Yuka and Uzumaki Kaichō were at a clear disadvantage against the five Root operatives.
As the fierce battle raged on, Yako identified R as a Fire Release user.
X unsealed a massive scroll—inside it was an array of ninja tools of all shapes and sizes: chain whips, scythes, greatswords, and Windmill Shuriken. Clearly, X specialized in ninja tools.
J, F, X, and R... Yako had begun forming a rough understanding of their capabilities.
His plan was to die and respawn via the system's revival function, returning to the night of the last full moon. From there, he would use Reverse Summoning to appear beside Yuka and take out four of the Root operatives.
He swept his gaze over the Root agents. 'Whose hands should I die under for the draw this time?'
His eyes slowly turned toward Orochimaru.
'Or... should I test my luck with him?'
At this point, Orochimaru hadn't yet mastered the Eight-Branched Serpent or Reanimation Jutsu. Perhaps Yako could score a Snake-style technique from Ryūchi Cave?
Orochimaru turned slightly, vertical pupils locking onto Yako.
"Fox… were you just harboring killing intent toward me?"
Yako's heart lurched.
He had merely let the thought cross his mind and looked at Orochimaru for a second—yet Orochimaru had sensed the malice?
Orochimaru raised his hand. From his wide sleeve, dozens of long serpents shot out in an instant.
Hidden Shadow Snake Hands!
Yako leapt backward immediately.
If those snakes managed to wrap around him, he'd be in trouble.
While still airborne, he formed hand seals at speed.
After five seals, a high-pressure stream of water burst forth, slicing through the pursuing serpents.
Down below, Yuka looked up in panic. She had spotted the Fox long ago and had wanted to flee as far as possible to avoid compromising him.
But now, the Fox had acted first—confronting none other than Orochimaru of the legendary Sannin.
She had no reason to stay hidden anymore. The Fox had revealed himself; their cover no longer mattered.
Biting her thumb, Uzumaki Yuka performed a summoning.
The Eight-Winged Crow let out a sharp cry as it burst from the smoke.
Split-Hound howled and charged the Root nin.
The tide of battle reversed instantly at the foot of the hill.
On the hillside, the severed snake bodies landed with heavy thuds.
The exposed cross-sections were red and raw, but Orochimaru showed no concern.
He glanced briefly at the giant summoned beasts and said:
"So… Uzumaki remnants. No wonder you're targeting Root operatives—it's vengeance."
He then turned his gaze back to Yako. "So, Fox… whose side are you really on? You don't seem to be just Yellow Dog's man.
Interesting… Very interesting. Yellow Dog's top confidant… and yet, it seems you have your own ambitions."
Yako ignored the bait.
He was focused on drawing out Orochimaru's techniques, maximizing his chances of obtaining something valuable.
Not daring to get too close, Yako formed hand seals again from a distance.
Water Release: Water Severing Wave!
But just as he cast the technique, his eyes widened in shock.
Orochimaru's hands had begun flashing through seals at an incredible pace. He had started sealing later than Yako—but unleashed the exact same jutsu!
Orochimaru also knew Water Severing Wave?!
Two high-pressure jets of water collided mid-air.
Spray vaporized into mist, falling gently onto Yako's white demon mask.
Orochimaru's Water Severing Wave was slightly stronger than his own.
Still, Yako wasn't too surprised. Orochimaru was the Third Hokage's student and a battlefield commander—access to top-tier Water Release techniques was expected.
It was likely he was mocking him—using the same jutsu deliberately, like a venomous snake toying with prey.
A twinge of bitterness stirred in Yako's chest.
'So… what I treasured as my ace Water Release technique… was just another unused dusty scroll to Orochimaru.'
Gritting his teeth, Yako formed a seal and unleashed a master-level Earth Release: Earth Rising Spears.
Dozens of razor-sharp stone spears erupted from the mountain slope.
Orochimaru's hand, which had been mid-motion, dropped down. He hadn't expected the Fox's Earth Release to be this fast—or this powerful.
He leapt back, narrowly dodging all the spears.
Yako hesitated. Even if he gained a Snake-style jutsu from Ryūchi Cave, he couldn't use it openly.
Better to try for Orochimaru's Water Severing Wave.
He sealed again.
Orochimaru mirrored him, expecting to catch a glimpse of surprise in the Fox's eyes.
