After meeting with Captain Brown Bear, Yorimitsu was once again assigned to the Blue Wolf Squad.
The squad disguised themselves as Cloud ninja, preparing to openly seize the Uzumaki sealing scroll.
This time, Yorimitsu felt more confident — after all, he now had an insider.
Captain Blue Wolf, being his usual inhuman self, relentlessly urged Yorimitsu to use Shadow Clone Jutsu to scout the nearby town.
Yorimitsu, whose chakra reserves had doubled, pretended to complain that his chakra was still insufficient.
Secretly, he ordered one of his shadow clones to lure the Uzumaki ninja toward their position as soon as possible.
From the clone's memories, Yorimitsu learned that Uzumaki Yuka had already arrived in the town.
After creating two shadow clones, the Uzumaki ninja attacked.
With more chakra remaining, Yorimitsu was much calmer this time.
Seven Uzumaki ninja charged forward.
Yuka immediately recognized "Fox" at a glance — after their recent closeness, she was very familiar with his body shape.
So Fox had infiltrated the Cloud forces on a mission for the ANBU.
The battle quickly intensified.
Yuka personally chose to fight Fox, and the two of them drifted farther and farther away from the others as they fought.
A male Uzumaki ninja, not understanding the situation, tried to assist Yuka.
Yorimitsu took a kunai to the leg but managed to escape using Earth Style: Hiding Like a Mole Technique, under Yuka's cover.
The male Uzumaki ninja beside Yuka sighed regretfully, saying, "That Cloud ANBU even knows an earth-style escape technique. Hard to pursue."
Yuka nodded, though worry flickered in her heart — Fox had taken a kunai to the leg; would he still be able to move underground?
With his beginner-level Earth Style and current chakra, Yorimitsu could only move about thirty meters underground.
Reaching the Uzumaki's blind spot, he emerged silently and waited patiently among the bushes.
Once the battle ended and the Uzumaki left, Yorimitsu used his earth technique again to retreat safely.
Only after ensuring complete safety did he treat the kunai wound on his thigh.
Blood had soaked through his clothes — the same clothes Yuka had washed for him days ago.
He hid within the cracks of coastal rocks, eating his last ration pills, not daring to move unnecessarily.
The full moon hung like a silver disc, its light glimmering like frost.
Only when the moonlight finally shone into the crevice did Yorimitsu crawl out.
Starving after days of just ration pills, he sneaked into a fishing village and stole some food — salty fish and cold rice — devouring them ravenously.
Once full, he decided to wait fifteen more days before reuniting with the ANBU main force.
The closer he was to the next full moon, the safer he'd be.
During those fifteen days, he planned to train his ninjutsu and taijutsu to grow stronger.
First up: hand seal speed.
If he could form seals faster, he wouldn't have been hit by that kunai — he'd have escaped underground in time.
Both Earth Style: Hiding Like a Mole and Uzumaki Curse Seal: Binding of Karma required three hand signs.
Uchiha Itachi could form six seals per second; Yorimitsu needed one and a half seconds for just three. That was far too slow.
He needed to build muscle memory — to reach one second for three seals.
Training meant not just faster hand seals but coordinating chakra flow throughout the body.
At first, Yorimitsu's hands were stiff — others played piano; his felt like plaster.
After five days of practice, his fingers cramped constantly, but he improved — now managing three seals per second.
Next came dull but vital strength and speed training.
With help from his system and dedicated effort, progress was steady — though at the expense of the nearby fishing village's food supplies.
When the new month came and fifteen days remained before the next full moon, Yorimitsu began searching for ANBU marks.
At the seaside, he finally found Captain Brown Bear.
The captain was stationed to prevent Uzumaki ninja from escaping back to Uzushio.
The sealing techniques of the Uzumaki Clan — Konoha's ANBU were determined to obtain them.
Captains like Brown Bear were stationed all along the coast, while Uzushio remained unaware of what was happening.
Yorimitsu reported Blue Wolf Squad's encounters to Brown Bear.
"The Uzumaki ninja you mentioned — other ANBU squads have met them too. They're strong," Brown Bear said.
He glanced at Yorimitsu's bloodstained leg. The wound looked weeks old — consistent with his report.
After a pause, the captain said,
"Fox, real name Yorimitsu.
Parents migrated to Konoha in Year 18, after the First Ninja War.
Born in Year 23, orphaned at age five during a rogue ninja attack.
Graduated from the academy in Year 33. This year, Year 38, passed a lowered-difficulty Chūnin Exam and was selected for the ANBU.
Background clean. Weak but adaptable. Learned Shadow Clone Jutsu from Captain Antelope.
You'll stay with me for now, Fox. In a few days, I'll assign you one or two subordinates and make you acting squad leader.
Complete a few missions successfully, and I'll promote you officially."
Yorimitsu bowed deeply. "Thank you, Captain!"
Promotion itself didn't matter — but being a captain meant receiving direct orders and access to classified intelligence.
For the next five days, Yorimitsu followed Captain Brown Bear, helping him leave ANBU marks across the area.
Twice, Uzumaki ninja tried to break through the blockade — both were easily killed by the captain using only taijutsu.
No sealing scrolls were found on the bodies.
Yorimitsu's mind began to stir — if he survived until the 14th of this month, maybe killing Captain Brown Bear could yield great rewards.
But he only dared to think such thoughts while staring at the ground. If he looked directly at the captain while thinking them, he feared a kunai might pierce his skull.
"Captain," he asked, "aren't you afraid Uzushio will blame Konoha?"
"Of course not," Brown Bear sneered. "They don't know who you are.
Even if they gather evidence, Konoha can claim it's a Mist Village conspiracy.
We're allies — why would Konoha kill its own ally?"
Then, coldly, "And stop asking what you shouldn't."
"My apologies, Captain. I was out of line."
The ANBU did the dirty work for the village — once in, only death or Danzō's word could release you.
Yorimitsu's ninja ID was sealed; officially, he was already listed as "deceased in action."
Eventually, other scattered ANBU regrouped with Brown Bear.
He assigned Yorimitsu a partner — an ANBU with a pine-bird mask.
The two formed a new squad, with Yorimitsu as acting leader.
After sending away Pine Bird, Brown Bear handed over their mission.
"Fox, the Land of Waves is now crawling with chaos — Mist, Cloud, Uzumaki, and our own.
Your target is a noble lord, a town mayor who supports Uzushio.
Be wary of his samurai and guardian ninja."
Taking the mission scroll, Yorimitsu replied, "Understood."
Inside the scroll were detailed reports about the noble.
Finally — Yorimitsu was no longer just a tool for missions.
He was now receiving intelligence, gaining the right to make his own choices.