Yako searched the coastline carefully.
The last time Captain Antelope met with Squadron Captain Brown Bear was right here by the sea.
His efforts paid off. Yako found a shell half-buried in the sand, carved with three secret codes.
According to the code scroll, the first symbol indicated a time—the 11th of the following month. The second pointed northeast, and the final one stood for three kilometers.
The ninja world used a lunar calendar based on the waxing and waning of the moon. The 11th was only four days away from the full moon.
Yako did not dare act recklessly. He hid beneath the bushes in the coconut grove.
When the 11th arrived, Yako crawled out from under the bushes and hurried toward the location indicated by the markings.
Upon reaching his destination, Yako did not show himself rashly. Instead, he formed the Mizunoe hand seal and cast the Shadow Clone Technique.
The shadow clone left the shelter of the reef and walked out onto the sandy beach.
As it walked, two dark figures leaped out. The shadow clone froze."Who are you?"
One wore a blue wolf mask, and the other a white mink mask. Neither noticed that the person wearing the Fox Mask was a shadow clone.
The shadow clone said, "Fox, the last survivor of Antelope Squadron, requesting the squadron captain to reassign me."
After verifying his identity, the two looked toward a coconut tree.
A man wearing a brown bear mask stepped out from behind the tree.
This was Yako's squadron captain, Brown Bear.
Brown Bear took a few steps forward and looked toward the reef where Yako was hiding.
'As expected of a squadron captain,' Yako thought. 'He's incredibly strong to have seen through the shadow clone so quickly.'
He stepped out from behind the reef and dispelled the shadow clone.
The shadow clone vanished in a puff of white smoke, startling Seiro and White Mink, who had appeared first.
It was not the white smoke that frightened them, but the lingering realization: if Fox had been an enemy, the two of them would have already been at a severe disadvantage.
Yako approached Brown Bear.
"Squadron Captain, Captain Antelope and Kakugyu have sacrificed themselves. I am the only one left in my squad. I followed Captain Antelope's code scroll to find this place."
Brown Bear looked Yako up and down and said, "Your shadow clone captures a bit of Antelope's essence. Your fundamentals are solid. It's a pity about Antelope; even someone that cautious ended up dead."
Yako did not reply. The more you say, the more mistakes you make; say less, make fewer mistakes.
Captain Antelope had indeed been cautious, but not cautious enough.
Brown Bear said, "Antelope Squadron is disbanded. From now on, you will join Blue Wolf Squadron and follow Captain Seiro's command."
Yako felt a deep wave of disappointment.
He had gone to great lengths to kill Captain Antelope, all because he wanted to become a captain himself and gain access to more intelligence.
Now look what happened. He was still just a squad member, placed under the unfamiliar command of Captain Seiro.
He would have to adapt to a new squad all over again.
The Anbu's evaluation process for squad captains remained extremely strict; they would not casually appoint someone to the role.
Loyalty, strength, and judgment—none could be lacking.
Yako glanced at Captain Seiro and White Mink.
'Maybe I should just kill these two as well?'
'If they die, surely I would be made squad captain, right?'
It was like trying to pick a flagpole out of a pile of chopsticks. As long as there were few enough chopsticks left, even the shortest one could serve as a flagpole.
Despite thinking this, Yako said, "Greetings, Captain Seiro. I am Fox. I learned a little bit of the Shadow Clone Technique under Captain Antelope."
In order to legitimize his use of the technique, he had to reveal to his new captain that he had learned it from Captain Antelope.
Captain Seiro nodded. "Alright. My squad recently lost two members, so you will fill one of the gaps."
Captain Seiro bid farewell to Squadron Captain Brown Bear and led his squad away.
Halfway to their destination, they arrived at a supply point. They stripped off their Konoha Anbu gear and changed into the flak jackets and ninja swords of Cloud Ninjas.
There were still plenty of bloodstains on the Cloud Ninja equipment; they were likely spoils previously captured by Blue Wolf Squadron.
Following behind Captain Seiro, Yako felt a bit depressed and somewhat regretful.
He felt that Captain Antelope's death had been a waste.
Before Captain Antelope died, Yako was a squad member. After Captain Antelope died, Yako was still just a squad member. Didn't he die for nothing?
