The Anbu had been waiting inside the barrier for over ten days for this very moment.
When the forces inside Hidden Eddy Village were at their weakest—after they had worn each other down—the Anbu finally moved.
Behind his mask, Yagami frowned.
That old bastard Danzo hadn't joined the vanguard at all. He was hiding at the very back.
No wonder the Second Hokage, Senju Tobirama, never let Danzo become Hokage. His "Will of Fire" was pathetic. He didn't know a thing about sacrifice for his comrades—only how to send others ahead to test the enemy while he stayed behind to reap the rewards.
The first to charge was Captain Yellow Dog, which put Yagami closer to the front than he would have liked.
That night felt endless, but for the Uzumaki clan, it finally brought hope.
They saw Leaf ninja at last!
From their point of view, it looked as if the Leaf shinobi had just come over the mountain, storming down toward them.
Inside the shrine, the elderly, the women, and the children wept with red, swollen eyes. They had finally waited long enough for the Leaf's reinforcements.
But after a while, they noticed something strange.
The Hidden Leaf forces weren't increasing.
Where was everyone else?
Why were there so few of them? Shouldn't there be a thousand Leaf shinobi clashing against the Mist and Cloud alliance in an all-out war?
Yagami followed Captain Yellow Dog into the ruined village.
Corpses lay everywhere—some drowned in Water Release, some cut down by Cloud ninja blades, others slain by Mist ninjutsu.
As they passed a wall, Yagami caught sight of something horrific—a body crushed completely flat by a high-pressure Water Release.
The man's head was caved into an oval shape, his chest fused with his back, broken ribs jutting from the side.
That Water Release was powerful, dense, almost solid—a technique similar to Water Dragon Jutsu.
The houses nearby were half-burned, yet the ground was soaked and muddy from jutsu residue.
Fire and water—utter chaos.
As they crossed the central river, Yagami glanced toward the area where the Third Mizukage had fallen.
The Mizukage was dead, his body guarded by three Mist squads.
As for the Uzumaki clan head, his corpse had been nailed to a boat—humiliated beyond words.
Fall behind, and you get trampled. Be weak, and you get desecrated.
Some Leaf teams rushed toward the Mizukage's remains, hoping to eliminate the Mist squads and seize the corpse.
The body of a Kage held incredible secrets. If they could analyze it, they might uncover the mystery behind that terrifying secret technique.
The Uzumaki clan head's body was also valuable—perhaps it still held clues to their sealing arts.
But all around, the aftermath of the battle was gruesome—flesh melted into blood, the sight too horrifying to describe.
Yagami stayed close behind Captain Black Ape, continuing to advance.
The farther north they went, the more Uzumaki corpses they saw.
Like Leaf shinobi, they too bore the spiral crest on their backs.
So many redheads, all lying lifeless in the mud. The Uzumaki were one of the great clans of the Land of Whirlpools, thousands strong.
By the time the Konoha Anbu reached the north bank, the Mist still hadn't reacted—they were too consumed by madness, slaughtering every Uzumaki in sight.
The Cloud shinobi, however, quickly shifted their formation, wary of the Leaf, moving to protect their rear lines.
Captain Yellow Dog rapidly formed hand seals and unleashed a massive Fire Release.
A blazing inferno erupted, swallowing over a dozen buildings in a wave of searing flame.
That jutsu… Yagami suspected Yellow Dog might be from the Sarutobi clan.
The Cloud shinobi leaped frantically to dodge the sea of fire.
Meanwhile, two other Anbu squads flanked them from both sides, pinning them down so they couldn't regroup.
Yellow Dog's unit charged forward, using the blazing fireball as cover, breaking straight through the Cloud formation.
Yagami's eyes darted left and right, his body moving fast—they had already pushed deep into enemy territory.
Before long, Yellow Dog's squad reached the open space between the Mist and Cloud forces.
The Mist were still ignoring everything else, driven insane with grief and rage, killing every remaining Uzumaki to avenge their fallen Mizukage.
