Naruto : I Got "Return by Death" Kind Of Cheat

Cold sweat trickled from beneath Yellow Dog's mask, splattering his chest.

Droplets sizzled against the steel plate of his flak vest under the harsh sunlight, glinting like white fire.

It was the first time Yako had ever seen Yellow Dog in such a state—drenched in cold sweat, visibly shaken.

The hand gripping the scroll was bulging with veins.

Yako thought to himself, Has the collaboration between Senju Haku and Uzumaki Yuka finally taken effect?

He couldn't allow Konoha's leadership to hold unchecked power. If they monopolized authority, his freedom of action would shrink to nothing.

The Uzumaki Clan had already been erased while he was still a weakling—but the Senju? They couldn't be erased in silence. Their influence had to remain to keep the upper echelons in check.

If Nawaki found out the truth… then the Senju would undoubtedly rise up.

After several seconds of silent deliberation, Yellow Dog said, "All Earth Release specialists stay. The rest, return to the village."

Yako immediately understood what was about to happen.

A small elite force, disguised as Iwa-nin, would assassinate their own.

ANBU existed for assassination.

Part of the Council's authority came from the terrifying truth that both the Hokage and his advisors were willing to kill their own.

Which high-ranking official didn't have blood on their hands?

Unluckily for him, Yako specialized in Earth Release—and Yellow Dog knew that.

So, he stayed behind.

Purple Cat and the other two were dismissed. Purple Cat turned back reluctantly, clearly uncomfortable returning to the village without the rest of her squad.

Five remained, following Yellow Dog back into the Land of Grass.

The mood was oppressive.

When Rat tried to coordinate sensory placements, Yellow Dog exploded, berating him for two full minutes.

His neck bulged with veins, and his words were biting. The others kept their heads low, silent.

Finally, Yellow Dog barked, "Lord Third and Lord Danzo are both coming to the frontlines—just to clean up this mess!

Can someone please tell me—why did Senju Haku know our intel?

Why the hell did he run us in circles?

Why is it that even after he died, the Senju are still acting suspicious, holding secret meetings?

We failed. All of us!"

Yako's eyes narrowed. The Third Hokage and Danzo—both coming?

That meant two possibilities: either crush the threat immediately or confront the Senju directly.

Cut off all intel from reaching the Senju in the village—that was their only way to prevent the truth from spreading.

Yellow Dog added, "Mitokado Homura, acting as Supreme Commander, has noticed something's wrong. He's already arranged for Nawaki to be sent away on a mission. We must intercept him!"

Upon reaching the frontlines, all six changed into Iwa-nin gear and headbands.

Dark red undershirts, mustard-colored vests.

This was ANBU's classic method for dealing with internal threats—disguise as foreign enemy shinobi, execute from the shadows.

They traveled 20+ kilometers northwest of the Konoha camp before Yellow Dog halted them.

"This is the route Nawaki's squad will take back," he said, unrolling a map. "I'm going to set a trap here, myself. He won't see it coming.

You three—go ahead, engage Nawaki, and lure him step by step into the kill zone. We'll eliminate him with explosive tags.

The bait has to be convincing. You must die by Nawaki's hand. No half-measures.

Only then will he and Orochimaru drop their guard. Only then will he charge ahead without caution."

Yellow Dog continued, "From now on, the bait must fully convince themselves—they are Iwa-nin."

Seeing some hesitation, he snarled, "Orochimaru only teaches geniuses. His style is laissez-faire. He lets Nawaki take the lead and only steps in at the last moment.

Nawaki dreams of becoming Hokage. He prioritizes protecting his comrades. He'll always be the first to rush in.

But not just Nawaki—every frontline Senju shinobi must die.

The Nine-Tails transfer is approaching. No one can be allowed to jeopardize it. Not even the heir of the Senju."

Finally, he asked, "Who among you will volunteer to be bait for the sake of the Nine-Tails' sealing?"

Yako thought briefly, then raised his hand first.

Dying at Nawaki's hand was one of his backup plans.

The Third Hokage and Danzo were coming personally.

Mitokado Homura was orchestrating from the shadows.

Yellow Dog, one of the ANBU's six elite squad captains, was laying the trap himself.

If Yako didn't extract Nawaki's power now—there'd be no second chance.

"Good. Fox, you haven't disappointed me or Black Chimpanzee."

Yako lowered his head, hiding his contempt.

Black Chimp had been reasonable—he'd recommended Yako as interim squad leader before his surgery, making life easier.

But Yellow Dog? His idea of appreciation was to send Yako to die.

Yako could tell the difference between cultivation and exploitation.

The weakest three ANBU became the bait.

—

At the Land of Grass border, Orochimaru said, "Let's go, Nawaki. The scouting mission's over."

As always, Orochimaru didn't even glance at the two teammates from the Sarutobi and Shimura clans.

They'd been utterly useless—dead weight. If not for Nawaki, they'd have been killed already.

Orochimaru despised incompetence.

Nawaki nodded silently and turned.

Orochimaru asked, "Something troubling you, Nawaki?"

"N-No… Nothing."

Panic briefly flared in Nawaki's chest, but he composed himself.

Just before leaving camp, a Senju clansman had approached him—trying to speak.

But all the man managed to say was "Uzumaki Clan" before collapsing from poison.

A medic team had rushed in, dragging him away.

Tsunade had been sent on a mission, leaving Nawaki anxious. Would the man survive?

And why say only those words—Uzumaki Clan?

Since then, Nawaki had been uneasy.

That unique Senju distress signal in the sky… multiple clan members being reassigned suddenly… and the final whispered words "Uzumaki Clan."

Something's wrong.

It felt like a vast web was slowly tightening around him.

He trusted Orochimaru—but not the other Konoha shinobi.

Especially not his current teammates: one Sarutobi, one Shimura.

Originally, he had requested someone from the Kurama Clan and a civilian shinobi. The village denied it, assigning him these two instead.

He knew the message: these two were also young geniuses of their clans. The village wanted him to bond with them.

He was willing to cooperate. Teamwork mattered.

But the village's forced pairing still left a bitter taste.

Suddenly, Nawaki asked, "Orochimaru-sensei… do you think there's darkness in the village?"

The two teammates stiffened.

Did he find out something?