikaku agreed. "And thank heaven he did. Otherwise, the Hokage would be as enraged as Danzo. Currently, Hiruzen and Yellow Dog seem composed because their top expert is still alive. We owe Fox our thanks."
In addition to "Copper Fox," Yagami had earned a title similar to Yamato's in the original series: "The Number One Expert of the ANBU." This carried more weight, as he was recognized by both those inside and outside the organization as the strongest.
...
Inside the office, Yagami told White Sheep and Deer to head back. Once they left, only the Hokage and Yellow Dog remained.
"Lord Hokage, Lord Yellow Dog," Yagami said, stepping closer. "I have a vital matter to report in private."
The Third tapped out the spent ash from his pipe and packed fresh tobacco. "Another vital matter? What could be so important?"
"Lord Hokage, Flower Deer's report mentioned that Madara had several identical subordinates. I managed to secure a corpse of one. I suspect they are some kind of Wood Style clones." He produced a scroll and unsealed it.
The Third and Yellow Dog stood up and walked around the desk as a cloud of white smoke cleared, revealing a pale corpse on the floor. This was the benefit of being a confidant: reporting key intel privately ensured the leadership felt personally indebted.
Yellow Dog knelt to examine it. "White skin like birch bark... tough, high density. No reproductive organs, asexual. There are numerous traces of Wood Style..." He looked up at the Third.
The Third's mood improved further. Not only was Fox alive, but he had brought back a specimen from Madara's forces—and a bizarre one at that.
"I am no researcher," Yagami noted. "I suggest you organize a team to study this."
This was a display of high awareness—giving the best results to one's direct superiors. Yellow Dog stood up, beaming. "Fox, you've done excellent work. I'm applying for another S-rank mission credit for you."
"Thank you, Lord Yellow Dog."
The Third suddenly realized that with this specimen, he had a legitimate reason to intervene in Danzo's Hashirama cell research. "Fox, you are responsible for delivering this body to Orochimaru's lab. Tell him that any breakthroughs must be reported to me immediately."
Yagami thought: 'Exactly as I predicted.'
The Third wanted a piece of the Wood Style experiments but lacked an entry point. With this Zetsu corpse, he now had the right to know what was happening. More importantly, it allowed Yagami to interact with Orochimaru openly. He was, after all, Orochimaru's spy; he had to keep all his "investors" happy.
"Understood, Lord Hokage!"
...
In the underground Root laboratory, C led Yellow Dog and Fox through the dark tunnels. Yagami looked at C; he was the last of the old Root guard, the final loyalist to Danzo. 'K is dead; how much longer will C last?'
C stopped at the lab door. "Lord Yellow Dog, please enter. I'll stay out here." It seemed he had no stomach for Orochimaru's methods.
Inside, about ten researchers in white coats worked under the glare of surgical lamps. Yagami saw a researcher carrying an aluminum tray containing a severed hand. The fingers had turned into five brown branches, tipped with fresh green buds. The body, unable to handle the Wood Style, had begun to lignify.
The researcher placed the tray among a wall of jars. The bottom row was filled with hands in various stages of transformation—some with leaves for fingers, others with skin splitting to reveal wood fibers.
The middle row contained ears, and the top row contained hearts. The hexagonal room was lined with hundreds of jars, proving that at least a hundred people had died in these experiments.
Yellow Dog approached Orochimaru, who was staring intently at a human head whose hair had turned into root-like tendrils. Orochimaru ignored them. "Continue the report," he told an assistant.
"The subject is dead, but the root-hair continues to absorb nutrients and grow at three times the rate of normal hair," the assistant said.
"Impressive," Orochimaru hissed. "A vitality so powerful it kills the host."
He finally looked up. "Yellow Dog, Fox. Does Sensei Hiruzen need something?"
"The Hokage sent over a rare specimen," Yellow Dog said. "You'll be interested."
Yagami unsealed the Zetsu corpse. Orochimaru's eyes changed instantly, like a snake spotting a plump field mouse.
"This... this is a perfect Wood Style lifeform!" Orochimaru's fingers roamed over the birch-like skin. "No digestive system? Heart and lungs are present, but how does it get energy? A fiber network for nutrients... like a real tree? It has chakra and can convert organic matter into it?"
Orochimaru became increasingly ecstatic, even throwing away a report an assistant tried to hand him. "Trash! Everything we did before was trash! This is the perfect form! But..." He trailed off into a monologue. "Can this be applied to a shinobi? How to supply chakra to Wood Style tissue? No, the limit of the modification is chakra feeding the tissue, which then converts to vitality to nourish the host..."
Yellow Dog waited for the muttering to stop. "The Hokage expects regular updates on the progress now that we've provided such a valuable material."
"I thought Danzo was giving Sensei the reports," Orochimaru said nonchalantly. "Apparently not. You've found a good excuse; I indeed need this."
"Fox will come by periodically to collect the reports," Yellow Dog added. Dealing with Orochimaru required someone of sufficient strength to command respect. An assistant like Butterfly might end up dead on a table, but killing Fox would take far too long for Orochimaru to bother.
Yagami was pleased; he now had a legitimate reason to track the Hashirama cell progress. He lacked a way to deal with massive enemies—Tailed Beasts, Susanoo, or Great Sages. Wood Style was the perfect counter for them.
Yellow Dog asked, "Did Jiraiya leave the village?"
"No, I talked him out of it," Orochimaru replied. "But he's brooding over the Uzumaki matter. Since Sensei won't let him speak of it, he's hiding from Tsunade, afraid to face her."
...
Yagami and Yellow Dog returned to the ANBU to discuss Madara further, concluding that any future missions into the Land of Rain must be handled with extreme caution.
When Yagami finally returned to the Tavern, his heart nearly stopped when he saw a different woman behind the bar instead of Qiaoyi! He activated his sensory pulse and relaxed only when he found her in the back courtyard.
He rushed into her room and found her leaning comfortably against the bed. "Qiaoyi! Why is there someone else in the shop? You scared me—I thought you'd sold the place without telling me."
"Of course not," Qiaoyi said, putting down her needlework and beckoning him over. Yagami sat beside her, his hand naturally resting on her firm, fair thigh.
Qiaoyi smiled mischievously. "You have to behave tonight. No 'investigating' me."
"What? Why?"
Qiaoyi took his hand and moved it from her thigh to her lower abdomen. "I went to the hospital the day before yesterday. I'm pregnant. You're going to be a father, and I'm going to be a mother!"
"What!" Yagami jumped up. He didn't mind having a child, but he had begun to worry. From Qiaoyi down to his "sixth" partner, there had been no news. He had started to think he was the problem.
'So, I'm not incapable after all,' he thought. Perhaps it was just the stress of being an ANBU ninja; his own personal baby boom was simply arriving a little later than the average Leaf shinobi's.