After meeting Captain Brown Bear, Yagami was once again assigned to Captain Blue Wolf's squad.
The team switched into Cloud-nin gear, preparing to openly snatch the Uzumaki sealing scrolls.
This time, Yagami felt far more at ease — after all, he now had an insider of his own.
Captain Blue Wolf, being as ruthless as ever, kept urging Yagami to send Shadow Clones into the town to scout for intel.
Yagami's chakra reserves had doubled, but he still pretended to complain about being low on chakra.
He secretly gave his clone a hidden order — to draw the Uzumaki ninja toward their position as soon as possible.
Soon after, through the clone's memories, Yagami saw that Uzumaki Yuka had arrived at the town.
When the two Shadow Clones dispersed, the Uzumaki ninja stormed in.
Now, with more chakra left, Yagami felt far calmer.
Seven Uzumaki ninja came charging at them.
Yuka spotted the "Fox" the moment she laid eyes on him — after their brief time together, she could easily recognize his build.
The "Fox" was now working as a spy, embedded in the Cloud-nin.
The battle between the two sides quickly reached its peak.
Yuka took the initiative to engage the "Fox," and as they fought, they drifted farther and farther from the main battlefield.
A clueless Uzumaki tried to come to Yuka's aid, but Yagami took a kunai to the leg before managing to find an opening under her cover. He used Earth Release: Fish in the Earth Technique to burrow underground and escape.
An Uzumaki male ninja ran to Yuka's side and said regretfully, "That Cloud-nin used an Earth Release technique to flee. Hard to chase him now."
Yuka nodded but couldn't help worrying about the Fox — with that kunai stuck in his thigh, could he even keep moving underground?
With his beginner-level Fish in the Earth Technique and his current chakra reserves, Yagami could only burrow about thirty meters before resurfacing.
He emerged in a blind spot beside the Uzumaki's field of vision and stayed perfectly still, hiding under the bushes to wait.
When the battle ended and the distant sounds of leaping faded, Yagami waited until all the Uzumaki were gone before once again sinking into the ground and vanishing.
Once he was completely safe, he carefully treated the wound on his thigh.
The cloth around it was soaked with blood — the clothes Yuka had washed for him were now filthy again.
He hid in a crevice between rocks and ate the last of his soldier pills, not daring to wander too far.
...
The full moon hung bright like a silver plate, its glow cold as frost.
Only when moonlight slipped into the crack between the rocks did Yagami crawl out of hiding.
Starving from nothing but soldier pills, he slipped into a fishing village and stole some food.
Dried fish and cold leftovers — he devoured them like a beast.
Once full, he decided to wait fifteen days before seeking out the main Anbu forces again.
The closer it was to the next full moon, the safer he would be.
For those fifteen days, he planned to train — polishing his ninjutsu and taijutsu, pushing his strength as far as he could.
First on the list: hand seal speed.
If he could form seals faster, that kunai wouldn't have hit his thigh — he'd have already been underground by then.
Both Fish in the Earth Technique and Binding Curse Seal required three hand seals.
Uchiha Itachi could form six seals per second. Yagami needed a second and a half just for three. Way too slow.
He had to build muscle memory — to reach three seals per second at minimum.
Training hand seals wasn't just about speed; it was about synchronizing them with chakra flow. Only with perfect coordination could ninjutsu activate properly.
But during training, his hands felt unbearably stiff. Others had pianist hands — his felt like plaster molds.
After five grueling days of practice, his fingers cramping constantly, he finally made progress. His speed reached three seals per second.
Next came the dull part — strength and speed training.
With help from the system and his own diligence, he pushed himself hard.
Unfortunately, the nearby fishing villages paid the price — many of their dried fish and leftovers mysteriously vanished.
...
As a new month came, with fifteen days left until the next full moon, Yagami began searching for Anbu marks.
At a coastal site, he finally found Captain Brown Bear.
The captain was stationed at the shore, preventing Uzumaki ninja from escaping back to the Land of Whirlpools.
The Uzumaki sealing arts — the Leaf's Anbu were determined to obtain them.
There were many captains like Brown Bear, positioned across the coast. Any Uzumaki who tried to flee the Land of Waves would likely die here.
Yagami gave a full report on what happened with Blue Wolf's squad.
"The Uzumaki ninja you mentioned — other Anbu teams ran into them too. They're indeed strong," Brown Bear said.
He glanced at Yagami's leg — the torn fabric and bloodstains made it clear that the wound was at least half a month old.
After some thought, he said,
"Fox — real name, Yagami.
Your parents lived in the Leaf for eighteen years, settled there after the First Great Ninja War.
Born in Year 23 of the Leaf calendar. Your parents were killed five years later in a rogue ninja rebellion.
Graduated from the academy in Year 33. This year, Year 38, you passed the simplified Chūnin Exams and were recruited into the Anbu.
Your background checks out. Weak, yes — but adaptable. You even picked up the Shadow Clone Jutsu from Captain Antelope."
Brown Bear nodded. "Follow me, Fox. In a few days, I'll assign one or two Anbu under you — you'll act as a provisional squad captain.
Complete a few missions, and you'll be officially promoted."
Yagami quickly bowed. "Thank you, Captain!"
The title didn't matter much — being captain meant receiving orders and access to more intel.
For five straight days, Yagami worked alongside Captain Brown Bear, helping leave coded Anbu marks nearby.
During that time, two Uzumaki ninja tried to break through the blockade and escape from the Land of Waves' main island.
Captain Brown Bear killed them effortlessly — purely with taijutsu, not a single jutsu used.
Yagami searched the corpses afterward but found no sealing scrolls.
His mind stirred with dangerous thoughts.
If he was still alive by the 14th of this month… maybe he'd take down Captain Brown Bear himself. There might be valuable loot to gain.
Of course, he only dared to think that while looking at the ground — staring at the captain while thinking it would probably get him stabbed with a kunai.
"Captain," Yagami asked cautiously, "aren't you afraid Uzushio will hold the Leaf accountable?"
"Of course not." Brown Bear gave him a side glance.
"I know you're Anbu — how would these Uzumaki know who you really are?
Even if they find evidence, the village can just claim it was a setup by the Hidden Mist.
The Leaf and Uzushio are allies — how could we possibly kill our own allies?
Also, don't ask questions you shouldn't."
"Understood, Captain. My apologies."
Anbu did the Leaf's dirty work — once you joined, there was no leaving, unless you died or Danzo allowed it.
Yagami's ninja record had already been sealed. In the official archives, he was listed as a Leaf ninja who died on a mission.
Soon, more scattered Anbu regrouped with Brown Bear's unit.
The captain assigned Yagami a new partner — an Anbu wearing a pine-bird mask.
The two formed a small team, with Yagami as acting squad captain.
Once Pine Bird was out of earshot, Brown Bear briefed him on the mission.
"Fox, the Land of Waves is crawling with shinobi — Mist-nin, Cloud-nin, Uzumaki, and us Anbu.
Your task is to assassinate a noble town lord — a supporter of Uzushio.
Be careful. He's guarded by samurai and a shinobi bodyguard."
Taking the mission scroll, Yagami said, "Understood, Captain."
The scroll contained detailed intel on the noble.
For the first time, Yagami wasn't just a pawn following orders — he was finally a squad leader, receiving information and making his own choices.
***
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