The top-floor office belonged to the Jonin in charge of the fortress. Privilege was a universal constant, and Stone Jonin were no exception; this line of thinking allowed Yagami to locate the Stone Commander almost instantly.
The Stone Commander immediately began weaving hand signs. Yagami noticed the signs were remarkably familiar—wasn't that the sequence for Earth Flow Spears? Instinctively, Yagami mirrored the signs.
However, to Yagami's surprise, the Stone Commander used only a single seal to trigger the Earth Flow Spears, beating him by a full step. This Stone ninja was an exceptional specialist who had actually modified the hand signs for the technique.
'This version of Earth Flow Spears is impressive. Quite interesting; I'm starting to like your style.'
Just as Yagami's own spears began to erupt from the floor, the Stone Commander's spears had already thrust into his chest. Such formidable Earth Style prowess!
In the next instant, the Stone Commander froze in disbelief. The hardened earthen spears had actually shattered upon impact. The enemy's skin was as hard as red copper, easily snapping the spears. Despite his superior technique and faster execution, his pride-and-joy Earth Style had failed to kill the intruder.
Seeing that his Earth Style couldn't match the Stone ninja's raw technicality, Yagami immediately switched tactics. He had his own rapid-fire techniques. He lunged at the Stone Jonin, weaving a hidden seal mid-dash. The Stone Jonin raised his fist to strike the "Sand ninja" away, only to find himself suddenly unable to move.
With Yagami's feet as the center, sealing formulas spiraled outward. The Self-Curse Binding Seal crawled up the Stone ninja's legs and swarmed over his body.
Knocking sounded at the door; the Stone ninja in the fortress had detected the disturbance in the top office. Yagami slammed his palms down, erecting an Earth Style: Earth Wall across the entrance. His modified version was reinforced, ensuring outsiders wouldn't be breaking in anytime soon.
Yagami began frantically searching the office for intelligence. He quickly found a defense map that detailed exactly how many security squads were on each floor. On the map, he spotted the location of the Barrier Squad—they were directly on the floor below this office.
Yagami raised his leg and stomped through the floorboards, dropping down to the third floor. Three Stone ninja were maintaining a barrier; Yagami killed them in a flash. Before the Stone squad leader died, his final reflexive glance darted toward a specific scroll on the wall—a dying man's most honest reaction.
That was the most important scroll. Yagami rushed to the rack and grabbed it. Unrolling the parchment, he found the Barrier Scroll for the fortress. Within a 200-meter radius of the outpost, the Barrier Squad had set up an "Earth Tremor Barrier." Any vibration—whether from movement on the surface, underground tunneling, or drilling—would be detected by the barrier. This was exactly how Yagami's presence had been tripped.
Memorizing the setup and the barrier methodology, he began absorbing the technique. A few minutes later, a loud crash echoed behind him. The Stone Commander had finally broken free from the binding and leaped down to the third floor.
"Sand ninja! The war is over! Are you trying to spark a national conflict?"
An earthen spear lunged toward him. Yagami didn't turn around; he heard the whistle of the air first. He deliberately suppressed his instinctive Absolute Defense: Copper Light. The spear pierced straight through Yagami's throat.
[Host death detected. Arc of Moon initiating...]
...
His vision shifted. Yagami reappeared five days in the past, watching his four teams practice their feint and retreat drills. In the "previous life," he had encountered an Earth Style master and scouted vital intel on the fortress.
[Arc of Moon activated!]
[Host has only one revival opportunity per month. Upon death, host revives on the previous full moon night.]
[Bonus Reward Draw:]
1. Jonin-level Chakra Reserves (Stackable)
2. Earth Style: Rock Fist (Entry)
3. Earth Style: Earth Flow Spears (Mastery)
Yagami immediately ruled out the first option. His natural constitution would increase his chakra as he grew; he'd save the system boosts for when he hit his natural limit. The second option, Rock Fist, was an Earth Style nin-taijutsu used to encase the hand in rock. It was useless to him—his Copper Light fists were far superior.
His eyes lit up at the final option. Finally, a second "Mastery-level" technique. When the Self-Curse Binding Seal went from Proficient to Mastery, the seals dropped from three to one, making it a core pillar of his power.
After selecting the third option, new knowledge flooded Yagami's mind. By routing Earth-attribute chakra through a specific pathway, two hand signs could be bypassed. He could now release the technique with a single seal.
Yagami wove one sign, and four Earth Flow Spears instantly erupted before him, converging on a single point. Purple Cat, standing nearby, jumped in surprise. She didn't understand why the "Fox" had suddenly used a jutsu while watching the training. Then it hit her—he had only used one seal.
*This... Is Captain Fox a genius of Earth Style? He actually modified the Earth Flow Spears.*
Yagami turned to Purple Cat. "I'm going on a scouting run. Keep up the training until I return."
"Understood, Captain."
Once away from the others, Yagami summoned Shiroji and Shiro-yu. "Shiro-yu, have Yuka Uzumaki reverse-summon me. I have business with her."
Looking at Shiroji, the panda spoke up immediately: "I know the drill. I'll hide here and petrify myself like a rock. When I feel your contract chakra signal, I'll reverse-summon you back."
Yagami nodded. Having the Stone Panda clan was incredibly convenient.
Moments later, Yagami was reverse-summoned to the remote, rainy forests of the Land of Rain. Moving from the dry plateau to the misty rainforest was a bit jarring. He found himself outside the tree hollow he used for secret trysts with Yuka.
Yuka Uzumaki threw herself at him. "Fox, are you idle again?"
Yagami held her close. "Not exactly. Yuka, I need your talent in Sealing Arts to help me crack a barrier technique."
Realizing it was serious business, Yuka led him into the hollow. Shiro-yu scratched his head and left. Whenever his "parents" were busy with *that*, he was always shooed away.
Inside the hollow, Yagami described the Earth Tremor Barrier in detail. Barrier Jutsu were essentially specialized Sealing Arts—complex formulas made of chakra to achieve a specific goal. Using Yagami's drawings, Yuka spent three hours deciphering the logic of the barrier and even created a low-quality replica of it.
After another two days, Yuka invented a curse seal to be placed on the soles of the feet that would neutralize vibration transmission. During these two days, whenever Yuka grew tired, she would find "recreation" with Yagami. Mental exhaustion required hormonal stimulation. For the sake of the mission, Yagami was forced to repeatedly offer up his "charms" and submit to Yuka's "tyranny."
"The Earth Tremor Dampening Seal. This will let you break through that barrier with ease."
Yagami kissed her cheek. "Wonderful. As expected of the genius Uzumaki. Having you is a true 'blessing' for the Stone's Barrier Corps."
***
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