The sky gradually lightened.
Yōkō stood by the window of the second-floor room in the Tsurugetsu Izakaya, watching the full moon in the sky slowly being obscured by sunlight.
If he died this month, he should resurrect here, right?
After leaving the Konoha hospital, he hadn't returned to the Anbu, instead staying at the izakaya.
Earn as much as you spend. If you don't spend it now, the captain will just benefit from it later.
Yōkō turned to look at the bed.
Kyōi was sound asleep, her legs exposed outside the quilt, smooth and firm.
After half a night of... 'communication', he still hadn't found any evidence that Kyōi was a spy.
Perhaps his investigation wasn't thorough enough.
Perhaps his investigation wasn't intense enough.
Perhaps he was overthinking it, and Kyōi wasn't a spy at all.
Even if Kyōi was a spy, she was the type who relied on wits rather than strength to operate undercover, posing little threat.
Without saying goodbye, Yōkō pulled up his pants and made a run for it. He jumped out the window and, taking advantage of the sparse early morning crowds, headed towards the Forest of Death.
The Anbu battalion Yōkō belonged to was dispatched to the Land of Waves. Another battalion was sent to the Land of Whirlpools.
In a small fishing village in the Land of Waves, the Antelope Squad received a squad of Uzu-nin and was tasked with escorting them back to their home, Uzushiogakure, in the Land of Whirlpools.
Yōkō followed at the rear, observing the three Uzu-nin.
The original work didn't describe Uzushiogakure much; this village was wiped out long before the main story began.
One woman, two men, all with red hair.
The female ninja at the front had the reddest hair.
He wondered if hair color indicated the strength of the Uzumaki bloodline limit.
All three Uzu-nin were injured.
Judging by the wounds, they were from ninja sword slashes.
Kumogakure's ninja academy taught ninja sword techniques, so Kumo-nin loved using them.
After leaving the Land of Waves and entering the forests of the Land of Fire, the three Uzu-nin finally relaxed their tense posture.
The Land of Whirlpools was located on a peninsula southeast of the Land of Fire; detouring through the Land of Fire was the safest route.
To buy time, Yōkō pointed at the bloodstain on the Uzumaki female ninja's leg and said, "I have some medicine here. Should we treat the injury before continuing?"
Captain Antelope was about to say Yōkō was being unnecessary when he heard the female ninja, Uzumaki Yuka, say, "Alright. If we don't treat it soon, it might leave a chronic condition."
Uzushiogakure was an ally of the Senju clan, so Captain Antelope couldn't say much.
Yōkō handed his medical kit to Uzumaki Yuka.
Uzumaki Yuka didn't mind the audience, lifting the slit of her skirt to reveal her injured thigh.
Undoing the previous makeshift bandage, Uzumaki Yuka used a kunai to scrape off the darkened old medicine.
The kunai touched the flesh of the wound, causing Uzumaki Yuka to grit her teeth tightly in pain.
Her right hand was also injured, making it inconvenient to use her left hand.
Yōkō crouched down. "Let me help you."
"Thank you."
Watching the Anbu ninja bandage her wound, Uzumaki Yuka said, "You're different from the other Anbu. Thank you for suggesting this."
Yōkō didn't speak.
He was just stalling for time, even if it might earn him a reprimand from the captain.
It took 7 days to reach the Land of Waves, 1 day from the Land of Waves to the Land of Fire. The Land of Fire was relatively safe; they wouldn't encounter Kumo-nin here.
The longer they stayed in the Land of Fire, the better.
If he could die just one day before the next full moon, that would be perfect. He would know everything that happened before his death, giving him a prophet-like advantage.
Uzumaki Yuka chatted:
"Cousin Tsunade once wrote to the Uzumaki clan, suggesting every squad include a medical ninja.
Unfortunately, Uzushiogakure couldn't manage it. Uzushiogakure's medical ninjutsu was all taught by the Senju clan. What the Senju couldn't accomplish, we couldn't either."
Yōkō didn't move his head, but his gaze beneath the mask lifted slightly, assessing the strength of the Uzumaki woman before him.
He glanced at Uzumaki Yuka's chest.
Restrained by her tight-fitting clothes, her chest was round and full. He wondered what magnificent scene would unfold if they were released.
Truly Tsunade's cousin – slender branches bearing heavy fruit.
After finishing the bandaging, Yōkō still didn't speak, standing up and stepping back.
