"Leaf Monkey, you pushed yourself way too hard."
Hearing Captain Fox express sympathy for him, Leaf Monkey said:
"I didn't think much of it at the time; I just wanted to complete the mission. Commander, the injuries on Squad Leader Flower Deer are also real. Everyone gave it their all."
Yagami glanced at Flower Deer. He had shaved his head, which was now covered in blade wounds.
At that moment, the wounds had split open due to the intense movement, oozing pinkish blood.
Looking closer, one could see yellow pus mixed within the red blood.
After glancing at the poisoned Shimura ninja, Yagami spoke:
"Take a rest up ahead. Tend to your wounds before we move on; don't leave yourselves with irreversible injuries. Give the Shimura ninja a few more shots of stimulants—as long as he doesn't die, it's fine."
Yagami hadn't expected his team members to take this mission so seriously.
As the Team Commander, he had reviewed Leaf Monkey's file.
Leaf Monkey's real name was Sugifuku.
A civilian Chunin of the Hidden Leaf, he was raised by his older brother. Later, his brother died in battle, leaving Sugifuku to raise his nephew.
But within two years, his nephew also died in battle as a Genin.
Sugifuku had lost everything. He had originally harbored a death wish, intending to die in the Land of Grass, which made him fight with extreme desperation.
Because of his tragic experiences, he was recruited by the Anbu.
The Anbu told him that they were doing whatever it took to end the fighting as quickly as possible. As long as he remained loyal to the Hokage, he could help restore peace to the Hidden Leaf sooner.
The fire in Sugifuku's heart was rekindled; he didn't want the tragedies of his brother and nephew to be repeated.
After joining the Anbu, he executed every mission as if it were his last, wanting only to end the war quickly.
Such an excellent Anbu ninja was being used to rescue a relative of Danzo.
"Leaf Monkey, after we return, I'll apply for a suitable jutsu for you. Don't worry, one way or another, I'll make sure you live for a few more months."
"Thank you, Captain!"
After resting for only a few minutes, Aries suddenly spoke up: "Captain! Seven o'clock direction! A Sand Ninja squad has appeared 800 meters away!"
"It seems the Sand Ninja didn't plan on a straight prisoner exchange either. They have a hidden hand as well. None of them are any good—it's six of one, half a dozen of the other." Yagami immediately ordered:
"Those carrying the wounded, go first! The rest of you stay in the middle. I'll provide the rearguard!"
The company set off again. Yagami lagged behind, warily watching a nearby river canyon.
The sound of puppets moving came from that direction.
The trumpet-like shape of the canyon amplified the clacking sounds of the puppets' joints.
Three humanoid puppets leaped out of the canyon, firing a dense hail of poison needles at the Fox Company.
"Water Style: Water Wall!"
Yagami was well-prepared. A wall of water over ten meters long rose up, shielding the Fox squad's flank.
The poison needles were all intercepted by the water wall. Purple and blue halos appeared on the surface of the water—the dispersing venom.
Before the water wall could fall, Yagami rapidly formed five hand signs.
"Water Style: Water Severing Wave!"
A high-pressure stream of water erupted from Yagami's mouth. With a sweeping motion, it sliced the three puppets apart.
The mechanisms in the puppets' abdomens exploded everywhere—gears, springs, drive belts; there was quite a variety.
The power of the three puppets was greatly diminished.
One puppet's master was quite skilled; its shattered upper and lower halves were still able to move.
This was what made puppets troublesome—you couldn't predict their movements using the logic of a human body.
After blocking a blade on a puppet's arm with another water wall, Yagami shouted: "Get away from the canyon!"
The squad shifted direction. Once they moved away from the canyon, the distance between them and the puppet masters widened, forcing the puppet masters to leap out from the canyon.
Two puppet masters, controlling new puppets, charged toward the Anbu squad.
Yagami stopped and turned to face them.
Two puppets advanced along the ground to draw his attention.
A bat-shaped puppet flapped its wings, launching a sneak attack on Yagami from above.
*A hit!*
The bat puppet fired poison needles from its chest, piercing into the back of Yagami.
*Poof!*
A cloud of white smoke erupted; it was actually a Shadow Clone.
*When?*
The puppet masters suddenly remembered that yagami had just used a water wall. He must have used the Shadow Clone behind the cover of the water.
Yagami emerged from the ground behind the two puppet masters.
"Water Style: Water Severing Wave!"
A jet of water shot out, slicing both puppet masters in half at the waist.
Their intestines spilled across the ground.
