Yōkō fought while retreating, forced back to the seaside.
In Captain Antelope's mind, he was only Genin-level, incapable of handling important tasks.
Surviving past Purple Cat had already far exceeded the captain's expectations.
Yōkō reached the shore and engaged in single combat with the Kumo-nin he had drawn over.
The two exchanged taijutsu blows, probing each other.
Yōkō's eyes occasionally scanned the area near the exploded wooden house, taking in the full picture of the battlefield.
A squad of Kumo-nin had rushed out of the house. One was injured by the explosive tag, leaning against the stairs, breathing heavily.
Horned Ox's head was covered in filth. No wonder he was really angry; he really did get 'sprayed'.
Ninja had to be all-rounders; theoretical knowledge was equally important. Poor Horned Ox, suffering from not understanding architectural layouts.
Captain Antelope and Horned Ox each dealt with one Kumo-nin.
In the distance, the villagers, startled by the explosion, rushed out holding fishing spears.
Faced with ninja, these ordinary fishermen were weak.
They didn't dare charge over, only hesitated from afar, blocking in front of their houses or fishing boats, protecting their possessions.
Just then, two figures suddenly leaped up from among the fishermen!
Damn, Kumo-nin were hiding among the fishermen.
The ambush by another Kumo-nin squad instantly turned the situation extremely unfavorable.
Yōkō had stayed far enough away, so the newly appeared Kumo-nin headed for Captain Antelope and Horned Ox.
Two against one. Captain Antelope and Horned Ox were in danger. If they died, he wouldn't survive either.
Yōkō stopped hiding. He pretended to fall, turning his back to the Kumo-nin, presenting an opening.
The Kumo-nin raised his ninja sword high, slashing at Yōkō's head.
In reality, Yōkō was secretly forming hand seals beneath him.
The Kumo-nin fighting him stiffened, hit by the Self-Cursing Body Binding Seal.
In the darkness, the cursed seals crawled over the Kumo-nin's joints, sealing him.
His ninja sword forever stopped 30 centimeters from Yōkō's head.
A turn-back stab.
Yōkō's kunai pierced the Kumo-nin's vulnerable abdomen.
After a twist, the Kumo-nin fell down.
He hurriedly rushed towards Captain Antelope and Horned Ox.
His actions were still too slow. He watched helplessly as two ninja swords, one from the front and one from the back, cut off Captain Antelope's head.
Not only Yōkō, but Horned Ox nearby also stiffened, nearly taking a hit.
The captain was dead?
The next instant, the captain's body and head both turned into white smoke.
A Shadow Clone!
So Captain Antelope had been testing with a Shadow Clone all along.
One could even say Yōkō and Horned Ox's infiltration counted as the captain's test.
The real Captain Antelope leaped up from the coconut grove behind, throwing explosive-tag-tipped kunai at the fishermen.
A squad had 3 to 4 people. Only two Kumo-nin had appeared just now, proving other Kumo-nin were still lurking among the fishermen.
Captain Antelope made no attempt to distinguish fisherman from Kumo-nin, directly using explosive tags.
Either blow up Kumo-nin and fishermen alike, or the survivors would be the exposed Kumo-nin.
The explosive tags detonated among the fishermen. The slower-reacting fishermen were blown away, seven or eight of them instantly.
Those seven or eight would be dead or crippled.
An explosive tag was equivalent to a Chunin-level Fire Release, very powerful.
Yōkō's gaze returned from the explosion. The two Kumo-nin who had just cut down Captain Antelope's Shadow Clone were charging at him.
Two against one?
Using the force from blocking the ninja sword, Yōkō rolled backward, pretending to be outmatched.
The Kumo-nin, seeing the ninja with the fox mask was so weak, sent only one in pursuit, while the other went to deal with Captain Antelope.
Yōkō breathed a sigh of relief.
That's more like it. Why bother with a cannon fodder like him? Captain Antelope was the key to the fight.
The two fought from the beach into the water. To prevent the Kumo-nin from using Lightning Release in the seawater, Yōkō formed hand seals underwater, using the Self-Cursing Body Binding Seal to briefly control the Kumo-nin.
