The battle in the desert had left heavy casualties on both the Konoha and Mist ninja sides.
The two newly established Anbu squads were again severely weakened; if they pooled their remaining members, they could barely form one full squad.
Captain Black Ant returned to Konoha to report, while Captain Yellow Dog reorganized the remaining forces and searched the Land of Waves for surviving Uzumaki clan members.
The one-armed Captain Chimp gained new subordinates, but he was most familiar with Yoru. Yoru's new squad had become his inner circle, always staying close to him.
Over the past ten days, the squad had traveled between several ports in the Land of Waves, investigating and searching for traces of the Uzumaki clan.
——
The full moon shone like a silver disc, its light as white as frost.
After long, fruitless searches, the full moon rose again.
During a rest, Captain Chimp handed Yoru the profiles of the squad's new members.
Yoru unrolled the scroll, seeing the names, ages, and abilities of over a dozen squad members.
These profiles allowed the captain to quickly understand his team and formulate tactics.
"Captain, the personnel turnover in the Anbu is really fast. Since I joined, the squad leaders and captains have changed several times," Yoru said.
"The same goes for these members—after the next battle, many will be gone, and before the following one, many more will have joined."
Chimp held a stone in one hand, training his arm muscles to quickly regain combat strength, saying:
"I've heard Lord Danzo plans to establish Root within the Anbu.
Root's role is to train new Anbu, improve their skills, and reduce large-scale casualties.
Danzo's proposal is excellent.
Don't mention you—since I joined Anbu, I've had three squad captains, and Yellow Dog was my captain for six months. His strength is remarkable."
After finding the one-armed Chimp in the Land of Waves' capital, Yoru had grown closer to him.
The despair of facing death with one arm had tormented Chimp greatly.
During the rest, Yoru suddenly heard a distinctive sound of water.
"Enemy attack!"
Shouting, Yoru leaped into action.
A water dragon burst from the forest, carving a deep trench in the ground.
Water Dragon Bullet Technique, one of the Mist ninja's signature jutsu.
Chimp also jumped, hurling his stone into the trees.
Unconsciously, Yoru had become the strongest squad leader in his unit.
His swordsmanship, honed through battles with Cloud ninjas, earned his team's admiration.
Basic sword skills combined with Cloud-style techniques and his enhanced reaction speed made Yoru's taijutsu exceptional among Chūnin.
Yoru took out an explosive tag kunai, threw it into the forest, drew his ninja sword, and charged.
He needed to quickly obtain water-nature chakra to deal with Konoha fire-style ninjas.
Dodging a large tree, he spotted a Mist Anbu who had just completed hand seals.
That awe-inspiring Water Dragon Bullet had come from this ninja.
Other Konoha Anbu had entered the forest, but Yoru's target was clear: the Mist squad leader skilled in water release.
"Water Release · Water Formation Wall!"
Seeing the gleam of Yoru's sword, the Mist ninja quickly cast a defensive water jutsu.
Chimp entered the forest to observe the battlefield.
He immediately saw Fox cutting through the water formation wall.
Fox's swordsmanship was impressive, but cutting through a jutsu with a blade was puzzling.
Yoru's sword struck the lower part of the wall, angled upward by the water's force.
Visually, it looked as if the water itself had been sliced.
The Mist ninja was startled.
A kunai flew through the water's gap.
The Mist ninja dodged, but the kunai struck his shoulder.
What a fast combo—how could a Konoha Anbu coordinate sword and kunai so quickly?
Was his reflex really that fast?
Fortunately, the Mist squad leader had a counter.
Using a sealing scroll obtained from the corpses of the Uzumaki clan, he hurled it with his left hand while his right arm was injured.
With a single hand seal, he activated the scroll, releasing a flood that engulfed the Konoha ninjas.
Yoru thought, This isn't good.
The Mist ninja wasn't playing with simple water jutsu anymore; now it was sealing scrolls.
When life ends, all things begin anew.
After the Uzumaki clan's extinction, the sealing arts of the Mist, Konoha, and Cloud villages had all advanced.
As the water receded, Yoru found himself trapped in a water prison.
Chimp tried to rescue him but was blocked by the Mist squad leader.
Minutes passed; Yoru nearly suffocated.
——
Moonlight reflected in Yoru's eyes as his vision cleared from the haze.
Coughing, he felt the same terrible sensation of drowning as in his previous life.
[Arc of Full Moon Activated!
The host has only one resurrection per month, reviving on the previous full moon night.
Reward: One lottery draw:
1 – Water-nature Chakra;
2 – Chūnin-Level Chakra (stackable);
3 – Sealing Technique · Water-Sealing Method.]
The Water-Sealing Method was a scroll storing massive amounts of seawater.
For water ninjas, this technique was invaluable—no need to expend chakra to create seawater from nothing.
Chūnin-level chakra was tempting too.
Yoru, however, chose the first option.
A person without foresight faces immediate danger—he needed preparation for future clashes with Konoha ninjas.
Water release counters fire release—he had to master it.
After several days, Yoru returned outside the squad's resting forest.
This time, he was more alert—when the water dragon appeared, he warned the squad, gaining half a second.
Using this, he formed a shadow clone, testing the enemy while attacking as his real self, severely injuring the water-style Mist ninja.
In the ensuing fight, Yoru killed three Mist ninjas swiftly with his swordsmanship.
His strength earned recognition from Chimp and the team.
After the battle, Yoru carried the Mist ninja away.
Chimp asked, puzzled: "Does this ninja have anything special?"
Yoru candidly replied:
"Captain, I recently managed to extract water-nature chakra; water has become my second chakra attribute.
Tonight, I'll take some time to see if I can interrogate him for water-style jutsu."
Chimp didn't comment.
Yoru had killed an entire Mist squad alone, outstanding among Chūnin.
High-level ninjas naturally received preferential treatment.
Interrogating a Mist ninja was normal for Anbu and might reveal other intelligence.
Learning jutsu from captives was a common method for Konoha ninjas.
After four hours, Yoru got the Mist ninja to speak, ending its life swiftly.
He obtained Water Release · Water Formation Wall.
Mastering this single water jutsu was enough to counter Konoha's fire-style ninjas.