Yagami's vision shifted, and the world before him changed once again—he was back on that full moon night.
He was perched atop a tall tree, hidden within the dense branches, watching the Senju clan's compound from afar.
Damn it… the Anbu missions were too dangerous. He hadn't even managed to witness the Nine-Tails' sealing transfer before dying during reconnaissance.
Every month he had to tread carefully—never once had he lived peacefully from one full moon to the next. Since crossing into this world, he hadn't even gotten a chance to draw a reward willingly.
...
[Arc of the Moon activated!]
The host has only one revival opportunity per month. Upon death, revival will occur on the night of the previous full moon.
Reward: One Lottery Draw
1. B-Rank Earth Release: Earth Spear (Beginner)
2. Physique: Great Stone Body (Strength Enhancement)
3. A-Rank Earth Release: Earth Substitution (Beginner)
...
His first chakra nature was Earth, and all three choices matched him perfectly—it was a tough decision.
B-Rank Earth Release: Earth Spear created sharp, solid stone spikes to impale enemies.
Currently, Yagami only had one Earth Release technique for escaping—Earth Release: Hiding Like a Mole Technique. The Earth Spear would give him an offensive jutsu to complement it.
If he chose it, he could finally launch mid-range attacks and expand his combat repertoire.
The second option, Physique: Great Stone Body, would strengthen his physical power.
Many stone shinobi were large, heavily muscled, and incredibly strong—it was clear they trained their bodies relentlessly.
With this enhancement, his overall physique would be reinforced.
The third option, A-Rank Earth Release: Earth Substitution...
He recalled the fight from before his last death.
When he leaped at the Stone jonin, the man had still been maintaining a dense forest of Earth Spears. There was no doubt he had been the real body—not a clone or substitution.
When Yagami's blade struck down, the jonin had raised an armored forearm to block.
Then, without sound or sign, the jonin had used Earth Substitution, vanishing in a way that felt eerie and supernatural.
After some hesitation, Yagami chose the third reward.
To survive meant to fight another day—defense was the best offense. Improving survivability came first.
So far, he had always died before each full moon.
He desperately wanted to make it to the 14th—wanted to choose his own death for once.
If he could live through an entire month, he could pick a target on the 14th and draw a powerful ability.
The Senju patriarch, the Uchiha patriarch, the Third Hokage… any of them could yield immense power.
But every time, he died before that day came.
Yagami was extremely cautious. After every death, he became even more careful—avoiding danger and waiting out each full moon.
A-Rank Earth Substitution—a top-tier technique among substitution jutsu.
As soon as he made his choice, his eyelids grew heavy.
Information about the jutsu flowed straight into his mind.
...Jackpot. He'd really hit the jackpot this time.
Earth Substitution was far stronger than he expected.
By channeling chakra into the ground beneath his feet, the user could instantly swap places with that portion of earth the moment danger struck—completely evading damage and escaping attacks.
Among substitution techniques, this was easily top-class.
The D-Rank Substitution Jutsu required tricking the enemy—using a Transformation Jutsu to disguise a log as oneself and retreating while their sight was blocked.
Its success hinged entirely on timing and deception.
But Earth Substitution required no such preparation. It worked like flipping a switch—instantly exchanging positions with the soil below.
Only half a "Boar" hand sign was needed to trigger it.
Silent. Swift. Hard to predict. Low chakra cost.
Paired with Hiding Like a Mole Technique, Yagami could now execute perfect ambush strategies—bait, hide, strike from behind.
...
Just like before, in the days that followed, the Fox Squad leaked information about Uzumaki Mito's funeral through a female Senju kunoichi.
The girl in the Purple Cat mask had long harbored feelings for Yagami, blushing every time he smiled at her.
Men were creatures of fleeting interest, after all. Mesmerized by her youthful charm, Yagami hadn't visited the tavern owner, Qiaoyi, in days.
Later, the Fox Squad was assigned to hunt down a rogue from the Yamanaka clan.