As their hands flew, Yako's grin deepened.
'If I can get the master-level version… that'd be perfect.'
Their twin water jets collided again—but this time, Yako raised his stream by a few inches.
His water blade surged toward Orochimaru; Orochimaru's stream surged toward him.
Orochimaru was caught off guard.
He hadn't expected the Fox to trade blow for blow.
Yako's Water Severing Wave pierced through Orochimaru's shoulder. Though it couldn't cleave the entire shoulder, it disabled one of his arms.
Rather than anger, Orochimaru looked intrigued.
"Not bad at all… An elite ANBU indeed. Willing to trade injuries. Not afraid to die."
He remained calm. Tilting his head back, he opened his mouth—
Two hands emerged from within, stretching his jaw grotesquely.
From Orochimaru's gaping mouth, a brand-new body slithered forth.
Classic: Me vomiting myself.
As the new Orochimaru landed, yellow-white mucus slid down his legs.
He looked at the Fox again—only to see that his Water Severing Wave had pierced directly through Yako's heart?
"Hm? Where's your Absolute Defense?"
Down below, Yuka let out a heart-wrenching scream.
"NO!! FOX!!!"
—
Darkness fell over Yako's vision.
He awoke several days in the past.
He and Orochimaru were waiting in a valley, anticipating C's return with intel.
In two days, C would come back and meet with Orochimaru.
In five, they would encounter the desperate, fleeing Yuka and her team.
Yako didn't waste a second. Turning to Orochimaru, he said:
"Orochimaru-sama, allow me to scout near the Hidden Cloud. This mission is too important. I can't stay idle."
Orochimaru gave him a strange look but didn't object.
"Very well. Return before the night after tomorrow. C should have intel on Yakushi Nonō by then."
"Understood, Orochimaru-sama."
Yako used Body Flicker Technique repeatedly, moving at full speed to get far away.
He finally had time to select his death-reward.
[Arc of the Waning Moon activated!
The host may resurrect once per month on the night of the last full moon.
Reward: One draw—
Summoning Contract: Ryūchi Cave
Elite jōnin-level chakra reserves (stackable)
Master-Level Water Release: Water Severing Wave]
First option: the Ryūchi Cave Summoning Contract.
He could summon giant serpents, meet the White Snake Sage, and learn Sage Mode...
But the moment he used it, Orochimaru would know. Ryūchi Cave would too—wondering who this sudden new summoner was.
Not worth the risk. Sage Mode could wait. The other two Sage Lands seemed less hostile anyway.
Second option: more chakra reserves—not needed right now.
The third option made his eyes light up.
'Gotcha. Master-level Water Severing Wave from Orochimaru himself.'
He picked the third.
Suddenly, understanding blossomed in his mind.
New chakra pathways unlocked, the flow for Water Severing Wave became seamless—he could now cast it with just a single seal.
His strongest attack had leveled up: faster cast, stronger bite.
He found a cave and set up a Soil Pulse Barrier.
Using his Byakugan, he scanned the area to confirm Orochimaru hadn't followed.
Then he summoned White Porcelain and White Glaze, his stone pandas.
White Glaze, already familiar with the routine, used their contract chakra to contact Uzumaki Yuka.
Far away in the forests of the Land of Iron, Yuka—on the run—suddenly felt the signal. Her heart jumped.
The Fox rarely reached out unless it was serious.
She quickly summoned White Glaze.
White Glaze appeared beside her—and then Reverse Summoned Yako.
Seeing the white demon mask again, Yuka felt a surge of long-lost safety.
Yako glanced at her flanks. Uzumaki Kaichō and Uzumaki Genchō were still alive.
'Good. I made it in time. Every surviving jōnin from Uzushio is precious.'
He said, "You were spotted and pursued by Root. Turn around—I'm guessing they marked you somehow."
Among the four enemies: F was from the Aburame clan, J used Fire Release, X specialized in ninja tools, and R wielded the secret Ink Beast Technique.
That intel came from his previous timeline.
Yuka's group turned immediately.
Yako formed a seal.
Byakugan!
When it came to observing chakra, Sharingan couldn't compare to Byakugan.
Through its perspective, Yuka's chakra flow—and the curves beneath her clothes—were exposed in clear detail.
'...A strangely enticing angle,' he thought briefly.
