"Antelope Squad! Move out!"
Kira's captain wore an antelope mask, and the squad members all called him Captain Ling.
Besides Kira, the squad also included Purple Cat and Horned Ox.
Their true identities were unknown; even when Purple Cat's mask was replaced by someone else, Kira didn't know who it was.
The four members of the squad left the Death Forest and walked along the Konoha wall.
As he walked, Kira felt something was off.
This direction—they were heading toward the Konoha Gate.
Were they going to leave the village?
This was not a good time to leave the village.
If they encountered danger inside Konoha, at worst, they could shout for help.
But if they left the village and ran into trouble, screaming wouldn't do any good.
The Antelope Squad arrived at the Konoha Gate.
Without submitting a departure application or slowing down, the four members passed right through.
One of the Konoha Gate guards said enviously, "Anbu are so cool. They all wear masks and look so stern."
"Then you can apply to join Anbu. You'll get to wear a mask every day."
"No thanks, wearing a mask as an Anbu means you only see the light of day when you die."
Kira was in a terrible mood. Why were they leaving the village?
Captain Ling said as he ran, "The target we're monitoring this time is an Elite Chunin. He's already a squad leader, leading a Genin squad on transport missions near the front lines. That Elite Chunin is suspected of being involved with an Iwagakure spy. We need to track and investigate him, gather evidence, and eliminate him as planned."
Hearing this, Kira felt even more uneasy.
In the ninja world, a two-rank difference could mean instant death.
Ninja ranks are roughly: Genin, Chunin, Elite Chunin, Special Jonin, Jonin, Elite Jonin, Kage-level, Super Kage-level, and Six Paths-level.
An Elite Chunin could instantly kill a Genin, or a pseudo-Chunin like Kira, who was really still a Genin at heart.
Along the way, Kira carefully observed Captain Ling and his two teammates, trying to gauge their strength.
Captain Ling's strength was at least that of an Elite Chunin; otherwise, he wouldn't talk about eliminating an Elite Chunin.
Kira himself was a Genin, and Purple Cat and Horned Ox were probably both Chunin. This average strength met the Anbu's requirement for a Chunin-level squad.
After leaving the Land of Fire and entering the frontline in Wave Country, they had to be careful everywhere.
Captain Ling quickly found the reconnaissance target.
Kira looked at the distant Konoha squad through binoculars.
The target was a burly man with a resolute face.
His three student subordinates included an Akimichi Clan ninja, a civilian girl without a clan crest, and a civilian male ninja wearing glasses.
All four carried large backpacks, likely transporting supplies to the front.
After only two or three seconds, Kira quickly lowered his binoculars.
He wasn't sure if it was his imagination, but the Elite Chunin seemed to glance in his direction.
Captain Ling was still observing: "Maintain a distance of two hundred meters, do not get close, and slowly gather intelligence."
For five days, the Antelope Squad followed the target squad from a distance.
The target squad moved repeatedly between the Wave Country border and the Land of Fire, constantly transporting supplies.
These five days were relatively peaceful.
Kira counted the days.
He had spent 3 days at Crane Moon Izakaya, 4 days traveling to the border, and 5 days tracking—12 days in total, with 13 more to go until the full moon.
Kira hoped they could continue monitoring quietly.
Suddenly, Captain Ling shouted, "There's a situation!"
The target turned behind a large tree, hiding from his teammates.
He stuffed a scroll under the tree roots, then quickly left.
"Action! After confirming the contents of the scroll, proceed as planned!"
The four Anbu rushed toward the tree.
Kira rushed fast, wanting to pick the easiest target.
He shifted his position and went for the female ninja of the target squad.
At 11 years old and a civilian, she must be very weak, right?
Captain Ling reached the tree first, retrieved the scroll, and quickly scanned its contents.
"It's an Iwagakure spy! Eliminate the target!"
It wasn't easy for Iwagakure to arrange a spy, especially an Elite Chunin-level one.
This spy must have subordinates, and based on experience, they were likely his students.
The Akimichi Clan Genin was probably not a spy, being from a ninja clan.
The other two students could both be spies.
As for how to distinguish them... the Anbu's usual practice was not to distinguish.
Kira threw two kunai at the civilian female ninja.
One went for her left eye, drawing her attention.
The other aimed for her abdomen, ensuring a hit.
The girl instinctively raised her kunai, blocking the one aimed at her eye.
Ignoring her lower body, the second kunai struck her abdomen.
Blood gushed out.
Kira didn't know if the girl was truly a spy, but he showed no mercy. After kicking her down, he used kunai to pin both her hands to the ground.
The Akimichi Genin nearby, seeing his female companion's state, went berserk.
He took a kunai from Purple Cat and charged at Kira.
Kira stood his ground, watching the Akimichi Genin charge.
Purple Cat was chasing him from behind; unless something went wrong, the Akimichi Genin wouldn't reach Kira.
But the Akimichi Genin pulled out a secret medicine pill and swallowed it in one gulp.
Kira didn't even see what color the pill was.
Not good!
"Human Bullet Tank!"
As expected of a ninja clan, the Akimichi Genin transformed into a massive human bullet and rolled rapidly toward Kira.
Kira quickly jumped backward.
Damn it, something went wrong. Was he about to mess up?
He was caught by the Human Bullet Tank and pressed against a large boulder.
At the critical moment, Kira hid behind the enormous rolling body, secretly forming hand signs, and used Earth Release: Underground Projection Fish Technique.
He disappeared, submerging into the boulder.
Fortunately, he had learned a ninjutsu from the system; otherwise, he would have died here.
Rocks flew everywhere.
The Human Bullet Tank was about to stop, and Kira quickly reappeared, not wanting anyone to discover he had mastered Earth Release ninjutsu.
The Human Bullet Tank was large enough that no one else could see anything.
To make it look realistic, Kira deliberately let the Human Bullet Tank crush him, breaking several bones throughout his body.
"Enough!"
Captain Ling shouted.
The Akimichi Genin heard the unfamiliar voice, shrank, and turned to look.
In the distance, the Iwagakure spy Elite Chunin was pinned to a tree by kunai.
Captain Ling's ninja blade was plunged into the female Genin's chest.
The glasses-wearing Genin was stabbed to death by Horned Ox.
"Who are you people!"
Just as the Akimichi Genin was about to say something, Captain Ling appeared in a flash, punching him in the abdomen, stopping his rage.
"We are Konoha ANBU, dealing with Iwagakure spies. Get a grip, don't cause trouble!"
It was fine if a civilian ninja died, but the Akimichi Genin had a clan background, so he couldn't be killed directly.
The Akimichi Genin crawled toward the female ninja, weeping bitterly.
"I haven't told you yet... I... I like..."
Konoha ninja matured early. Whatever feelings existed between the two, the female Genin was dead, and death severed all ties.
Captain Ling came before Kira, looking at his injuries.
Kira quickly said, "Captain! Don't forget Will of fire! You can't abandon any Konoha comrade! I'm just injured, you can't abandon me, can you?"
"You're useless. It'll take more than ten days to recover from your injuries when you go back."
Hearing his captain's words, Kira breathed a sigh of relief.
Then he thought again—recovering from injuries would take more than ten days?
Wouldn't that last until the full moon next month? Was he really that lucky?
Carried back to Konoha by Horned Ox, after half a month of recovery, Kira finally waited for the full moon.
But he also waited for a new mission.
Anbu Commander Danzo dispatched two ANBU squads to the Wave Country and Vortex Country.
Kira felt uneasy.
The Uzumaki Clan of Vortex Country—were they about to be annihilated?
What could someone like him do in such a world-shaking event as the Uzumaki Clan's destruction?