A dense mist obscured his vision.
Water Release: Hidden Mist Technique. It was a fantastic jutsu. He definitely needed to learn it if he ever got the chance; mastering it would make laying low so much easier.
Yako rejoiced. With the heavy mist hiding him from everyone's sight, it was the perfect opportunity to slack off.
Charge?
Only a fool would rush headlong into over a hundred Mist Ninjas.
After forming hand seals, Yako created a shadow clone while his true body sank into the coastal rocks.
He commanded the clone to focus entirely on dodging without fighting back—its only goal was to avoid being destroyed.
The clone managed to last a few minutes before a wide-scale Water Release washed it away.
Taking advantage of the distraction, Yako emerged from the rocks and cut down two Mist Ninjas.
Considering his quota met, he produced another shadow clone and retreated back into the rocks.As water techniques continuously battered the coast, staying hidden inside the rocks presented a new problem.
His earth technique constantly drained his chakra. Sooner or later, he wouldn't be able to maintain his cover.
Yako kept a close eye on the center of the battlefield.
Out on the water, Captain Kiken was locked in combat with five Hidden Mist Village Jonin.
Captain Kiken was immensely powerful, but the Mist Ninjas held the home-field advantage; their Water Release techniques consumed very little chakra here.
Eventually, the good news Yako had been waiting for arrived.
Seeing that the Uzumaki ninjas had put a good distance between themselves and the battlefield, Captain Kiken worried the Uzumaki princess might stumble into another ambush. He ordered a fighting retreat for all units.
The Konoha Anbu deployed smoke bombs. Blending with the ambient mist, they reduced visibility to absolutely nothing.
Yako quickly got his bearings and bounded toward the rear.
He didn't need to outrun the Mist Ninjas; he only needed to outrun the slowest Anbu.
Once they moved away from the shore, the pressure from the Mist Ninjas lessened considerably.
Unleashing Water Release on solid ground cost them far more chakra.
Not far away, another Anbu brigade also began to withdraw to avoid being bogged down by the Cloud Ninjas.
Corpses littered the beach—Anbu operatives, Uzumaki clansmen, and Cloud and Mist Ninjas alike.
A steady stream of orders came down from Captain Kiken.
The four squadrons were to take turns acting as the rearguard.
The Black Bull squadron was the first to fall back and cover the retreat.
Without a moment of hesitation, the Anbu operatives of the Black Bull squadron halted their retreat.
They raised their kunai or began forming hand seals to greet the advancing Mist Ninjas.
Or rather, to greet death.
Yako hadn't been brainwashed by the Will of Fire; there was no way he could embrace death with that kind of resolve.
Half a minute later, the roaring crash of Water Release echoed from behind.
Unsurprisingly, the Black Bull squadron had been completely wiped out.
"Brown Bear! Your squadron is on the rearguard!"
It was the turn of Yako's unit, the Brown Bear squadron.
Led by Captain Brown Bear, every member of the unit skidded to a halt.
Using his momentum, Yako let his feet drag across the ground without moving his legs, sliding to the very back of the formation.
Damn it.
The impending destruction of the Uzumaki clan was drawing closer, and the frequency of battles had skyrocketed.
Today was only the twenty-second of the month. If he died here, he would have to wait an excruciating twenty-plus days before reviving on the next night of the full moon.
Yako drew his ninja sword and stared intently at their pursuers, unsure of what to do.
Death was absolutely certain this time. Since he had to die anyway, he needed to make sure he gained a better ability from the system upon reviving.
The Mist Ninjas were highly skilled, but their abilities didn't suit him right now. If he ended up drawing a bunch of water-attribute chakra, it would be a complete waste.
His gaze swept across the battlefield before landing on Captain Brown Bear's back.
If I am going to die anyway, maybe I should...
A wall of mist advanced toward them.
The Mist Ninjas were hounding them from behind, while the Cloud Ninjas circled around to cut them off from the front.
Captain Brown Bear showed zero intention of retreating. He was ready to sacrifice himself for Konoha at any second.
The fog swallowed the entire squadron.
