The Feel Was Off

Late on the night of the fourth, a carriage left the Senju Clan Compound.

The carriage doors and windows were tightly shut.

There were only two people inside: the aged Uzumaki Mito and the young Uzumaki Princess, Kushina.

Senju Rin, Tsunade, and every jonin of the Senju Clan followed in the darkness.

Behind the Senju group was Konoha ANBU.

Yagami thought, Was the transfer of the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki finally beginning?

To prevent the Nine-Tails from going berserk and destroying the village, the higher-ups and the Senju Clan had decided to carry out the crucial sealing transfer on Ushioka Mountain, ten kilometers northwest of the village.

Yagami looked at the carriage in the middle of the road.

If he died at Uzumaki Mito's hands, would he draw some absurdly powerful ability?

The Uzumaki Sage Body? The Uzumaki Sealing Secret Technique? Or perhaps even some of the Nine-Tails' abilities?

Just thinking about it made him a little excited.

Today was the fourth, eleven days away from the full moon on the fifteenth. If he deliberately got himself killed, he would have to survive for eleven days after reviving.

With the current tense atmosphere in ANBU, eleven days would not be easy to endure. If he died on some ANBU mission, that would be troublesome.

Living longer was what truly mattered. It was best not to take risks.

As Yagami's thoughts wandered, the Black Gorilla Squad Commander fell back from the front of the ANBU force and turned to signal the three squads behind him.

The Black Gorilla Squad left the main force and accelerated northward.

Yagami turned back and glanced at Uzumaki Mito's carriage in confusion. What was their squad going to do?

Not only the Black Gorilla Squad, but two other squads also split off and vanished in different directions.

After traveling several kilometers, the Black Gorilla Squad Commander gathered the squad leaders and said:

"All three of your squads have secretly relayed intelligence outward: the Senju Clan will hold a funeral for Uzumaki Mito tomorrow.

According to border intelligence, an extremely powerful force broke through the blockade at the Land of Fire's border and entered the heartland of the Land of Fire.

Our squad's mission is to find that force, confirm their identities, and determine whether their objective is Uzumaki Mito.

White Ram, your squad will be the main reconnaissance force. The other two squads will handle combat."

The ninja wearing the White Ram mask came from the Hyuga Clan and was a reconnaissance ninja the Black Gorilla Squad Commander had gone to great lengths to secure.

The Black Gorilla Squad arrived at Ushioka Mountain ahead of time and used it as a starting point to scout the surrounding area.

An hour later, White Ram suddenly made a hand signal.

Four suspicious people had been spotted at the nine o'clock direction!

Their Chakra Quantity was immense, and they were moving quickly.

The Black Gorilla Squad hurried over to determine the suspicious individuals' identities.

When a large ninja force marched, it would scatter many intelligence ninjas to gather information and detect enemies in advance.

Those four suspicious people were likely a Reconnaissance Squad sent ahead of an invading force.

The Black Gorilla Squad quickly closed in.

The White Ram Squad was at the rear, with the Fox Squad and Leaf Monkey Squad on either flank, while the Black Gorilla Squad Commander stood in the center.

White Ram shouted, "The enemy has spotted us! They've changed direction and are coming toward us!"

Kurozaru said:

"This is the heartland of the Land of Fire. Don't waste time. Fight with everything you have and crush them in one blow!

Purple Cat, get ready! Extract intelligence from the brains of the corpses!"

Purple Cat, who had been called out, was a little nervous.

This was her first time encountering a powerful enemy since joining ANBU.

Any enemy capable of breaking through the border defenses and penetrating deep into the Land of Fire had to be formidable.

"They're here! It's Earth Style: Earth Dragon!"

A massive earthen dragon roared toward them, smashing more than ten large trees along its path.

What a terrifying ninjutsu.

That technique alone proved that there was a jonin on the other side!

Other than jonin directly under the higher-ups, most jonin had personal ambitions and would not remain in ANBU for long, hiding their identities.

Jonin preferred to walk in the sunlight, accumulating mission records and prestige.

ANBU was absolutely loyal, but it did not have many jonin.

Facing a jonin, even Kurozaru felt uneasy. He was a Special Jonin, still some distance away from becoming a jonin.

Uneasy or not, he could not retreat.

They each leaped to the sides, dodging the Earth Dragon charging at them from afar.

The Black Gorilla Squad was separated by the Earth Dragon.

