The Uzumaki Village lies nestled in the mountains, divided into north and south by a vast river.
What astonished Katsura was the moving mountain behind the village! A closer look revealed a massive turtle, as massive as the hill itself.
Uzumaki Yuka, perched on Katsura's back and resting her head against his ear, explained, "That's our village guardian summoned beast, Turtle-sama.
The Uzumaki clan specializes in sealing techniques. During the Warring States Period, they sealed monsters for various daimyo and nobles, accumulating a large number of summoned beasts.
The great river in the middle also harbors many underwater summoned beasts.
Our team's mission this time was to go to the Land of Waves and seal a large, rebellious ninja beast. We were targeted by the cloud ninja and failed."
A high-pitched bird cry echoed overhead.
Katsura looked up and saw the summoned beast he had seen in the original novel: Nagato's three-legged, giant-beaked crow.
So, this is the proper way to use a sealing technique.
Seal a powerful summoned beast to aid you in battle.
But why didn't the Uzumaki clan acquire a tailed beast for themselves?
With powerful sealing techniques, combined with a tailed beast, wouldn't they be able to create a perfect jinchūriki?
An Uzumaki clan ninja arrived at the village gate and took Uzumaki Yuka to the hospital.
Uzumaki Yuka gave Fox a last, wistful look.
Sadly, she only remembered Fox's voice, not its name.
After returning, she would need to find out who the Senju clan's spy was within the Anbu.
In the past, when the Anbu obeyed Lord Tobirama, this wouldn't have been such a hassle.
It's said that after Sarutobi Hiruzen ascended to power, he first carried out a brutal purge of the Anbu, flooding it with new recruits and eliminating many of Lord Tobirama's subordinates.
The Antelope Squad entered the depths of the Uzumaki Village and arrived at the village chief's building.
Atop the building, a large Uzumaki clan crest, the same emblem worn on the backs of Konoha ninja vests, was visible.
After a long wait, a group of people approached from a distance.
Leading the group was Danzo, followed by his assistants.
Danzo was in his prime, his eyes and arms intact, showing no signs of abnormality.
The scar crossing his chin, paired with tiny pupils, eyes an unusually sinister look. The glances they cast were terrifying.
Danzo ascended the village building, followed by the captain and assistant advisor. The squadron leader, Captain Antelope, and other small leaders remained guarding below.
Ordinary ANBU like Katsura disappeared into the woods behind the building.
Katsura stood in a tree, alongside Horned Ox, watching behind the building, ever vigilant against any attempt to harm Danzo.
Danzo held a high position as both a senior advisor and ANBU chief.
Katsura and Horned Ox didn't communicate, as did all the ANBU; each one was like a machine.
An unknown amount of time passed before Danzo descended the stairs and, accompanied by his assistant, headed towards the outskirts of Uzumaki Village.
It's unclear what Danzo had said to the Uzumaki clan leader, but Danzo looked grim, as if things weren't going well.
Danzo's gaze wandered, his thoughts unsettled.
The captain assigned tasks to the squadron leaders, who in turn assigned tasks to the small leaders.
Captain Antelope found Fox and Horned Ox and led them north.
Captain Antelope revealed they were heading to the Land of Waves.
Katsura, unsure of their mission, speculated that perhaps they were investigating the presence of cloud ninja in the Land of Waves.
The main battlefield between Konoha and the Hidden Cloud Village lay on the northern border of the Land of Hot Springs. Logically, the Land of Waves wouldn't have many cloud ninja.
It was the Second Shinobi World War, and every village was on edge. Sending so many extra personnel was impossible; if they did, it would have been a major event.
Captain Antelope secured a boat by the sea, and the three of them, using transformation techniques, disguised themselves as fishermen and rowed north toward the Land of Waves.
Katsura transformed into a dark-skinned young man.
He leaned over the side of the boat, hoping to see if he resembled his past self by the reflection of the water.
The boat's side whipped up white foam, obscuring everything.
Rowing was exhausting, and the Antelope team gathered information about nearby fishing boats, searching for any suspicious vessels at sea.
Rowing was a pleasant experience for Katsura; the slow pace was perfect, and days slipped by before he knew it.
By the time they reached the coast, more than ten days had passed.
Katsura waited for another full moon, finally getting another chance to revive.
He could barely eat his ration pills.
The captain forbade grilling sea fish, and Katsura didn't know which fish were safe to eat raw, so he kept eating them.
While the ration pills wouldn't starve him, they didn't fill him up at all. His stomach, empty for so long, felt aching and cramped.
After reaching the shore of Land of Waves, the team reverted to their ANBU forms and descended into the coconut groves along the shore.
Katsura suspected the ANBU were conducting a blanket search, and that the team had been circling a single area.
Seven days later, Captain Antelope discovered traces of a fight.
There were no bodies on the ground, and the soil was black and red. The blood-stained dirt suggested the battle had taken place within two days.
Furthermore, scattered kunai and ninja katanas were found in the brush.
Ninja katanas are the standard long swords of the cloud ninja.
Captain Antelope said, "Each of you pick up a cloud katanas to disguise yourself as one."
Katsura picked up a knife and carefully wiped the blood off it.
Disguised as cloud ninja, they could commit crimes and easily frame them.
Focusing on the traces of the fight, Team Antelope began searching for the enemy.
During their search, Katsura lamented, understanding why Kakashi had made so little progress in his ten years in the Anbu.
Anbu missions consumed his entire time, leaving him no time for training.
Most missions involved traveling, searching, and lurking, consuming a significant amount of time.
Just like in his previous life, the leader possessed a certain insensitivity, disregarding the lives of his subordinates. He had once imagined carving a niche in the ninja world through his own extraordinary hard work and understanding.
Captain Antelope had uncovered numerous clues and tracked them down to a fishing village.
At night, most of the fishermen's homes were ablaze with lights.
Captain Antelope pointed to a darkened house and waved.
Katsura and Horned Ox approached the wooden house from two separate directions.
To protect against moisture, the lower floor of the seaside house was elevated, making it easy to enter.
Horned Ox, on the other side, suddenly wiped his face.
Katsura, having learned some architectural knowledge in his previous life, determined that the side of the small window might be the restroom, so he had already chosen the other side of the large window.
Poor Horned Ox, I really hope it's just water falling on you.
If it's excrement, you'll have to hold back; this is a mission.
Katsura crouched on the floorboards, his ear pressed to the floor, listening for any movement above.
A knife suddenly stabbed from the floorboards!
Fortunately, Katsura was alert enough to dodge the blow.
The knife sliced past his skull, slicing off a lock of his hair.
The ninja sword was long and incredibly sharp, unmistakably the standard cloud ninja sword.
The battle erupted instantly!
Footsteps thudded on the wooden floorboards.
Horned Ox, enraged, placed detonating tags directly under the floorboards.
Katsura cursed inwardly, "Damn it! The mezzanine is so low, it'll take time to get out.
In this confined space, the blast wave is so concentrated, making it more vulnerable."
Could Horned Ox really have been hit by excrement?
Amidst the explosion, Katsura tumbled and scrambled out.
The cabin exploded from the inside, and several Cloud ninjas rushed out.
For a moment, the cold light of ninja swords flashed on the beach.