If a medical ninja was the most important member of a shinobi squad, then a sensory ninja was hardly any less valuable.
Being able to detect an enemy before they detected you gave a team an enormous advantage in battle.
But just like medical ninjas, sensory ninjas were extremely difficult to cultivate.
And Yamanaka Yue, who was currently kneeling respectfully before ShihōinNaraku, was an outstanding sensory ninja.
Not only was she powerful, but her sensory abilities were exceptional.
That was why Naraku had summoned her first.
Of course, there was another reason.
Yue was the leader of the ANBU’s Moon Squad.
“Drink this.”
Naraku pushed a cup containing a prepared potion toward Yamanaka Yue.
Yue glanced at him once before picking up the cup and downing it without hesitation.
“Don’t swallow it!”
This was one of the advantages of former Root shinobi.
Once their superior gave an order, they carried it out without the slightest hesitation.
There was no helping it.
That was simply how Danzō had trained them.
Following Naraku’s instructions, Yue kept the potion in her mouth.
Naraku stood and walked over to her.
Seeing her cheeks puffed out as she held the potion in her mouth was somewhat amusing, but he quickly straightened his expression and got to work.
“Stand up first…”
With her mouth full, Yue couldn’t answer.
She immediately stood upright in front of Naraku.
Naraku stared at her fair, slender neck.
His hands rapidly formed a series of seals before he raised two fingers, concentrating chakra at his fingertips.
Then, as fast as lightning, he pressed his fingers against Yue’s neck.
“Fūinjutsu: Release!”
Yue’s face immediately darkened.
She could barely hold back the urge to spit out the potion.
“You can spit it out in ten seconds…”
“…Blegh!”
Ten seconds later, Yue couldn’t hold it in any longer and spat out the potion.
The liquid that had originally been red had now turned completely black, as though it had been stained with ink.
The Cursed Tongue Eradication Seal had been removed!
At first, Yue hadn’t understood what her superior was doing.
Now, she vaguely understood.
Naraku picked up a mirror and held it in front of her.
Yue immediately stuck out her tongue and stared excitedly at her reflection.
Sure enough, the seal formula of the Cursed Tongue Eradication Seal had completely disappeared.
“Lord Naraku!”
Yue excitedly dropped to one knee again, openly expressing her gratitude.
“All right.
You’ve followed me through all those dangerous missions lately.
Consider this your reward.”
Naraku understood why Yue was so excited.
No one wanted to have a seal forcibly placed on their body for no reason.
“From now on, Yue will follow your orders without question, my lord.”
“I heard you.”
Naraku stared thoughtfully at Yue and motioned for her to raise her head.
“But now that Hachiya Ao has entered the Medical Emergency Unit, do you think you’d be suitable for the position?”
“Even though you’ve already left the Medical Emergency Unit, I could send you back there if you wanted.
You could work alongside your former colleagues…”
Former colleagues?
The ANBU?
Or Root?
“I’ll follow whatever you command, Lord Naraku!”
“I like life in the ANBU.
I want to stay here!”
Yue’s reaction didn’t surprise Naraku.
During their previous missions, he had already noticed that her loyalty to his commands wasn’t an illusion.
She had followed his orders exceptionally well.
Of course, Naraku wasn’t about to trust her so easily.
He had conducted a secret investigation first.
Only after confirming her intentions had he decided to accept her allegiance.
“By the way, your brother…”
Naraku looked at Yue.
“Where is Yamanaka Fū?”
“Fū?!”
A flash of surprise crossed Yue’s eyes.
She hadn’t expected her superior to have such extensive intelligence that he even knew about Yamanaka Fū.
“Yamanaka Fū should be serving as Elder Danzō ‘s bodyguard.
After the Hokage ordered Root to be disbanded, most of its members entered the ANBU.
Some returned to normal shinobi life, while others simply disappeared.”
“But because we’re from the same clan, I happened to discover that Fū is still protecting Elder Danzō .”
“However…”
Yue glanced up at Naraku.
When she saw that his expression hadn’t changed in the slightest, she continued.
“Elder Danzō has a secret base inside Training Ground Zero.
I once entered Training Ground Zero while escorting supplies.”
“However, I never entered the base itself.
I only delivered the supplies outside.”
Danzō has a base in Training Ground Zero?
That was a useful piece of information.
Naraku wasn’t surprised that Danzō had a secret base.
Orochimaru was practically a rabbit, digging hidden bases everywhere.
It was perfectly normal for Danzō to have a few contingencies of his own.
But after recalling the situation surrounding Training Ground Zero, Naraku realized that it really was an ideal location for a secret base.
The training ground had been closed decades ago.
Aside from the large number of rare and dangerous beasts still living inside, ordinary people were forbidden from entering.
Naraku committed the information to memory for later.
Then he continued questioning Yue.
“Do you know anyone else who would be suitable?”
Naraku’s gaze fell toward the potion he had prepared to remove the Cursed Tongue Eradication Seal.
Yue immediately understood what he meant.
He wanted her to identify former Root members who could potentially become his subordinates.
“Everyone in the Moon Squad can be trusted.
I’ll personally vouch for them!”
“As for the Third Squad led by Three… I believe there’s only one person there whom you can truly trust.”
“And among the other ANBU personnel, there’s also…”
Yue told Naraku everything she knew.
Now that she had chosen to follow him, there was no reason to hold anything back.
Besides, given Naraku’s identity, background, and achievements, there was a very real possibility that he would become Hokage one day.
Between choosing Danzō and choosing Naraku, the answer was obvious.
“All right.
Bring them to me.”
The people Yue recommended were mostly the same ones Naraku had already identified himself.
There was only one exception.
Because of a gap in his intelligence, Naraku hadn’t known that this particular person had once been one of Danzō ‘s most loyal followers.
As for why Naraku trusted Yue, this was also a simple test for her.
If something went wrong, Yue would be the one held responsible.
As for Naraku himself?
He was the leader.
He was the superior.
None of that was his problem.
Soon, Naraku personally removed the Cursed Tongue Eradication Seal from the former Root members Yue had recommended.
From that moment onward, they became Naraku’s loyal subordinates.
As for returning to Danzō ?
Once the seals were removed, Danzō would never trust these people again, even if they swore their loyalty to him.
After all, how could Danzō know what information these former subordinates had revealed to ShihōinNaraku after having their seals removed?
There was simply no way to tell.
And sure enough, Naraku had already dug out some valuable secrets about Danzō from these newly acquired subordinates.
“Training Ground Zero is that important?”
After his subordinates left, Naraku fell into deep thought.
From what they had told him, Danzō placed considerable importance on the abandoned Training Ground Zero.
Naraku had originally assumed it was nothing more than a small hidden base.
But judging from the intelligence provided by his new subordinates, there was more to this training ground than met the eye.
“What exactly is hidden there?”
“And why do I feel like I’m overlooking something?”
“Have I seen something about that place before?”
“Forget it.
I can’t remember.”
“I’ll go see the Third Hokage first.
It’s time to collect my paycheck.”