The Earth Spears were weakening. There was hope—they could still fight.
Using the Water Formation Wall to block the enemy's view, Yagami quickly formed the seals for a Shadow Clone.
The jonin from the Hidden Stone Village already knew the Fox-masked Anbu had the ability to burrow underground using the Hiding Like a Mole Technique, so trying that trick again wouldn't work.
That's why Yagami planned to combine a Shadow Clone with a direct assault.
When the Water Formation Wall fell, two Yagamis dashed forward—one left, one right.
One leapt high into the air, gripping his ninjatō and slashing down hard.
The other curved around in an arc, striking horizontally toward the Stone jonin's ribs.
The jonin's eyes flicked between the two. He judged the one diving recklessly from above to be a clone meant to distract him, while the one rushing from the ground was the real body.
The Fox-masked Anbu wielded the Earth Substitution Technique, a notoriously unfair replacement jutsu that required ground contact to activate.
There was no way that Anbu would abandon such a powerful safety net.
The jonin kept his gaze fixed on Yagami's feet, watching for signs of the substitution being triggered.
Earth Spears shot out from the ground again.
But this time, they were much slower.
The jonin's abdomen had been badly injured, his spleen ruptured—he was already at his limit.
Yagami reacted quickly, his movements agile as he dodged several Earth Spears and closed in from the side.
He swung his blade in a sharp horizontal slash!
The jonin had once fought ninja from the Hidden Cloud Village, so he recognized the stance of the Cloud-Style Swordsmanship.
He guarded cautiously, raising his iron-plated arm slightly higher, ready to protect his throat.
But Yagami didn't change his strike. His ninjatō cut straight toward the jonin's waist.
This Fox Anbu… what a cunning bastard, the jonin thought. I can't even tell what's real anymore.
He lowered his arm to block—the blade struck the armor with a sharp metallic clang, sparks flying.
But something felt wrong.
The force behind the strike was off. Too weak.
A taijutsu-type Anbu shouldn't hit this lightly. Wait—don't tell me the clone was real all along?
He looked up—just in time to see another Yagami descending from above, his blade slicing clean through the jonin's forehead.
Dead.
Two Anbu squads—five lives traded for one Stone jonin.
No—six lives. Yagami had already died once before.
Did his life not count as one?
The battle was over. Breathing heavily, Yagami quickly retreated, wary that the jonin might still unleash a suicide jutsu.
Only when the Stone ninja's body fell to the ground with a dull thud did Yagami finally exhale.
He turned sharply.
"White Ram! Don't rush to find Captain Black Ape yet! Use your Byakugan to locate the enemy's main force! The group that crossed the border must be close!"
White Ram clutched his bleeding abdomen, pierced by an Earth Spear, and hurriedly activated his Byakugan to scan the surroundings.
His face turned pale almost instantly.
"Fox! It's the Third Tsuchikage—Ōnoki! He's brought at least three hundred Stone ninja! I count no fewer than six elite jonin! One of them has chakra levels nearly equal to the Tsuchikage himself!"
"They're two kilometers away—ten o'clock direction!"
Yagami's mind trembled.
Damn it… the secret leak about Uzumaki Mito's funeral actually lured the Third Tsuchikage here!
He quickly searched for Captain Black Ape, only to find the Monkey squad completely annihilated.
Black Ape lay on the ground, one leg shattered and twisted grotesquely at an unnatural angle.
Ignoring the injury, Yagami lifted him up.
Bone fragments dug deep into his flesh, and Black Ape shuddered violently from the pain.
Even so, he was relieved.
He'd thought Fox and White Ram were doomed after clashing with another Stone jonin. But not only had Fox survived—he'd come back to save him.
Fox, the subordinate he'd invested so much in, had once again proved invaluable.
"Captain! White Ram spotted the Third Tsuchikage, Ōnoki!"
Black Ape froze. The Third Tsuchikage himself?
He instantly made his decision. Moving his arm off Yagami's shoulder, he balanced on one leg.
"Fox! You and Purple Cat are uninjured. Forget everything else—go back to Lord Danzo immediately and report this intelligence!"
Yagami glanced at the injured Black Ape and White Ram, then nodded.
Compared to the intel, their lives meant little.
Tonight's operation involved the transfer of the Nine-Tails' seal—one of the village's greatest secrets.
After placing Black Ape and White Ram together for safety, Yagami and Purple Cat rushed toward Mount Niuga.
Please survive, Yagami prayed silently. Black Ape had treated him well; Yagami didn't mind staying under his command as a quiet, reliable Anbu.
If Black Ape survived, it'd also be easier for Yagami to explain how he'd learned the A-rank Earth Release technique—Earth Substitution.
A new captain, though… that would be hard to fool.
After running over twenty kilometers, they finally reached Mount Niuga.
At its base was a deep valley, guarded by Anbu sentries.
"Urgent intelligence!" Yagami shouted.
The guards, hearing the word "urgent," didn't stop them. They watched as Yagami and Purple Cat dashed straight into the valley.
Far ahead, Danzo spotted Anbu moving swiftly through the trees instead of keeping low and silent underground.
He rose slowly from the tree stump he'd been sitting on. That behavior meant only one thing—the intel couldn't wait even half a second.
When Yagami arrived, he immediately locked eyes on Captain Yellow Dog.
Yellow Dog gestured that he didn't need the report—go straight to Danzo.
"Lord Danzo! We found over three hundred Stone ninja! Leading them is the Third Tsuchikage, Ōnoki!
They were twenty kilometers away—nine o'clock direction, fifteen minutes ago!"
Danzo's face, usually stiff and emotionless, shifted slightly in surprise.
Ōnoki?
A man who could fly, wielded the deadly Dust Release, and was cunning, stubborn, and nearly impossible to handle.
Yagami glanced at Danzo carefully. Did he regret leaking the news of Uzumaki Mito's death to the spies now?
You've really done it this time, old man. Let's just hope I don't die for your ambition.
Danzo vanished with a Body Flicker toward the back of the valley.
Not long after, the Third Hokage, Senju Rinki, Tsunade, Dan Katō, and others departed toward the frontlines.
When the Hokage saw Yagami, he waved him over.
"Fox, tell me what your squad encountered."
The Hokage remembered Fox's name—he'd been mentioned often in Anbu reports. Reliable, steady, a strong performer, and now one of the unit's rising pillars.
Both Captain Yellow Dog and Black Ape had high regard for him.
Yagami gave a brief, clear report, mostly relaying White Sheep's observations.
"Lord Hokage, the Third Tsuchikage leads five ninja battalions—three hundred Stone ninja.
White Ram reported at least six elite jonin among them. One's chakra levels nearly match the Tsuchikage's.
Their outer scout teams are also led by jonin.
They're moving fast, even the rear line ninjas aren't lagging. That means they just rested and can enter battle anytime."
The Third Hokage nodded. "Well done."
Yellow Dog led Fox and Purple Cat back as the higher-ups began drawing up battle plans.
Yagami looked up at the moon, feeling a pang of melancholy.
It was still a crescent moon.
He'd already died once this lunar cycle.
And now, with another great battle approaching… what should he do?