Slashing While Stopping the Bleeding

"What's our next mission, Captain?"

"Don't ask what you shouldn't."

His small request had been denied. Damn ANBU regulations.

Yagami followed Captain Antelope and waited at a small dock.

A few days later, their target arrived.

It was an Uzumaki Ninja squad, led by someone they knew—Uzumaki Yuka.

When Uzumaki Yuka saw the fox mask, she felt somewhat reassured.

"Captain Antelope, Fox, I didn't expect it to be you two. Where's Horned Bull?"

Captain Antelope said, "Horned Bull died while gathering intelligence on the Cloud Ninja."

A guilty look appeared on Uzumaki Yuka's face. "I'm sorry. We will remember the sacrifices Konoha Ninja have made for us."

"Konoha and Uzu Hidden Village are allies. It was our duty."

Yagami was a little surprised that Captain Antelope could say something so warm.

The two squads moved together. Uzumaki Yuka was planning to seal a powerful wandering ninja beast.

Taking advantage of the time when the Uzumaki Ninja were scouting, Captain Antelope said to Yagami:

"Fox, use Uzumaki Yuka's favorable impression of you to get close to her. Especially during combat, stay by her side. Keep within two steps of her.

"The target is the Adamantine Sealing Chains Scroll. If necessary, kill Uzumaki Yuka and pin it on the Cloud Ninja."

"Understood, Captain."

By a small lake, Uzumaki Yuka directed three Uzumaki Ninja as they set up three traps.

Each trap had Exploding Tags buried at the bottom, with a large iron wire net above them.

It seemed they intended to blast the nets into the air.

After setting the traps, everyone hid in the woods by the lake.

Yagami lay prone inside a bush, not far from Uzumaki Yuka's hiding place.

Unexpectedly, Uzumaki Yuka came over to him herself.

The two lay on the ground together, concealed by the bushes as they watched the lake outside.

Ordinary ninja battles were not as earth-shattering as those of Kage Level Ninja. Much of the time, they consisted of tedious searching and silently crouching in the grass.

Every ninja had their own survival wisdom. The weak, especially, had to be cautious.

Uzumaki Yuka asked softly, "Fox, can you tell me your name?"

"Sorry, I can't."

Disappointment flashed through Uzumaki Yuka's eyes, but she quickly said, "I know. You're a Senju spy in the ANBU, so you can't say it. You can't take that risk."

Yagami did not answer. He neither denied nor admitted it. Playing mysterious would only deepen Uzumaki Yuka's misunderstanding.

Yagami searched his memories and recalled seeing only a few Senju Clan ninja back at the Ninja Academy.

After the Second Hokage's death, the Senju Clan had constantly declared that they would restore the Senju's glory.

The entire clan was fired up, and even the children shouted about becoming Hokage.

For example, Senju Nawaki from the original story had shouted that he would become Hokage while still in the Ninja Academy.

If Yagami returned to the village and declared that he wanted to become Hokage, no one would care. But when Senju Nawaki said he wanted to become Hokage, many people took it seriously. People were different.

"Miss Yuka, what are you trying to capture?"

"A White Spear Heron, a rather rare flying ninja beast," Uzumaki Yuka said.

"Every Uzumaki Ninja can make a contract with their own Summoned Beast.

"Sealing Jutsu itself isn't very strong, but after forming contracts with Summoned Beasts that possess all kinds of special abilities, one's strength undergoes a qualitative leap."

Yagami felt a little envious.

Every one of the Sannin's sacred-land Summoned Beasts was enough to crush even Chunin and Jonin.

Not only were the Cloud Ninja and Mist Ninja jealous—even Konoha Ninja were jealous.

Yagami turned his head slightly and looked up through a gap in the bush leaves, just in time to see Captain Antelope's mask.

Captain Antelope was hidden in the canopy to the side. The eyes behind his mask seemed closed, or perhaps merely narrowed.

Uzumaki Yuka was the strongest member of the Uzumaki squad, and Captain Antelope kept watching her.

Yagami waited for a long time, but Captain Antelope never shifted his attention, so he did not make a move.

The ground was damp and warm, and insects crawled past from time to time.

Unaware that Captain Antelope had been watching her all along, Uzumaki Yuka cautiously shifted beneath the bush to keep insects from crawling onto her body.

As she twisted, more of the snowy skin at her chest was exposed.

Yagami remained unmoved. He lifted his mask slightly to hide his eyes and continued watching Captain Antelope closely.

After swallowing two Soldier Pills, they lay in wait from morning until evening.

As the sun slanted westward, it grew even darker beneath the bushes.

A black dot suddenly appeared in the distance and flew toward them at incredible speed.

"It's here! The White Spear Heron is returning to its nest!"

