Thick mist blanketed the battlefield, obscuring all vision.
"Water Style: Hidden Mist Technique"—now that was a jutsu worth learning. If he got the chance in the future, he definitely would. It was perfect for lying low.
Yako grinned inwardly. In this kind of fog, no one could see him. Wasn't this the perfect chance to slack off?
Charge in?
Only an idiot would rush forward with over a hundred Mist ninja watching.
After forming hand seals, Yako created a Shadow Clone, while his real body sank into the reef using Hidden Fish in Earth Technique.
He passed a simple command to the clone: just dodge, don't fight back, and try not to get blown up.
The clone lasted several minutes before it was overwhelmed by a wide-range Water Style barrage.
While the Mist ninja were distracted by the clone, Yako slipped out of the reef and took out two of them with a quick strike.
Once he hit his quota, he split again and dove back into hiding.
The reef was being washed by continuous Water Style attacks, and now another problem surfaced.
The Hidden Fish in Earth Technique was a chakra-draining move. He wouldn't be able to stay hidden forever.
Yako's eyes turned toward the center of the battlefield.
Above the sea, Captain Yellow Dog was locked in a fierce fight against five Jonin from the Hidden Mist.
The captain was strong—very strong—but the Mist ninja had home field advantage, and their Water Style techniques cost practically no chakra here.
Then finally, good news came.
After seeing the Uzushio ninja retreating far off, Captain Yellow Dog grew worried that Princess Kushina might run into more ambushes. So he gave the order—everyone was to fight while retreating.
Konoha's ANBU tossed out smoke bombs, mixing with the mist until nothing could be seen at all.
Yako found his bearing and leapt backward.
He didn't need to be faster than the Mist ninja. He just needed to be faster than the last ANBU.
Once they were off the beach, the pressure eased.
Water Style jutsu used up far more chakra on land than at sea.
Off in the distance, another ANBU squad began their retreat as well, not wanting to get bogged down by the Hidden Cloud.
Back on the beach, corpses piled up—ANBU, Uzushio ninja, Cloud and Mist alike.
One order after another came down from Captain Yellow Dog.
Each of the four platoons was to take turns staying behind to cover the retreat.
The first to hold the rear was the Oxhorn Platoon.
The ANBU from Oxhorn stopped without hesitation.
They raised their kunai or began forming seals, preparing to face the Mist ninja—
—or rather, preparing to meet death.
Yako hadn't been corrupted by the Will of Fire. He could never be so ready to die like they were.
Half a minute later, the sounds of Water Style techniques surged from the rear.
Unless something unexpected happened, Oxhorn Platoon had been wiped out.
"Brown Bear! Your platoon is next!"
Now it was Yako's turn—his Brown Bear Platoon.
Led by Captain Brown Bear, they all stopped in unison.
Yako kept moving on inertia, dragging his feet just enough to fall to the rear of the group.
Dammit.
The destruction of Uzushio was getting closer by the day, and the frequency of battles was ramping up too.
It was only the 22nd day of the second half of the month. If he died here, he'd have to endure over twenty long days before the next full moon.
Yako drew his ninja blade and looked seriously toward the rear, unsure what to do.
This time, it was certain death. If he was going to die, he needed to draw a better ability from it.
Mist ninja were powerful, but their abilities didn't suit him right now. If he ended up drawing a bunch of Water Style chakra, it would be wasted.
His eyes drifted toward Captain Brown Bear's back.
If I'm going to die anyway… maybe…
The mist rolled forward like a solid wall.
Mist ninja pursued from behind, while Cloud ninja were circling around to cut them off up ahead.
Captain Brown Bear showed no intention of retreating, clearly ready to sacrifice himself for Konoha.
The mist swallowed up the entire platoon.
Visibility dropped. Yako slowly crept toward his captain.
Suddenly, the captain's figure vanished, startling Yako.
He dove to the side in panic.
A powerful jet of water blasted past where he'd just stood, smashing a palm tree behind him to bits.
As he rolled across the ground, Yako spotted a black shadow dropping from midair—it was Captain Brown Bear, who had just leapt skyward.
The captain's Body Flicker Technique was seriously strong.
"For Konoha! Do not retreat!!"
Captain Brown Bear charged, unleashing a Fire Style technique at three Mist ninja.
The flame bullets surged forward, evaporating the surrounding mist.
The three Mist ninja responded by forming a Water Formation Wall together, blocking the flames and creating even more mist.
Behind him, Yako heard the faint whoosh of air. He crouched quickly.
A kunai flew over his head.
A Mist ninja had silently appeared behind him. Yako braced with his hands and kicked up diagonally, sending the ninja flying.
But there were just too many Mist ninja. As soon as he dealt with one, three more entered his line of sight.
To the side, Captain Brown Bear was suddenly blasted backward by a Water Style attack.
Yako quickly sidestepped and caught him.
The captain, blood spilling from his mouth, looked up and saw it was Yako. He relaxed a bit.
Then his eyes went wide in shock.
The ninja blade pierced through his back and into his organs.
"A spy…?"
Captain Brown Bear could never have imagined dying at the hands of an ANBU under his own command.
"Which village… are you—"
Before he could finish, a massive sword came crashing down.
Yako looked up and saw them—
The Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist.
Leading the charge was Juzo Biwa, wielding the Executioner's Blade.
Every member of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen was at least an elite Jonin.
And they were the ones chasing Princess Kushina?
The Seven Ninja Swordsmen were trusted elites under the Third Mizukage—each one as powerful as a top-tier Jonin.
Clearly, the Uzushio mission to seal a tailed beast at sea had thoroughly enraged the Hidden Mist. Now, it was war to the death.
The giant sword was long and heavy. In one swing, it severed both Yako's and Captain Brown Bear's heads.
They say a person has a few seconds of awareness after decapitation.
The world spun violently around him. As Yako's head hit the ground, his eyes locked with Captain Brown Bear's furious gaze.
Then both their pupils went dark.
Yako respawned. His vision was hazy, the world reforming before his eyes.
He was back—on the night after capturing the Hidden Cloud squad captain.
That captain, his limbs already broken, was groaning in pain as he was tossed onto the ground.
He looked up at Fox but found the man standing there blankly, eyes lifeless.
A wave of unease rose in Yako's chest.
Being sent to cover the rear by ANBU was a guaranteed death sentence.
He'd died the moment he encountered the Mist.
Even if he escaped the battlefield, he'd run into Hidden Cloud patrols and die anyway.
Even if, somehow, he slipped past the Mist blades, ANBU would treat him as a rogue and hunt him down.
It was a dead end no matter what.
A straight path, blocked at both ends.
What was he supposed to do?
If events played out like last time, death was guaranteed.
The Seven Ninja Swordsmen… Just Juzo Biwa alone had been enough to instantly kill both him and Captain Brown Bear. There had been no chance of survival.
What could he do? How could he break the cycle?
Then came the system chime.
Forget it—first, pick the reward. Gain power.
[Arc of the Waning Moon Activated!]
The host is granted one resurrection per month, reviving at the night of the previous full moon.
Reward: One random draw
1 – Fire Release chakra
2 – Chunin-level chakra reserves (stackable)
3 – Body Flicker Technique (Basic)
Nice, very nice. This reward was solid.