Yagami carefully searched along the coastline.
The last time Captain Antelope had met Brown Bear Squad Commander was by the sea.
Hard work paid off. Yagami found a seashell half-buried in the sand, with three ciphers carved into its surface.
According to the Cipher Scroll, one cipher represented the eleventh day of next month, another represented the northeast direction, and the last represented three kilometers.
The ninja world used a lunar calendar based primarily on the phases of the moon. There were only four days left until the full moon on the eleventh.
Yagami did not dare act recklessly and hid beneath the bushes in a coconut grove.
When the eleventh arrived, Yagami crawled out from beneath the bushes and ran toward the location marked by the cipher.
After reaching his destination, Yagami did not reveal himself rashly. Instead, he formed the Ren hand seal and used the Shadow Clone Technique.
After leaving the reef where it had been hiding, the Shadow Clone walked along the beach.
As it walked, two dark figures suddenly leaped out, and the Shadow Clone immediately froze.
"Who are you?"
One wore an Azure Wolf mask, while the other wore a White Ermine mask. Neither recognized that the man in the Fox mask was a Shadow Clone.
The Shadow Clone said, "Fox, the last survivor of Antelope Squad, requests that the squad commander reassign me."
After verifying his identity, the two looked toward a coconut tree.
A person emerged from behind the coconut tree, wearing a Brown Bear mask.
That was Yagami's squad commander, Brown Bear.
Brown Bear took a few steps forward, then looked toward the reef where Yagami was hiding.
Worthy of being a squad commander. He's strong enough to see through the Shadow Clone so quickly.
He stepped out from behind the reef and dispelled the Shadow Clone.
The Shadow Clone turned into white smoke, startling Azure Wolf and White Ermine, who had appeared first.
It was not the white smoke that frightened them, but the lingering fear. If Fox had been an enemy, the two of them would already have been at a disadvantage.
Yagami walked up to Brown Bear.
"Squad Commander, Captain Antelope and Horned Bull were killed. I'm the only one left in my squad. I followed Captain Antelope's Cipher Scroll and found this place."
Brown Bear swept his gaze over Yagami and said, "Your Shadow Clone has some of the antelope's essence. Your fundamentals are fairly solid. What a pity about the antelope. Even someone so cautious still died."
Yagami did not respond. The more he said, the more mistakes he could make. The less he said, the fewer mistakes he could make.
Captain Antelope had indeed been cautious, but not cautious enough.
Brown Bear said, "Antelope Squad is disbanded. From now on, you'll join Azure Wolf Squad and follow Azure Wolf's command."
Yagami was deeply disappointed.
He had gone to great lengths to kill Captain Antelope because he wanted to become a squad leader and gain access to more information.
Yet now, he was still just a squad member, under an unfamiliar Azure Wolf.
He would have to adapt to a new squad all over again.
ANBU's evaluation of squad leaders was strict. They would not casually appoint someone as a squad leader.
Loyalty, strength, and judgment—none could be lacking.
Yagami glanced at Azure Wolf and White Ermine.
Should I kill these two as well?
If they die, I should be able to become squad leader, right?
Pulling a flagpole from chopsticks—if there were few enough chopsticks, even the shortest one could serve as a flagpole.
Though that was what he thought, Yagami said, "Captain Azure Wolf, hello. I'm Fox. I learned a little about Shadow Clones from Captain Antelope."
To make the Shadow Clone Technique legitimate, he had no choice but to reveal to the captain that he had learned the technique from Captain Antelope.
Azure Wolf nodded. "Good. Two members of my squad were killed, so you can fill the vacancy."
Azure Wolf said goodbye to the squad commander and left with his squad.
Along the way, they arrived at a supply point, removed their Konoha ANBU disguises, and changed into Cloud Ninja vests and carried ninja swords.
There were still quite a few bloodstains on the Cloud Ninja equipment. It had likely been seized by Azure Wolf Squad earlier.
Following behind Azure Wolf, Yagami felt somewhat dejected and somewhat melancholy.
He truly felt Captain Antelope's death had not been worth it.
When Captain Antelope was alive, Yagami had been a squad member. After Captain Antelope died, Yagami was still a squad member. Hadn't Captain Antelope died for nothing?
