Inside the Commander-in-Chief's tent, Yagami met with Nara Shikaku.
Shikaku was leaning over a map, his brow furrowed deeply; the tides of war remained murky.
When he saw Fox, a smile immediately touched his face.
"Copper Fox, you performed an excellent rearguard action at Shapo Port. I wanted to praise you in person, but I've been so busy I haven't found the time until now."
"The Commander-in-Chief works hard," Yagami said. "Time is of the essence. Regarding the rescue of Jonin Nara Umeka, is there anything specific you wish to instruct me on?"
Shikaku said, "I'll give you a scroll. Inside is the Nara clan's unique code system. You may only view this code in my presence; you cannot take it with you."
Yagami took the scroll and scanned it, finding the codes exceptionally complex.
Unlike standard codes that relied on the three elements of direction, distance, and time, the Nara clan's system utilized six elements. These six elements were arranged in pairs and scattered across a designated area.
As expected of the high-IQ Nara clan—the code transmitted a wealth of information, but it presented quite a challenge for the rescuer.
Shikaku said, "Umeka is very intelligent and won't die easily; she must have found a perfect hiding spot. What we need now is a powerful ninja to lead her out of danger and back to camp."
Yagami replied, "Rest assured, Commander-in-Chief. As long as Jonin Nara Umeka is alive, I will bring her back."
After memorizing the codes, Yagami left the command tent.
For this reconnaissance and rescue mission, Yagami brought along White Sheep Squad.
According to the preliminary intelligence in the mission scroll, Nara Umeka had led a team to investigate the Sand's reverse-engineering of the paragliders. They were discovered and pursued by Sand ninja, preventing their return to camp. Umeka was forced to double back deep into the Land of Wind to hide.
Yagami's task was arduous. Finding a hidden Nara Umeka behind enemy lines in the depths of the Land of Wind—and then escorting her back—would be extremely difficult.
There were still ten days until the full moon; Yagami had no desire to die in the Land of Wind.
His last "death" at the hands of Hatake Sakumo had brought a massive boost, even granting him a title. Whether within the Anbu, the Leaf Village, or among the high-ranking officials, he now held a certain degree of status. Choosing the timing of his death reward was far more profitable than being killed randomly during a mission.
The problem was, one often lacked control over such things.
Leaving the camp, Yagami led White Sheep Squad on a northern detour to avoid the front-line combat zones. Once night fell, the three members of White Sheep Squad deployed their paragliders.
Two of them carried Yagami and White Sheep into the night sky.
The desert gales lifted the gliders high. With a boost from Wind Style, they ascended above the low clouds, using the cover to fly toward the Land of Wind.
Yagami had donated the paraglider design early on in exchange for an S-rank mission reward; otherwise, knowing they were being copied would have been painful.
After flying for several hours, Yagami spotted several dark dots in the distance.
There was a high probability they were Leaf scouts, but a small chance they were Sand scouts, as the Sand had already produced some replicas.
"Don't panic! Maintain your heading!"
The gliders in the distance also spotted Yagami's group and began to close in.
Yagami tilted his head, activating his single-tomoe Sharingan. With his enhanced perception, he saw the details of the opposition.
"It's the Sand! Prepare for battle! Watch your own gliders!"
The Sand ninja held kunai, looking eager to attack the Leaf's gliders. Falling from this height would turn even the strongest ninja into a meat patty.
Observing the flight patterns of the Sand gliders, Yagami concluded they had only learned the basics. They had copied the form without understanding the principles; their control lines were clumsy.
Before the Sand could act, Yagami struck first!
Water Style: Water Severing Wave!
A high-pressure stream of water, dozens of meters long, shot out. The beam sliced down, cutting through one paraglider, the two Sand ninja beneath it, and finally a cloud.
The other paraglider veered sharply, trying to flee.
It was terrifying—a Leaf ninja possessing such a powerful long-range Water Style jutsu. Oases were precious in the desert, and Water Style users were rare; these ninja didn't even know water could cut.
However, a paraglider turned slowly, giving Yagami enough time to unleash a second Water Severing Wave. The second glider was likewise sliced apart.
Yagami didn't look at his handiwork; his gaze was drawn to the sliced cloud.
Kakashi used Chidori to cut lightning, creating the S-rank Lightning Cutter. Since Yagami used Water Severing Wave to cut a cloud, could he call it "Cloud Cutter"? Or "Water-Cloud Cutter"?
A pity—he already had a title and didn't need another famous jutsu for extra flair.
White Sheep marveled inwardly at how Fox was becoming stronger by the day. He remembered when he first joined Fox Unit for a mission in the Land of Rain; the Unit Leader had been cautious and low-key. Now, he was accustomed to sniping enemies from a distance with ninjutsu.
After crossing the Sand's defensive line in the air, White Sheep Squad carefully scouted the surrounding airspace. Once certain no one was following, they landed in a desolate area of the desert.
Emerging from the wasteland, they could play the role of Land of Wind travelers who had lost their way in a storm and narrowly survived. Such travelers were common in this country. People often lost their direction in sandstorms, wandering for days only to turn up dozens of kilometers from home.
White Sheep Squad changed into Land of Wind attire—headscarves and long robes.
Entering the first town, White Sheep Squad searched for codes while Yagami headed straight for the inn.
Yagami had dealt with Nara Umeka back when the Equipment Department was rushing to produce 200 paragliders. She was a Nara Jonin and a refined woman. After entering a town, she was unlikely to hide in a dumpster for days like a male ninja. She would likely go to an inn first to regroup before looking for a more permanent hiding spot.
The inn clerk stood facing the wall in terror. For some reason, as he had turned to grab something, his body had suddenly turned rigid, unable to move an inch.
Yagami used the Self-Exerting Binding Seal to control the clerk, then opened the inn's ledger to look for unusual guests from the past week. Nara Umeka had disappeared about four days ago, meaning any woman who checked in alone during the last four days was a target for screening.
Yagami gripped the clerk's shoulder. The man heard the sound of his own fragile bones groaning. However, since his jaw was locked, he could only let out muffled whimpers.
Yagami held the ledger before the clerk, pointing at two female names.
"Do you remember these two women? Move your eyes if you do."
Seeing the clerk acknowledge them, Yagami released the seal on his head.
"Young man, don't scream. You're just an employee. You make a few hundred Ryo a month—why risk your life? Tell me and I won't kill you."
The clerk thought about it. 'True. The inn belongs to the boss, my wages are in arrears—why should I take risks for this place?'
The clerk said, "This woman had two braided pigtails. The other one was very fat."
Yagami's eyes lit up. His luck was surprisingly good. Looking at the records, there was a high chance Nara Umeka had rested here three days ago.
***
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