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

Over ten days later, a female Uzumaki kunoichi burst into the secluded rainforest, crying as she ran: "Yuka! Yuka! Something terrible has happened!"

Yuka leapt down from the treehouse.

Other Uzumaki women rushed over upon hearing her anguished cries.

After only a few words, the women collapsed one by one into the mud-soaked rain.

Only Uzumaki Yuka remained standing, barely, her tear-streaked face turned toward the sky, letting the rain and grief stream together down her cheeks into the filthy water below.

The heir of the Senju clan, Nawaki, was dead.

Fox—Yako—was the Senju's embedded agent within ANBU. He had uncovered the truth. He had warned the young heir in advance.

Yet Nawaki was still dead.

Allegedly, Iwagakure had claimed responsibility and proudly announced that they had killed the Senju heir—the brightest genius Konoha had produced in the last ten years—as revenge for the trap at Mount Ushigakure.

But Nawaki had Orochimaru himself at his side, an elite jōnin with unmatched experience. How could a simple assassination squad from Iwa possibly succeed?

Now Yuka understood—truly understood—why Fox had stressed not to reveal the truth to the Senju just yet.

Since Lord Tobirama's sacrifice, the village had grown cold and unfamiliar. Nothing was the same.

The Uzumaki had sought to make Princess Kushina the next Three-Tails jinchūriki. That had angered the village, and Uzushiogakure was heartlessly discarded by Konoha's leadership.

And the Senju were no different. Their clash with the village leadership over the second Nine-Tails jinchūriki marked the beginning of their downfall.

Konoha's leadership tolerated no dissent. The village had to speak with one voice—their voice.

Even the Senju were not spared when they challenged that authority.

This Konoha was Sarutobi Hiruzen and Shimura Danzō's Konoha. It was no longer the Konoha of old.

After parting from Yuka, Yako rejoined his squad in the Land of Rain.

Purple Cat ran up immediately. "Captain, are you alright?"

She'd been terrified after seeing him carried off by the Yatagarasu. Now she circled him, checking his condition.

"I'm fine," Yako replied. "I was captured by a summoning beast of the Uzumaki remnants. But I managed to gather valuable intel."

He added, "Let's head back to the main camp in the Land of Grass to report."

Halfway through the journey, devastating news spread throughout the Land of Rain.

Even civilians had heard—something major had happened in the ninja world. Konoha's genius, the heir of the Senju, was dead.

Iwa ninja were shouting it from the rooftops, claiming proudly that they had killed the Senju heir.

Yako understood immediately: this was Ōnoki boasting, trying to paint himself in glory.

Ōnoki wanted Nawaki dead. He wanted every prodigy of Konoha dead.

But if he truly meant to kill Nawaki, he would've needed a large force. With Orochimaru guarding him, a small team wouldn't suffice.

Yet sending a large force would alert Konoha's frontline camp and spark a major battle, risking heavy losses.

Yako could see the real story.

Captain Yellow Dog had received an urgent report: the Senju on the frontlines had made contact with Uzumaki survivors. Enraged, he returned immediately and disguised himself as an Iwa ninja, personally setting the trap.

Homura Mitokado, the frontline commander, had crafted a special mission for Nawaki's squad. Yellow Dog knew every detail.

He laid the trap on the path—explosive tags. Nawaki was blown to pieces.

The one who set the trap was nearly on par with Orochimaru in skill.

Even with Yako's warning, Nawaki still died.

Yako had crafted the Lance Egret tracking mission to avoid being the bait. The bait was guaranteed death.

When he returned to the frontline camp, Yako saw Orochimaru and Jiraiya, standing on either side of a corpse tent.

Inside, Tsunade knelt weeping beside the body.

Nawaki had died days ago, but Tsunade remained with his body.

Outside the tent, Orochimaru leaned stiffly against a wooden post, his eyes half-lidded. Jiraiya glared at him, seemingly angry at something Orochimaru had said to Tsunade.

Nawaki's death had deeply affected Orochimaru. He was not as emotionless as he appeared.

Inside the tent were more bodies—likely the other Senju from the frontlines who had been eliminated.

Yako heard through whispers that both Hiruzen and Danzō had arrived at the front.

At a small jōnin meeting, Tsunade furiously proposed that every team should include a medical-nin.

If Nawaki's squad had included a Senju medical-nin instead of one Sarutobi and one Shimura—both useless tokens placed by the higher-ups—perhaps he would've survived.

Apparently, the trap Nawaki triggered was a two-stage explosion.

The first tag exploded, propelling a bundle of explosive tags to waist height. Then that bundle detonated, vaporizing his internal organs.

Yellow Dog's trap had been ingeniously constructed.

Among the many jōnin, only Dan Katō supported Tsunade. Their bond deepened—after Nawaki's death, Dan became one of Tsunade's emotional anchors.

Amid the chaos, Yako located the ANBU tent.

Inside, he found Danzō and Yellow Dog.

He stepped forward and reported:

"Lord Danzō, Captain. I've gathered intel—the Uzumaki remnants are weaving through the border between the Land of Rain and the Land of Grass. Their movements are erratic and difficult to track."

He bowed his head and waited.

Yellow Dog waved him off silently.

Yako exited.

Around the tent, the ANBU stood grim-faced, tense—like Danzō had just finished an explosive outburst.

Killing Nawaki had been an act of grim necessity for ANBU.

Yellow Dog had made a grave error—he'd allowed the Senju heir to come into contact with the Uzumaki. So before the Nine-Tails' transfer, he had to act swiftly and decisively.

For ANBU, the price of this move was enormous.

If Orochimaru or Tsunade discovered the truth, the fallout would be catastrophic.

And behind Nawaki stood the still-formidable Senju clan.

Late that night, Fox Squad was on duty, guarding Danzō's tent.

Yako saw Orochimaru approach and enter.

He perked his ears, trying to listen in.

But after ten minutes of silence, he concluded that a sound barrier had been placed.

Inside, Orochimaru stared at Danzō with slitted pupils.

Danzō's face was expressionless—revealing nothing of the fact that he had ordered the execution of the Senju heir.

After a long pause, Orochimaru spoke:

"Human life is so fragile, Lord Danzō.

I had high hopes for my student Nawaki. I never expected a few explosive tags would kill him.

The trap was masterfully laid. So masterful that even I might not have survived it. Unbelievable.

Since when has Iwagakure possessed such a skilled trap-nin? Their command of explosive tags… impeccable.

Nawaki had potential beyond my own. What a waste.

Lord Danzō, I accept your previous suggestion. Let's begin the research on transplantations, enhancements, and biological augmentations—for the sake of Konoha."