"A Jinchūriki must never leave Konoha!"
Danzō's single visible eye locked sharply onto Hiruzen Sarutobi, his tone brooking no argument.
"You know better than anyone the importance of the Nine-Tails. If the Jinchūriki leaves the village, it's inevitable someone will make a move. And if anything happens—the consequences would be catastrophic!"
"He's right, Hiruzen. Kushina is far too important to Konoha to risk losing her."
"Don't forget who she is, Sarutobi. Besides being the Nine-Tails' Jinchūriki, she's also the heir of the Uzumaki Clan, a descendant of Lady Mito!"
"...And who else do you think we can send to reinforce the Mist front?" Hiruzen snapped, irritation finally seeping into his voice. "I know how important Kushina is—but what choice do we have? We have no one left to send! Do you understand that?"
"If we don't send reinforcements to the Mist front," he continued, "once Kirigakure launches their assault, Jiraiya and the others will never hold out. If the front collapses, Iwagakure and Kumogakure will strike immediately. Everything we've fought and bled for over the past few years—all of it will be lost in an instant!"
"I understand," Danzō replied coldly, "but I still oppose sending the Jinchūriki to the front. I'll speak with the clan heads again and have them provide additional shinobi."
"They've already sent their clan leaders to the battlefield! What more do you think they can give?!"
"But—"
"Enough!" Hiruzen slapped his desk with a resounding bang, cutting Danzō off. "We're sending Kushina. She carries the blood of the Uzumaki Clan, her vitality is exceptional. With her fuinjutsu and her budding control over the Nine-Tails, she'll be fine!"
"You'll regret this, Hiruzen!"
Seeing Hiruzen make such a unilateral decision, Danzō's face grew darker still. If anything were to happen to Kushina on the battlefield, it would spell disaster for Konoha.
"I am the Hokage, Danzō!"
Hiruzen's voice was steel.
Danzō's expression froze. His body stiffened.
Not even on the frontlines of Kumogakure had he ever felt so aggrieved.
But in the end, he could only let out a cold snort and turn to leave.
BANG!
The sound of the slammed door echoed through the Hokage's office.
Homura Mitokado and Koharu Utatane exchanged uneasy glances. They wanted to object further, but in the end, they said nothing.
Because Hiruzen was right—Konoha had no reinforcements left.
Unless…
Unless Hiruzen himself took to the battlefield.
But that was unthinkable.
"A general must remain in the capital—his presence alone deters enemies from all sides."
This doctrine had become the strategic cornerstone of all of Konoha's defense planning.
So long as the Hokage remained at the village's heart, the other hidden villages could never be certain of Konoha's true strength.
If even the "Shadow" left the village, then no matter how many victories Konoha won, its enemies would smell blood in the water.
Two Days Later — Kirigakure Front
The wait didn't last long. In just two days, the Third Mizukage's direct orders and new strategic assignments arrived at Yagura's war desk.
Yagura immediately summoned all senior officers stationed on the front.
When Yoru arrived, the meeting tent was already packed. In addition to Yagura and Terumi Mei, more than a dozen elite jōnin and key personnel had gathered—the backbone of Kirigakure's war force.
Naturally, Mangetsu, Ringo Yugure, and the others were present as well.
The moment Yoru entered, both Yumei and Yukiko started blinking at him rapidly—sending subtle signals. But with his white ANBU mask still on, Yoru didn't catch any of it.
The white bandage over his eye was gone now, replaced by a small silver eyepatch beneath his standard ANBU mask.
With the double concealment, no one noticed anything unusual.
"Lord Yagura, I'm here."
In public, "Senior Brother" wasn't an appropriate title. Yoru addressed Yagura with formal deference, as befitting the occasion.
"Hm."
Yagura nodded. After waiting a few more minutes to ensure everyone was present, his youthful face turned grim as he scanned the room.
"Upon learning the situation on the front lines, the Third Mizukage was furious."
"Not only have we failed to capture Jin'nan Town despite prolonged efforts, but due to a critical intelligence failure, the Seven Ninja Swordsmen were completely wiped out—and we lost three swords in the process. This is a disgrace to Kirigakure!"
BAM!
Yagura slammed his small fist on the table, the impact rattling the entire room. His cherubic face may have lacked the sternness of age, but not a single shinobi dared meet his gaze.
"The Mizukage has issued new directives. All ranks and appointments associated with the Seven Ninja Swordsmen are hereby revoked. Effective immediately, all relevant personnel are dismissed."
"I will now announce the new appointments!"
A stir ran through the assembled shinobi. Dozens of pairs of eyes focused on Yagura.
If old positions were being purged, that meant new ones were opening up—and not just any positions. These were the elite posts once held by the Seven Ninja Swordsmen and the upper echelons of the intelligence division!
"Captain of ANBU Squad One, Yuki Yoru, has demonstrated extraordinary merit."
"Effective immediately, he is promoted to Deputy Commander of the ANBU, and concurrently appointed Captain of the Reformed Seven Ninja Swordsmen."
The first name announced—was Yoru.
And it wasn't just a single promotion. It was a double leap.
Previously, Yoru had been the captain of Squad One under the ANBU umbrella—meaning he led four teams, totaling sixteen people.
Above him were division commanders and a vice-commander—like his late superior, Kurisame Kushimaru, who had held one of those roles.
Each ANBU commander oversaw four squads, and in Kirigakure, there were four such divisions:
Assassination
Intelligence
Oversight
Logistics
Each branch shared overlapping authority, but the mission assignments dictated operational control.
Above all of them were the ANBU Commander and Vice Commander—the top brass of the system.
(Note from the author: deviating slightly from canon. In the original lore, the ANBU structure is one Commander, one Vice Commander, and four squads of 17 members. That's only 70 people total, which seems too few—so we've doubled it for this setting.)
Yoru had just gone from a squad-level captain to the Vice Commander of the ANBU—a direct seat in the war council, a holder of real power.
In that moment, countless gazes turned to the masked young man.
He was only fourteen.
And yet, no one raised an objection.
Everyone present had heard of the "Blood Mist Blade".
They knew—Yoru's reputation wasn't inflated. Every inch of it had been earned, step by bloody step.
And with this latest battle, if Yoru hadn't brought back four of the Seven Swords and slain Nara Shikaku, Yamanaka Inoichi, and others…
Kirigakure would've been forced into retreat.
It was only thanks to Yoru that they'd achieved a passable one-for-one exchange, allowing them to continue the war. Appointing him as ANBU Vice Commander was completely justified.
"Yuki Yoru—at your service."
Yoru stepped forward, calmly accepting the promotion.
With that, he formally entered the ruling tier of Kirigakure.
PS: Read Advance Chapters at https://www.patreon.com/c/ReadJin