After killing the Kumo-nin, Yōkō thrashed in the water. He held the Kumo-nin's wrists, making the corpse thrash with him, pretending to be fighting in the sea.
The battle looked fierce indeed.
This duet was performed by Yōkō and a corpse.
Only when the fighting on shore stopped did Yōkō climb out of the water.
That night, he had killed two Kumo-nin, exceeding his quota.
At Captain Antelope's feet lay several Kumo-nin corpses.
Captain Antelope was injured, a sword wound in his abdomen, a penetrating wound at that. It was serious.
As for Horned Ox, he was already dead.
This made Yōkō feel very uneasy.
Without Horned Ox, would the captain keep a closer eye on him from now on?
Would the things he had learned be exposed?
If he inexplicably knew jutsu, the Anbu would definitely label him a spy, investigate, and dispose of him. Jutsu were Konoha's second most important resource after missions, extremely precious.
"Captain! Let's get out of here! The fishermen are surrounding us!"
Yōkō rushed to Captain Antelope's side, confirming his injury.
A real injury, not a fake one.
The fishermen saw one ninja clutching his abdomen, blood seeping between his fingers, and another emerging from the sea, dripping wet and looking disheveled.
Emboldened, they charged forward with their fishing spears, seeking revenge for their relatives just killed in the explosion.
Yōkō hooked Captain Antelope's arm and jumped.
After a few leaps, the two left the fishing village, disappearing deep into the seaside coconut grove.
"Fox, your choice was wrong. You should have killed all armed fishermen, not fled in panic."
Yōkō explained, "Captain, I was afraid there might still be Kumo-nin among the fishermen."
Between two coconut trees were large-leafed plants Yōkō didn't recognize.
The plant leaves were so dense, the area was pitch dark.
Yōkō supported Captain Antelope, jumping towards the large-leafed plants.
Before they landed, Yōkō suddenly drew his kunai and thrust it fiercely into Captain Antelope's side!
Beneath the mask, Yōkō's eyes gleamed with sharp light.
Always being on guard against Captain Antelope wasn't a solution; he had to hide using the Self-Cursing Body Binding Seal every time.
Sooner or later, Captain Antelope would discover his tricks, realize he had learned jutsu through some channel unknown to the Anbu.
The Anbu despised surprises; they had to control everything.
If Uzumaki Yuka could mistake him for a Senju clan spy because of one sealing secret technique, wouldn't Captain Antelope do the same?
Kunai in hand, kill the captain, betray Konoha!
If not now, then when?
So what if you're an Elite Chunin? After a severe injury, a kunai can still take your life.
Captain Antelope grunted.
"Huh?"
Yōkō felt his fingers covered in sticky, warm blood.
Only, the amount of blood was less than expected.
The captain's ribs were so hard.
His kunai was so blunt.
Captain Antelope was a ruthless person, counterattacking immediately.
His right arm, hooked over Fox's shoulder, bent back forcefully, locking around Fox's neck.
He raised his left hand, forming hand seals with his hooked-back right hand.
Fire Release: Blazing Shot!
A fireball shot from Captain Antelope's mouth.
Yōkō felt a wave of intense heat by his ear.
At such close range, it directly engulfed Fox's head, and Captain Antelope's own right arm as well.
Before succumbing to his severe, near-fatal wounds, Captain Antelope traded his right arm for Fox's life.
Trapped in Captain Antelope's arm lock, Yōkō didn't even have time to use the Self-Cursing Body Binding Seal.
The kunai was clamped by Captain Antelope's muscles, stuck against his ribs.
So cunning. He only knew Captain Antelope was good at Shadow Clones before; he never mentioned knowing Fire Release!
Hiding things this deeply even from his own squad members!
Judging by the hand seal speed, Fire Release was definitely his trump card.
Yōkō's head was engulfed by the fireball. He felt like he had a fever.
A high fever over a thousand degrees, dying a miserable death.
(End of Chapter)