Yen's view shifted in an instant.
Gasping, he woke on the bed. Beside him, the tavern owner Qiaoyi was still asleep.
Qiaoyi's back was smooth and lovely.
It felt good to be alive.
[Arc of the Moon activated.
The host has one resurrection per month and will revive on the night of the previous full moon upon death.
Reward: one lottery draw.
A-rank sealing jutsu: Sealed Paralysis Mark (basic)
Chunin-level chakra reserves (stackable)
Ninja blade kenjutsu (basic).]
While running a hand along Qiaoyi's slim waist and beautiful back, savoring his return, Yen made his choice.
Basic kenjutsu was practical.
They were about to escort Uzumaki Youjia's team. The Cloud shinobi they would face were all adept with blades.
If he also understood kenjutsu, he could read their movements better and gain an edge in close combat, instead of dying to a blade like last time.
Chakra reserves, especially stackable ones, were also useful.
Right now his reserves were at chunin level. With no bloodline powers, his growth would never be as fast as a prodigy's.
If Kakashi's chakra were one full unit, Yen figured he had only about 0.1 Kak.
In the end, Yen chose the first reward.
Who could turn down an A-rank sealing jutsu?
A jutsu's rank measures difficulty to master, not raw power.
The Uzumaki clan's Sealed Paralysis Mark had excellent effect.
Even while gravely wounded, Youjia had used it to completely immobilize two Cloud shinobi.
After a little study, Yen grasped the principle.
By contact, or by laying it ahead of time underfoot, you could make an enemy trigger the seal.
Its markings locked every joint in the target's body, leaving them unable to move.
At the system's basic level, when placed on the ground, the seal's effective radius was two meters around the caster.
Strong control, and an extremely covert trap.
Not bad. At last, a second technique.
Yen went to the window, glanced back at Qiaoyi's back and legs, then jumped down and slipped away into Konoha's gray dawn.
While changing gear in the squad locker room, Captain Antelope felt something was off.
For some reason, Fox looked at him a moment longer today.
Yen seethed inside. In the last run, when Yen died, the captain had not tried to save anyone and simply left.
If not for resurrection, he would have died like a weed in a wheat field, without meaning.
This time, Yen decided to keep the three Uzumaki alive. If they could still fight, there was a chance against two Cloud squads.
The events were all familiar. Their squad found Youjia's team in the Land of Waves.
This time, Yen brought better medicine and bandaged Youjia with extra care.
Youjia was deeply moved.
Uzushio having allies like the Senju and Konoha felt like a blessing.
The ANBU wore a mask, yet she could feel the care in his actions.
To secure the bandage, it had to wrap deep along her thigh.
Youjia had to spread her legs a little wider, which made her blush.
Long legs straight and fine. Yen felt a flicker of distraction, but only a little.
These three Uzumaki had to stand tall. If they died easily, he would not make it either.
He finished the leg bandage carefully, then wrapped the wound on her hand.
Peering through the mask, Youjia saw a pair of handsome eyes. She whispered, "Thank you."
"You are welcome."
"I heard your captain call you Fox. What is your real name?"
"Classified."
Youjia was a bit disappointed. So earnest, and he still would not share a name.
If she went to Konoha later, she would not even know where to find him.
Once they entered the Land of Whirlpools, Yen was the tensest of them all.
Especially when they took the narrow paths between fields of wheat.
Recalling the previous timeline, Yen found his landmarks and the spot where the paper-bomb trap lay.
The Cloud operatives were strong and perfectly hidden. Who knew how many days they had been lying in wait.
He drew three shuriken from his pouch and threw them far into the thick wheat off the roadside.
The others stared, not knowing what he was doing.
A heartbeat later, the paper bombs went off.
So Yen had found the trap.
Captain Antelope could not help looking at Fox again. Good eye. He had not noticed the bombs himself.
"Ambush."
Eight Cloud shinobi rose from the wheat. Kunai and shuriken filled the air.
Yen stayed at Youjia's side and rushed into the field.
A Cloud shinobi raised his blade and chopped hard at her.
Youjia had already formed three seals. She lifted her kunai to parry.
A clang, and the Cloud shinobi suddenly froze.
The struggle between blade and kunai stopped at once. Sealing marks climbed his body. The Sealed Paralysis Mark.
Yen watched, riveted.
So that was how practical the jutsu was in real combat.
Unable to move, the Cloud shinobi fell to Youjia's kunai.
Another Cloud ninja charged Yen.
Parrying the blade, Yen lured him toward Youjia.
With her help, Yen finished the man cleanly.
It had been the right call. Saving Youjia really did raise their chances.
A Cloud squad captain fixed on Youjia.
Seeing the captain's hungry look, Yen pretended to go help Purple Cat and backed off fast.
A fight between captains was not something he wanted spilling over onto him.
He had killed one Cloud shinobi. KPI achieved. Time to lay low.
If you can slack, you slack. If not, you keep trying.
Yen darted around Purple Cat, looking busy while mostly spooking her opponent. Not much real impact.
Even so, Purple Cat felt the pressure ease and began to win the taijutsu exchanges.
When she wounded the Cloud shinobi, Yen rushed in. Flanking left and right, he and Purple Cat stabbed the man down.
They met each other's eyes. At last they felt like teammates.
A scream rang out behind them.
Youjia had been kicked flying by the Cloud captain, with two fresh blade wounds across her body.
Bad, Yen thought. This woman cannot keep it together. I helped this much. If she collapses, how am I supposed to freeload. Then all that help was for nothing.
The Cloud captain was not unscathed either. A kunai had pierced his abdomen and he was bleeding. He pressed the attack, blade raised to finish Youjia where she lay.
Youjia formed seals with both hands and poured out the Sealed Paralysis Mark.
The captain's blade was already falling, only thirty centimeters from her wrist, when the binding seized him and he went rigid.
He trembled, squeezing out the last of his strength, trying to hack off her wrist and end her resistance.
Seeing her wounds, Purple Cat judged Youjia no longer worth defending.
She rushed in, kunai aimed at Youjia's throat, ready to kill.
Not good, Yen thought. Youjia is still useful. If she dies, I still will not survive.
Even together, he and Purple Cat could not defeat the Cloud captain.
__________________________________________________________
To read more advanced chapters and support me, go to:
patreon.com/ArchSovereign