"Summoning Technique!"
With a puff of white smoke, the captain of the Uzushio Guard Ninja summoned... three donkeys?
These donkeys stood over three meters tall, massive in size, and every Uzushio ninja mounted one.
Half an hour later, Yako really wanted to slap himself. Why did he ever look down on giant donkeys?
These giant donkeys could run.
Their four hooves kicked up dust, galloping wildly across the desert wasteland.
The most shocking part was that their speed didn't drop at all—they had unbelievable stamina.
Tireless and massive, the giant donkeys had enough stored fat to last like camels—able to go long periods without food or water.
The Mist ninja gave chase behind the donkeys, while Konoha's forces followed the Mist.
Yako was in charge of leaving marks for the two ANBU squads following behind them.
As they ran, Yako suddenly noticed one of his earlier markings.
Wait… why are we back here?
In other words, the giant donkeys had been leading the Mist ninja and the Konoha ANBU in circles.
The boundless desert wasteland had no borders. Who could outrun a giant donkey?
Even if the Mist ninja went all-out, the donkeys would just pick up speed.
And even if they managed to catch up for a short burst, an Uzushio ninja would stay behind and trade their life one-for-one with a Mist squad leader.
This chase lasted for days. During that time, Yako came across multiple of his own marks.
Each one pointed in a different direction—more and more chaotic. He had to really think carefully just to reconnect them properly.
The donkeys could keep running endlessly. Mist and Konoha ninjas, on the other hand, had to stop every couple hours for water and soldier pills.
The Uzushio Guard Ninja were familiar with the desert terrain and deliberately chose areas with no water, no food, and no vegetation.
The Mist managed to kill two of the rearguard Uzushio ninja, but after that, they couldn't catch up anymore.
And judging by the donkeys' pace, they could probably keep going for several more days and nights.
Three more days passed. Yako was sure the squad captain would scold him.
Following the donkeys while leaving coded signs had just led them in loops. The signals were a mess now.
Forget the two squads behind them—even Yako himself probably couldn't use the signs to navigate out of the desert anymore.
The full moon hung like a silver plate, moonlight pouring like white frost.
Unknowingly, another full moon night had arrived.
In the distance, a donkey brayed through the dark—long and sonorous.
Yako understood now. The Uzushio Guard Ninja were buying time for the rest of the Uzumaki clan.
Yuka had listened to his advice. The remaining clan members had likely already left the Land of Waves.
A few days later, the two Konoha ANBU squads finally caught up.
To Yako's relief, Captain Yellow Dog didn't scold him for the messy signal trail.
Yako glanced around and noticed that both Konoha ANBU squads were still at full strength. That meant Captain Yellow Dog hadn't split up the squads to go after Yuka—she must have already left before ANBU arrived in the Land of Waves.
Now, both the Mist and Konoha had two squads each.
Konoha and the Hidden Cloud were fighting in the Land of Hot Water.
The Hidden Mist were engaged in battle with the Hidden Sand, leaving them spread thin.
In the southeast corner of the Land of Wind was a short stretch of coastline. The Mist and the Sand had suffered massive casualties fighting over ownership of the only port there.
Upon seeing the Konoha ANBU, the captain of the Uzushio Guard Ninja looked slightly dim.
He turned to a few Uzushio ninjas beside him. "So? Have you accepted it yet?"
One replied, "We accepted it a long time ago. The Uzumaki clan will be hunted by every village. But as long as one of us survives, there's still hope."
The captain nodded. "Time. We just need more time."
With four squads surrounding them, the donkeys had less and less room to escape.
One by one, until the final donkey was killed by ANBU from both sides.
The Mist and Konoha began a silent dance around the flanks of the Uzushio ninjas.
Whenever one side moved in, the other would immediately follow.
What they left the Uzushio with… was only despair.
Each time an Uzushio ninja was killed, both sides scrambled for the corpse.
Their numbers dwindled, until only one remained.
The Guard Ninja Captain watched as the last of his comrades was sealed into a body bag.
They had done everything they could.
The captain opened his ninja pouch. Inside were a single kunai and a sealing scroll.
He took out the kunai and walked slowly toward the Konoha ANBU.
On the Mist side, tension spiked. They rushed forward, afraid the scroll would fall into Konoha's hands.
Captain Yellow Dog didn't give an order right away.
The Uzushio captain wasn't the problem—it was the Mist behind him that were troublesome.
He fully understood what Konoha's ANBU were hesitant about. He deliberately slowed his pace, waiting for the Mist to catch up.
The three sides were closing in.
In the final moment, the captain crouched down and gathered all his chakra into his feet.
He leapt—soaring over ten meters—landing right in the center of Konoha's ANBU.
Captain Yellow Dog looked up as the man sailed over his head and landed behind him.
The Mist, seeing how deep he'd infiltrated, panicked. That scroll couldn't be allowed to fall into Konoha's hands.
They charged forward.
Yako, standing toward the rear, suddenly saw someone appear in front of him!
It was the Uzushio Guard Captain!
Without thinking, he raised his sword to block.
He was lucky. The horizontal slash knocked the kunai off target—it missed his chest and only hit his shoulder.
With ANBU everywhere, there was no way to play dead.
Yako reached for the kunai, trying to grab the captain's hand and act like a heroic shield.
The captain didn't want to waste time. He kicked the fox-masked ANBU flying.
Yako's stomach turned. Thankfully, he'd only eaten soldier pills, or else he'd have thrown up into his own mask. The vomit would've pooled inside.
Launched backward, Yako surprisingly felt relieved.
Getting kicked away meant he didn't have to fight.
He tried to get up, and just as he got halfway—
A steel wire suddenly appeared in front of him.
Following it with his eyes, he spotted the wielder of the Sewing Needle Longsword—Kurisame Tsumaru!
When did that happen?
The Mist had already flanked them?
Kurisame Tsumaru gave the wire a slight tug.
A needle-like blade flew from behind and pierced through Yako's chest—he hadn't even realized it.
It was the signature technique of the Sewing Needle Longsword.
Yako, along with two other ANBU, were skewered like grilled locusts—lifeless.
Dead. Kurisame Tsumaru's strike had been too fast.
Darkness.
The scene shifted.
Yako returned to the night of the full moon five days ago.
Damn it. He had just died after such a short time since the last full moon.
Still running in circles through the desert with the donkeys.
[Arc of the Waning Moon activated!
The host may resurrect once per month upon death, reviving on the night of the last full moon.
Reward: 1 lottery draw.
Choices:
1 – Reflex Boost (One-time breakthrough)
2 – Chunin-level Chakra Capacity (stackable)
3 – Wire-Controlled Shuriken Technique (Beginner).]
After the frustration faded, Yako's eyes lit up.
It's here. Time for the lottery.