Yorimitsu searched cautiously along the shoreline.
Last time Captain Antelope met Company Commander Brown Bear, it had also been by the sea.
Diligence paid off — Yorimitsu found a shell half-buried in the sand. Three cipher marks were carved into it.
According to the cipher scroll, one mark represented the date: the 11th of next month; another indicated the northeast direction; the last one meant three kilometers.
The ninja world used a lunar calendar based on full and new moons — the 11th was four days before the full moon.
Yorimitsu didn't act rashly. He hid in the coconut grove's underbrush.
When the time came for the 11th, he crawled out and ran toward the marked spot.
On arrival he still didn't reveal himself; instead he formed a hand seal and made a shadow clone.
The clone left the reef rock and walked along the beach.
Suddenly two dark figures leapt out — the clone froze on the spot.
"Who are you?" one demanded.
One wore a Blue Wolf mask, the other a White Weasel mask. Neither noticed that the fox-masked person was only a shadow clone.
The clone answered, "Last survivor of Antelope Squad, Fox. Requesting reassignment from the company commander."
After verifying identity, the two looked toward a coconut tree.
A figure stepped out behind the tree wearing a Brown Bear mask.
That was Yorimitsu's company commander — Brown Bear.
Brown Bear walked a few steps, then stared at the reef rock where Yorimitsu had been hiding.
Yorimitsu thought: no wonder he's a company commander — strong enough to spot a shadow clone so quickly.
He stepped out from behind the rock and dispelled the clone.
The clone dissolved into white smoke, which startled Blue Wolf and White Weasel — not from the smoke itself but by the realization that, if the fox had been an enemy, they'd already been compromised.
Yorimitsu approached Brown Bear.
"Company Commander," he said. "Antelope Squad lost Antelope and Horned Bull; I'm the only member left. I followed Antelope's cipher scroll and found this place."
Brown Bear surveyed him head to toe. "Your clone carried some of Antelope's technique — your fundamentals are solid. What a shame Antelope died; such a cautious man still perished."
Yorimitsu stayed silent — the less he said, the fewer mistakes he'd make.
Antelope had been cautious, but not cautious enough.
Brown Bear announced, "Antelope Squad is dissolved. You'll be transferred into Blue Wolf's squad. Follow Blue Wolf's orders."
Yorimitsu was greatly disappointed.
He had gone through so much to kill Antelope precisely because he wanted to become a squad leader and access more information. Now he was still only a regular member, and under an unfamiliar Blue Wolf.
Back to adapting to a new squad.
ANBU promoted squad leaders only under strict standards: loyalty, skill, and judgment — all three required.
Yorimitsu glanced at Blue Wolf and White Weasel.
Maybe… he thought, perhaps he should take them out too?
If those two died, surely he could become squad leader. With fewer chopsticks, even a short one can become a flagpole.
Although he thought that, he said aloud, "Captain Blue Wolf, hello. I'm Fox. I learned a bit of the Shadow Clone Technique from Antelope."
To give his clone technique a plausible origin, he had to tell the new captain he'd learned it under Antelope.
Blue Wolf nodded. "Good. My squad lost two members; you'll fill the gap."
Blue Wolf saluted Company Commander Brown Bear and left with his squad.
Along the way they stopped at a resupply point, removed their Konoha ANBU disguises, and put on Cloud-nin jackets and long swords. The Cloud gear still bore fresh bloodstains — likely trophies from Blue Wolf's previous engagements.
Trailing behind Blue Wolf, Yorimitsu felt both downcast and rueful.
He really pitied Antelope. Whether Antelope lived or died, Yorimitsu remained just a squad member — hadn't Antelope just died for nothing?
Blue Wolf, like Antelope, gave no mission details — he just hurried them along.
After reaching a town, Blue Wolf ordered two men to stand down.
"Fox, send a shadow clone into town to scout. See how many Uzumaki are hiding there."
Beneath his mask, Yorimitsu frowned.
They were treating him like muscle. Now that they knew he could use shadow clones, they simply set him to work.
Finding Uzumaki in the town was likely the same objective Antelope had: to snatch an Adamantine Chains sealing scroll.
After forming the split-seal, a clone appeared beside Yorimitsu, then he cast Transformation on the clone so it looked like a commoner carrying a burlap sack and sent it into town.
After some time, Yorimitsu suddenly stiffened.
The clone had been blown apart — its memories streamed back to the original.
"What happened?" Blue Wolf asked.
"The clone wandered briefly, sat in a corner to rest, and then a kunai appeared behind it and killed it," Yorimitsu reported.
"A kunai, not a sword?" Blue Wolf asked. If it were a sword, the attacker was probably Cloud ninja.
"Yes. A kunai."
"Keep sending clones into the town," Blue Wolf ordered.
After repeated attempts, each shadow clone was exploded. Yorimitsu panted, exhausted, sinking to the ground in a puddle of fatigue.
Chakra is made from both physical and mental energy. Excessive chakra use builds lactic acid in the muscles; he felt like he'd run five kilometers.
Blue Wolf looked at the useless Fox with disgust. "Keep going, Fox. Don't slack. The intel is insufficient — after ten tries, you still haven't even seen the enemy's face."
Yorimitsu forced himself up, drew chakra again, and formed a new shadow clone.
Each clone split his chakra in half, and combined with the Transformation, his already small reserves drained quickly.
The worst part: Blue Wolf wouldn't let him rest. Who, besides a nuclear-powered workhorse, could keep this up?
The clone walked into town. Suddenly the forest behind them rustled.
Six figures emerged from the trees: six Uzumaki ninjas!
They'd been spotting suspicious people repeatedly and had located the hiding place of the three ANBU.
The battle instantly flared to white heat.
Konoha's three ANBU couldn't match the Uzumaki. Yorimitsu wanted to shout that they were ANBU of Konoha, not Cloud—but the Cloud disguise made that useless.
Blue Wolf pressed with his long blade, pushing the Uzumaki for information — trying to learn whether they had the sealing scroll.
A summoned spider hid in the shadows and bit Blue Wolf. Toxin taking hold, Blue Wolf staggered.
Konoha and Uzushiogakure were allies; Blue Wolf kept his mouth shut to the end, refusing to admit anything.
Within seconds, the three Konoha ANBU were killed one after another by the Uzumaki.
A kunai pierced Yorimitsu's lower back.
That familiar feeling — his prior shadow clones had all been slaughtered behind him.
One of the Uzumaki twisted the kunai, turning Yorimitsu's entrails into a whirlpool.
—
Blackness swallowed him; the scene shifted.
Yorimitsu gasped and revived.
He crouched on the reef rock.
In the distance on the beach, Brown Bear and Antelope were arranging something — the night before Antelope's death.
He'd returned to the full moon night, to when Antelope was still alive.
Yorimitsu crouched and recalculated.
[Arc of the Moon activated!
The host has one resurrection per month; upon death, revival occurs on the previous full moon night.
Reward: One lottery draw:
1 — Sealing Jutsu: Object-Sealing Mark (Beginner);
2 — Chūnin-level Chakra Capacity (Stackable);
3 — Kunai Thrust (Mastered).]