Uzushio Village lay nestled in the mountains, divided north and south by a wide river.
What stunned Yen was what stood behind the village — a moving mountain.
Looking closely, he realized it was a colossal turtle, as massive as a hill.
On Yen's back, Uzumaki Youjia leaned toward his ear and explained:
"That is our village guardian, Lord Spirit Turtle. The Uzumaki excel at sealing arts. In the Warring States era, we sealed monsters for daimyo and nobles, and in return accumulated many contract beasts. The great river running through the center is home to numerous aquatic summons. Our team's mission was to seal a rampaging giant beast in the Land of Waves, but we were targeted by Cloud shinobi and failed."
A sharp cry echoed overhead. Yen looked up to see a familiar beast from the original story — Nagato's three-legged giant bird, the Yatagarasu.
So that's how sealing jutsu was really used: to bind powerful summons and make them allies in battle.
But then, why hadn't the Uzumaki secured a tailed beast for themselves? With their sealing arts and a bijuu, they could have forged perfect jinchuriki.
At the village gates, Uzumaki shinobi came to take Youjia to the hospital. She cast one last lingering look at Fox.
What a pity. She remembered only his voice, not his name. Once back, she would have to ask around about which Senju spy in ANBU wore the Fox mask.
In the old days, if ANBU still followed Lord Tobirama directly, things would have been simpler. But after Sarutobi Hiruzen took office, he had purged ANBU in a brutal cleansing — replacing many with new blood and removing most of Tobirama's men.
Antelope Squad moved deeper into Uzushio and reached the village leader's hall. A massive Uzumaki crest adorned the building, the same spiral symbol worn on the backs of Konoha flak jackets.
They waited a long time until a group approached.
At the head was Danzo, followed by his aides.
At this time, Danzo was in his prime. Both eyes and both arms intact, no trace of deformity.
The cross-shaped scar on his chin, combined with tiny pupils in pale-white eyes, gave him a cruel, unsettling look. When those eyes swept across, fear followed.
Danzo entered the hall with his lieutenants. Battalion captains and advisers followed. Mid-level captains like Antelope remained outside. Ordinary ANBU like Yen melted into the woods behind the building, watching for threats.
Yen stood in the trees with Horned Ox, eyes fixed on the rear of the hall, guarding against any danger to Danzo.
Danzo was not only a high councilor but also head of ANBU, his status immense.
There was no conversation. ANBU never spoke, moving like machines.
After some time, Danzo descended the hall, his aides in tow. His expression was dark, as though the talks with Uzumaki leadership had gone poorly.
His gaze was distant, lost in thought.
Orders filtered down: battalion to company, company to squad.
Captain Antelope called for Fox and Horned Ox and led them north. Their destination: the Land of Waves.
Yen didn't know the mission details. He guessed they might be investigating Cloud shinobi sightings.
But that didn't make sense. The main battlefield with Kumo was in the north, at the Hot Springs border. Why would Cloud appear in the Land of Waves?
It was still the Second Shinobi World War. Every village was stretched thin. Sending forces this far could only mean something major.
At the coast, Captain Antelope secured a boat. Using Transformation Jutsu, the three disguised themselves as fishermen and rowed toward the northern seas.
Yen became a dark-skinned youth. Leaning over the boat's side, he tried to see his reflection in the water to compare to his past life. But the spray and foam from the oars blurred it out.
Rowing was exhausting. The squad gathered intel from nearby fishing boats, scanning for suspicious vessels.
For Yen, the slow pace was perfect. Days slipped by almost without notice. By the time they landed, more than ten days had passed.
Another full moon had risen. Yen had his resurrection back. Relief filled him.
But soldier pills — he could barely stomach them now.
The captain forbade cooking the fish they caught, and Yen didn't know which species were safe raw. So he kept eating ration pills. They kept you alive, but never filled you. An empty stomach for too long ached and cramped.
Landing in the Land of Waves, they shed their disguises, becoming ANBU again, and slipped into the coconut groves near shore.
Yen guessed ANBU were running a sweeping search. Their squad circled the same sector again and again.
Seven days later, Captain Antelope found signs of battle.
No corpses, but the earth was stained dark red. Judging by the blood, the fight had happened within two days.
Kunai and blades lay scattered in the grass. Among them were standard long swords of Cloud shinobi.
"Each take one," Captain Antelope ordered. "It'll help us pose as Kumo if needed."
Yen picked up a sword and carefully wiped the blood away. Disguising themselves as Cloud to commit dirty work — it would make the frame-up easier.
Centering their search around the battle site, the squad scoured for enemies.
As they moved, Yen reflected bitterly. No wonder Kakashi had made so little progress in ten years of ANBU. These missions swallowed every minute — travel, searching, surveillance. There was no time left to train.
And, just like his previous life, leaders showed the same dull indifference to those beneath them.
He had once dreamed of carving out a place in the shinobi world through sheer effort and insight. But no one would give him that chance.
With his experience, Captain Antelope picked up many signs, eventually tracking them to a fishing village.
Night cloaked the huts, lamps glowing in most homes.
The captain pointed to a dark house and gestured.
Yen and Horned Ox circled from different sides.
Seaside huts were raised on stilts for damp-proofing, easy to crawl under.
From the other side, Horned Ox suddenly cursed under his breath.
From some structural clues, Yen guessed the smaller window led to a latrine, so he'd already chosen the other side. Poor Horned Ox. Hopefully what hit his face was only water. If it was "freedom flying"… he'd have to endure it. Missions came first.
Yen pressed an ear to the floorboards above.
Suddenly, a blade stabbed down through the wood.
Only his vigilance saved him, as he rolled aside. The blade grazed his scalp, slicing off a lock of hair.
The long, razor edge gleamed — unmistakably a Cloud standard sword.
Battle erupted at once.
Footsteps thudded overhead.
Furious, Horned Ox slapped an explosive tag onto the planks.
Yen swore under his breath. Damn it, the crawl space was too tight. Getting clear would take precious seconds.
In such a confined space, the blast wave would be brutal.
Horned Ox hadn't really been sprayed in the face earlier… had he?
The explosion tore through the house. Yen tumbled and scrambled out into the open.
The wooden hut burst apart from within, and several Cloud shinobi charged out.
On the beach, the cold gleam of swords flashed in every direction.
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