"White Egret!"
The young Longspear Egret didn't look much different from an ordinary egret and lacked any real combat power—yet it had come to scout information for Yuka.
Konoha knew too much about the Uzumaki clan. They had intelligence on nearly all of its members.
At the sight of the Longspear Egret, even without Yako's warning, Captain Black Ape immediately said, "It's Uzumaki Yuka! She's nearby!"
Captain Black Ape didn't act rashly. He carefully crawled toward the Longspear Egret.
The egret had no idea.
Just as Black Ape and Yako were about to seize it, the bird suddenly took flight, disappearing into the woods behind.
Black Ape and Yako hurriedly gave chase.
The forest surrounding this park was vast, and a faint mist made it hard to see far ahead.
As they pursued, Yako heard two calls from the egret.
'Why would another egret be flying from the opposite direction?'
"Not good! Run!"
Black Ape shouted and no longer cared about concealment, leaping backward.
Another Longspear Egret—had brought the Mist Ninja!
Uzumaki Yuka had learned to redirect disaster and pit her enemies against one another.
Eight Mist Ninja surrounded Black Ape and Yako.
Battle erupted instantly!
Captain Black Ape's fist swelled as it met the wind.
He was from the Akimichi clan.
His car-sized fist smashed into the Mist Ninja ahead, sending the enemy flying.
The sound of bones cracking was enough to make anyone's scalp tingle.
Captain Black Ape stepped forward again—only to find his feet stuck in place.
A layer of slime had appeared on the ground, trapping his legs.
Seeing this, Yako dared not move forward. He didn't know what strange Water Style technique this was.
Captain Black Ape's massive weight made it impossible to leap free, no matter how hard he tried.
Yako threw out steel wire, wrapping it around Black Ape's waist—but no matter how hard he pulled, he couldn't budge him.
Kunai flew from all directions.
Yako had to draw his own kunai to block. His taijutsu had improved considerably, and amidst the metallic clashing of blades, he deflected the incoming projectiles.
Captain Black Ape wasn't so lucky. Immobilized, he enlarged one hand to block the kunai with raw flesh and bone.
When his hand shrank back, the kunai clattered to the ground—but his hand was soaked in blood.
"Fox! Go! Get the intel to Captain Hippo! I'll cover you!"
Captain Black Ape made no move to leave.
Hearing that, Yako turned and ran without hesitation.
Not just because the captain ordered it—he would've run even if he hadn't. The situation was clearly turning bad.
A dozen steps later, Yako suddenly ran into another Mist Ninja squad.
He tensed up—when a thunderous sound exploded behind him.
A jet of water shot through a tree trunk, carrying terrifying force, and hurtled toward his lower back.
He twisted his waist and dove to the side just in time.
But as soon as he hit the ground, something felt wrong. The ground beneath was covered in that same slime.
His hands and right leg were stuck—he couldn't channel any strength.
Yako quickly began forming hand seals, attempting to sink into the earth with Hidden Fish in Earth Technique.
But the slime slowed his descent.
His chakra reserves were too low.
Thwip! Thwip!
Two kunai struck—one to the head, the other to the throat.
Everything went dark. His vision changed. A full moon now shone above his eyes.
Yako's expression shifted—he had returned to the previous full moon.
He was standing on the coast of the Land of Fire, about to follow Captain Hippo into the Land of Waves.
The Land of Waves was too dangerous. Just like Konoha, the Mist Ninja were also desperate to obtain the Uzumaki elder's scroll.
[Arc of the Waning Moon activated!]
The host gains one resurrection per month. Upon death, revival occurs at the night of the previous full moon.
Reward: One draw:
-Water-Nature Chakra
-Chūnin-Level Chakra Capacity (stackable)
-Kunai Throwing (Mastery)
Water-Nature Chakra was currently useless. He eliminated that option immediately.
Master-level kunai throwing was extremely tempting.
At long range—thirty meters or more—he could kill enemies with precision, avoiding close combat and increasing his survival rate.
But Chūnin-level chakra capacity… that was also valuable.
With more chakra, he could brute-force his way through that sticky Water Style and dive into the ground.
After careful consideration, Yako chose Chūnin-Level Chakra Capacity.
Now, with a double stack of Chūnin-level chakra, the issue of his low reserves had finally been alleviated.
He exhaled slowly, extracting chakra now felt easier—his whole body surged with strength.
This time, when crossing the strait into the Land of Waves, Yako didn't feel nearly as exhausted.
Standing atop the rolling sea waves, chakra reinforced his feet and legs, allowing him to ignore the wind and tides.
Last year's Chūnin Exam had lowered its standards, promoting 200 at once. And only now did Yako finally feel like a true Chūnin.
Just as in the previous timeline, after searching through the Land of Waves, he entered its capital.
There, he reunited with Captain Black Ape—whose arm had been severed, drastically reducing his combat ability.
Soon after, they encountered the Longspear Egret by the lakeside.
The egret led the two of them into the forest near the park.
Inside the woods, Yako whispered, "Captain, could this be a trap?"
Captain Black Ape nodded repeatedly.
"That's entirely possible. Let's not charge in or rush to chase it down. First, we mark the general area, then call Captain Hippo for recon support."
The two slowed their pace.
Yako leapt to the treetop, watching the Longspear Egret from afar to see where it might fly.
Black Ape remained on the ground to rest.
He thought to himself—this subordinate, Fox, really isn't bad. Cautious, reliable, always gets the job done. Now that I've lost an arm, he's even considerate enough to let me rest.
With one arm gone, his balance was terrible—climbing a tree was a struggle.
Fox's skills weren't bad either. From how he stood calmly on that treetop with chakra flowing into his feet, his fundamentals were solid.
Yako dropped down and said, "Captain, I saw another egret fly in. There are two in the woods. Should I use a Clone to scout?"
"Go ahead," Black Ape said, impressed by Fox's caution.
The Shadow Clone disappeared into the trees.
Minutes later, Fox suddenly looked up.
"Captain! The clone saw Mist Ninja! They're here—in the forest! We need to go!"
Black Ape and Yako bolted out of the woods.
They emerged by the park lake, where many civilians from the capital were still enjoying the scenery.
Yako said, "Captain, I'll hold this spot. Please go find Captain Hippo."
"Alright. Be careful."
Captain Black Ape was growing increasingly fond of Fox as a subordinate.
When his squad was rebuilt, he'd be sure to give Fox an important role.
Once Black Ape had gone, Yako pulled out a tiny scroll.
If the Longspear Egret was here, then Yuka was likely hiding somewhere in the forest too.
He hoped she would find him.
A few minutes later, the bushes behind him rustled.
"Yuka, is that you?"