Like Captain Antelope, Captain Azure Wolf did not explain the mission. He simply kept traveling.
After arriving at a town, Captain Azure Wolf had the two squad members stop.
"Fox, use a Shadow Clone to enter the town and gather intelligence. Find out how many Uzumaki Ninja are hiding there."
Beneath his mask, Yagami frowned.
They were treating him like a pack mule. Now that they knew he had mastered Shadow Clones, they were ordering him around.
Looking for Uzumaki Ninja was probably the same mission as Antelope Squad's: seize the Uzumaki Clan's Adamantine Sealing Chains Scroll.
After forming a Ren hand seal, Yagami created a Shadow Clone beside him. He then used the Transformation Jutsu on it, turning it into an ordinary person who carried a sack toward the town.
After a long while, Yagami suddenly stiffened.
The Shadow Clone had been destroyed, and its memories returned to the original body.
"What happened?"
Facing his captain's question, Yagami replied, "The Shadow Clone wandered around for a while and sat by a wall to rest. Then a Kunai suddenly appeared behind it and killed it."
"A Kunai, not a ninja sword?"
Those who used ninja swords were most likely Cloud Ninja.
"It was a Kunai, not a ninja sword."
Captain Azure Wolf said, "Keep using Shadow Clones to enter the town and gather intelligence."
After using Shadow Clones several times in a row, every single one was destroyed.
Yagami panted heavily, his entire body aching as he sat on the ground.
Chakra was formed from a mixture of physical and spiritual energy. After extracting too much Chakra, lactic acid accumulated in the body's cells, leaving him sore all over as if he had run five kilometers.
Captain Azure Wolf glanced at the useless Fox with disgust. "Continue, Fox. Don't slack off. We're still far from having enough intelligence. After more than ten attempts, you haven't even seen the enemy's face."
Yagami had no choice but to raise his hand again, extract Chakra, and use a Shadow Clone.
This technique consumed half his Chakra every time. Combined with the Transformation Jutsu, it rapidly depleted the little Chakra he had.
The key was that Captain Azure Wolf would not even give him a chance to rest. Other than a nuclear-powered donkey, who could keep working nonstop?
After the Shadow Clone appeared, it headed into the town.
A sudden rustling came from the forest behind them!
Six figures emerged from the dense woods behind them—six Uzumaki Ninja!
After repeatedly discovering suspicious people, they had already identified the hiding place of the three ANBU.
The battle instantly reached a fever pitch.
However, the three Konoha ANBU were weaker than the Uzumaki Ninja.
Yagami wanted to shout that he was Konoha ANBU, not a Cloud Ninja. But the Cloud Ninja disguise he wore made him feel that even if he shouted it, it would be useless.
Captain Azure Wolf wielded a long blade, constantly pressing the Uzumaki Ninja, hoping to obtain more intelligence and learn whether they possessed Sealing Scrolls.
A summoned spider hiding in the shadows bit Captain Azure Wolf.
Under the effects of the poison, Captain Azure Wolf immediately began to stagger.
Konoha and Uzu Hidden Village were allies. Captain Azure Wolf was tight-lipped, refusing to reveal his true identity even at death.
More than ten seconds later, the three Konoha ANBU were killed one after another by the Uzumaki Ninja.
A Kunai stabbed into Yagami's lower back.
That familiar feeling—his previous Shadow Clones had all been killed by Uzumaki Ninja attacking from behind.
The Uzumaki Ninja behind him twisted the Kunai, stirring Yagami's intestines into a vortex.
His vision went black, then shifted.
Yagami panted heavily as he revived.
He crouched atop a reef.
On the distant beach, Brown Bear Squad Commander and Captain Antelope were discussing some unknown mission.
He had returned to the night of the full moon, when Captain Antelope was still alive.
Yagami crouched on the reef and calculated carefully.
**Arc of the Crescent Moon activated!** The host has one revival opportunity per month. After death, the host will revive on the previous night of the full moon. Reward: one drawing opportunity: 1—Sealing Jutsu: Object Sealing (Beginner); 2—Chunin-level Chakra (stackable); 3—Kunai Stab (Mastery).
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