Earth Release: Underground Projection Fish Technique
Yoru kept vanishing and reappearing. He wasn't traveling normally—he was moving through the ground with Earth Style.
When he reached the town's wooden wall, he created a shadow clone and sent it leaping over the wall.
"There's someone there! A killer ninja!"
The Uzumaki shinobi and samurai chased after the clone as it fled outside the town.
Seeing the tactic work, Yoru once again sank into the ground and disappeared.
He slipped into a hidden alley, panting heavily as he slowly restored his chakra.
The mission was to assassinate the noble mayor, but Yoru felt that wasn't enough.
If he wanted to be officially recognized as a squad captain, he needed Captain Brown Bear's trust. He had to do more.
Killing the mayor cut off Uzumaki reinforcements, but the town likely held supplies. Destroying those would exceed the mission's expectations.
Catching his breath, Yoru infiltrated the inner city once more.
A quick survey revealed two heavily guarded areas.
One was the inner residence where the mayor's family lived—possibly where the next successor would be.
The other was a building guarded by three squads of samurai and one Uzumaki ninja.
That had to be where the important supplies were.
From a corner, Yoru pulled back his head and calculated the distance before forming hand seals.
His body sank into the ground, ripples spreading like water across the dirt.
The Underground Projection Fish Technique consumed enormous chakra. It infused the ground with chakra, altering its density so that the user could swim through the earth like a fish.
To avoid detection, the ground behind him had to be restored without leaving hollow gaps, which consumed even more chakra.
The process was slow, difficult, and exhausting.
Yoru only knew the entry-level version of this technique. He wondered how much stronger it would be once mastered.
He emerged silently behind the Uzumaki ninja.
"Ah!"
The man felt a sharp pain in his ankle—his tendon severed. He turned, slashing downward with a kunai.
Yoru caught his wrist with his left hand and drove his right blade into the man's abdomen.
The blow landed, but his own left hand was pierced by the kunai.
Ignoring the bleeding, Yoru climbed out of the ground, avoiding the Uzumaki's dying struggle.
The wounded ninja dragged himself forward a few steps before realizing:
"Poison! It's poisoned! This… this is our village's poison?!"
Indeed, Yoru thought. Uzumaki Yuka's poisons hadn't been used up yet—perfect to turn against their own.
The Uzumaki collapsed, losing all combat ability.
Samurai charged in, and Yoru clashed with them.
Most samurai, lacking chakra, were weak opponents, their blades heavy but soft.
The captain, however, reinforced his muscles with chakra—strong but clumsy.
After killing four, the rest scattered in fear.
The poisoned Uzumaki lay unconscious.
Yoru pressed against a wall, sank into it with the Underground Projection Fish Technique, and entered the building.
It was indeed a storeroom.
Opening pack after pack, he found supplies—
He stuffed six kunai into his pouch.
He shouldered a bag full of soldier pills.
Then discovered a smaller bag holding ten explosive tags.
Jackpot. Explosive tags were hard currency, incredibly expensive, crafted only by those who knew both Sealing and Fire Style.
In Konoha, a single tag cost 10,000 ryō.
ANBU issued uniforms and standard weapons, but never provided explosive tags—those had to be bought personally.
Selling your life for Konoha, and still bringing your own food—how miserable.
Yoru tucked the tags into his pouch, satisfied.
He couldn't carry tents, sleeping bags, or medicine.
With regret, he pulled out one explosive tag, infused it with chakra, and pasted it onto the remaining supplies.
Then he slipped through the back wall, retreated far, and performed the seals—detonating it from a distance.
The explosion sent Uzumaki provisions flying into the night sky.
With his pack full of soldier pills, he slipped away amid the chaos.
He didn't return immediately to Captain Brown Bear. Instead, he hid, cautious as ever.
—
The full moon hung like a silver plate, its light pale as frost.
Only after the moon passed did Yoru meet his captain on the shore.
Caution, caution, and more caution.
Brown Bear stood alone.
"Captain, I've completed the mission. The noble supporting Uzumaki was assassinated, and I looted his supplies. What I couldn't carry, I destroyed."
He set down a pack, opening it to reveal soldier pills, and handed over two explosive tags.
The other seven he secretly kept. These two were sacrificed as proof—otherwise, how else explain the explosion?
If you're going to stage something, you must act it out fully, without flaws.
"Excellent! Far beyond what I expected. Aside from being a bit slow, your execution was steady. I honestly thought you might not…"
Brown Bear didn't finish the thought.
He had intended Yoru's mission only to pressure the Uzumaki into diverting forces, reducing strain on the frontlines.
But the noble was dead, and their supplies destroyed.
"Captain, what did you think would happen to me?"
"Nothing. I'm very satisfied."
"There's bad news, though."
"What bad news?"
Brown Bear's eyes sharpened—was there a hidden Uzumaki backup plan?
"Songbird was killed in action."
The captain let out a sigh of relief. Just that? He had spooked himself.
"For the sake of the village, some sacrifices are necessary. ANBU are the sharpest blades hidden in the dark. But blades that are too sharp break easily. It's inevitable."
Yoru felt strangely reassured at his captain's words.
The Antelope squad, the Green Wolf squad, and now his own Fox squad—all dead except him. He had feared suspicion. But the captain didn't care.
If ANBU didn't suffer casualties, he would never have had this position.
"Leave the soldier pills to me. They'll be distributed among the others.
As for the explosive tags, one each—you keep one for emergencies.
You've proven yourself in battle, overachieving the mission.
From this moment, I officially appoint you as squad captain.
Our ranks are thin. I'll assign you teammates when possible. Otherwise, you'll work alone."
"For the sake of the unit, I can operate alone."
Yoru gladly tucked away one explosive tag. For all his indifference to subordinates, the captain could be generous.
Now he had eight tags. That was true security.