At the very top floor of the fortress was the commanding officer's office.
Everyone loved privilege—even Iwa jōnin. That very mindset helped Yako locate the Iwa squad leader without delay.
The Iwa commander immediately began forming hand seals.
Yako's eyes narrowed. He recognized the seal instantly.
Earth Release: Earth Spire Spear?
Instinctively, he mirrored the seal.
But to his surprise, the Iwa jōnin only used a single seal, unleashing Earth Spire Spear a split second faster.
'He's modified the technique… streamlined the hand seals?
Impressive. I kind of like your Earth Spire Spear…'
Yako's own spikes had just begun rising from the ground when a spear pierced directly toward his chest.
'Such powerful Earth Release!'
But the next moment, the Iwa commander's expression froze in disbelief.
The hardened earthen spear had shattered against Yako's skin.
His flesh was like burnished red copper—the spear simply couldn't pierce through.
Despite landing the first blow, his prideful mastery of Earth Spire Spear had failed to kill the enemy.
Yako realized he was outmatched in Earth Release and immediately switched tactics.
He darted forward, weaving a hidden hand seal mid-charge.
The Iwa jōnin raised a fist to smash the supposed Suna intruder, only to find—
His body wouldn't move.
A sealing array expanded from Yako's feet—Self-Binding Curse Mark spread like creeping ink, snaring the Iwa ninja's legs, then his torso.
Clang! Clang!
Someone knocked at the door. ANBU from the fortress had noticed the disturbance.
Yako responded with a modified Earth-Style Wall, reinforcing the door with solid stone.
He turned back and began rifling through the office for documents.
In no time, he found a defense layout scroll—detailing each floor's patrol squads.
He scanned until he found the Barrier Squad's position.
'Just one floor below me.'
Yako raised his foot and smashed through the floorboards, dropping to the third floor.
There, three Iwa shinobi were mid-formation, maintaining a barrier jutsu.
Yako killed them instantly.
Before the squad leader died, his gaze flicked toward a scroll on the wall.
A death reflex—unfiltered by thought—must've meant it was important.
Yako leapt to the scroll rack and grabbed the marked scroll.
Inside was the barrier's technique layout—a Soil Pulse Barrier spanning 200 meters around the fortress.
It responded to any vibration, whether from movement on the surface or digging underground.
That's how he'd been caught.
Yako burned the barrier's layout into memory.
Then, right there on the spot, he began studying it.
—
A few minutes later—BOOM!—an explosion shattered the floorboards behind him.
The Iwa commander had broken free of the seal and landed on the third floor.
"Suna shinobi! The war is over! Do you intend to start another war?!"
Another Earth Spire Spear fired at Yako. He didn't turn.
He heard the whistle of the spear—and deactivated Bronze Light, his natural defense.
The spear pierced straight through his throat.
[Death detected. Activating Arc of the Waning Moon...]
—
The world spun.
Yako opened his eyes.
He was five days in the past, watching his four squads rehearse flanking and escape maneuvers.
'In my last run… I met a master of Earth Release and scouted out fortress intel.'
[Arc of the Waning Moon Activated.
You may revive once per lunar cycle—resurrecting at the last full moon.
You've earned one draw reward:
Jonin-level Chakra Reserves (Stackable)
Earth Release: Rock Fist (Basic)
Earth Release: Earth Spire Spear (Mastery)]
The first option—Jonin-level chakra—he immediately rejected.
His natural growth would eventually push his chakra ceiling to max. That would be the time to use the system's help—not now.
The second option, Rock Fist, a taijutsu move using stone to enhance punches—was inferior to his Bronze Light-enhanced fists.
The third one caught his eye.
'Finally, another Mastery-level jutsu!'
When Self-Binding Curse Mark advanced to Mastery, the seals were reduced from three to one—casting speed skyrocketed. It became a core technique in his arsenal.
He chose option three.
Knowledge surged into his mind.
By channeling Earth-nature chakra along a special pathway, he could reduce two hand seals, casting Earth Spire Spear with just one.
Yako formed a single seal—and four earthen spikes erupted instantly, all crossing at a precise impact point.
Beside him, Purple Cat flinched in surprise.
Why had he suddenly fired off ninjutsu mid-observation?
But then she realized—
He had used just one seal!
'What the…?
Captain Fox is a damn Earth Release genius… he modified Earth Spire Spear?!'
Yako turned to her.
"I'm heading out on a recon trip. While I'm gone, keep training hard."
"Understood, Captain."
—
After leaving, he found a quiet location and summoned White Porcelain and White Glaze.
"White Glaze—reverse summon me to Uzumaki Yuka. I need her help."
When he looked at White Porcelain, it nodded immediately.
"I'll stay hidden here—turning to stone. When I sense your chakra, I'll reverse summon you back."
Yako grinned. Having the GiantStone Panda Clan as allies was absurdly convenient.
In a flash of smoke, he was pulled to the rainforest southwest of the Land of Rain.
From the dry highlands to the misty jungle—the sudden humidity threw him off.
He stood outside the hollowed tree where he and Yuka often met.
Yuka leapt into his arms.
"Fox! You've got time off again?"
He hugged her back.
"Not exactly. I need your sealing expertise—there's a barrier I need you to break."
At his seriousness, Yuka's demeanor shifted.
She led him inside the tree.
White Glaze scratched its head awkwardly before quietly leaving.
When Mom and Dad started doing things, they always kicked him out.
Inside, Yako shared everything he remembered about the Soil Pulse Barrier.
Barrier techniques were a special class of sealing arts, using chakra to form complex formulas and patterns for a desired effect.
Yuka took three hours to decode the runes Yako drew, eventually reproducing a crude replica of the barrier.
After two more days, she developed a custom chakra seal etched to the soles of the feet, capable of dampening seismic feedback.
When mentally exhausted, she'd pull Yako in to… "recharge her creativity."
Mental fatigue, she claimed, required hormonal stimulation.
For the sake of the mission, Yako surrendered his body again and again to her overwhelming demands.
At last, she handed him the completed seal.
"This is the Seismic Dampening Sigil. With it, you'll slip right through the Soil Pulse Barrier."
Yako kissed her cheek.
"Amazing. You're really a genius, you know?
If Iwa's Barrier Corps had you, they'd be unstoppable."