"Antelope Squad! Move out!"
The squad leader wore an antelope mask, so everyone called him Captain Antelope. Other than Yorimitsu, the squad also included Purple Cat and Horned Bull.
Their real identities were unknown. Even if the person behind the Purple Cat mask changed, Yorimitsu would never know.
The four members left the Forest of Death and followed the walls of Konoha.
As they walked, Yorimitsu felt something was off.
This direction… were they heading toward the main gate?
Wait—were they leaving the village?
That wasn't good.
Inside Konoha, if you ran into danger, you could at least scream for help.
Calling for backup wasn't shameful.
But once you left the village, even if you screamed your lungs out, no one would come.
Antelope Squad arrived at the village gate.
Without filing any exit request, they passed straight through without slowing down.
One of the gate guards said enviously, "The ANBU are so cool. They all wear masks and look so mysterious."
"You could apply to join them. Then you could wear a mask every day too."
"Forget it. ANBU only see the light of day after they die."
Yorimitsu felt uneasy. Why were they leaving the village?
As they ran, Captain Antelope spoke:
"Our target this time is a jōnin-level elite chūnin. He's currently leading a genin squad near the front lines on a supply transport mission. He's suspected of having ties with Iwagakure spies. Our job is to tail him, gather evidence, and eliminate him if confirmed."
Yorimitsu's heart tightened.
In the ninja world, being two ranks lower could mean instant death.
Ninja ranks went roughly like this:
Genin, Chūnin, Elite Chūnin, Special Jōnin, Jōnin, Elite Jōnin, Kage, Super Kage, Sage of Six Paths level.
An Elite Chūnin could easily wipe out a Genin — and Yorimitsu was basically a fake Chūnin at best, a true Genin at worst.
Along the way, Yorimitsu observed Captain Antelope and the other two members carefully, trying to gauge their strength.
Captain Antelope was at least an Elite Chūnin; otherwise, he wouldn't talk about "cleaning up" another Elite Chūnin so casually.
Yorimitsu was just a Genin, while Purple Cat and Horned Bull were likely Chūnin-level. Together, they just barely met the ANBU's requirement for a Chūnin-grade squad.
Once they left the Land of Fire and entered the Land of Rivers near the front lines, they had to stay alert at all times.
Captain Antelope soon found their target.
Through a telescope, Yorimitsu observed the distant Konoha team.
The target was a tall, sturdy man with a determined face.
His three subordinates were a ninja from the Akimichi clan, a civilian girl without a clan crest, and a bespectacled male civilian ninja.
All four carried large packs, delivering supplies to the front lines.
After only a few seconds of watching, Yorimitsu quickly lowered the telescope.
Was it his imagination, or did the Elite Chūnin just glance this way?
Captain Antelope kept watching. "Maintain a 200-meter distance. Don't get too close. Keep gathering intel."
For five days, Antelope Squad followed the target from afar.
The target squad moved repeatedly between the borders of the Land of Rivers and the Land of Fire, constantly transporting supplies.
The five days passed quietly.
Yorimitsu counted the days.
Three days of drinking at Tsukizuki Tavern, four days to reach the border, five days of tracking — twelve days total. Just thirteen more days until the next full moon.
He hoped things would stay peaceful until then.
Suddenly, Captain Antelope shouted, "Something's up!"
The target slipped behind a large tree, away from his students.
He placed a scroll at the roots of the tree, then quickly left.
"Move! Check the scroll, then act according to plan!"
The four ANBU rushed toward the tree.
Yorimitsu ran fast — he had to.
Speed meant survival — he could pick off the weakest prey.
He shifted his position, charging straight toward the girl ninja.
She looked about eleven, a civilian—she had to be weak.
Captain Antelope reached the tree first, picked up the scroll, and opened it.
"It's an Iwagakure spy! Eliminate the target!"
Sending an Elite Chūnin-level spy wasn't easy for Iwa. Such a spy definitely had contacts — probably one of his students.
The Akimichi kid couldn't be the spy; he was from a loyal clan.
That left the other two students.
As for how to tell them apart… ANBU didn't bother distinguishing.
Yorimitsu hurled two kunai at the civilian girl.
One aimed for her left eye to draw attention.
The other went straight for her abdomen — a guaranteed hit.
The girl instinctively blocked the one headed for her face.
But she couldn't guard both — the second kunai pierced her stomach.
Blood splattered.
Yorimitsu didn't know if she was truly a spy, but he didn't hesitate. He kicked her down and pinned both hands to the ground with kunai.
The Akimichi boy saw his comrade fall and went berserk.
Ignoring Purple Cat's kunai, he charged at Yorimitsu.
Yorimitsu stood still, calmly watching him rush over.
Purple Cat was right behind; the Akimichi boy wouldn't reach him.
But then, the boy popped a secret pill into his mouth.
Yorimitsu didn't even see what color it was.
Oh no!
"Human Bullet Tank!"
As expected of a clan ninja — his body expanded into a massive rolling sphere barreling toward Yorimitsu.
Yorimitsu leapt back desperately.
Damn it! Things were going wrong fast!
He was caught by the rolling attack and smashed against a huge boulder.
At the last second, hidden behind the massive spinning body, Yorimitsu secretly formed hand seals and used Earth Release: Hiding Like a Mole Technique.
His body sank into the rock and vanished.
Thankfully, he had learned that jutsu from the system — or he'd have died right there.
Stones flew everywhere.
When the Human Bullet Tank slowed, Yorimitsu reappeared — he couldn't let anyone know he could use Earth Release.
The rolling body was big enough to block everyone's view, so he deliberately acted crushed, letting his bones crack for realism.
"Enough!"
Captain Antelope's sharp voice cut through the air.
The Akimichi boy shrank back to normal, turning around.
Far away, the Iwa spy was pinned to a tree by kunai.
Captain Antelope's blade pierced the chest of the girl ninja.
As for the bespectacled boy, Horned Bull had stabbed him to death.
"Who are you people!?"
Before the Akimichi boy could react, Captain Antelope appeared in front of him and punched him in the gut, knocking the wind out of him.
"We're ANBU from Konoha, handling Iwagakure spies. Stay calm and don't make trouble."
The civilian ninjas were expendable, but the Akimichi kid had clan backing — best not to kill him.
The boy crawled to the dead girl's side, sobbing uncontrollably.
"I never told you… that I liked you…"
Konoha's young shinobi matured early — who knew what bond they shared. But death had already severed everything.
Captain Antelope walked up to Yorimitsu, checking his injuries.
Yorimitsu hurriedly said, "Captain! The Will of Fire, remember? We can't abandon our comrades! I'm just injured — you won't leave me behind, right?"
"What a useless one. Healing you will take more than ten days."
Hearing that, Yorimitsu sighed in relief — they weren't abandoning him.
Then it hit him — ten days of recovery?
That meant he'd make it to the next full moon! What a lucky break!
Horned Bull carried him back to Konoha.
Half a month later, Yorimitsu had healed — and the next full moon arrived.
But so did a new mission.
Danzo, head of the ANBU, ordered two full squads to move out to the Land of Waves and the Land of Whirlpools.
Yorimitsu felt uneasy.
The Uzumaki clan… were they about to be wiped out?
In a catastrophe that huge, what could a small fry like him even do?