Chasing a Girl Under the Moon

Just like in his previous life, Yagami spotted a Cloud Ninja spy while drinking at the Izakaya.

The plot had not changed.

Yagami wolfed down all the meat, left the Izakaya, and headed straight for the Forest of Death.

There would be no chance of resurrection in this life, so he had to be more careful. He could not rush into action alone.

If he could not win, then he would call for backup.

Now that he knew the plot, how could a few Cloud Ninja suppress him in Konoha?

After entering the ANBU underground base in the Forest of Death, Yagami found that luck was on his side. Kurozaru was there.

"Squad Commander, I found a Cloud Ninja spy. I have studied Cloud Ninja swordsmanship, and I am certain that his arms bear the marks of practicing swordsmanship for ten years."

Kurozaru did not doubt him and summoned his subordinates.

The squad was on rotation break, and only three ANBU members were resting in the squad's changing room after training.

The ANBU training grounds had an unlimited supply of kunai and shuriken, with people specifically assigned to clear targets and retrieve weapons. As a result, many ANBU members trained here during their free time.

If they were lucky, some ANBU members would kindly offer guidance to others, allowing them to improve even faster.

One of them was Yagami's squad member, Purple Cat.

Purple Cat ignored her exhaustion and hurriedly put on her gear.

Yagami gave Purple Cat another look.

Purple Cat was a female ninja with a curvaceous figure. Her face was hidden behind a mask, yet it was already clear that she was beautiful.

Kurozaru, Yagami, and three other ANBU members left the Forest of Death.

After waiting outside Tsurutsuki Izakaya for half an hour, they finally saw the Cloud Ninja spy.

The Cloud Ninja spy headed northwest of the village, toward the park outside the Senju Clan Compound.

Near the park, Kurozaru spotted ANBU members within the woods.

"There are ANBU comrades there. That's... the squad assigned to guard the Uzumaki Princess?"

The Cloud Ninja spy who had infiltrated the new ANBU recruits suddenly launched an attack.

The guarding squad fell into chaos. Many people could not tell whether those beside them were comrades or spies, and their movements became sluggish.

Yagami stopped Kurozaru, who was about to join the battle. "Squad Commander! Look toward the Uzumaki Princess!"

Several Cloud Ninja spies killed a young Senju Clan girl and abducted the Uzumaki Princess.

Kurozaru hurriedly said, "This is bad! They were after the Uzumaki Princess! We need to save her first!"

With Kurozaru directing the team, their pace was not very fast.

Yagami noticed that ever since losing his left arm, Kurozaru had become more cautious in his actions. He was not decisive enough in pursuit.

Once the Cloud Ninja and the Uzumaki Princess vanished into the darkness, Kurozaru ordered the others to circle around and investigate the surrounding area. These measures slowed them down.

When they reached the Konoha wall, Yagami saw a blond child crawl through a hole in it.

This time, he landed behind Minato Namikaze.

Minato Namikaze crawled out through the hole and continued following the traces of red hair.

More and more strands of hair gathered in his hand.

Seeing so much hair torn out was enough to make one's heart ache. That girl's will to survive was strong.

Soon, Minato Namikaze spotted figures ahead.

Three Cloud Ninja, along with the bound Uzumaki Kushina.

One Cloud Ninja noticed Minato Namikaze behind them and turned to hold him off, buying time for the others.

Seeing that he was only a half-grown child, the Cloud Ninja felt contemptuous.

Kumogakure's Spy System had operated in Konoha for more than a decade. Tonight, every agent had mobilized for one purpose: abducting the Uzumaki Princess.

Yet the first person from Konoha to catch up was just a child.

A child who had not even graduated from the Ninja Academy could...

Pfft!

The Cloud Ninja stared in shock at the kunai in his waist.

The Konoha child had moved so quickly. With one dodge and one thrust, he had killed him?

Not far away, Kurozaru also stared in surprise at that blond brat.

A genius. His talent was visible to the naked eye.

His taijutsu was clean and efficient, his movements swift. More importantly, he possessed the will and mentality to kill.

For such a young child to kill without the slightest hesitation, he was a born ninja.

