Yagami fought as he retreated, step by step, until the crashing waves of the sea stopped him.
In Captain Antelope's eyes, Yagami was just a genin-level shinobi—useful for errands, not real combat.
Surviving after the death of Purple Cat had already exceeded the captain's expectations.
Now at the shoreline, Yagami clashed with one of the Cloud shinobi they had brought down from the hut. The two exchanged taijutsu blows, cautiously probing each other.
Even as he fought, Yagami's gaze flicked toward the ruined, still-smoking wooden hut. He quickly took in the situation.
A small squad of Cloud-nin had burst out of the explosion. One of them was badly injured by the blast and now slumped against the stairs, gasping for air.
Kakugyū's head was filthy—no wonder he'd been furious. He really had been "splattered."
A ninja was supposed to be well-rounded. Theoretical knowledge was just as vital as jutsu. Poor Kakugyū had paid the price for not understanding building structure.
Captain Antelope and Kakugyū were each locked in combat with a Cloud-nin.
In the distance, fishermen from the village, startled by the explosions, came running with harpoons in hand.
But ordinary villagers were fragile before shinobi.
They didn't dare rush forward—only hovered nearby, standing protectively in front of their homes and boats.
Then—two shadows suddenly leapt from behind the fishermen!
Damn it! The Cloud-nin had been hiding among them.
A second Cloud squad ambushed, and in an instant, the battle turned dire.
Yagami was far enough away that the new attackers ignored him and charged straight toward Captain Antelope and Kakugyū.
Two against one—both of them were in danger. And if they died, he wouldn't survive either.
He couldn't keep hiding. Yagami pretended to stumble, exposing his back.
One of the Cloud-nin raised his sword high and slashed down toward Yagami's head.
But Yagami was already forming hand signs beneath him.
The Cloud-nin froze mid-swing—his body seized up under the Curse Seal of Self-Restraint.
In the darkness, black seals crept up his limbs, locking his joints in place.
His blade halted—stuck just thirty centimeters from Yagami's head.
Counterattack.
Yagami spun, driving his kunai deep into the man's abdomen.
He twisted the blade, then let the enemy fall lifeless into the sand.
Without pause, Yagami dashed toward his captain and Kakugyū.
But he was too slow. He saw it clearly—two Cloud-nin swung their swords in unison, one from each side—decapitating Captain Antelope.
Yagami froze. Even Kakugyū stiffened mid-motion, nearly taking a fatal blow himself.
The captain… died?
In the next second, both the body and head dissolved into white smoke.
Shadow Clone!
The real Captain Antelope had been testing them all along.
Even their infiltration earlier might have been part of his trial.
The real one emerged from the coconut grove behind the village, hurling kunai with explosive tags toward the fishermen.
A squad usually had three to four members—since only two Cloud-nin had appeared earlier, there had to be more hiding among the villagers.
The captain didn't even try to tell who was who. He just threw.
Either he'd blow up both Cloud-nin and civilians together, or the ones who survived would reveal themselves as shinobi.
The explosion tore through the crowd. Several fishermen were blasted apart—seven or eight dead or crippled instantly.
An explosive tag was about as strong as a mid-level Fire Release—devastatingly powerful.
Yagami pulled his gaze back to the beach. The two Cloud-nin who had destroyed the clone were now charging straight at him.
Two-on-one?
Using the enemy's momentum as they clashed blades, Yagami flipped backward, feigning weakness.
Seeing the "fox-mask" ANBU struggle so pitifully, one Cloud-nin split off to pursue him while the other ran to help deal with the captain.
Yagami let out a silent sigh of relief.
That's better. Don't waste time on a disposable pawn like me. The captain's your real target.
He and the remaining Cloud-nin fought from the sand into the shallows. To prevent his opponent from using Lightning Release through the seawater, Yagami dove beneath the surface and formed hand signs.
Curse Seal of Self-Restraint.
For a brief moment, the Cloud-nin froze.
Yagami struck fast, killing him under the waves.
He then grabbed the corpse by the wrists and began thrashing around with it—making it look like they were still fighting underwater.
From shore, it must've looked fierce—a desperate underwater brawl.
But in truth, it was a one-man performance. A grim, two-person dance with a corpse.
Only when the sounds of fighting above faded did Yagami finally climb out of the sea.
That night, he had killed two Cloud-nin—exceeding the mission quota.
Captain Antelope stood amid several Cloud corpses, clutching his stomach.
He'd taken a sword through the abdomen—serious, possibly fatal.
As for Kakugyū… he was dead.
Yagami's chest tightened.
Without Kakugyū, the captain would surely start paying closer attention to him.
Would his abilities be exposed?
If the ANBU discovered he'd somehow learned techniques outside official training, they'd brand him a spy and dispose of him.
In the Leaf Village, ninjutsu ranked just below mission intel in value—an extremely precious resource.
"Captain! We need to go! The villagers are surrounding us!"
Yagami rushed to his side, confirming the wound was real.
Blood seeped through the man's fingers—no illusion.
The villagers, seeing a bleeding shinobi and another drenched in seawater, grew bolder.
They raised their harpoons and charged, shouting vengeance for their dead.
Yagami grabbed the captain's arm and leapt into the air.
A few quick bounds carried them deep into the coastal forest.
"Fox," Captain Antelope rasped, "your choice was wrong. You should've killed all armed villagers instead of running."
"I was afraid there might still be Cloud-nin among them," Yagami explained quickly.
Between two tall palm trees grew a cluster of broad-leafed plants. Their leaves were so dense that the space beneath was completely dark.
Supporting the injured captain, Yagami jumped toward that shadowed patch.
But before they landed, he suddenly drew a kunai—and drove it hard into the captain's side.
Behind the mask, Yagami's eyes gleamed coldly.
He couldn't keep living in constant fear of his captain's suspicion. Every time he used the Curse Seal, he had to hide it.
Sooner or later, Antelope would notice. And when he did, he'd realize Yagami had learned forbidden jutsu from an unknown source.
The ANBU despised unpredictability. Everything had to be under control.
If Uzumaki Yuka could mistake him for a Senju spy over a sealing technique, why wouldn't his captain do the same?
Kill the captain. Betray the Leaf.
If not now—when?
Even a wounded elite chūnin could die from a kunai to the ribs.
Antelope grunted in pain.
"Hnh?"
Warm, sticky blood coated Yagami's fingers... but there wasn't as much as he expected.
His ribs… they're that hard? Or my kunai's that dull?
Captain Antelope reacted instantly.
His right arm, draped over Yagami's shoulder, suddenly flexed backward—locking around Yagami's neck in a chokehold.
His left hand joined it—forming hand signs.
Fire Release: Flame Bullet!
A blazing fireball erupted from his mouth.
Yagami felt scorching heat against his ear—too close.
The fire engulfed the fox mask, swallowing Yagami's head—and the captain's own right arm—with it.
Before dying of his wound, the captain had traded his arm for Yagami's life.
Pinned in the man's grip, Yagami hadn't even had time to weave the Curse Seal again.
His kunai was trapped between muscle and bone, useless.
Too cunning… Yagami thought bitterly. All this time I thought his specialty was Shadow Clones—but he never once mentioned he could use Fire Release.
Even to his own squad, he'd hidden it that deeply.
Judging by the speed of that jutsu, it was clearly his trump card.
The world burned white-hot. Yagami's head was devoured by flames.
For a brief instant, he felt feverish—like he was burning up.
A high fever of over a thousand degrees.
And then—he died a miserable death.
***
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