Naruto: I became a super shadow in the Anbu.

Chapter 85: The Dark Guards Are Frequently Killed
"What? Squad Leader Hippo is dead?"

A week after the Nine-Tails was transferred and sealed, a message spread within the Dark Side base.

The hippo captain of the Yellow Dog Squad died during a mission in the Land of Fire.

Captain Hippo is very strong; he's just one step away from becoming a Jonin.

On the night of the Nine-Tails' transfer and sealing, Hippo was also one of the captains who followed the yellow dog to the Nine-Tails' body.

Many ninjas from the Anbu died, but the key point is that, judging from Hippo's corpse, he was killed by his subordinates who ambushed him from behind.

The fact that a spy had been planted in the secret service was quite alarming.

In the following days, members of the Dark Guard died frequently, all killed by their subordinates or captains. The base in the Death Forest was filled with a tense atmosphere.

In a forest somewhere in the Land of Fire.

The Fox Squadron appeared one after another via teleportation.

The three teams formed a circle, standing on the ground, on rocks, or on tree trunks.

In the center of the squad, on the ground, were two corpses.

Two corpses belonging to the Dark Guard.

The atmosphere was extremely heavy.

This is the second case of infighting within the Dark Guard recently investigated by the Fox Squadron.

After carefully examining the body, Purple Cat came to report to Nightlight:

"Captain, the deceased were two members of our Yellow Dog Brigade Yak Squadron."

One person ambushed another from behind, and the ninja sword pierced the other person's lung.

After a brief exchange, both were killed.

Ye Guang asked, "Are these two new recruits recently sent by Root?"

If the root vetting is not strict enough, and spies have infiltrated the underworld, it is possible that the spies will launch an attack for the sake of intelligence.

Purple Cat said, "The person who was ambushed is a newcomer, but the person who attacked from behind cannot be considered a newcomer; they have been serving in the Dark Division for more than six months."

"Six months, then the suspicion of espionage can be ruled out."

Aries raised an eyebrow slightly. "Six months is enough to eliminate suspicion of espionage? That Fox Squadron Leader has been serving in the Dark Division for about a year."

Luminous looked at the purple cat and said:

"After the Nine-Tails was transferred and sealed, our squadron alone investigated two incidents of infighting among the Dark Guards."

I don't know about the other squadrons, but I estimate there are more.

This is no coincidence. Aside from the possibility of espionage, the Nara clan's shadow manipulation technique, the Yamanaka clan's mind transfer technique, and some forbidden techniques can all manipulate others into killing each other.

Can we rule out the Nara or Yamanaka clans as suspects?

Purple Cat said:
"The final blow from both sides was a kunai that pierced the brain, destroying it and making it impossible to extract information from the corpse's brain."

However, shadow manipulation can be ruled out.

Anyone who is under the shadow manipulation spell will unconsciously exert force with their feet in an attempt to break free of control, so the soil beneath their feet will be disturbed during the struggle, leaving deep footprints.

As for the art of mind transference... I cannot rule it out.

Even Ye Guang couldn't do anything about it, and this investigation mission ended in failure once again.

Last time, three ANBU ninjas attempted to assassinate a nobleman from the Land of Fire, but they died in the nobleman's garden. Not only did the mission fail, but it also almost caused a diplomatic incident.

This time, two members of the ANBU went to the front lines in the Land of Grass to deliver intelligence, but they died on the way.

Both deaths were caused by mutual killing, which is extremely rare for the Dark Division.

"Let's take the body back to the village and see if the interrogation department can get any information out of it."

Back at the Dark Division, just as Nightlight delivered the body to the interrogation department, Captain Yellow Dog's assistant said that the captain wanted to see him.

Upon entering the captain's office, Ye Guang saw a dozen or so scrolls scattered haphazardly on the table.

The yellow dog said:
"The Nine-Tailed Fox's transfer and sealing caused significant casualties among the Anbu, and recently there have been more than ten incidents of Anbu members killing each other. Members of all six Anbu squads have died."

How were the results of your survey today?

Nightlight replied:

"Sorry, just like last time, we couldn't find anything."

The corpses' brains were destroyed, making it impossible to determine whether it was genuine fratricide or a result of being controlled by illusions, secret arts, or forbidden techniques. No trace of any enemy hiding or lurking was found within a radius of several hundred meters.

