Uzushiogakure lay nestled in the mountains, bisected by a broad river into northern and southern halves.
What stunned Yako wasn't the village's terrain—but the moving mountain behind it.
Looking closer, he saw it wasn't a mountain at all—it was an enormous turtle, a creature the size of a small hill.
Lying on Yako's back, Uzumaki Yuka leaned close to his ear and whispered:
"That's our guardian summoning beast—Great Spirit Turtle-sama.
The Uzumaki Clan specializes in fuinjutsu. During the Warring States Era, we sealed monsters for daimyōs and nobles, and in doing so, accumulated many powerful summoning beasts.
Even that central river is home to aquatic summons.
Our team's mission this time was to seal a rampaging ninja beast in the Land of Waves. But we were targeted by Kumo-nin… and we failed."
A piercing avian cry echoed above.
Yako looked up and recognized the three-legged, long-beaked Yatagarasu, the same summoning beast Nagato used in the original timeline.
So this is how sealing jutsu should be used, Yako thought.
Sealing powerful beasts… using them in battle.
But then, why didn't the Uzumaki Clan have a Tailed Beast of their own?
With their sealing prowess, pairing them with a bijū could've made a perfect Jinchūriki.
At the village gates, some Uzumaki shinobi came to take Yuka to the hospital.
As she was carried away, Yuka turned back, casting a lingering glance at Fox.
What a shame… I only remembered his voice. I don't even know his real name.
Once she got back, she'd have to ask around. Who was the Senju spy in ANBU?
If this were still Lord Tobirama's time, ANBU would have answered directly to him—things wouldn't be so complicated.
Word was, after Hiruzen Sarutobi took power, he began a brutal purge of the ANBU, replacing many of Tobirama's loyalists with rookies.
Antelope Squad moved deep into Uzushiogakure, arriving at the village's central tower.
Above the tower was the grand Uzumaki clan crest—the same one printed on the backs of Konoha flak jackets.
They waited for a long while, until a procession approached from the distance.
Leading them was Shimura Danzō, with his aides trailing behind.
At this time, Danzō was in his prime. Both eyes intact. Both arms untouched. No bandages. No deformities.
A cross-shaped scar on his chin, combined with his narrow pupils and eerie white eyes, gave him a sinister presence.
When those pale eyes swept over them, Yako felt a chill run down his spine.
Danzō ascended the tower. The unit commander and advisors followed him. Mid-level leaders like Captain Antelope remained at the base.
Lower-ranked ANBU like Yako disappeared into the woods behind the tower, standing guard.
Yako perched in a tree beside Horned Ox, watching the rear of the village hall, alert for any threats to Danzō.
Danzō was both a senior advisor and head of ANBU—his authority immense.
Neither Yako nor Horned Ox spoke. ANBU didn't communicate. Everyone operated like machines.
After an indeterminate amount of time, Danzō descended the tower, face sour, and left the village with his aides.
Whatever was said between him and the Uzumaki clan head—it hadn't gone well.
His eyes were cold, distant, deep in thought.
The commander assigned tasks to the mid-captains, who in turn passed them down.
Captain Antelope summoned Yako and Horned Ox. The three of them were to head north—toward the Land of Waves.
Yako didn't know the mission's specifics. Maybe it involved investigating the Kumo-nin in the region.
The main Konoha–Kumo battleground was the northern border of the Land of Hot Water. Kumo shouldn't have many ninja in the Land of Waves.
This was the Second Shinobi War. Every village was stretched thin. If Kumo had sent forces here—it had to be important.
At the shoreline, Captain Antelope secured a boat. The three used Transformation Jutsu to disguise themselves as fishermen and rowed toward the northern coast of the Land of Waves.
Yako transformed into a dark-skinned teenage boy.
He leaned over the boat's edge, trying to catch a glimpse of his reflection—see if he looked like his past self.
The seafoam sparkled, but he saw nothing.
Rowing was exhausting. The squad collected intel from passing fishing boats, scanning for suspicious vessels.
For Yako, rowing was fine. Slow meant safe. Days passed in a blur.
By the time they reached land, more than ten days had passed.
Yako welcomed another full moon—another resurrection reset.
He was so sick of soldier pills he could barely keep them down.
The captain forbade roasting sea fish. Yako didn't know which ones were safe to eat raw. So he just kept eating soldier pills.
They kept him alive, but didn't fill his belly. His stomach, long empty, twisted in pain.
Once on land, they reverted to ANBU form, vanishing into the palm groves along the coast.
Yako figured ANBU was doing a grid-style sweep. Their squad had circled the same area multiple times.
Seven days in, Captain Antelope found signs of battle.
No bodies—just blood-soaked soil, black-red and sticky. From the looks of it, the clash had happened within the last two days.
In the grass nearby, scattered kunai and ninjatō.
The swords matched the standard-issue long blades of Kumo-nin.
Captain Antelope said, "Each of you, pick up a Kumo blade. We'll disguise ourselves as Kumo shinobi if needed."
Yako wiped the blood from his blade with care.
Framing Kumo for bad deeds—always a clever tactic.
Using the skirmish site as a center point, Antelope Squad began tracking the enemy.
As they moved, Yako grumbled internally. No wonder Kakashi barely progressed during his ANBU years.
Missions took all their time—no room for personal growth.
Most missions were travel, recon, stakeouts—devouring days and weeks.
Just like in his past life, the higher-ups were always detached from the reality of those beneath them.
He once thought that, with his talent and insight, he could carve a place in the shinobi world.
But reality refused to give him the chance.
Captain Antelope's experience paid off. He followed the trail to a fishing village.
At night, most of the homes glowed with lamplight.
The captain pointed at one dark, unlit house and gestured.
Yako and Horned Ox flanked it from opposite sides, moving in stealth.
Coastal houses were often elevated to guard against moisture—perfect for crawling underneath.
Horned Ox wiped his face suddenly.
Yako, who had studied some architecture in his past life, guessed the small window side was likely the toilet. So he wisely chose the side with the larger window.
Poor Horned Ox… hopefully that was just water.
If it was something airborne and free-roaming… hold it in, man. We're on a mission.
Yako pressed his ear to the floorboards, listening.
Suddenly—a blade stabbed down from above!
He barely dodged. The sword sliced past his scalp, shearing off a lock of hair.
A long, razor-sharp ninjatō—clearly Kumo-standard.
Combat erupted instantly.
Bootsteps thundered above.
Horned Ox, furious, slapped an explosive tag onto the underside of the floorboards.
Yako cursed. Shit! The crawlspace is tight—too tight to get out quickly.
In a confined space, the blast radius hit harder. Injury was almost guaranteed.
Maybe Horned Ox really did get 'splashed' and lost it…
Yako rolled and scrambled out just in time.
The house detonated from within—Kumo-nin burst out through fire and smoke.
On the beach, blades gleamed cold in the moonlight.