The world suddenly shifted.
Yako gasped for breath as he jolted awake in bed. Beside him, the landlady Kyoi lay sound asleep.
Kyoi's back was smooth and graceful.
It felt good to be alive.
[Arc of the Waning Moon activated!
The host has one chance to resurrect each month. Upon death, they will revive on the night of the previous full moon.
Reward: One lottery draw.
1 – A-rank Sealing Technique: Cursebind Mark (Beginner)
2 – Chūnin-level Chakra (Stackable)
3 – Sword Art: Ninja Blade Style (Beginner)]
As Yako ran his hand along Kyoi's slender waist and soft back, savoring rebirth, he began making his choice.
Beginner-level Ninja Blade Style… that one's pretty practical.
The next mission was escorting Yuka Uzushio's team. The Cloud-nin they'd encounter were all blade users.
If he was also proficient in swordsmanship, he could predict their movements better. He'd have the upper hand in taijutsu clashes—and wouldn't end up dead from a blade again.
Chakra volume... stackable Chūnin-level chakra at that... also useful.
His chakra right now was at the level of a typical Chūnin. He had no bloodline abilities, so his chakra wasn't growing at genius speed.
Using Kakashi from the original as a unit, Yako figured he had about 0.1 Kaka of chakra.
In the end, Yako chose the first reward.
Who could say no to an A-rank sealing jutsu?
The rank of a jutsu didn't indicate power—just difficulty of mastery.
The Cursebind Mark of the Uzumaki Clan was highly effective.
A heavily injured Yuka Uzushio had completely immobilized two Cloud-nin with it.
After studying it briefly, Yako understood the jutsu's principle.
Through contact, or by setting it in advance beneath the enemy's feet, the seal could be triggered.
The cursed seal locked every joint of the enemy, leaving them unable to move.
The system's reward was the beginner-level Cursebind Mark, with a two-meter radius if deployed on the ground.
A powerful, hidden trap.
Not bad at all. Finally got my second jutsu.
Yako stepped over to the window, gave Kyoi's back and legs one last look, and leapt out, vanishing into Konoha's dawning light.
In the squad locker room, Captain Antelope looked a little puzzled.
For some reason, Fox had glanced at him a little longer today.
Yako seethed inwardly. Last time, when he died, Captain Antelope hadn't made the slightest move to help—he just turned away and left.
If he hadn't had the Arc of the Waning Moon to revive, he'd have died like a weed in a rice paddy—pointless and forgotten.
This time around, Yako was determined to keep all three Uzushio ninja alive. They had to stay combat-capable if they were going to take on two squads of Cloud-nin.
The sequence played out like a script. Their team located Yuka Uzushio's group in the Land of Waves.
This time, Yako had brought better healing ointments and dressed Yuka's wounds more carefully.
Yuka Uzushio was deeply moved.
To think Uzushio Village had allies like the Senju and Konoha—how lucky we are.
The ANBU before her wore a mask, but she could still feel his care.
To ensure proper treatment, the bandages had to wrap deep around her thigh.
She had no choice but to spread her legs wider, and that made her blush.
Her long legs were flawless. Yako's mind wandered a little, but not too much.
These three Uzushio ninja better pull their weight. If they die off easily again, I'm screwed too.
He finished wrapping her thigh wound, then tended to her hand.
Yuka peered through the mask and saw a pair of kind eyes. She whispered, "Thank you."
"Don't mention it."
"The captain called you Fox. What's your real name?"
"Classified."
Yuka looked a bit disappointed. This ANBU was so earnest, and yet wouldn't even tell her his name.
If she ever made it to Konoha, she wouldn't even know how to find him.
Once they entered the Land of Whirlpools, Yako was more nervous than anyone.
Especially when they reached the narrow paths between the wheat fields.
Recalling the last timeline, Yako found the landmarks—and the spot where the Explosive Tag trap had been set.
The Cloud-nin were strong and had hidden themselves flawlessly. Who knew how many days ago they'd taken position?
He pulled out three shuriken from his pouch and hurled them into the wheat on the roadside.
Everyone looked at him, confused by what he was doing.
In the next moment—boom!
The Explosive Tags went off!
Turns out Yako had spotted the trap.
Captain Antelope couldn't help but glance again at Fox. That observational skill... even he hadn't noticed the tags.
"We've got an ambush!"
Eight Cloud-nin rose from the wheat. In a flash, kunai and shuriken flew everywhere.
Yako stuck close to Yuka Uzushio and dashed into the field.
One Cloud-nin raised his blade and swung down hard at her.
But Yuka had already formed three hand seals and raised her kunai to block.
Clang! The clash of blade and kunai rang out—then the Cloud-nin suddenly froze.
Their struggle came to an abrupt halt. Curse marks lit up on his body—the Cursebind Mark!
Yako watched, entranced.
So that's how it works. This jutsu is insanely useful in real combat.
Paralyzed, the Cloud-nin was easily finished off by Yuka's kunai.
Another Cloud-nin charged at Yako.
Yako blocked with his blade, baiting the enemy over to Yuka's side.
With Yuka's help, Yako stabbed the Cloud-nin through.
Saving Yuka really paid off. My odds of survival have gone way up.
A Cloud-nin squad leader locked eyes on Yuka.
Yako noticed the gleam in the man's gaze and pretended to run off to assist Purple Cat—quietly pulling back.
Let the captains duel it out. I want no part of that.
I already hit my kill quota. Now it's time to slack off.
If I can get away with it, great. If not, I'll just keep trying.
Yako danced around Purple Cat's fight, looking incredibly busy—though in truth, all he did was make threats and look menacing.
Still, the pressure on Purple Cat eased significantly, and he started gaining the upper hand in close combat.
When Putple Cat wounded his opponent, Yako rushed over, and the two of them stabbed from both flanks—killing the Cloud-nin.
They shared a glance—finally feeling like real teammates.
But then—
A woman's scream rang out behind them.
Yuka Uzushio had been kicked aside by the Cloud-nin squad leader. Blood poured from two new blade wounds.
Damn it, Yako cursed. She's useless! After everything I did, I still can't mooch off her? What a waste!
The Cloud-nin leader wasn't unscathed either—his abdomen was bleeding from a kunai strike. But he pressed forward to finish her off.
Yuka formed seals with trembling hands, pouring everything into one final Cursebind Mark.
The Cloud-nin's blade came crashing down—just 30 centimeters from her wrist—when the seal took effect and froze him in place.
He trembled, summoning every last ounce of strength to sever her wrist and end her resistance.
Purple Cat saw Yuka's injuries and decided she was no longer worth protecting.
He lunged forward—kunai aiming straight for her throat—with clear killing intent.
No! Yako panicked. She's still useful! If she dies, I'm back to square one!
Even with Purple Cat's help, we can't beat this squad leader!