Yuka stared at Fox in horror.
Wasn't Fox a Senju spy embedded in the ANBU?
Wait a minute!
She immediately remembered—right before the explosive tags went off, Fox had coated the kunai with a coagulant.
The stab hadn't gone in deep, and with the coagulant applied, the bleeding was minimal.
Still holding on, Yuka activated the Adamantine Sealing Chains.
Yako, on the other hand, put on a show of helpless panic, as if completely powerless to stop her.
Over a dozen chains shot out, impaling everyone—everyone except Yako.
Whether it was the Cloud-nin or Captain Antelope, all were struck by the force of the sealing technique.
Under the effect of the fūinjutsu, not a single one could move.
Yako was thrilled inside. He had intentionally applied the coagulant to the kunai just so Yuka would think he was on her side and wouldn't target him.
The deception worked—he alone had escaped the Adamantine Sealing Chains.
Yako stood up, spun his kunai, and began executing the Cloud-nin one by one.
Captain Antelope watched Yako's smooth movements with new eyes.
This was supposed to be the weakest one on the team—a throwaway genin—yet he had grown rapidly. The way he seized the moment now had some of that ANBU sharpness to it.
Captain Antelope looked down at the chain piercing his abdomen, a surge of pain overtaking him.
The Adamantine Sealing Chains had embedded a bladed weight into his chest.
The sealing technique of the Uzumaki clan could manifest chakra into physical form—what a terrifying secret art.
Manifesting chakra into matter—he had heard that belonged to the domain of Yin-Yang Release, not something ordinary shinobi could wield.
Yako saw the captain's miserable state and didn't treat his wounds immediately. Instead, he snatched the used sealing scroll from Yuka's hand and ran toward the captain.
"Mission complete. Got it."
Captain Antelope cursed inwardly. 'I told you to grab the intact scroll, not one that's already been used.'
No time to scold him. He barked, "Go! We're getting out of here!"
Yako supported the captain and jumped into the woods by the lake.
"Captain! I'll apply coagulant!"
The medicine landed on his side without issue, stopping the blood from gushing out.
In the dark, Yako's eyes gleamed unnaturally beneath the mask.
He propped the captain up, carefully monitoring his condition—he didn't miss a single muscle twitch.
The coagulant was only half medicine. The rest was poison.
Yuka was a chunin. The poison she used? Definitely potent.
This time, Yako wasn't going to make the same mistake again.
Captain Antelope still had a hidden Fire Release technique—Yako didn't want to get roasted again.
Same move won't work on him twice.
After they got far from the battlefield, Captain Antelope panted heavily.
"Fox… You may be weak, but you're lucky. You always survive. Keep it up, and maybe… maybe you'll grow strong someday."
"Thanks, Captain."
His breathing was getting worse.
"This time… cough, the mission failed. But we can pick another cough, another Uzumaki team… go after another sealing scroll."
His vision dimmed in waves. He figured it was just blood loss.
'As expected of the Uzumaki clan… even their dying counterattacks are brutal.'
Yako noticed something was wrong and quickly asked:
"Captain! If you pass out, how do I contact the higher squad? I don't think I can treat this kind of wound. Does the squad have a medical-nin?"
Captain Antelope's consciousness wavered. He realized Fox had a point.
A gut wound like this, maybe even a ruptured spleen—he definitely needed a proper medic. The coagulant wasn't nearly enough.
He reached for his tool pouch—only to see three of them spinning before his eyes.
Yako helped, pulling out a scroll and handing it over.
Captain Antelope shook his head, trying to clear the dizziness. Still, he managed to activate the scroll with some hand signs.
"Every mission… the cipher team sets… a new code…"
Before he could finish, he lost consciousness.
Yako waited a few seconds. Once he was sure the captain had completely blacked out, he formed a hand seal.
Self-Curse Binding Seal.
Curse marks crawled across the captain's body.
Once Yako confirmed he could no longer resist, he raised his kunai and drove it deep into the captain's throat.
Blood sprayed. The pain woke Captain Antelope just in time to see the kunai in his throat—and what Fox was doing.
"You—"
That was all he got out. Then, he died.
Yako didn't stop.
He knew ninjas could extract intel from corpses.
The kunai slammed down repeatedly—cracking open the skull, scrambling the brain.
It was disgusting.
But also reassuring.
Captain Antelope was finally dead.
Maybe the unit commander would promote him to squad leader now. After all, he was the only one left.
Having finished, Yako stood up slowly and glanced around. Once sure no one was watching, he left.
He carefully studied the ANBU communication scroll.
Every time ANBU conducted large-scale joint ops, they used a custom cipher system to guide squads after separation.
Each team could use hidden marks to locate the commander and reunite with the main force.
With this scroll, Yako could go straight to the mid-level commander.
Once he became a squad leader himself, he'd get missions directly, gain more intel—no longer just a pawn.
He returned to the battlefield and found Yuka lying on the ground.
She didn't dare move. A kunai was still lodged in her stomach.
The bleeding was minimal, but she was terrified that pulling it out would cause her to hemorrhage.
Seeing a shadow overhead, she relaxed.
"Fox, you're here!"
Yako crouched down. "Yeah. Sorry—I had to follow the captain's orders earlier. Let me treat you now."
Her heart was full of confusion and anger. Konoha's ANBU trying to steal her clan's newly developed sealing scroll?
Thank goodness Fox was a Senju and had prepared in advance—his kunai had saved her.
Thunk!
Yuka's jaw trembled violently.
A kunai had stabbed into her throat. Blood sprayed, some of it filling her mouth.
Yako felt a faint twinge of guilt—but it vanished quickly.
The coagulant on the kunai? Just to gain her trust. It made killing her easier and helped complete the captain's mission.
He was an ANBU—not some Senju spy.
Who'd want to be a Senju's spy? That clan was doomed.
Yako had reincarnated into the shinobi world—not to play hero, but to survive.
Yuka's eyes were full of confusion. She couldn't understand why Fox was doing this.
Yako didn't explain.
She knew too much. She had to die here.
The Self-Curse Binding Seal, the secret betrayal of Captain Antelope—any of that leaking would get Yako killed.
As the great scientist Newton once said: "Better thee than me."
He searched Yuka's body but found no other Adamantine Sealing Chain scrolls.
No matter. He replenished some kunai and disappeared.