"Captain, what's our next mission?"
"Don't ask questions you don't need to know."
Yagami sighed inwardly. Even a small request got shot down—damn these strict Anbu rules.
He stood beside Captain Antelope on a quiet pier, waiting.
Days passed before their target finally appeared.
A squad of Uzumaki ninja, led by someone familiar—Uzumaki Yuka.
When Yuka saw the fox mask, her tense shoulders eased a little.
"Captain Antelope, Fox—didn't expect to see you two. Where's Kaku?"
Antelope's tone was calm. "He sacrificed himself gathering intel on the Cloud."
Yuka's expression dimmed. "I'm sorry… your comrade died helping us. We won't forget this debt."
"The Hidden Leaf and the Hidden Eddy are allies. It's our duty."
Yagami blinked, surprised. He didn't expect Antelope to say something that… warm.
The two squads joined forces. Yuka's team's mission was to seal a dangerous, rampaging beast.
While the Uzumaki scouted ahead, Antelope leaned toward Yagami and murmured,
"Fox—use Yuka's trust in you. Stay close to her, especially in battle. Within two steps of her at all times."
He paused. "Our target is the Adamantine Sealing Chain scroll. If necessary… kill Uzumaki Yuka and pin it on the Cloud."
"Understood, Captain."
At a small lake, Yuka led her three Uzumaki comrades in setting traps.
Each trap had explosive tags buried deep, with layers of thick wire mesh above them—likely meant to blast the nets into the air.
When the traps were done, everyone hid in the trees by the lake.
Yagami crouched low in a bush, close to Yuka's hiding spot.
Unexpectedly, Yuka crawled over and settled beside him.
The two of them lay flat, bodies hidden by leaves, eyes fixed on the still surface of the lake.
Ordinary ninja battles weren't like those of Kage-level shinobi—no mountains splitting or storms raging. Most of it was long hours of waiting, watching, and holding your breath in the grass.
Every ninja had their own way of surviving. The weaker they were, the more careful they had to be.
"Fox," Yuka whispered, "can you tell me your name?"
"Sorry. I can't."
For a moment, disappointment flickered in her eyes. Then she nodded. "Right. You're the Senju's agent in the Anbu, aren't you? You can't risk exposure."
Yagami didn't reply. He neither confirmed nor denied—staying mysterious would only deepen her misunderstanding.
He searched his memory. Back in the Academy, he'd met a few Senju kids.
After the Second Hokage's death, the Senju Clan swore to revive their lost glory. The whole clan became obsessed—even their children shouted they'd become Hokage one day.
Like Senju Nawaki—when he was in the Academy, he'd already declared he'd be Hokage.
If Yagami shouted the same, no one would care. But if Nawaki said it, people would actually believe. People aren't born equal.
"Miss Yuka," Yagami whispered, "what exactly are we hunting?"
"The Spear Heron," she said softly. "A rare flying beast. Every Uzumaki can form a contract with their own summoning creature. Our sealing jutsu alone isn't that strong—but combined with special summons, it can be terrifying."
Yagami couldn't help feeling a bit envious.
The Legendary Sannin's summoning beasts were so powerful that even elite jonin couldn't compare. No wonder Cloud and Mist envied them—and even some in the Leaf did.
He shifted slightly, peering through the leaves. Up in the tree canopy to the side, he caught sight of Captain Antelope's mask.
The captain crouched there, eyes half-closed, always watching Yuka—the strongest of the Uzumaki team.
Yagami waited. And waited. But Antelope never looked away, forcing him to hold still and bide his time.
The ground was damp and warm. Occasionally, bugs crawled across his arm.
Yuka didn't seem to realize Antelope was watching. She wriggled slightly, brushing away a bug on her leg—revealing more of her pale chest in the process.
Yagami didn't react. He simply adjusted his mask to block his view and kept his focus on the captain.
Two soldier pills later, they were still lying in wait as the sun began to dip below the horizon.
The light faded. The bushes grew darker.
Then—a shadow appeared in the distance, darting toward them at incredible speed.
"It's here! The Spear Heron is returning to its nest!"
It was over three meters long, its razor-sharp beak alone nearly a meter. The rest of its body was sleek and slender, built for speed.
Once it folded its wings, its dive velocity was lethal.
Seeing Antelope's gaze lock onto the creature, Yagami whispered, "Yuka, do you have any poison needles?"
"Poison needles? I do!"
She pulled one from her pouch and handed it to him.
Yagami wasn't skilled in poisons. He had no venom of his own.
To deal with someone as strong as Captain Antelope, he'd have to borrow someone else's toxin.
He pulled out a small vial of coagulant, coating his kunai with it—then slipped the poison into his pouch instead.
The strange behavior made Yuka blink in confusion.
Coagulant on a blade?
Before she could question him, the explosive tags detonated.
Boom!
Three wire nets shot skyward—one of them snagging the heron's wing mid-flight.
Yuka didn't have time to think. She darted out from hiding and rushed toward the beast.
Seeing her move, Antelope's attention finally shifted. Yagami quickly retrieved the poison and mixed it into the remaining coagulant.
Everything was ready—he just needed the right moment to strike.
Following orders, he sprinted after Yuka, staying close.
The Spear Heron thrashed on the ground, its wing tangled in steel wire.
Its beak lunged like a spear—one of the Uzumaki was impaled through the thigh in an instant.
That beak could pierce armor. If it attacked mid-dive, it'd be unstoppable.
Yuka didn't hesitate. "I'll handle it!"
She formed hand seals—Self-Curse Seal of Binding!
Dark seals crawled across the heron's legs, then up its wings and neck, locking its body tight.
The beast trembled, fighting back, but the seal held firm.
"This part takes time," Yuka explained. "We have to exhaust it before sealing. Once it's weakened enough, I'll use the summoning contract."
Yagami turned slightly. Antelope still hadn't moved—still perched in the treetops, watching.
After a long struggle, the heron finally weakened, its eyes showing faint despair.
Yuka reached under her skirt, pulling a scroll from a thigh holster.
The Adamantine Sealing Chain Scroll.
Just then, everything went wrong.
As Yuka and the others focused on the scroll, two Cloud squads burst from the woods—ambushers who'd been waiting for their chance.
"The scroll!"
They were after the sealing techniques of the Uzumaki clan.
Forced to fight, Yuka dispelled her binding seal to free herself for combat.
The Spear Heron collapsed, too weak to move.
Yuka wasn't much better off—sweat soaked through her tight clothes, her skirt clinging to her waist and hips like she'd just come out of water.
The Cloud ninja charged. Their captain slashed down one Uzumaki instantly.
Yagami stepped in front of Yuka, blocking a sword with his kunai.
Antelope finally leapt from the trees, clashing with another Cloud ninja.
With his strength, he could've killed the man in one blow—but he didn't. He was holding back.
Yagami realized it immediately. He's pretending to fight seriously.
If the captain was faking it, then so could he.
He parried another strike, letting himself get pushed back—almost sliced across the ribs.
It looked desperate, but it also made Yuka drop her guard.
Yuka raised the scroll. It was meant for sealing beasts—but now, it'd have to serve against enemy ninja.
Then Antelope shouted, "Grab it!"
The order was for Yagami. The Anbu wanted that scroll—intact.
Without hesitation, Yagami turned, thrust his kunai—and drove it straight into Uzumaki Yuka's stomach.
***
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