The 20th day. In the ANBU changing room.
Their daily patrol around the Hidden Leaf had just ended, and everyone stood by their lockers, unfastening their ANBU vests.
Yagami's breathing was quieter than usual, careful and restrained, as if afraid the captain might call his name.
You have no idea how terrifying it is to be called by the captain.
It's like when you've been slacking off at work all week, and your manager suddenly asks you to present the proposal.
Or when you've just come home from a foot massage, and your wife suddenly calls you over to "submit your homework."
And sure enough, the captain called his codename.
"Fox. Tonight, keep watch on the Tsukizuki Tavern."
…Damn. Still him.
Yagami sighed and put his ANBU vest back on.
This wasn't a normal cloth vest like what regular shinobi wore—it was a gray iron armor vest, the same type Kakashi used back in his ANBU days.
But even though it was made of iron, it didn't give him the slightest sense of security.
After nightfall, Yagami hid in the woods near a street corner, quietly watching the distant tavern.
At some point, his eyes shifted beneath the mask.
He had been alert—focused—and even made predictions ahead of time, yet he still couldn't tell how the captain managed to appear beside him in an instant.
After the last mission, he had the nerve to ask the captain for extra payment this time—three full stacks.
Hey, no shame in asking. I bleed for the ANBU. The ANBU shouldn't shortchange me.
Stepping into the Tsukizuki Tavern, Yagami went straight to his usual corner.
"Bring me your finest sake."
The same female owner from his previous visit came over with a tray, smiling seductively as she leaned close.
Her neckline was very low.
Yagami stared, entranced for a moment.
So big, so pretty… but why doesn't it even tremble a little? That ruins the artistry.
The familiar pattern repeated—her full chest pressed against his side as she led him into the private back room.
She shut the door behind them.
"Ninja-sama," she purred, "do you prefer Yang Release or Yin Release?"
"Oh, I know this one. I really know this one. Sometimes I like Yang Release, sometimes I like Yin Release. When I'm tired, I go Yin—you take the lead. When I'm up for it, I go Yang—I take the lead!"
"Hehehe… ninja-sama, you really do understand, don't you?"
Yagami chuckled lightly, but his heart was tense.
Movement.
Something just moved.
In the corner of the room, something burrowed up from underground.
The floor showed no visible change, but Yagami knew the Hiding Like a Mole Technique too. He could sense the presence beneath.
At the same time, the tavern lady moved in closer.
Just like last time—her lips soft, her scent distracting.
"I can't wait anymore! Forget the foreplay, let's start with Yang Release!"
Yagami suddenly surged forward, knocking her to the ground—right toward the shadowy corner.
From behind his back, he drew a kunai hidden at his waist and thrust it down between the woman's legs.
The tavern lady initially thought this Leaf ninja was just too eager. But then, from behind Yagami's shoulder, she caught sight of the iron ring on the kunai's hilt.
Crap.
It felt… cold between her legs.
She fell backward, ready to counterattack—only to hear a muffled grunt beneath the floor.
Even worse!
The kunai hadn't been aimed at her—it had stabbed straight through the floor, into her partner hiding below.
The man hidden underground convulsed violently.
This Leaf ninja had stabbed directly through the gap between her thighs and into her comrade's heart.
Her mind went blank for a moment.
Hidden Stone Village had sacrificed countless comrades to secure her spy identity—friends who had trained beside her, even her teacher who had raised her, all died inside the Leaf.
To protect each other, she and her underground partner had never met face-to-face, communicating only through coded marks and signals.
Now that her teammate was exposed, she absolutely couldn't be.
The only way to protect her cover was to pretend she knew nothing.
Exposure meant death. Discovery meant death.
If she could pass out now, maybe the Leaf would assume she was innocent. That was her only chance.
"Ah—!"
Her head hit the floor hard.
Yagami felt her body suddenly go limp, completely unconscious.
He reached down and touched the floor between her legs—his hand came up wet with blood. Deciding not to risk further trouble, he prepared to call his captain.
Leaving the side room, he jumped onto the roof and signaled the captain with hand signs before returning inside.
Moments later, the captain entered, closing the door cautiously.
"The ground's bleeding near the kunai," the captain said, scanning the room. "There's someone down there! Fox, was that your doing?"
"Captain, my chakra nature is Earth. I sensed someone underground and stabbed the spot with my kunai to confirm."
The captain nodded slightly. "Good. Very good."
He raised his hand and slammed it down, blowing open the floor and revealing a man half-buried in soil and blood.
Checking the body, the captain continued,
"Earth Release user. From the square shape of his jaw, looks like someone from the Land of Earth—most likely an stone spy.
Well done, Fox. You just completed a B-rank mission.
You only just passed the Chūnin Exams, and you're already clearing B-rank missions. You're lucky. As Sakumo Hatake once said—luck is also a kind of strength."
So his captain had actually met Sakumo Hatake…
Kakashi must've learned that line from his father, Yagami realized.
He corrected, "Captain, I wouldn't say it's just luck. I do have some skill."
"If over a thousand shinobi hadn't died on the Land of Steam battlefield, and the Chūnin Exams hadn't gone easy during the Great Ninja War, you wouldn't have made Chūnin for another three years," the captain said flatly.
Seeing no way to argue, Yagami turned his gaze toward the unconscious tavern lady, hinting that there was still one alive.
"No problem. She's out cold—can't hear us." The captain waved it off. "Let's take this man back first. We'll extract intel from his mind. With luck, it'll lead us somewhere."
The captain slung the spy over his shoulder and left.
Yagami patched up the floor, then lifted the tavern lady onto the bed.
He glanced at her one last time, a little regretful. She wasn't just soft… or lively… but damn, she was big. What a waste.
Retrieving his gear from the woods, Yagami returned to ANBU headquarters.
He and the captain delivered the corpse to the Intelligence Division, where a member of the Yamanaka Clan came to take it.
"Captain," Yagami said, "can I rest for a few days? Between the patrols, the surveillance, and this spy mission, I'm worn out."
The captain was about to refuse but reconsidered. Given Fox's… mediocre performance, it didn't really matter if he was around or not. Still, the man had completed a mission.
"You can have three days. Stay on standby after that—the village needs manpower right now. Be back in three days."
"Yes, thank you, Captain."
Yagami bowed slightly. He just had to survive until the next full moon—the fifteenth—when he'd have another chance to revive.
Twenty-five days to go. One more day survived was one more day earned.