Uzumaki Yuka felt a bit disappointed; the Konoha Anbu remained silent.
The team continued, taking 3 days to enter the Land of Whirlpools, this narrow peninsula nation.
Yōkō looked at the wheat fields by the roadside, as if seeing the shape of the wind.
If missions could always be this simple, walking and stopping, enjoying the scenery, how wonderful would that be...
Boom!
An explosive tag trap detonated in the field beside the road!
The target of the blast was the three red-haired Uzu-nin walking in the middle.
From the surrounding wheat fields, two squads of Kumo-nin leaped out.
The cold glint of their ninja swords made Yōkō's scalp tingle.
Uzumaki Yuka was blasted into the adjacent wheat field, crushing a depression.
Even while in the air, Uzumaki Yuka vomited a large mouthful of blood.
Two Kumo-nin charged towards Uzumaki Yuka but suddenly froze rigid right in front of her.
Starting from their ankles, sealing curses wound their way upwards. The two Kumo-nin were like petrified statues, unable to move.
Yōkō was greatly surprised. That was the Self-Cursing Body Binding Seal that appeared in the original story! One of the sealing techniques Danzō used.
Captain Antelope shouted: "Complete the mission!"
After shouting, Captain Antelope moved to intercept the Kumo-nin squad leader.
Purple Cat rushed to the nearest Uzumaki male ninja, glanced at him, and decided there was no need for treatment.
Drawing his ninja sword, he stabbed the severely injured Uzumaki ninja to death.
Ensuring the Kumo-nin couldn't obtain the Uzumaki sealing techniques was the primary objective. Escorting the Uzu-nin back to their village was only a secondary, nice-to-have goal.
During the Second Great Ninja War, every village suffered heavy casualties and urgently needed sealing techniques to deploy their Jinchūriki on the battlefield.
The intelligence on sealing techniques absolutely must not fall into Kumo-nin hands.
Yōkō jumped to Uzumaki Yuka's side.
Uzumaki Yuka lay amidst the waist-high wheat stalks, her chest and lungs severely injured, her chest already sunken in.
Without a medical ninja, such injuries were inevitably fatal.
Her view was blocked by the wheat stalks, so she didn't see Purple Cat killing the Uzumaki ninja. Seeing Yōkō, a glimmer of gratitude shone in her eyes.
The two Kumo-nin were already under her control. As long as he killed those two Kumo-nin, she would be saved.
Yōkō raised his kunai, but did not target the two rigid Kumo-nin on either side.
The kunai stabbed down, striking Uzumaki Yuka's head when she was completely unprepared.
This way, the Kumo-nin couldn't obtain the sealing technique intelligence.
The light in Uzumaki Yuka's pupils instantly faded.
"Konoha... Konoha really covets it too..."
Uzumaki Yuka's words could no longer be spoken.
Ninja are tools for executing missions.
The Anbu are the tools among tools.
Uzumaki Yuka's injuries were too severe. Using those two sealing techniques was merely a final flicker of life; there was no point in saving her.
With Captain Antelope right there, what Yōkō had to do was perfectly complete the mission, ensuring the Uzumaki sealing techniques didn't fall into Kumo-nin hands.
As soon as Uzumaki Yuka died, Yōkō quickly took advantage of the lingering effect of the sealing technique to stab the Kumo-nin on the left to death.
The Kumo-nin on the right broke free from the sealing technique's bondage, his ninja sword thrusting towards Yōkō's side.
Yōkō hastily lunged forward, using a roll to dodge the sword.
While rolling, Yōkō was still thinking about how to use the Earth Release: Fish in Earth Reflection Technique just right, when a numbing sensation spread from his foot.
Crap, the Kumo-nin had laid Lightning Release techniques on the ground.
Lightning Release countered Earth Release. His only Earth Release jutsu was rendered useless.
After a struggle, Yōkō was cut down by the ninja sword.
Before dying, he saw Captain Antelope escaping alone. Both Purple Cat and Horned Ox lay dead in the wheat field.
Damn it...
So, to protect the secret of the sealing techniques, killing the Uzumaki ninja was permissible when necessary.
He never expected to die here himself.
Yōkō thought the Uzumaki ninja were expendable. Turns out, in the end, he was expendable too.
[Mochizuki's Arc activated!
The host has one resurrection chance per month. Upon death, you will resurrect on the previous full moon night.
Reward: One lottery draw opportunity!]
(End of Chapter)