Then he shook his head.
'No time for that now. Damn Hyūga pervs… they've probably been enjoying this for years.'
On closer inspection, he spotted them—Parasitic Insects.
F had used them to track all three of them.
"You've been marked!"
Uzumaki Kaichō gasped, "We were infested? We had no idea!"
Yako gathered chakra to his fingertips and swiftly crushed the insects on their bodies.
"Move. The insects relay intel with delay—they need to fly back to the Aburame.
We've got a narrow window. Let's go finish the Root team.
I'm on a tight clock—I can't stay long."
The three Uzumaki jōnin stopped running and turned to face their pursuers.
A few minutes later, they saw them.
One Root nin flew on a Bird of Ink Clouds. Three others moved on foot.
They made a quick plan: Yako would attack head-on with Kaichō and Genchō, while Yuka moved in stealth for a sneak attack.
R, on his bird, spotted a new face—the white demon mask—and a missing Kappa-mask ninja. He immediately descended to warn the others.
Kaichō made the first move.
He tossed a scroll into the air.
From the puff of smoke, hundreds of kunai, shuriken, and Windmill Shuriken launched skyward at R's ink bird.
Those tool scrolls—like Tenten's in the original timeline—required powerful sealing techniques. All of which had originated from the Uzumaki clan.
R sneered. 'Those flashy tools will lose momentum long before they reach me.'
Just then, Yako formed a single seal—Wind Release: Great Breakthrough.
A colossal gale blasted upward at an angle, lifting the entire volley of ninja tools and propelling them at terrifying speed.
Kaichō nearly lost his footing.
'Fox's jutsu… one seal, and that much power?!'
The barrage surged up like a storm.
R's bird shattered. He plummeted.
Mid-fall, he grabbed his brush to draw another beast.
Too late.
Kaichō and Yako unleashed a second joint attack.
With a shriek, R was hit mid-air.
Four kunai pierced his chest. A massive Windmill Shuriken cleaved off his arm.
He died before he hit the ground.
One down. Yako charged the three on the ground.
F saw R fall and the three demon-masked attackers rushing in.
He made a snap decision.
"J, X! Cover me. I'll report to Lord Danzo!"
He turned and fled without hesitation.
Yako made a seal.
Shadow Clone!
He used Wind Release. The clone used Fire Release. Both formed a single seal.
Flame Dragon Bullet entwined with Great Breakthrough—the white demon's strongest combo.
The fire dragon surged, trapped in a spinning wind vortex, and roared toward the enemy.
J and X tried to defend.
X formed Water Release: Water Formation Wall, but it crumbled instantly under the assault.
Their original plan had been to chase the culprits into the Land of Lightning and wait for A and C to catch up.
But somehow, the enemy had detected their tracking insects—and returned first.
The combo jutsu shredded their defenses.
F and X were grievously wounded.
F looked back and saw their defeat—he ran harder.
'Damn it… all four of us lost to them?'
Just then, he spotted something to his flank—a female ninja in a Kappa mask.
She threw a kunai.
F ducked. It grazed his throat.
He summoned a swarm of insects and launched it at her.
But she was faster—and a sealing jutsu locked him in place.
F was stunned. 'That sealing technique—could she be an Uzumaki?'
Yako left Kaichō and Genchō to finish J and X and Body Flickered to F's side.
The swarm was swallowed by fire.
Another strong enemy?
The white demon's Fire Release… who the hell was he?
Seconds later, the fight was over. F was dead.
As his body burned, Yako thought, 'Wind-Fire combo is this strong already… what about Sarutobi Hiruzen's Five Nature Great Combo?'
In the distance, Kaichō and Genchō finished their opponents.
Yako turned to Yuka.
"Danzo's Root have ten men. We've killed six.
For now, they've lost significant strength.
Clean up the bodies and return to the Land of Rain. If anything changes, I'll contact you."
Yuka lingered near the Fox, reluctant to part—but smoke exploded around him.
Reverse Summoning. Gone.
Back in the cave in the Land of Lightning, Yako reappeared in a puff of smoke.
White Porcelain ended the summoning.
As the smoke cleared—
Yako suddenly stiffened.
Orochimaru's voice sounded behind him.
"Fox… your summon is fascinating.
It's intelligent enough… to use Reverse Summoning?"