Puppet masters didn't have the ability of puppets to move their upper and lower halves independently after being severed. The two puppet masters died miserably under the Water Severing Wave.
Yagami walked to the edge of the canyon and spotted two Sand Ninja fleeing below.
Leaping down into the canyon and standing on the water's surface, Yagami used his fastest Body Flicker Technique: the Water Flicker.
Appearing abruptly behind the two Sand Ninja, Yagami used another Water Severing Wave.
The Water Severing Wave sliced off the tops of both their skulls.
It was brutal, but he couldn't let anyone know he had mastered the Water Flicker—a signature jutsu of Hanzo.
After finishing this, Yagami waited for a long time before leaping back up the canyon, feigning that it had taken some effort to kill the two Sand Ninja.
Returning to the squad's side, Flower Deer said enviously, "Commander, your Water Style jutsu is too powerful."
Yagami replied, "The Water Severing Wave was a reward given to me by the Anbu for becoming a Special Jounin. The Water Wall was obtained for me with the help of Commander Black ape."
He quickly turned to Black ape, who had approached, and said:
"Black ape, I don't mean you—I mean the owner before the previous owner of that mask. When we get back, I'll apply for jutsu for all of you too. Think carefully on the way about what kind of jutsu you want."
...
Upon returning to the camp, Yagami went straight to the medical tent.
Tsunade first checked the most heavily injured Shimura Chunin, peeling back his eyelids for a careful examination.
She said, "The toxin has attacked his nervous system. Even if he's cured, he'll be a fool. Given the style of you Anbu, shouldn't someone like this have been dealt with halfway?"
Yagami replied, "Princess Tsunade, even if he's cured, he'll be a fool of the Shimura clan. That is why we couldn't deal with him halfway."
"Hmph," Tsunade said. "I see."
The three captives, as well as Flower Deer, Leaf Monkey, and the others, were all receiving treatment in the medical tent.
Yagami was ushered out by a medical ninja and waited outside for the treatment to finish.
Midway through the treatment, two people walked over. Yagami looked up and saw the Commander-in-Chief, Nara Shikaku, and the Vice Commander, Hatake Sakumo.
The two entered the medical tent and then quickly came back out, both looking quite heavy-hearted.
Nara Shikaku stood outside the curtain and said:
"Sakumo, the examination system you proposed last time is a major matter, and many people have caught wind of it. Certain Chunin and Special Jounin on the front lines have begun showing extremely reckless tendencies. These three rescued captives were captured by the Sand Ninja precisely because of their rashness. Sakumo, I understand your thinking, but the recommendation system is more suitable for the current Hidden Leaf. If the examination system is truly implemented, the Chunin on the front lines will quickly suffer heavy casualties. What do you think?"
After Nara Shikaku finished speaking, he turned to look at Hatake Sakumo, only then noticing a ninja hidden in the darkness behind them.
His eyes flickered. Seeing it was an Anbu, he breathed a sigh of relief.
As the Commander-in-Chief, his role focused on deployment and strategy; his raw strength wasn't top-tier, and he hadn't even noticed the Anbu hiding in the shadows.
Fortunately, it was an Anbu; otherwise, his conversation with Sakumo would have been exposed.
Yagami thought to himself: *As expected of the head of the Nara clan.* His angle of attack was quite unique. Hatake Sakumo wouldn't want his own proposal to lead to mass casualties on the front lines.
Hatake Sakumo remained silent, unsure how to respond.
It was so difficult to accomplish something, yet so simple to destroy it.
Nara Shikaku had used facts to stop Sakumo from pushing the examination system.
*You want examinations? Then I'll show you just how aggressive the Hidden Leaf ninjas can become because of those examinations.*
Over-execution is sometimes more effective than passive resistance.
For example, if the higher-ups say burning wood is forbidden, you just need to find a way to let a few people freeze to death, and that policy is finished.
With Nara Shikaku's slight maneuver, it became difficult for Hatake Sakumo to speak up again.
After Nara Shikaku left, Hatake Sakumo stood there alone, lost in thought.
Yagami pretended to pass by and whispered, "Setting aside my Anbu identity, Sakumo-sama, I support the examination system."
Sakumo was stunned for a moment. He took a longer look at the Anbu ninja, noting the mask.
Being well-versed in Anbu rules, Sakumo didn't make a scene or say anything more; he simply turned and left.
Yagami waited for Leaf Monkey's surgery to end before returning to the Anbu tent area.
The Anbu Commander, Yellow Dog, found him:
"Fox, Vice Commander Sakumo wants to know the details of the Anbu prisoner exchange mission. I've agreed. Go and report to the Vice Commander."