Kurozaru felt that when he wrote the mission report tonight, he needed to give this genius a proper mention.

A Ninja Academy student like this was worth the village's serious investment.

Minato Namikaze watched the enemies before him carefully, guarding against their movements.

He had been able to instantly kill one Cloud Ninja earlier only because the enemy had underestimated him. He would not get such a good opportunity again.

Minato Namikaze froze for a moment.

The Cloud Ninja before him abruptly turned and slashed his blade toward the lower side.

An ANBU ninja wearing a fox mask emerged from the ground at that angle.

Earth Style?

And a stealth-type Earth Style at that.

The Fox Anbu moved with extraordinary agility, charging straight into the Cloud Ninja's embrace.

Their blades each pierced out from behind the other's body.

However, the blade behind the Cloud Ninja was stained with blood, while the blade behind the Fox Anbu was completely clean.

Minato Namikaze's eyes lit up. The Fox Anbu's reaction was incredibly fast.

The Cloud Ninja's blade passed through between the Fox Anbu's left ribs and arm. It looked dangerous, but he had not been injured at all.

Yagami withdrew his blade, and the Cloud Ninja collapsed.

Seeing Captain Fox dispatch an enemy so cleanly, Purple Cat felt a little more at ease.

Everyone in her family said that joining ANBU was extremely dangerous. If she could follow such a formidable squad leader as Fox, she should be able to survive, right?

Yagami did not know that he had gained a fangirl behind him. He looked toward Uzumaki Kushina.

Chasing a girl under the moon—could this script be handed to him instead?

The Cloud Ninja spies were not particularly strong. They had not reached jonin level, so it was not as though he had no chance.

So what if they were the original pairing? Aside from being weaker than Minato Namikaze, having a less sunny smile, and lower potential, where did this transmigrator fall short?

If he could become a couple with the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, would the village not provide for him with the finest food and drink?

The thought alone made him a little happy.

Yagami charged at the last Cloud Ninja.

Just as he clashed with the final Cloud Ninja, his gaze passed over the man's shoulder, and he saw Minato Namikaze already carrying Uzumaki Kushina around the waist.

Huh?

Damn it, why was Minato Namikaze so fast?

He had not even graduated from the Ninja Academy, yet he was already absurdly strong.

Holding Uzumaki Kushina, Minato Namikaze leaped to higher ground, away from the battle below.

The huge moon shone down upon them, making their blond and red hair especially conspicuous.

Yagami's dream of chasing a girl under the moon shattered before it could even begin.

Kurozaru arrived and, with Yagami on one side and himself on the other, killed the last Cloud Ninja spy.

Kurozaru said to Minato Namikaze, "Come down! We are Konoha Anbu. Put down the Uzumaki Princess!"

Hearing this, Minato Namikaze carried Uzumaki Kushina down to the ground.

"Uzumaki Princess, return to the village with us. You are to meet Lord Danzo."

The moment Uzumaki Kushina heard that she had to meet the Konoha higher-up with the X-shaped scar on his chin, she hid behind Minato Namikaze in fright.

"I... I don't want to see Danzo. I want to see Uncle Rinmoku!"

Minato Namikaze spoke up to mediate. "Let's return to the village, Kushina. The most urgent thing is getting back first."

Kurozaru was somewhat surprised. This blond brat knew when to advance and when to retreat. He understood that returning to the village was the most important matter right now and immediately persuaded the Uzumaki Princess.

The group returned to Konoha's main gate, where an entire ANBU unit had already gathered.

Seeing Uzumaki Kushina, Yellow Dog let out a sigh of relief.

When he saw Kurozaru bringing Uzumaki Kushina back, he said, "Kurozaru, come with me to the Hokage Building."

Kurozaru said, "Captain Commander, I hope to bring Fox along. Fox was the first to discover that something was wrong."

Yellow Dog nodded. "Fine. Fox will come too."

Throughout the battle at Uzu Hidden Village, Fox had fought from beginning to end. Whether in pre-battle reconnaissance or post-battle cleanup, he had performed well.

Fox was a subordinate Yellow Dog had focused on cultivating. In Yellow Dog's eyes, Fox was highly reliable and worthy of trust.