When Yoru slipped into the park, the first thing he saw was chaos among the Anbu.
A dozen masked operatives were locked in a brutal melee. Several bodies already lay on the ground.
—So there really were Cloud spies among the new recruits!
During the Uzumaki massacre, Konoha had relied only on the Anbu. Squad after squad had been chewed up and rebuilt, until the ranks were a mess of questionable loyalties. No wonder spies had crept in.
Skirting the clash, Yoru dashed through the trees. Ahead, a Cloud infiltrator had Kushina slung over his shoulder.
If she was taken to Kumogakure, they'd cut her open and dissect every last secret of her sealing techniques.
Yoru gave chase immediately.
If he brought her back, that would be a huge merit. An A-rank mission at the very least—maybe even bumped up to S-rank. A million ryō reward… enough for him to blow through three whole months of sake and women.
The spy darted through alleys, melting into the shadows as if Konoha were his own backyard. Compared to him, Yoru felt clumsy; he hardly ever came to the western district.
Each time he lost sight of the man, he wasted precious seconds hunting for him again.
"Troublesome…" Yoru muttered. He pulled out a tagged kunai and hurled it skyward.
BOOM!
The paper bomb exploded above the rooftops. Nearby shinobi and Anbu alike would know: this was a signal flare, a warning of emergency pursuit.
But the spy was already slipping away, vanishing through a tunnel carved beneath the village wall.
Yoru's mind clicked.
The park was right next to the Senju compound. Kushina abducted practically from their doorstep—and not a single Senju lifting a finger?
The higher-ups were already unhappy about the Senju "guarding" Kushina. If her safety was compromised, it would give them the perfect excuse to strike against the clan.
No… tonight's "abduction" felt a little too smooth. As if someone in Anbu had looked the other way on purpose.
Still, the spies were good. Too good. Even digging a hole beneath Konoha's outer wall… that was no ordinary trick.
Yoru didn't hesitate. He slipped into the tunnel and followed them out into the night.
The moment he emerged beyond the wall, he froze at a sound behind him.
Someone else was coming through.
He hid behind a tree trunk and watched.
A blond boy climbed out of the tunnel, clutching a few strands of vivid red hair in his hand.
Namikaze Minato. Sharp as ever. He must have noticed the trail Kushina had deliberately dropped.
Yoru's heart thumped. His fingers itched.
Minato was a speed-type shinobi, with reaction times off the charts.
Jutsu and chakra could always be built up over time—but pure speed, reflexes? That was another story.
Originally Yoru just wanted the mission credit, maybe an S-rank payout. A good excuse to drink himself stupid at the tavern.
But now… things had changed.
If he could draw out one of Minato's innate abilities, something that boosted reflexes… it would be worth the risk.
Protecting Kushina? That was Konoha's business. Not his.
So he shadowed Minato outside the walls, waiting until the boy finally caught sight of Kushina. All of Minato's attention was drawn to her—
Now!
Dressed in plain clothes, no sword on him, Yoru clutched his kunai and hurled himself down from the branches above. Both hands on the hilt, blade aimed straight for Minato's skull.
The boy was right beneath him, leaping across a tree trunk—
And in midair, Yoru's eyes filled with despair.
Because Minato looked up.
That cold gaze locked onto him instantly.
He had read every movement. Not only that—his eyes flicked over the mask, the kunai, the hands, the feet… even the branch Yoru had been hiding on just moments before.
All of that, in the span of a heartbeat.
Three-tomoe Sharingan couldn't do better.
Minato pushed off the trunk and stopped dead in place.
Yoru landed right in front of him, swing already in motion—but Minato's reaction was faster.
A duck of the head, a twist of the wrist—Yoru's kunai slashed nothing but air.
Then pain.
Minato's hand clamped down on his wrist. The other drove a kunai straight into his stomach.
Too fast. Too sharp. He'd read every move and countered without hesitation.
Observation, nerve signals, muscle control—Minato was flawless.
So this… this is what a natural-born ninja looks like?
Was this the fate of a villain? To fall pathetically, not even to an adult jonin, but to a mere academy student—slain like a clown.
Minato was already the "child of destiny" long before Naruto was born. To stand against him was to die quick and meaningless.
Darkness swallowed Yoru's vision—
And when it cleared, he was back.
The full moon hung high, and he was once again in the tavern's back room.
Chuubo Shokyo's sweat dripped down on him from above as he closed his eyes and accepted the system's embrace.
[Arc of Full Moon Activated!
The host has one resurrection per month, returning to the night of the previous full moon upon death.
Reward: one lottery spin.
1 — Wind Release chakra.
2 — Chūnin-level chakra reserves (stackable).
3 — Reflex boost (second breakthrough).]
Wind Release chakra… just like Minato, and later Naruto. Useless to him right now. Maybe someday, in the Land of Hot Water, it could be used to counter all those Cloud lightning styles.
Chūnin-level reserves—confirmation Minato's chakra was already far beyond genin class. In the original story, he could move tailed beasts, even bijūdama.
But option three lit Yoru's eyes with fire.
A reflex upgrade. Exactly what he wanted.
He slammed his choice down.
A shock raced through his body. Visual nerves, spinal nerves, muscle responses—all tuned sharper, faster.
His base reaction time of 0.2 seconds had been cut to 0.12. A tiny leap, but enormous in battle.
Above him, a droplet of sweat slid from Chuubo Shokyo's chin.
Yoru's hand darted up, snatching it out of the air.
So quick! So clean!
Even he couldn't help but grin. Reflex speed was nearly impossible to improve by training alone. This gift was priceless.
"Hey! What are you doing catching my sweat? Are you mocking me for being too forward?"
"I'm only worried you're pushing yourself too hard," Yoru teased.
By morning, he left the tavern with a spring in his step.
What he needed now were more speed-type opponents. More chances to refine this edge.
One day, when his reflexes stood at the very peak of the shinobi world, even raw taijutsu would make him unstoppable.