This time, Yagami didn't waste expensive explosive tags—he used Earth Release to ambush and kill four unguarded Yamanaka shinobi underground.
He was better prepared now, and Black Bull survived this time.
Being able to relive each month had its perks—his squad's survival rate improved noticeably.
...
On the night of the fourth day, Uzumaki Mito and Uzumaki Kushina left the village quietly in a carriage.
The Black Ape Unit was sent to gather intel.
But this time, Yagami already knew much of what was coming.
A surge of stone erupted ahead—Earth Dragon Spears, barreling toward the Black Ape Unit.
The Fox Squad and White Sheep Squad were isolated on one side, while the Black Ape captain and Monkey Squad were cut off on the other.
White Ram risked everything—three uses of Rotation and the life of one teammate—to buy Fox Squad a chance to strike.
Once again, Yagami used the Cloud-Style Swordsmanship, slicing through the Iwagakure jonin's throat.
The jonin's body melted into mud—Earth Substitution.
Everything was going exactly as before.
Yagami bent his body low, twisting mid-motion, narrowly dodging the jonin's kunai thanks to his incredible reflexes.
The jonin was startled—this Anbu was no ordinary fighter.
But a sharp Earth Spear suddenly shot out from behind, piercing Yagami's lower back.
Two other Anbu charged at the jonin, reckless and fearless.
The Stone jonin heard the sound of rushing air from behind and spun to counterattack.
At that very moment, the Fox—who had seemingly died earlier—melted into mud.
From the earth beneath the jonin's feet, Yagami burst out, driving his blade deep into the jonin's back.
The jonin froze mid-hand sign, eyes wide with horror.
What…?
As he turned, he saw the mud on his Earth Spear and the same Fox-masked Anbu he'd just "killed."
This Leaf Anbu knows Earth Substitution? An A-Rank technique?
When did Konoha's Earth Release become this advanced?
Even in the Hidden Stone Village, Earth Substitution was rare and notoriously difficult to master.
Yagami's strike landed true. He prepared to press the attack—
—but the jonin completed his seals.
Dozens of Earth Spears erupted from the ground.
If Yagami hesitated for even a second, he'd be skewered.
Without a shred of hesitation, he formed half a "Boar" seal—his body and the earth beneath swapped once more.
Diving underground, he fled through the soil.
He had completed the mission beautifully, gravely injuring the jonin.
When he resurfaced, he saw only White Sheep and Purple Cat standing, leaning on each other for support. The rest had been impaled by countless Earth Spears.
Five of those stone spears now shot toward White Sheep and Purple Cat.
Terror filled their eyes.
White eyes—terrifyingly pale and lifeless to begin with—looked even more haunting under fear.
Purple Cat's heart sank. So this is the end…?
When the elder adviser, Danzo, had come to her clan, he'd demanded that the Yamanaka provide members for Anbu service.
Everyone knew the dark unit's casualty rate was absurdly high.
The village leaders never said what missions Anbu actually carried out—only that every generation's chunin died by the handful.
As the eldest of her generation, Yamanaka Rika had volunteered to join, hoping to protect her younger sister and family.
Her mother had cried herself hoarse that night.
Her father had died for the village, leaving her mother to raise them alone.
To protect her sister, Rika entered the Anbu.
And now, barely half a year later, she was about to die on a mission.
The stone jonin was simply too strong—his ninjutsu came one after another, his chakra seemingly endless.
Even with a blade still lodged in his abdomen, he could still kill her and White Sheep with ease.
Just as despair took over, the Fox Squad Captain appeared in time.
That familiar back made Purple Cat's eyes well up.
Are we… saved?
Yagami thought quickly—White Sheep's Byakugan was vital for reconnaissance.
Having him alive drastically increased the team's survival rate.
"Water Release: Water Formation Wall!"
A wall of water surged up, shielding Purple Cat and White Sheep, shattering the oncoming Earth Spears.
Yagami's eyes narrowed—the weakened density of the Earth Spears meant the stone jonin was running out of strength. That stab earlier had taken more out of him than expected.