For two whole days, no one came looking for Captain Brown Bear — not even a single Uzumaki ninja appeared by the sea.
Bored out of his mind, Yagami took the chance to ask some of the questions that had been nagging at him. So long as they didn't involve the Hidden Leaf's secrets, Captain Brown Bear was willing to answer.
"Captain, isn't the Uzumaki Clan known for their sealing techniques? Why don't they just seal their supplies into scrolls and carry them with them?"
Brown Bear thought for a moment, remembering how terrible the academy's education system was, and realized Fox probably didn't know the basics. He explained patiently:
"What you're referring to is a storage sealing technique — Fūbutsu Hōin.
To use it, the ninja has to inject chakra into the object being sealed. Once that chakra naturally dissipates, the seal weakens and eventually breaks.
That means keeping supplies sealed requires a lot of personnel to constantly maintain and recharge those scrolls.
Unless absolutely necessary, no one would waste chakra on maintaining a storage seal for long periods.
The Uzumaki ninja we've encountered live under constant threat of being killed. They don't have the energy to keep recharging the seals. That's why their supplies are simply stockpiled in warehouses."
Yagami nodded repeatedly. "So that's how it is."
The Fūbutsu Hōin needed constant chakra input and maintenance. That made sense now.
Thinking back, this even explained the Battle of Kannabi Bridge in the original story — when Namikaze Minato's team blew up the bridge, the Hidden Stone's supplies couldn't reach the front lines, forcing them to retreat.
If sealing supplies had no cost, they'd have just sealed everything into scrolls, and supply lines wouldn't even exist.
Time passed. Ten more days slipped by, and another month began.
Yagami looked at Captain Brown Bear's back, eyes glinting with thought.
"Maybe this month… I should die to him."
At the very least, the Captain was an elite chūnin — he'd definitely drop something good.
Other squads occasionally came to report their progress to Brown Bear. Each one had suffered heavy losses.
At this point, the entire division had four squads remaining.
After Yagami replaced Captain Antelope, and Blue Wolf's team was wiped out, that left only two functioning squads — one with two members, and one with three.
The three-man squad's captain outright refused to share any of his men with Fox.
Losing even one person meant losing a third of their combat power, after all.
Yagami couldn't help but sigh. I even brought them rations, and they can't spare a damn thank you.
"Fox!"
After listening to two squad reports, Brown Bear called out to him.
"I have a mission for you — capture a Cloud ninja alive. A squad captain, if possible. I need to interrogate him for intel."
He added after a pause, "There are Mist ninjas nearby, which is normal — the Hidden Mist has always been eyeing Wave Country's mission contracts.
But there are far too many Cloud ninjas in the area. I need to know what they're plotting."
"Capture one alive? A Cloud squad captain?" Yagami swallowed hard. "Understood, sir."
The good news was that his last mission's performance had earned Brown Bear's full trust.
The bad news… was that his last mission's performance had earned Brown Bear's full trust.
As he left the beach, Yagami felt bitter.
Capturing someone alive was much harder than killing them.
Especially a ninja — those maniacs fought to the death. How the hell was he supposed to bring one back alive?
He reached for the short blade on his back, sighing again. Cloud ninjas were renowned for their swordsmanship, and he didn't even know how to properly wield a blade. All he could do was swing it around like a long kunai.
After collecting intel from another squad leader, Yagami set off alone.
He entered the area where Cloud ninjas were known to move and found a road leading to a nearby town. There, he buried an explosive tag trap and hid in the bushes.
Cloud ninjas, like Leaf shinobi, were outsiders — once their soldier pills ran out, they'd need to resupply from local towns or fishing villages.
So guarding the outskirts of a settlement was a good strategy.
He lay in wait patiently.
Soldier pills were small, kept you fed longer, and even reduced waste — you could go a day or two without moving if you ignored the hunger.
Until dawn one day — when the morning star began to rise.
Three shadows dashed down the road toward the town.
Then —
BOOM!
An explosion erupted beneath them, scattering the three figures in different directions.
Yagami leapt up and hurled three kunai, one toward each direction.
Two hit — meaning those targets were likely injured or dead.
But one shadow dodged and charged straight at him.
The forehead protector gleamed in the dim light — a Cloud ninja.
Yagami's heart raced. Perfect. That's the squad captain.
He flipped his kunai into a reverse grip and charged in for close combat, looking for an opening to use Sealing Technique: Curse of Self-Binding.
The Cloud captain's swordsmanship was razor-sharp — one sidestep, and Yagami lost sight of him.
As the captain stepped in, his sword came sweeping across — nearly splitting Yagami's side open.
Their weapons clashed again and again, kunai against blade.
Yagami struggled to keep up. The Cloud ninja's footwork blended seamlessly with his sword technique, making it impossible to read his rhythm.
Then suddenly —
The captain ducked low, slipping under Yagami's guard.
By the time Yagami realized what happened, it was too late.
The blade had already pierced his abdomen.
At first, it was numb. Then came the heat. Then — agony.
The Cloud captain tried to yank his blade free — and saw something flash against his torso.
An explosive tag.
BOOM!
The blast engulfed them both.
The Cloud captain's last thought before dying was one of disbelief.
This guy's insane! Who the hell brings an explosive tag to a sword fight just to blow himself up?
What is this — revenge? Did I sleep with his girlfriend or something?
...
Darkness.
Then — the world shifted.
Yagami opened his eyes, back under the silver glow of the full moon — the night before he'd met Brown Bear again.
> [Arc of the Moon activated!]
The host has one resurrection opportunity per month. Upon death, revival occurs on the night of the previous full moon.
Reward: One draw
1. Lightning-nature Chakra
2. Muscle Healing Technique
3. Swordsmanship (Beginner)
"Lightning chakra… not that useful right now."
"The Muscle Healing Technique, huh? So that Cloud captain knew medical ninjutsu too."
He shook his head. "Nah. Better to kill the enemy early than heal yourself later."
Yagami focused on the third option — Swordsmanship (Beginner).
If he wanted to dodge a Cloud ninja's sword, he had to become better at it than they were.
Not knowing the blade's angle, speed, or momentum had been his biggest weakness in close combat.
Without hesitation, he chose the third reward.
Instantly, knowledge flooded his mind — basic swordsmanship.
It consisted of two parts:
1. Basic Techniques — slash, cut, thrust, lift, sweep, block, flick, hook, slice, and parry.
2. Basic Footwork — to complement each strike with the most efficient movement and power.
Along with the knowledge came muscle memory, allowing him to move naturally and fluidly.
Drawing his short sword, Yagami practiced each motion again and again — over and over, until every strike flowed cleanly.
With swordsmanship under his belt, he wouldn't be helpless the next time he faced a Cloud ninja.
No wonder that captain had been so deadly — real swordsmanship made every strike faster and more precise.
And if anyone asked where he'd learned it…
Well, he'd just say he developed it through careful observation during battle.
A quick learner — nothing wrong with that.
***
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