The battle on the wasteland left both the Hidden Leaf and Hidden Mist ninja suffering heavy casualties.
The two Anbu divisions that had just been established were once again devastated. If they combined what was left, they could barely form a single division.
Captain Black Ant returned to the Hidden Leaf to report, while Captain Yellow Dog reorganized the remaining men to search for surviving members of the Uzumaki Clan in the Land of Waves.
Captain Black Ape, who had lost an arm, now had new subordinates. Among them, Yagami's new squad had become his most trusted unit, always staying close by his side.
Over the past ten days, their unit had traveled across several ports in the Land of Waves, investigating and searching for any trace of the Uzumaki.
...
The full moon hung in the sky like a silver plate, its light spilling down like frost.
After a long and fruitless search, another full moon had come.
While they rested, Captain Black Ape handed Yagami the personnel scroll of the unit's new members.
Yagami unrolled it, seeing the names, ages, and abilities of more than a dozen team members.
These records helped the captain quickly familiarize himself with the team, making tactical planning easier.
"Captain," Yagami said, "the turnover rate in Anbu is too high. Since I joined, I've gone through several squad leaders and captains already."
"These new recruits are the same. After every battle, many die, and before the next, many new ones join."
Black Ape was supporting a large rock with one arm, training his muscles to recover strength as soon as possible. He replied,
"I heard that Lord Danzō plans to establish a new branch within the Anbu—Root.
Root's purpose will be to train Anbu recruits and strengthen their skills, to avoid these large-scale losses.
Honestly, Lord Danzō's proposal sounds great.
Even for me, I've already seen three division captains come and go since I joined. Captain Yellow Dog is truly strong—he's managed to stay in command for six months."
Ever since Yagami had found the one-armed Black Ape in the capital of the Land of Waves, the man had grown more and more friendly toward him.
That feeling of despair—waiting for death with a severed arm—had nearly driven Black Ape mad.
As they rested, Yagami suddenly heard an unusual splash of water.
"Enemy attack!"
With a shout, he sprang to his feet.
A water dragon burst out from the forest, gouging a deep trench across the ground.
The Water Dragon Bullet Technique—one of the signature jutsu of the Hidden Mist.
Black Ape jumped up as well, hurling the rock in his hand toward the trees.
Unknowingly, Yagami had already become the strongest squad leader in the unit.
The swordsmanship he'd honed in battles against Hidden Cloud ninja had earned the admiration of his team.
Basic sword techniques, the Cloud Flow style, combined with his lightning-fast reflexes—Yagami's taijutsu was exceptional even among chunin.
He drew a kunai with an explosive tag and threw it into the woods, then unsheathed his blade and charged forward.
He needed to acquire a water-natured chakra as soon as possible to deal with the Leaf's fire-style users.
Dodging past a large tree, Yagami saw a Hidden Mist Anbu who had just finished forming hand signs.
That fierce Water Dragon Bullet just now—it had come from him.
Other Leaf Anbu entered the forest as well, but Yagami's target was clear. He went straight for the Mist squad leader specializing in Water Style.
"Water Style: Water Formation Wall!"
Seeing the glint of Yagami's blade, the Mist ninja quickly used a defensive Water Style jutsu.
Black Ape entered the forest at that moment, surveying the situation.
The first thing he saw was Yagami's blade slashing against the Water Formation Wall.
That... was unbelievable. Yagami's swordsmanship was powerful, but slashing through ninjutsu with a blade? That was still hard to grasp.
Yagami's sword cut into the lower part of the Water Formation Wall, the flowing current forcing the blade upward.
Visually, it looked as though he had sliced diagonally through the stream itself.
The Mist ninja flinched in shock.
A kunai slipped through the opening in the flowing water, flying straight toward him.
The Mist ninja tried to dodge, but the kunai struck his shoulder.
Such a fast combo—how could this Leaf Anbu coordinate a sword strike and a kunai so seamlessly?
Was his reaction time really that fast?
Fortunately, the Mist squad leader still had a backup plan.
Recently, they had obtained several sealing techniques from the corpses of the Uzumaki Clan.
Injured in his right arm, he threw out a scroll with his left hand—one that sealed a vast quantity of seawater.
With a single hand sign, he released the seal. A massive surge of water burst forth, engulfing the Leaf ninja.
Yagami's expression darkened.
So the Mist weren't just using Water Style anymore—they were using sealing scrolls too.
When a whale dies, life blooms anew.
The fall of the Uzumaki Clan had allowed the Hidden Mist, the Hidden Leaf, and even the Hidden Cloud to advance in sealing arts.
As the seawater receded, Yagami found himself trapped inside a Water Prison.
Captain Black Ape tried to rescue him, but the Mist unit commander intercepted him.
No one knew how much time passed before Yagami drowned.
...
The moonlight shone on his pupils, and Yagami's once-lifeless eyes slowly regained focus.
He coughed violently, the suffocating feeling of drowning still fresh in his memory.
[Arc of the Moon activated!
The host has one revival opportunity per month and will resurrect under the full moon preceding death.
Reward: one lottery draw —
1. Water-nature chakra
2. Chunin-level chakra reserves (stackable)
3. Sealing Technique: Water Seal Formula]
The Water Seal Formula was the same sealing jutsu used by the Mist ninja to store vast quantities of seawater.
For a Water Style user, it was a tremendous advantage—no need to spend chakra to create water from nothing.
The chunin-level chakra capacity was tempting as well.
But Yagami chose the first option.
Those who fail to plan ahead are doomed to suffer later. He needed to prepare for future conflicts with the Leaf.
Water counters fire—he had to master it.
Chakra refined from the organs determined its nature.
He felt a warmth in his lower back, realizing that he could now consciously control his kidneys to refine chakra. When mixed with chakra refined from his muscles, it became water-natured chakra.
Naturally, earth-natured chakra came from the spleen.
The kidneys represent water, and the spleen represents earth.
To develop a new chakra nature, one had to stimulate an organ with chakra repeatedly—a risky process that could easily injure the body, with no guarantee of success.
Several days later, Yagami arrived at the forest where his unit was stationed.
This time, he was more alert. The moment the Water Dragon Bullet appeared, he warned the entire squad, buying himself half a second.
Using that time, Yagami formed the seal for a Shadow Clone.
He used the clone to test the enemy's moves while his true body ambushed from behind, gravely injuring the Mist's Water Style user.
In the ensuing battle, Yagami swiftly cut down three Mist ninja with his swordsmanship.
Once again, his strength earned the full recognition of Captain Black Ape and the team.
After the fight, Yagami hoisted one of the Mist ninja onto his shoulder and left the scene.
Black Ape asked curiously, "Is there something special about that one?"
Yagami didn't hide it.
"Captain, I recently discovered I can refine water-nature chakra. It's become my second chakra element.
Tonight, I want to see if I can extract some Water Style techniques from him."
Black Ape didn't object.
Yagami had single-handedly wiped out an entire Mist squad—his strength was outstanding among chunin.
Strong people earned privileges.
Interrogating a Mist ninja was normal for Anbu, and they might even extract more valuable intel.
Learning ninjutsu from captives was a common way for Leaf ninja to expand their skills.
It took Yagami four hours to make the Mist ninja talk—and grant him a clean death.
From him, Yagami obtained the Water Style: Water Formation Wall.
Mastering this one jutsu would be enough to handle the Leaf's Fire Style users.
***
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