That gave Yellow Dog's squad an opening to push quickly toward the Four Violet Flames Formation barrier.
"Fox! Cover the rear!"
Hearing Captain Black Ape's order, Yagami had no choice but to slow down, falling to the back of the formation.
Behind them, Cloud shinobi were closing in fast.
Their swordsmanship was fierce—every strike came with deadly precision. But Yagami had sharp instincts. He could read the enemy's movements, parrying and countering just in time.
After cutting down two Cloud ninja, Yagami's skill caught the attention of a squad leader.
He hadn't expected a Leaf shinobi with such solid fundamentals in kenjutsu.
The Cloud squad leader charged, blade raised high, and brought it down with full force.
Yagami reacted instantly, raising his sword to block—
But the expected clang of steel never came.
The Cloud ninja's shoulder, elbow, and wrist twisted unnaturally fast, turning the downward strike into a sudden horizontal slash!
Yagami's abdomen tensed—
His iron vest split open, and the blade sliced across his stomach, cutting through skin and muscle.
Blood poured down his waist in a hot stream.
That sword technique… was terrifying.
The Cloud squad leader's movements were strange and unpredictable—not a beginner's sword style at all. It carried a deadly rhythm.
He swung again, another horizontal slash.
Yagami brought his sword up to defend—
But again, the joints and muscles of the man's arm shifted mid-swing, changing direction in an instant. The horizontal cut turned into a sudden thrust.
Steel pierced Yagami's thigh. Blood sprayed out more than a meter.
After just three exchanges, Yagami realized in horror that he hadn't even managed to touch the enemy's blade once.
And then, the final strike—
A thrust to the throat.
Yagami fell lifeless on the rooftop.
Lying face-up, his waist pressed against the ridge beam, he gazed up at an upside-down world—
The shattered Hidden Eddy Village… the trembling violet barrier… and streets lined with corpses, young and old alike.
He was one of them now.
Danzo walked leisurely down the street, completely oblivious to the freshly slain Anbu lying just meters away—one wearing a fox mask.
...
The world went black.
Then the full moon shone in Yagami's eyes. His vision cleared, awareness returning.
He was back on the mountain, hidden within the invisibility barrier overlooking the village.
In his previous life, he had lain in wait for nearly ten days, only to die in seconds during that final charge—cut down by the Cloud squad leader.
[Arc of the Moonlight activated!]
The host may resurrect once per lunar cycle. Upon death, revival occurs under the full moon.
Reward: one random draw —
1. Lightning-nature chakra
2. Chūnin-level chakra reserves (stackable)
3. Cloud-Style Swordsmanship (Basic Mastery)
Lightning-nature chakra was tempting, but Yagami set it aside. The other two options were far more appealing.
Chūnin-level chakra would be incredibly useful—he desperately needed more reserves.
But Cloud-Style Swordsmanship…
He remembered that name from the original story. Omoi of the Hidden Cloud had used it—a deceptive, fluid sword style designed to confuse and mislead opponents.
In his previous life, that same technique had killed him.
He hadn't even been able to touch his opponent's blade. Every swing had landed cleanly against his flesh and blood.
After a long moment of thought, Yagami made his choice.
He picked Cloud-Style Swordsmanship.
In an instant, knowledge flooded his mind—his body understanding movements that words couldn't explain.
Lying prone on the ground, observing Hidden Eddy Village through his telescope, Yagami felt his muscles and joints shifting slightly, adapting to the new technique.
Cloud-Style Swordsmanship was exactly as he expected—a sword art that relied on flexibility and deception.
During each swing, the waist, shoulders, elbows, and wrists twist fluidly to alter the blade's path, misleading opponents and bypassing their guard to strike at their weak points.
When mastered to its peak, the wielder's arms move as freely and gracefully as drifting clouds—hence its name.
With this, Yagami thought, at least he wouldn't die so quickly next time.
Already, his joints felt looser, his movements smoother, more fluid.