Two days passed with no one coming to find Squad Leader Brown Bear—not even Uzumaki shinobi appeared at the coast.
Bored, Yako used the time to ask some of the questions that had been gnawing at him. As long as they didn't touch on Konoha's secrets, Brown Bear was willing to answer.
"Squad Leader, aren't the Uzumaki known for their mastery of Fuinjutsu? Why didn't they seal their supplies into scrolls and take them with them?"
Brown Bear thought of the terrible education at the Ninja Academy, realizing Fox knew nothing. He explained:
"You're talking about Fūinjutsu: Fūbutsu Hōin—the Sealing Technique used to store items into scrolls.
To use it, you have to infuse the item being sealed with chakra.
Once the chakra stored in the sealed item dissipates naturally, the seal breaks and collapses.
In other words, sealing supplies requires a lot of personnel—both to prepare and to maintain the scrolls.
Unless absolutely necessary, no shinobi will maintain an active Fūbutsu Hōin for long periods.
The Uzumaki shinobi we've encountered could be killed at any moment. They don't have the energy to maintain sealing scrolls. That's why their supplies are stacked in storehouses."
Yako nodded repeatedly. That made sense.
Fūbutsu Hōin demanded constant chakra upkeep—sealing shinobi had to maintain them continuously.
Now the canonical events at the Kannabi Bridge made even more sense.
When Minato Namikaze's team blew up the bridge, Iwa-nin could no longer move supplies to the front lines and had to retreat.
If Fūbutsu Hōin had no cost, every supply run would be just a single scroll—there'd be no such thing as a supply line.
In the blink of an eye, another ten days passed. A new month had begun.
Yako looked at Brown Bear's back, his hands itching.
Maybe this month, he'd let himself "die" to Brown Bear. A squad leader like him was at least elite Chūnin level—he might yield some good loot.
The other teams occasionally came to report to Brown Bear.
They too had suffered heavy losses.
Of the four original squads, Fox had replaced Antelope's position as captain. Blue Wolf Squad had been wiped out, leaving only two squads.
One had two members. The other had three.
The three-man team's leader flatly refused to give Yako a single member.
One fewer man meant one less point of strength.
Tch. These squads didn't even thank him for bringing them soldier pills.
"Fox! Got a mission for you."
After hearing reports from two other captains, Brown Bear turned to Yako.
"Capture a Cloud-nin alive. A squad captain. I want to interrogate him."
"There are Mist-nin in the area, which is expected—Kirigakure's always coveted our mission shares here in the Land of Waves.
But the Cloud-nin are showing up in numbers. I want to know what they're planning."
"A live capture? A Cloud squad captain?" Yako swallowed hard. "Understood."
The good news was, his last mission went so well, Brown Bear trusted him.
The bad news? His last mission went too well. Now Brown Bear trusted him too much.
As he left the coast, Yako tasted bitterness in his mouth.
Capturing someone alive was far harder than killing them.
Especially a shinobi. These battle maniacs fought to the death. How the hell was he supposed to capture one?
He touched the short sword strapped to his back. Cloud-nin were masters of kenjutsu. Yako had no sword training—he just used the short blade like a long kunai.
After gathering intel from the other squad leaders, Yako moved alone.
He arrived in an area known for Cloud-nin activity, picked a road leading into town, and buried explosive tag traps along it, then hid.
Cloud-nin, like Konoha's shinobi, came from afar. Once their soldier pills ran out, they needed food—either from towns or fishing villages.
Camping outside a town increased the chances of encountering them.
Yako lay patiently in the bushes.
Soldier pills were compact. Eat little, shit little. Endure the hunger pains, and you could lie still for a day or two.
Until just before dawn—when the morning star rose.
Three figures darted through the trees, sprinting toward the town.
Boom!
An explosion rocked the ground—flames lit up the dark.
The three shadows were blasted apart in different directions.
Yako leapt from his hiding spot, throwing kunai toward all three.
Two kunai hit—either killing or wounding them.
One dodged. He charged Yako head-on.
Yako caught sight of the enemy's forehead protector—Cloud Village.
Lucky—he'd found a Cloud squad. Judging from this one's strength, he was likely the captain.
Yako flipped his kunai into a reverse grip, closing in for melee. He waited for a chance to use Fūinjutsu: Self-Cursed Seal Binding.
The Cloud-nin's kenjutsu was exquisite—one sidestep, and Yako lost visual contact.
As he moved, he slashed horizontally with his blade—nearly cutting open Yako's side.
Back and forth they fought—kunai against ninja sword.
Yako was completely outclassed. The Cloud-nin's footwork, paired with his blade, made it impossible for Yako to get a grip.
Then, in a single motion, the Cloud-nin ducked under Yako's slash, evading cleanly.
By the time Yako reacted, it was too late.
The ninja blade pierced clean through his gut.
At first, he felt nothing. Then came the burn—then the pain.
As the Cloud-nin captain went to pull the blade free—he saw it.
An explosive tag.
BOOM!
The explosion engulfed them both.
The Cloud-nin's final thought: This guy's insane… A maniac! Blowing himself up with me?
Was he some old grudge from the village? Did I screw his wife or something?
Darkness. A shift in vision.
Yako reappeared at the last full moon—before he'd even met with Brown Bear.
[Moon-Watching Arc Activated!]
Host has one revival per month. Upon death, resurrection occurs at the night of the previous full moon.
Reward: One Spin.
1 - Lightning Release Chakra
2 - Muscle Regeneration Jutsu
3 - Kenjutsu (Basic)
Lightning Release? Not what he needed right now.
Muscle Regeneration? Surprising the Cloud captain knew a medical technique.
But no. Medical ninjutsu was useless if the enemy was already dead. Better to kill first than try to heal.
Yako focused on the third option—Kenjutsu.
If he wanted to survive against enemies with swords, he needed to outmatch them in swordplay.
He didn't understand blade angles, timing, power—so he lost every close-combat clash.
No hesitation. He chose Kenjutsu (Basic).
The entry-level training had two parts.
First, basic techniques: slash, chop, thrust, sweep, block, parry, hook, flick, guard, and draw.
Second, foundational footwork—each movement designed to maximize power, angle, and momentum with every strike.
Not just knowledge—Yako instantly gained a wave of muscle memory, letting him instinctively perform these forms.
He drew his blade and practiced the techniques over and over, until each motion flowed naturally.
With this training, he'd never be on the backfoot against a Cloud-nin again.
No wonder that Cloud squad captain was so deadly. Real kenjutsu made strikes fast, precise, and unpredictable.
As for where Yako got this swordsmanship? Easy to explain.
He "learned it" mid-fight—studied his opponent's form, picked it apart, adapted.
Having a high learning aptitude was never a crime.