Everything went black—and then the scene shifted.
Yagami woke up on a small boat, under the full moon that hung over the Land of Waves—the very night he had first landed here.
Adjusting his fox mask, he still felt the searing pain of being burned alive from his previous life. His face throbbed, and he could almost feel his own flesh melting and charring again.
"Fox, get off the boat!"
This time, Yagami hesitated for a moment instead of jumping off right away, prompting the captain to bark at him.
That line—he was certain—hadn't been said in his previous life.
Each time he revived, most events still followed the same flow… but the smallest differences in his actions created ripples—subtle changes that could ruin the predictable pattern he relied on.
Before reaching the moment of his previous death, he had to stay cautious. To survive, he needed to follow the same path as before, keeping his "story advantage."
Yagami glanced at Captain Antelope, unease flickering in his eyes. He still remembered the man's hidden Fire Style technique—devious, secretive, and deadly.
To hide such a trump card even from his own subordinates... that was pure treachery.
In a proper squad, members should know each other's strengths and abilities—to coordinate, to survive. But under Captain Antelope's leadership, ignorance meant death.
The ANBU preached loyalty above all, and each member was watched by others. The captain didn't just lead them—he monitored them.
Captain Antelope gave Fox a strange look.
'What's with that glare? I only told him to hurry up.'
...
[Arc of the Moon activated!
The host may resurrect once per month. Upon death, resurrection will occur on the night of the previous full moon.
Reward: One random draw—
1. Shadow Clone Jutsu (Beginner)
2. Fire-nature Chakra
3. Grappling Technique (Beginner)]
The Grappling Technique was what the captain had used earlier—hooking his arm around Yagami's neck with crushing strength. But Yagami already had Self-Karma Binding Seal, so it wasn't needed.
Fire-nature Chakra? Not useful right now.
He was only a fake chunin. Just mastering Earth Style was already enough.
Before reaching elite-chunin level, developing additional chakra natures was pointless. His reserves couldn't even sustain a few uses of Fire Style.
He chose Shadow Clone Jutsu.
A clone with physical substance—so real that even dōjutsu sometimes couldn't tell the difference.
Captain Antelope specialized in it, using clones or his subordinates' lives to gather intel.
Splitting chakra evenly was a drawback—but only for those with too much or too little chakra. If you had a lot, half was still plenty; if you had little, what difference did it make?
For Yagami, splitting it was fine. He'd just rely on taijutsu when necessary.
...
Just like before, the story progressed. The squad reached the fishing village by the sea.
They infiltrated beneath a stilted house; Kakugyū got a faceful of "Flying" filth and, furious, used explosive tags.
Yagami retreated, fighting defensively and hiding to the side.
This time, he knew exactly where the captain's real body was. His seals were precise and cautious, ensuring Antelope wouldn't see them.
When the Cloud-nin hidden among the villagers made their move, the result was the same—Kakugyū died, the captain was wounded, and Yagami emerged from the water to carry him away.
In the coconut grove, Captain Antelope suddenly felt a sharp pain at his side.
His scalp prickled—Fox was going to kill him?!
But when he looked down, he saw Fox injecting a hemostatic medicine.
He exhaled in relief. Fox wasn't that stupid. Even injured and bleeding, the captain could easily kill him.
They hid inside a natural cave under the reefs.
This time, Yagami felt no killing intent. Instead, he carefully treated the captain's wounds.
There were still ten days left before the next full moon. Without the captain, he might not even survive that long.
The ANBU world was too dangerous.
Feeling Fox's unexpected concern, and with him being the only surviving subordinate, Captain Antelope's attitude softened.
He even began to discuss strategy:
"Fox, in our assigned search area, there were two Cloud-nin squads. Looks like the Land of Waves is crawling with them.
The missions here have always been contested between the Hidden Mist Village and the Hidden Whirlpool Village.
We've fought the Mist-nin many times to help the Whirlpool Village—and lost plenty of men.
Without us, the Whirlpool Village could never stand against the Hidden Mist.
But now that the Cloud-nin are here, things are complicated."
Yagami thought for a moment.
"Captain Antelope, isn't the Hidden Whirlpool Village our ally? Are those complaints in the village… really spontaneous, or are they—"
"Enough!" the captain snapped sharply.
"In the ANBU, knowing too much gets you killed. Some things aren't meant to be asked.
Those rumors about the Whirlpool Village appeared naturally—what, do you think we spread them ourselves?"
Yagami said nothing. He didn't believe him. The odds that Root was behind it were high.
He'd once guarded the Senju compound—he knew the truth. Uzumaki Mito, the Nine-Tails' jinchūriki, was in poor condition.
Though she had married into the Senju Clan, she'd never changed her surname. Her power and status were unmatched—but her age had caught up with her.
Now, the question of the next jinchūriki was causing serious tension between the village leadership and the Senju Clan.
The village had bypassed the Senju entirely—Danzo himself had gone to the Whirlpool Village. That said it all.
...
Five days later, Captain Antelope had recovered and resumed the mission.
They searched for Cloud-nin across several sectors and encountered three more squads. Fortunately, the captain didn't order Yagami to probe for intel this time.
Each time they found enemies, they simply observed from afar and withdrew quietly.
Days passed. Eventually, the comforting light of another full moon returned.
...
The moon shone like silver; its light blanketed the sea like frost.
Yagami crouched on a reef, sea breeze damp and heavy against his mask.
In the distance, Captain Antelope was speaking with a squad leader, reporting something.
The endless sound of crashing waves drowned their voices. Yagami couldn't hear what they were saying—only that Antelope kept nodding, agreeing to everything.
Beneath the mask, Yagami's expression was grim.
This couldn't go on. He was just a disposable ANBU grunt—never told the mission details, only ordered around.
He had no control, no information.
That meant every mission was a gamble with his life.
He needed to rise—to at least become a squad leader and gain access to mission intel.
Information was survival.
Watching the captain's back, Yagami's eyes narrowed.
You were lucky last time, Captain.
But this time… I'll make sure you're not so lucky.
He opened his system panel:
[Host Status:
Chakra: Chunin level
Nature: Earth
Ninjutsu: Basic Three Techniques, Earth Style: Fish Reflection Technique, Shadow Clone Jutsu
Taijutsu: Basic Taijutsu, Basic Kunai Throwing
Sealing: Self-Karma Binding Seal
Other: None]
A good cook doesn't complain about the ingredients.
With these abilities, he'd find a way—step over Captain Antelope's corpse and become a squad leader himself.
After all, in the ANBU… everyone's hands were already stained black.
***
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