Yako carefully searched along the coastline.
Last time, Captain Antelope had met with Mid-squad Leader Brown Bear at the shore.
Effort paid off—he found a half-buried shell in the sand, with three coded marks etched on its surface.
According to the cipher scroll, one mark indicated the 11th of next month, another pointed northeast, and the last represented a distance—3 kilometers.
In the shinobi world's lunar calendar, the 11th was only four days before the next full moon.
Yako didn't take any risks. He hid beneath the underbrush of the coconut grove.
When the 11th arrived, he crawled out and ran toward the marked coordinates.
Reaching the destination, he still didn't show himself outright. Instead, he formed the Ram seal, casting a Shadow Clone Jutsu.
The shadow clone emerged from behind the rocky outcrop and walked out onto the beach.
As it walked, two shadows suddenly leapt out. The clone froze.
"Who are you?" one demanded.
One wore a Blue Wolf mask, the other a White Ermine mask. Neither realized the fox-masked figure was a shadow clone.
"I'm Fox, last survivor of Captain Antelope's squad. Requesting reassignment by Mid-squad Leader," the clone said.
After confirming his identity, the two glanced toward a coconut tree.
Behind it stepped a man wearing a Brown Bear mask—Mid-squad Leader Brown Bear.
He walked forward a few paces, then looked straight toward Yako's hiding spot.
Impressive—Yako thought. The mid-squad leader's perception was razor-sharp. He saw through the clone immediately.
Yako stepped out and dispelled the shadow clone, which vanished in a puff of smoke.
Blue Wolf and White Ermine flinched—not from the smoke, but from the realization: if Fox had been an enemy, they'd already be dead.
Yako approached Brown Bear.
"Captain Antelope and Bullhorn are both dead. I'm the only one left from our squad. I used Captain Antelope's cipher scroll to find this place."
Brown Bear scanned Yako top to bottom. "Your clone had a bit of Antelope's finesse. Your basics are solid. Shame Antelope died—such a cautious man."
Yako said nothing. Better to speak less—less risk of saying the wrong thing.
Antelope was cautious, but not cautious enough.
Brown Bear said, "The Antelope squad is disbanded. You'll join Blue Wolf's team. Follow his command."
Yako felt a stab of disappointment.
He'd gone through all that effort—killed Antelope himself—just to become a squad leader and gain access to more intel.
Now what? Still just a foot soldier under a stranger's command.
Back to square one.
ANBU didn't assign captain status lightly. Loyalty, strength, judgment—all essential.
Yako glanced at Blue Wolf and White Ermine.
Maybe… kill them too?
If the chopsticks are few enough, even the shortest one becomes the flagpole.
But outwardly, Yako said, "Captain Blue Wolf, sir. I'm Fox. Learned a bit of Shadow Clone under Captain Antelope."
He had to let the Shadow Clone Jutsu see daylight—had to explain how he knew it.
Blue Wolf nodded. "Good. My squad lost two members. You'll fill the gap."
After saying goodbye to Brown Bear, Blue Wolf led his squad away.
Along the way, they stopped at a supply point and changed out of their Konoha ANBU gear—into Kumo-nin flak jackets and short-bladed ninja swords.
The blood on them made it clear—spoils from a prior kill.
Trailing behind Blue Wolf, Yako felt both dejected and bitter.
Poor Antelope. Dead or alive, it changed nothing—he'd still be a subordinate.
What a pointless death.
Blue Wolf, like Antelope, said nothing about the mission. Just kept leading them.
In a nearby town, he stopped two members.
"Fox. Use your Shadow Clone to scout the town. Find out how many Uzumaki shinobi are hiding inside."
Behind the mask, Yako frowned.
So now that they knew he had Shadow Clone, they were treating him like a grunt.
Most likely, the mission was the same as before—hunt down Uzumaki sealing scrolls.
Forming a Ram seal, Yako summoned a clone. He then used Transformation Jutsu on it, disguising it as a civilian carrying a burlap sack, heading into town.
Time passed.
Suddenly, Yako's body went rigid.
His clone had been destroyed. The memories came flooding back.
"What happened?" Blue Wolf asked.
"The clone walked halfway in, sat near a wall to rest. A kunai stabbed it from behind. Instant death."
"A kunai? Not a sword?"
Kumo-nin usually used swords.
"It was definitely a kunai."
Blue Wolf grunted. "Again. Use the clone. Keep scouting."
Again and again, Yako summoned clones. Again and again, they were destroyed.
He collapsed onto the ground, exhausted and aching all over.
Chakra came from both physical and spiritual energy. Overuse led to lactic acid buildup—he felt like he'd just run five kilometers while carrying bricks.
Blue Wolf looked at him with disgust. "Again, Fox. No slacking. We still know nothing. You've sent ten clones and haven't even seen the enemy's face."
Yako had no choice. He lifted his hand and forced out more chakra.
Another clone. Another transformation. More energy spent.
And Blue Wolf still refused to let him rest.
Was he supposed to be a chakra-powered mule?
As the new clone walked toward the town—
Rustling came from behind.
Six figures burst from the dense forest—Uzumaki shinobi.
They'd noticed the suspicious scouting earlier. Now they attacked the hidden ANBU.
Battle ignited in an instant.
But the three Konoha ANBU were weaker.
Yako wanted to yell that he was ANBU—not Kumo—but wearing Kumo gear, it would be useless.
Blue Wolf fought fiercely with a long blade, pressing the Uzumaki, trying to learn if they had sealing scrolls.
But a summoned spider, hidden in the trees, bit him.
Poison spread. Blue Wolf staggered, weakened.
Konoha and the Uzumaki were allies, but Blue Wolf didn't break. Even dying, he didn't reveal his true identity.
Ten seconds later, all three ANBU were dead.
A kunai pierced Yako's lower back.
That familiar sensation—same as all his clones before.
Behind him, an Uzumaki ninja twisted the blade, grinding his guts into a literal spiral.
Everything went black. Then—
Yako gasped for breath—resurrected.
He was crouched on the same rock.
In the distance, on the beach, Captain Antelope and Brown Bear were assigning a mission.
Back to full moon night. Back to when Captain Antelope was still alive.
Crouching on the reef, Yako quietly recalculated.
[Moon Arc Activated!]
Host receives one resurrection per month, returning to the previous full moon.
Reward: One random draw—choose one:
Sealing Jutsu: Sealing Mark of Objects (Beginner)
Chūnin-level Chakra Capacity (Stackable)
Kunai Thrust Technique (Mastered)