Just like Captain Antelope, Captain Seiro did not explain the mission's details. They simply focused on traveling.
After arriving at a town, Captain Seiro ordered his two squad members to halt.
"Fox, use a shadow clone to infiltrate the town and gather intelligence. See how many Uzumaki ninjas are hiding inside."
Beneath his mask, Yako frowned.
They were treating him like hard labor. Now that they knew he possessed the Shadow Clone Technique, they were ordering him around to do the grunt work.
Searching for Uzumaki ninjas... It was probably the exact same mission Antelope Squadron had been assigned: snatching the Uzumaki Clan's Adamantine Attacking Chains Scroll.
Forming the Mizunoe hand seal, Yako summoned a shadow clone beside him. He then cast the Transformation Jutsu on it, turning the clone into an ordinary commoner who walked toward the town carrying a sack.
A long time passed before Yako stiffened.
The shadow clone had been destroyed, and its memories flooded back to his main body.
"What happened?"
Facing the captain's question, Yako answered, "The shadow clone walked halfway through the town and sat in a corner to rest. A kunai struck from behind and killed it."
"It was a kunai, not a ninja sword?"
Those who wielded ninja swords were highly likely to be Cloud Ninjas.
"It was a kunai, not a ninja sword."
Captain Seiro said, "Continue using your shadow clones to infiltrate the town and gather intel."
He used the Shadow Clone Technique several times in a row, and each time, the clone was destroyed.
Yako panted heavily, his entire body sore and weak as he collapsed onto the ground.
Chakra was formed by blending physical and mental energy. After over-extracting chakra, lactic acid built up in his body's cells, leaving him aching all over as if he had just run five kilometers.
Captain Seiro cast a disgusted glare at the useless Fox. "Keep going, Fox. Do not slack off. We are still far short on intel. Over ten attempts, and you haven't even caught a glimpse of the enemy's face."
Left with no choice, Yako raised his hands once more, extracted his chakra, and cast the Shadow Clone Technique.
The jutsu consumed half his chakra each time. Coupled with the Transformation Jutsu, his already meager chakra reserves were quickly running critically low.
The worst part was that Captain Seiro would not give him a chance to rest. Who could keep working non-stop like a nuclear-powered donkey?
After the shadow clone appeared, it walked off toward the town.
A rustling sound came from the woods behind them!
Six figures emerged from the dense forest to their rear. It was six Uzumaki ninjas!
Having spotted suspicious individuals multiple times in a row, they had pinpointed the hiding spot of the three Anbu operatives.
The battle escalated to a fever pitch.
However, the combined strength of the three Konoha Anbu was no match for the Uzumaki ninjas.
Yako desperately wanted to shout that they were Konoha Anbu, not Cloud Ninjas. But wearing Cloud Ninja disguises made him realize that yelling would be useless.
Wielding a long blade, Captain Seiro relentlessly pressured the Uzumaki ninjas, trying to extract more intelligence and figure out if they carried the sealing scroll.
A summoned spider, lurking in the shadows, bit Captain Seiro.
Under the effects of the toxin, Captain Seiro began to stumble.
Konoha and Uzushiogakure were allies, but Captain Seiro remained tight-lipped, refusing to reveal his true identity right up to the bitter end.
More than ten seconds later, the three Konoha ninjas were killed one after another by the Uzumaki forces.
A kunai was thrust into the small of Yako's back.
It was a familiar feeling. His shadow clones from the previous attempts had all been killed by an Uzumaki ninja striking from behind.
The Uzumaki ninja behind him even twisted the kunai, violently churning Yako's intestines into a spiral.
His vision went black, and the scenery shifted.
Yako panted heavily. He had resurrected.
He was squatting on the reef.
In the distance, on the sandy beach, Squadron Captain Brown Bear and Captain Antelope were discussing some unknown mission arrangement.
He had returned to the night of the full moon, before Captain Antelope's death.
Yako stayed crouched on the reef, calculating his next move carefully.
[Arc of the Full Moon activated!
The host has one resurrection opportunity per month. Upon death, the host will resurrect on the previous night of the full moon.
Rewarding one lottery draw opportunity:
1. Sealing Technique: Sealing Object (Entry Level);
2. Chunin-Level Chakra Capacity (Stackable);
3. Kunai Thrust (Mastery).]