Yako had been assigned a temporary identity: Fujikita, a low-ranking genin sent by Konoha to the front lines in the Land of Rivers.
Under this new identity, he would pose as an ordinary Leaf ninja to observe the Sabaku Port raid operation and collect the most accurate front-line intelligence for the Hokage.
Fujikita's background was deliberately unimpressive—a forgettable genin who, years after graduating from the Academy, had yet to pass the Chūnin Exams.
While arranging his cover, Yako noticed that Nara Mi, who had recently been promoted to squad leader, was recruiting new team members.
Mi had been the sole survivor of Shinmei's final mission.
So, when it came time to pick a team, Yako chose Mi's squad.
Interestingly, Nara Mi hadn't chosen comrades from the Ino-Shika-Chō clans. Instead, he'd accepted three civilian-born teammates.
Once the team assembled, Mi held up a backpack and addressed them:
"This pack contains a newly developed piece of strategic equipment by the Nara clan: a paraglider.
The paraglider allows a ninja to achieve flight. It's yet another great contribution from the Nara to the village.
I'll be piloting one. Who among you is willing to learn how to fly a paraglider?"
Yako blinked in surprise. Nara's? That was my idea!
He had gifted the design to the village himself. And now, somehow, it had become a "Nara clan contribution"?
Mi hadn't said they invented it, just that they developed it. A clever bit of wordplay.
Yako didn't expose him. Keeping his ANBU identity hidden took priority.
A petite kunoichi named Jenri stepped forward. "I'll learn it!"
She was small, with a baby-faced charm that made her look younger than she was.
Mi didn't ask the others. He simply nodded and said,
"You have five days to master the paraglider. After that, we move to carry out the Sabaku Port raid.
If we destroy the port, Sunagakure's steel supply will be cut off, and the Land of Wind's foreign trade will take a serious blow."
In a standard Konoha squad, missions were explained in detail, and their significance emphasized.
ANBU, on the other hand, only gave you time, place, and target—nothing more.
Over the next five days, Yako and the third teammate sparred half-heartedly while Mi trained Jenri in paraglider operation.
Then, under cover of night, Mi's squad arrived outside the main camp.
Roughly a thousand shinobi had gathered. The front line was committing half its forces to this operation.
600 would engage the Sand ninja head-on, led by Vice Commander Hatake Sakumo—their task was to delay and distract.
The remaining 400 would attack the rear—Sabaku Port—under the direct command of Nara Shikakaku, using paragliders to bypass enemy lines.
It was a large-scale operation.
As for Tsunade, she was stationed at the front-line medical ward, overseeing camp defense.
Waves of hot desert wind blew in from the Land of Wind as dozens of paragliders took flight.
Mi's team carefully balanced their weights. Jenri flew with Fujikita. Mi carried the third teammate—a skinny, light-framed genin.
Jenri secured Yako's harness with care before launching into the air.
Yako could feel her tension—her muscles were rigid.
"Jenri," he said, "I've seen your training. You don't need to strain your whole body. Just control the guide ropes."
"I know," she said. "But I can't help it. My arms, my waist—everything's tense."
"I wasn't this nervous flying solo. But now, with you on board... If we fall, we both die."
Yako glanced down at the two-hundred-meter drop. I've got Absolute Defense. I might survive, he thought.
They rose above the cloud layer, where the ground vanished from view. Jenri finally began to relax.
Two hundred paragliders flew in tight formation above the clouds, like a flock of migrating geese.
The wind howled past their ears. Their speed was fast—shockingly fast.
"Jenri, I heard you made Chūnin?"
"Yep! Just passed the exam. Promotions come easier in wartime. Some of my classmates are already tokubetsu jōnin," she said cheerfully.
"Fujikita, you should push yourself too. I heard some ninja take longer to bloom. With enough experience, they grow stronger over time.
Not everyone peaks at twenty. Some hit their stride in their thirties."
Yako snorted. "Thirties? I'll probably be dead by then."
It was true: some mediocre shinobi gained power through steady accumulation. But many never got that chance—cut down before they could grow.
As they flew on, the wind picked up—gusting harder now.
"We're almost there!" Jenri called out. "The wind's changed! This is sea breeze!"
They passed the final cloud layer. In the distance, Sabaku Port blazed with light.
The paragliders ahead began to descend, one after another.
"Careful! Captain Mi said this is when the Sand shinobi will strike!" Jenri warned.
"Sorry, I'm a Chūnin and you're just a genin, but I'm making you take point."
Yako blinked. She's... actually kind. Guilty that I'm acting as her shield.
Below, chaos erupted.
Sand ninja shouted and leapt onto rooftops and watchtowers, hurling kunai and explosive tags into the sky.
Jenri did her best to evade, but some projectiles came flying straight at them.
Yako deflected them mid-air with his own kunai.
"Don't panic, Jenri. At this altitude, the Sand ninja's throws lose all momentum."
"You're right... I'm just not used to aerial combat. The Nara clan's invention really is amazing."
Yako clenched his jaw. So now it's 'Nara clan invention,' too? How shameless can you get?
Their squad's objective was to destroy one of the port's docks.
Jenri's landing was rough. She and Yako tumbled across the ground.
A Sand ninja spotted their crash and charged, blade flashing.
Clang!
The enemy froze, eyes wide in disbelief.
His kunai hadn't pierced the Leaf ninja's chest.
With a flick of the wrist, Yako's blade slashed across the man's throat.
He patted his chest. "Good thing I had chest armor under my vest. That could've been a fatal surprise."
Jenri, none the wiser, assumed Fujikita was just well-prepared. She quickly unfastened their harness ropes.
"Into the water! Get beneath the dock!"
Mi's voice rang out. The squad plunged into the sea.
The other two teams kept the Sand ninja on the dock occupied, while Mi's team swam below to plant explosive tags.
The seawater was freezing.
After just ten seconds underwater, Yako suddenly sensed a fast-moving shadow.
"A puppet—fish-type!"
In the dark beneath the dock, the fish-shaped puppet had every advantage.
Yako spotted another teammate swimming recklessly straight toward it.
Too reckless.
Wait—
Something was wrong with that teammate's movements. They were stiff... unnatural.
He's being controlled!
The puppet's blade pierced the genin's body—but he grabbed hold of it with both arms.
Yako turned sharply.
Floating just above the surface, only half his face visible, was Nara Mi.
He had hidden the signs of his Shadow Imitation Technique beneath the waves.
He had used a comrade...
As a human puppet.