To the north of the Earth Dragon were the Black Gorilla Squad Commander and the Leaf Monkey Squad; to the south were the Fox Squad and White Ram Squad.

"Not good!"

Three enemies suddenly emerged from the other side of the Earth Dragon and charged at the Black Gorilla Squad Commander.

A full squad was highly capable in battle, but half a squad facing a team led by a jonin was extremely dangerous.

Yagami and White Ram jumped at the same time, leading their respective squads over to the other side of the Earth Dragon.

The back of the Earth Dragon suddenly arched, sending the Fox Squad and White Ram Squad flying.

The ninjas from both squads tumbled through the air.

Yagami and White Ram adjusted their bodies midair and landed steadily. The weaker members crashed to the ground in disarray.

White Ram stared resolutely at the relaxed Stone Ninja jonin across from them and said:

"Fox, you are the strongest in close combat. All of us will risk our lives to give you one chance to strike."

"Alright."

On the other side, the Black Gorilla Squad Commander and the Leaf Monkey Squad were locked in battle with three Stone Ninjas.

They had to reunite with the squad commander, or they would be defeated one by one.

Purple Cat and another ANBU member handled long-range kunai throws while White Ram charged forward first.

"Earth Release: Earth Spear!"

The Stone Ninja jonin formed Hand Seals, and four stone spears shot out from the ground in an instant.

"Eight Trigrams Palm: Revolving Heaven!"

White Ram was very strong and used the Hyuga Clan's secret technique, Eight Trigrams Palm: Revolving Heaven.

The Earth Spears struck the hemispherical Chakra barrier of the Eight Trigrams Palm: Revolving Heaven and shattered one after another.

The Stone Ninja jonin was greatly interested. He had not expected to encounter a Hyuga ninja of such considerable strength.

Without lowering his hands, he sent wave after wave of Earth Spears stabbing forth.

The ground instantly became like a hedgehog, filled with Earth Spears protruding everywhere or waiting beneath the surface like bamboo shoots.

White Ram quickened his pace and used Eight Trigrams Palm: Revolving Heaven again, shattering several more Earth Spears.

However, a jonin's ninjutsu was not easy to break. After using Eight Trigrams Palm: Revolving Heaven twice in succession, White Ram was already panting heavily.

Facing the Earth Spears that came one after another, White Ram drew upon his Chakra again and painfully unleashed a third Eight Trigrams Palm: Revolving Heaven.

This time, one Earth Spear pierced through the Eight Trigrams Palm: Revolving Heaven and impaled White Ram through the abdomen.

"Keep charging!"

An ANBU member stepped on White Ram's shoulder and leaped toward the Stone Ninja jonin.

He had barely flown any distance before an Earth Spear pierced through his abdomen.

Yagami leaped immediately after him, stepping on the back of the dead ANBU member's body in midair and continuing toward the Stone Ninja jonin.

Catching the gap between the Stone Ninja jonin's techniques, Yagami finally reached him.

His ninja blade slashed down viciously.

The Stone Ninja jonin finally released his Hand Seals and raised an arm to block the ninja blade. A metal bracer covered his arm.

"Cloud Style Swordsmanship!"

At the final instant of the downward slash, Yagami's blade suddenly shifted into a diagonal cut, slicing toward the Stone Ninja jonin's neck.

The essence of Cloud Style Swordsmanship was to alter the move as late as possible—so late that the opponent could not predict or react to it at all.

His eyes lit up!

The ninja blade struck the Stone Ninja jonin's neck.

Long-range kunai interference, White Ram draining all his Chakra, and an ANBU member serving as a stepping stone had finally won them one chance to strike.

Yet Yagami immediately experienced what true despair was.

The feel was off!

That was not how it should have felt to cut through a throat.

The Stone Ninja jonin suddenly went limp and turned into a puddle of mud.

Earth Substitution!

The A-rank Substitution Technique favored even by the Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen!

The Stone Ninja jonin's figure suddenly appeared behind Yagami.

Yagami sharply bent at the waist, dodging the kunai the Stone Ninja jonin thrust toward his lower back.

That level of reaction speed was already astonishing.

However, Yagami could dodge a jonin's first strike, but not his second.

An Earth Spear erupted from the ground and pierced through Yagami's chest.

Detected host death. Arc of the Crescent Moon is activating...

If I died during outer reconnaissance, what would happen to the main battlefield?