The yellow dog adjusted his mask, indicating that he was also very anxious. He said:
"The secret agents all died after leaving the village, so the enemy is likely outside the village."

The investigation near the village yielded no results. Fox, you will lead your squad to the Land of Rain to investigate a death of an ANBU member.

Your squadron includes members of the Yamanaka and Hyuga clans, making them quite versatile.

I went to the Land of Rain for two reasons: first, to witness the death of the ANBU squad, and second, to monitor the battle situation in the Land of Rain for Lord Danzo.

Lord Danzo has decided to enter the Land of Rain within the next half month or month.

The most intense battle right now is the fight against Amegakure.

The demigod Hanzo was renowned for his power; perhaps the deaths of the Anbu were a sabotage operation he orchestrated behind enemy lines.

Ye Guang nodded and then asked, "Then what about the mission to monitor the escalating conflict between the Senju and Uchiha clans?"

Huang Quan said, "I will hand it over to the squadrons in other villages."

The Senju and Uchiha clans have a history of conflict, with bloodshed and injuries occurring frequently.

Despite their greatly diminished strength, the Senju clan became increasingly aggressive, relentlessly pursuing and provoking the Uchiha clan.

The Uchiha clan couldn't explain the Sharingan used during the Nine-Tails' transfer and sealing, and they were unable to defend themselves, so they continued to tolerate it.

On that day, Ye Guang led his squadron away from Konoha Village and headed to the Land of Rain.

Ye Guang was very cautious along the way, wary of his surroundings and every member of the Dark Army behind him, especially the few newcomers.

Who exactly is killing the Dark Guard?
A name surfaced in Ye Guang's mind.

Could it be him?

Kato Dan?
It's not surprising that Kato Dan was involved, but it's rather strange that he directly executed the Anbu.

Has the Senju clan abandoned their naivety and begun to use any means necessary to attack the Anbu?
Upon arriving in the Land of Rain, Ye Guang led his squadron to report to the front-line command post.

Commander-in-Chief Mitokado Homura does not have the authority to command the Dark Guard, but he must know all the forces on the front lines, including the Dark Guard, to avoid misjudgment.

Inside the ANBU tent, Night Light saw many Jonin.

Orochimaru, Jiraiya, Tsunade, Dan Kato, and others.

It seems a small meeting of Jonin has just ended here.

Nightlight glanced at Tsunade; news of the horrific scene of the Nine-Tails' transfer and sealing had already reached the front lines.

Tsunade looked exhausted and sad. Most of her family had died from the Nine-Tails' seal, and she was in a terrible mood.

Ye Guang glanced at Orochimaru again. Danzo's Sharingan must have been transplanted by Orochimaru.

He once treated the corpses after Orochimaru's experiments, and the eyeballs of a boy from the Shimura clan were removed.

I wonder if the Shimura clan later became experimental subjects because of Danzo.

As for Jiraiya, it's better not to look at him. He's only focused on sticking to Tsunade and can't see anything else.

None of the three paid attention to Nightlight, the member of the Dark Guard, but Nightlight clearly felt that Kato Dan glanced at him.

Yoru turned his head slightly to watch Kato Dan's departing figure, seemingly lost in thought.

Mitokado said, "Fox, the team that died under suspicious circumstances in the Anbu area still has their bodies in the morgue tent in the medical area. You can go and investigate."

"Yes, Lord Mitokado Homura."

Upon arriving at the medical tent area, Yagami saw Tsunade again.

Tsunade, wearing the First Hokage's necklace that she had retrieved from Nawaki, was busy in the medical area.

Amegakure keeps salamanders, which are highly poisonous, and many ninjas in the medical area have been poisoned.

Fortunately, Tsunade was here, otherwise these poisoned ninjas would have slowly died.

As Nightlight led Purple Cat and White Sheep toward the morgue tent, they saw Kato Dan, who had come looking for Tsunade.

Two ninjas followed behind Kato Dan; they were bodyguards provided by the Senju clan.

As he passed by Kato Dan, Yoru carefully observed every detail of him.

His body muscles were very relaxed, and there was no sign of him exerting any hidden strength upon seeing the enemy.

Ye Guang was puzzled. Could it be that he had misunderstood?
There's also the possibility that the fox, as the company commander, isn't worth Kato's concern.

(End of this chapter)