As visibility plummeted, Yako slowly edged closer to his captain.
Captain Brown Bear's sudden disappearance startled Yako.
He immediately dove to the side.
A powerful column of water blasted past, shattering a nearby coconut tree with its immense force.
As Yako rolled across the ground, he spotted a dark figure dropping rapidly from the sky. It was Captain Brown Bear, who had just launched himself into the air.
The captain's Body Flicker Technique was formidable.
"For Konoha! Do not retreat!"
Captain Brown Bear charged forward, unleashing a Fire Release technique at three approaching Mist Ninjas.
The blazing projectile blasted outward, evaporating the surrounding mist.
The three Mist Ninjas combined their efforts to summon a Water Encampment Wall. The barrier of water absorbed the flames, generating even more steam and fog in the process.
Hearing the faint whistle of something piercing the air behind him, Yako immediately ducked.
A kunai sailed right over his head.
A Mist Ninja had materialized behind him in complete silence. Planting his hands on the ground, Yako launched a diagonal kick upward, sending the attacker flying.
But there were simply too many of them. He kicked one away, only for three more to enter his line of sight.
Off to the side, Captain Brown Bear suddenly flew backward through the air, having taken a direct hit from a Water Release technique.
Yako quickly sidestepped and caught him.
Coughing up blood, the captain glanced back. Seeing it was Yako, he let out a breath of relief.
A moment later, his eyes widened in absolute terror as he stared up at his subordinate.
Yako's ninja sword had pierced straight through his back, rupturing his internal organs.
"A spy...?"
Even in death, Captain Brown Bear could never have imagined he would be killed by one of his own Anbu subordinates.
"Which village... do you..."
Before he could finish, a massive blade swung down.
Yako saw the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist!
It was Biwa Juzo, wielding the Executioner's Blade!
Every single member of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist was at least an Elite Jonin.
To think that the ones pursuing the Uzumaki princess were the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist.
As the trusted elite of the Third Mizukage, they held the combat power of seven Elite Jonin.
It seemed Uzushiogakure's attempt to seal the Tailed Beast at sea had thoroughly enraged the Hidden Mist Village. The two sides were locked in a fight to the bitter end.
The giant sword was long and unyielding. With a single slash, the heads of both Yako and Captain Brown Bear were cleanly severed.
It was said that after decapitation, a person retained consciousness for a few seconds.
The scenery spun wildly as Yako's head plummeted to the ground. His final sight was Captain Brown Bear's furious eyes staring back at him before both of their pupils dilated.
His vision blurred. Yako was reborn.
He had resurrected back to the night right after he captured the Cloud Ninja squad leader.
The Cloud Ninja squad leader, whose limbs had already been broken, was roughly thrown to the ground, groaning in agony.
He looked up at Fox, only to find the Anbu operative standing there in a daze, staring blankly ahead.
Yako felt a profound sense of dread. Being sent to cover the Anbu's retreat meant certain death.
He had been killed the moment he engaged the Mist Ninjas.
Even if he somehow escaped the battlefield, he would just run into the Cloud Ninjas patrolling the perimeter. It was death either way.
And in the best-case scenario—if he miraculously survived the Cloud Ninjas' blades—the Anbu would hunt him down as a rogue ninja.
It was a dead end either way.
He was caught between a rock and a hard place.
What was he supposed to do?
If things played out the same way they had before, he was absolutely going to die.
The Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist were simply too powerful. Biwa Juzo alone could instantly annihilate him and Captain Brown Bear without giving them a single chance of survival.
What should he do? Where was the way out?
A system chime rang out in his mind.
Whatever. I will choose my reward first and boost my strength.
[Arc of the Full Moon activated!
The host receives one resurrection opportunity per month. Upon death, the host will be revived on the previous night of the full moon.
Rewarding one draw opportunity:
1. Fire-attribute chakra;
2. Chunin-Level Chakra Capacity (stackable);
3. Taijutsu Body Flicker Technique (Beginner).]
Not bad at all. He was very satisfied with the rewards this time.