It was a three-meter-long heron. Its hard, slender beak alone was a meter long, while its neck and body were equally long and thin.

Once it folded its wings, the White Spear Heron could dive at astonishing speed.

Seeing Captain Antelope's attention drawn to the White Spear Heron, Yagami quietly asked, "Yuka, do you have Poison Needles?"

"Poison Needles? Yes!"

Uzumaki Yuka took out a Poison Needle from her Ninja Tool Pouch.

Yagami did not know poison-making techniques and had no poison.

To deal with the powerful Captain Antelope, he had to rely on poison.

He took out a Hemostatic Agent and smeared it over his kunai, then placed the poison inside his Ninja Tool Pouch.

Fox's string of actions left Yuka utterly confused.

Dipping a kunai in medicine—was he planning to stop the bleeding while slashing?

At that moment, the Exploding Tag traps detonated.

Three large nets were blasted into the air, and one of them wrapped around the White Spear Heron's wing.

Uzumaki Yuka had no time to ponder Yagami's strange behavior. She immediately leaped out and charged at the White Spear Heron.

Once Uzumaki Yuka left, Captain Antelope's attention finally shifted completely. Only then did Yagami swiftly take out the poison and inject it into the Hemostatic Agent bottle hanging in midair.

Everything was ready. All he needed was an opportunity to strike Captain Antelope.

Following the captain's orders, Yagami could not leave Uzumaki Yuka, so he charged out as well.

The White Spear Heron's wings were tangled in the wire net. Unable to fly, it fell to the ground.

Its spear-like beak was incredibly sharp. The first Uzumaki Ninja to rush forward had his thigh pierced through by it.

That beak was practically a spear.

It was hard to imagine how devastating it would be if this ninja beast dove at someone.

The White Spear Heron's neck was long and powerful. It kept retracting and pecking forward, leaving the Uzumaki Ninja too afraid to approach.

"I'll do it!"

Uzumaki Yuka leaped forward, formed hand seals, and used the Self-Exerting Curse Binding Seal.

The curse mark crawled up the White Spear Heron's slender legs, then spread over its wings and neck, ultimately binding the White Spear Heron in place.

The White Spear Heron continued struggling, its body trembling.

Uzumaki Yuka explained to Fox beside her, "Next comes the long process of wearing it down. This ninja beast is too large. We have to exhaust it completely first, then use the contract Summoning Jutsu."

Yagami turned his head slightly and found that Captain Antelope still had not appeared. He remained hidden in the canopy.

The contest of strength lasted a long time. At last, Uzumaki Yuka suppressed the White Spear Heron, whose eyes revealed a pleading look.

Seeing that the time was right, Uzumaki Yuka took out a scroll concealed against her thigh beneath her skirt.

It was the Adamantine Sealing Chains Scroll!

At that moment, the situation changed abruptly.

As Uzumaki Yuka, Yagami, and the three Uzumaki Ninja focused on the Sealing Scroll, two Cloud Ninja squads that had been lying in ambush for a long time suddenly rushed out from the side.

The scroll!

The Cloud Ninja squads wanted to seize the Sealing Scroll and study the secrets of the Uzumaki Clan's Sealing Jutsu.

To deal with the Cloud Ninja, Uzumaki Yuka had no choice but to release the Self-Exerting Curse Binding Seal on the White Spear Heron.

The White Spear Heron's thin legs gave out, and it collapsed to the ground.

Uzumaki Yuka was not doing much better. Sweat soaked through her tight outfit and drenched her skirt as well.

Her skirt clung tightly to her waist and hips as though she had just been pulled from the water.

The Cloud Ninja charged over. Their Squad Leader instantly cut down an Uzumaki Ninja.

Yagami stood in front of Yuka and blocked a ninja blade.

Captain Antelope finally leaped down from the canopy and engaged the nearest Cloud Ninja in combat.

With Captain Antelope's strength, he could have instantly killed that Cloud Ninja, yet they fought back and forth evenly.

Yagami immediately understood. Captain Antelope was slacking off. Since he was skilled at slacking off himself, he recognized it at a glance.

If the captain was slacking off, Yagami had even more reason to slack off.

A Cloud Ninja forced him back, nearly slicing open his flank, and he had no choice but to evade.

This exposed Uzumaki Yuka.

Uzumaki Yuka raised the scroll.

That scroll had originally been meant to seal a ninja beast, but now she had no choice but to use it against the Cloud Ninja.

Captain Antelope suddenly shouted, "Take it!"

The order was directed at Fox. The ANBU also wanted an intact Adamantine Sealing Chains Scroll.

Yagami turned and swung his kunai, stabbing it into Uzumaki Yuka's abdomen!