Yuka and Uzumaki Kaicho were at a severe disadvantage against the five Root ninjas. As the fierce battle raged, Yagami observed their abilities. G was a Fire Style user.
H summoned a large scroll containing a variety of specialized tools—chain whips, sickles, broadswords, and Fuma Shuriken; he was clearly a weapon specialist.
Yagami now had a grasp of the abilities of F, G, H, and I. His plan was to use the system's death-reset to return to the night of the full moon a few days prior, use Reverse Summoning to reach Yuka, and wipe out these four Root members before they could corner her.
He scanned the Root ninjas, wondering whose abilities he should "lottery" upon his death. Then, his eyes slowly shifted toward Orochimaru.
'What if I try Orochimaru?'
Current Orochimaru hadn't mastered the Eight-Headed Serpent or Reanimation Jutsu yet. 'Would I get some Ryuuchi Cave snake abilities?'
Orochimaru tilted his head slightly, his vertical pupils locking onto Yagami. "Fox... did you just feel intent to kill toward me?"
Yagami's heart skipped a beat. He had only just entertained the thought, yet Orochimaru sensed the malice instantly. Orochimaru raised his hand, and dozens of snakes erupted from his wide sleeve.
Hidden Shadow Snake Hands!
Yagami leaped backward. Being ensnared by those snakes would be fatal. In mid-air, he formed five seals with blinding speed. A high-pressure jet of water shot out, slicing the pursuing snakes into pieces.
Down the slope, Yuka looked up anxiously. She had spotted Fox earlier and had been trying to lure the enemies away to prevent him from being exposed. But to save them, Fox had struck first, engaging a member of the Sannin.
Yuka cast aside all hesitation. Since Fox had exposed himself, there was no longer any point in hiding. She bit her finger and slammed her hand down.
Summoning Jutsu!
The Yatagarasu shrieked as it burst through the white smoke. The Split Dog roared, charging at the Root ninjas. The situation below reversed instantly.
Up on the ridge, the severed snake bodies thudded to the ground. Orochimaru didn't seem to care about his lost summons. He glanced at the giant beasts below and mused, "So, survivors of the Uzumaki clan. No wonder they've been assassinating Root members; they're out for revenge."
He turned back to Yagami. "So, Fox, whose man are you really? It seems you aren't just Yellow Dog's subordinate. Interesting. Truly interesting. Yellow Dog's top confidant seems to have... other ideas."
Yagami ignored the probing. He needed to force Orochimaru to use more abilities to ensure a good reward. Staying at a distance, he formed seals for another Water Style: Water Severing Wave.
The next instant, Yagami's eyes widened. Orochimaru's hands were a blur—he started his seals later than Yagami but finished at the exact same time, unleashing the identical jutsu!
Two high-pressure water beams collided in mid-air, erupting into a mist that dampened Yagami's mask. Orochimaru's version was actually slightly stronger.
'It makes sense,' Yagami realized. As an ANBU Squad Leader, he had high clearance, but Orochimaru was the Hokage's disciple and a war commander. Access to top-tier Water Style was trivial for him. Orochimaru was playing with his prey, intentionally mirroring Yagami's moves.
Yagami felt a flash of resentment. The technique he treated as a trump card was just another "dusty" jutsu in Orochimaru's vast arsenal.
Yagami formed a single seal: Mastery-Level Earth Style: Earth Dragon Spear.
Sharp stone spikes erupted from the mountainside for dozens of meters. Orochimaru's hand stopped halfway; he hadn't expected Fox's Earth Style to be so fast and powerful. He leaped back, narrowly avoiding the spears.
Yagami decided that Ryuuchi Cave summons would be too suspicious to use openly. He wanted Orochimaru's mastery of the Water Severing Wave. He formed the seals again. Orochimaru did the same, eager to see the shock in Yagami's eyes.
As the beams collided, Yagami intentionally shifted his aim by a few centimeters. His beam tore through Orochimaru's shoulder blade, while Orochimaru's beam pierced straight through Yagami's heart.
Orochimaru, his arm hanging uselessly, didn't look angry. Instead, he looked intrigued. "Impressive. Trading wounds for a kill... a true ANBU elite."
He wasn't panicked. He tilted his head back and opened his mouth wide. Two hands reached out from his throat, stretching the jaw to its limit as a brand-new Orochimaru crawled out of the old skin. The classic "Leaping from the Mouth" trick.
As the new Orochimaru landed, slick with yellow-white mucus, he looked over to see that his beam had indeed destroyed Fox's heart.
"Wait... where is your 'Absolute Defense'?"
Below the ridge, Yuka's piercing scream echoed: "No! FOX!"
...
Everything went black, and Yagami returned to a few days prior.
He was back in the valley with Orochimaru, waiting for C to return with intel. In two days, C would arrive. In five days, they would find Yuka's team.
