Thick mist filled the air, smothering all sight.
Water Style: Hidden Mist Technique.
Yagami's eyes lit up. Now that's a great jutsu. If I ever get the chance, I'm definitely learning it. Perfect for hiding and surviving.
Inside, he was secretly thrilled. With this fog, no one could see him—meaning… it was the perfect time to slack off.
Charge forward?
Only an idiot would charge into a hundred Mist-nin head-on.
Forming hand seals, Yagami created a Shadow Clone, while his real body sank into the coral rocks below.
He gave his clone a single order—dodge only, no counterattacks, just don't get blown up.
The clone lasted several minutes before being washed away by a massive surge of water.
While the Mist-nin's attention was focused on that clone, Yagami slipped out from the rocks and slit the throats of two Mist-nin.
Satisfied that he'd "done his part," he made another clone, then hid himself back inside the rocks.
The waves of Water Style jutsu kept crashing against the shore. Hidden beneath the coral, he ran into another problem.
Earth-Style: Hiding like a Mole Technique—the jutsu he used to conceal himself—was constantly draining chakra. He couldn't stay hidden forever.
Peering out toward the center of the battlefield, Yagami spotted Captain Yellow Dog fighting five Mist jonin at once atop the waves.
Yellow Dog was strong, but the Mist-nin had the home-field advantage. Their Water Style cost far less chakra here.
Finally, some good news came.
After seeing that the Uzumaki ninja had retreated far enough, Yellow Dog, worried that Princess Kushina might run into another ambush, ordered everyone to fight while pulling back.
The Leaf ANBU tossed smoke bombs into the mist—now vision was completely gone.
Yagami picked his direction, sprang up, and leapt backward.
He didn't need to outrun the Mist-nin—he just needed to be faster than the last Leaf ANBU behind him.
Once they moved away from the shore, the pressure lessened.
On land, Water Style drained much more chakra.
Not far away, another ANBU division was also retreating to avoid getting caught by the Cloud-nin advancing inland.
The beach behind them was littered with corpses—Leaf ANBU, Uzumaki ninja, Cloud-nin, Mist-nin… all lying together.
Orders kept coming down from Captain Yellow Dog.
Four squads would each take turns staying behind to cover the retreat.
The first to stay behind: Black Bull Squad.
The Black Bull ANBU didn't hesitate.
They stopped, raised their kunai, or began weaving signs—ready to meet the Mist head-on.
Or rather, ready to meet death.
Yagami wasn't burdened by any "Will of Fire." There was no way he could make such a noble, suicidal choice.
Half a minute later, the sound of Water Style rushing through the trees echoed from behind.
As expected, the entire Black Bull Squad had been wiped out.
"Brown Bear! Your squad—cover the retreat!"
Now it was Yagami's turn.
Captain Brown Bear halted, his entire squad following suit.
Yagami let his legs drag a bit, letting momentum carry him just far enough to end up slightly behind them.
Damn it.
The Uzumaki Clan's downfall was getting closer, and the fights were becoming more and more frequent.
It was only the 22nd of the second half of the month. If he died here, he'd have to wait over twenty days for the next full moon to revive.
He drew his blade, staring into the mist, unsure what to do.
This was a guaranteed death situation. Since he was going to die anyway, he might as well aim for a better reward.
The Mist-nin's abilities were strong, but they didn't suit his style. Getting a bunch of water-type chakra would just be a waste.
His gaze shifted toward Captain Brown Bear's back.
If I'm going to die anyway… maybe…
The mist rolled forward like a wall, advancing toward them.
The Mist-nin were closing in from behind, while the Cloud-nin were circling around to block them ahead.
Captain Brown Bear showed no sign of retreating, ready to die for the Leaf.
The mist swallowed the squad whole.
Visibility dropped to nearly zero as Yagami slowly crept closer to his captain.
Suddenly, the man's shadow vanished—startling Yagami.
He dove to the side instinctively.
A high-pressure stream of water blasted through where he'd been standing, splintering the coconut trees behind him.
As he rolled, Yagami caught sight of a dark blur descending from above—Captain Brown Bear, having leapt into the air.
The man's Body Flicker Technique was fast—faster than Yagami had expected.
"For the Leaf! Do not retreat!"
Brown Bear charged forward, unleashing a Fire Style jutsu at three Mist-nin ahead.
Fireballs roared through the mist, evaporating the fog in bursts of heat.
The three Mist-nin immediately countered with Water Formation Wall, blocking the flames and churning out even more mist.
From behind came the faint hiss of air. Yagami ducked—just in time for a kunai to slice past his head.
A Mist-nin had silently appeared behind him. Yagami planted a hand on the ground and kicked upward diagonally, sending the man flying.
But there were too many of them. For every one he struck down, three more emerged from the fog.
Then, from the side—Captain Brown Bear was blasted backward by a Water Style jutsu.
Yagami darted forward, catching him before he hit the ground.
The captain coughed up blood, looked up, and relaxed slightly upon seeing Yagami's mask.
But then his eyes went wide in shock and disbelief.
A blade had pierced straight through his back—through his organs.
"You… a spy?"
Captain Brown Bear couldn't believe it. That his own subordinate, an ANBU, would kill him.
"Which village are you—"
He never finished.
A massive sword came down.
Yagami looked up—and froze.
The Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist.
At the front, wielding the Executioner's Blade, stood Momochi Zabuza's predecessor—Jūzō Biwa.
Each one of the Seven Swordsmen was an elite jonin at minimum.
They're the ones chasing Princess Kushina…?
The Seven were the personal strike force of the Third Mizukage—seven elite jonin, the pride of the Hidden Mist.
Apparently, the Hidden Whirlpool's attempt to seal the tailed beast at sea had completely enraged the Mist. Now, there would be no peace between them.
The massive blade swung down.
With a single stroke, Yagami and Captain Brown Bear's heads were both severed.
It's said that even after decapitation, one remains conscious for a few seconds.
The world spun wildly before Yagami's eyes. His head hit the ground—and the last thing he saw was Captain Brown Bear's furious gaze before both their pupils dimmed and went still.
...
Yagami's vision blurred… then refocused.
He'd been reborn—back to the night after he captured the Cloud-nin captain.
The Cloud-nin, with his limbs already broken, lay on the ground groaning.
He looked up at the fox-masked ANBU and froze. The man's eyes were empty, expression blank.
Unease gnawed at Yagami's heart. Being ordered by ANBU to cover the retreat was a guaranteed death sentence.
One clash with the Mist, and you'd be killed instantly.
Even if you managed to flee, the Cloud patrols roaming the outskirts would catch you soon enough.
And if, by some miracle, you escaped them, ANBU would brand you a deserter and hunt you down themselves.
No matter which way he turned—death awaited on all sides.
A blocked road, both ends sealed.
What now?
Following the same course of events, he would definitely die again.
Just one of the Seven Swordsmen—Jūzō Biwa—could kill both him and Captain Brown Bear in seconds. There was no surviving that.
So… what could he do? How could he break this cycle?
Then, the system's voice echoed in his mind.
Fine… first, let's take the reward. I need more power.
> [Arc of the Full Moon activated!]
The host gains one revival opportunity per lunar cycle. Upon death, revival occurs on the previous full moon night.
Reward: One Lottery Draw
1. Fire-nature Chakra
2. Chunin-level Chakra Reserves (stackable)
3. Taijutsu: Body Flicker Technique (Beginner)
Not bad. Not bad at all.
Yagami grinned. This time's rewards… are actually pretty good.
***
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