Yagami didn't even stop to check his rewards. He immediately said to Orochimaru, "Lord Orochimaru, I'm going to scout the area near the Hidden Cloud. This mission is too important; I won't be at peace if I don't see the layout myself."
Orochimaru glanced at him, finding it slightly odd but not objecting. "Go. Return by the night after tomorrow. C will bring Yakushi Nono's intel by then."
"Understood."
Yagami used Body Flicker repeatedly, putting as much distance as possible between himself and the Sannin. Only then did he check his rewards.
[ Arc of Moon Activated!]
'Monthly revival used. Reward selection:'
1. Ryuuchi Cave Summoning Contract
2. Elite Jonin Level Chakra Reserves (Stackable)
3. Water Style: Water Severing Wave (Mastery)
Option 1 was tempting, but summoning snakes would instantly alert Orochimaru. Option 2 was always useful but not urgent. He chose Option 3.
Suddenly, a flood of insight regarding the Water Severing Wave filled his mind. His chakra pathways shifted, making the flow more efficient. He could now unleash the technique with a single seal. As his primary offensive tool, the increased speed and power were a massive boost.
Yagami found a cave, set up an Earth Movement Barrier, and checked the area with his Byakugan. After confirming he wasn't followed, he summoned the Stone Pandas, Shiro-seiji and Shiro-yu.
Shiro-yu used the contract chakra to alert Yuka. In the forests of the Land of Iron, Yuka felt the signal and was shocked. Fox rarely contacted her unless it was an emergency. She immediately summoned Shiro-yu, who then Reverse Summoned Yagami to her side.
Seeing the White Ghost mask, Yuka felt a wave of relief. Kaicho and Gencho were both alive.
"You've been discovered by Root," Yagami said quickly. "Turn around. I suspect they have a tracking method on you."
He recalled the team from the previous timeline: F (Aburame), G (Fire Style), H (Weapons), and I (Ink).
"White Eye!" Yagami activated the Byakugan.
The Byakugan's chakra vision was superior to the Sharingan's for this. He saw the trio's chakra flow clearly—and briefly caught a perspective (X-ray) view of Yuka's curves. He shook his head, focusing. 'Now is not the time.'
He found them: Rinkaichu (Phosphate Bugs). F had marked them.
"You have Parasitic Insects on you!" Yagami condensed chakra into his fingertips and crushed the bugs on all three of them. "Move. There's a delay in the information transfer; the bugs have to fly back to the Aburame. We're going back to wipe them out. I don't have much time."
The trio stopped running and charged back toward their pursuers. A few minutes later, they saw them.
Kaicho acted first, hurlng a scroll into the air. A burst of smoke released hundreds of kunai and shuriken toward the ink bird in the sky.
I scoffed. 'Those tools will lose momentum before they reach me.'
But then, Yagami formed a single seal: Wind Style: Great Breakthrough!
A massive hurricane surged upward, catching the hundreds of weapons and propelling them into the ink bird with terrifying speed. Kaicho nearly fell over from the shock—Fox's wind was powerful enough to be cast with one seal!
The ink bird disintegrated, and I plummeted. He tried to draw another bird mid-air, but the weapon rain caught him. Four kunai pierced his chest, and a Fuma Shuriken severed his arm. He died before hitting the ground.
With one down, Yagami charged the three on the ground. F saw the corpse fall and immediately assessed the situation. "G, H, stay back and cover me! I must bring this intel to Lord Danzo!"
F turned to flee without hesitation. Yagami formed the seal for Shadow Clone.
The original used Wind, the clone used Fire.
Fire Dragon Flame Bullet + Great Breakthrough.
A fire dragon, bound by a massive whirlwind, tore toward the Root ninjas. G and H tried to block with Water Style: Water Formation Wall, but the barrier was pathetic against the combined assault.
They had planned to drive the killers into the Land of Lightning and wait for Orochimaru, but the enemies had somehow detected the bugs and counter-attacked.
The barrier collapsed. G and H were critically injured. F looked back just in time to see his teammates fall. Suddenly, Yuka (Kappa mask) appeared at his flank and threw a kunai. F dodged, but he was trapped by a Sealing Jutsu!
'This level of sealing... are they Uzumaki survivors?'
Yagami flickered to F's side. The cloud of insects F released was instantly incinerated by Yagami's flames. Seconds later, F was dead.
"The Root ten-man squad is down to four," Yagami told Yuka. "Go back to the Land of Rain. I'll contact you if anything changes."
Yuka reached out, but Yagami vanished in a puff of smoke.
Back in the cave in the Land of Lightning, Yagami reappeared. As the smoke cleared, the hair on his neck stood up.
Orochimaru's voice drifted from behind him. "Fox... your summoning beast is quite interesting. It actually has the intelligence to use Reverse Summoning."
***
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