Inside the main command tent, Yako stood before Nara Shikakaku.
Shikakaku was hunched over the war map, brows tightly furrowed. The situation remained murky, the tides of battle unclear.
When he noticed the arrival of the masked fox-masked operative, a rare smile broke across his face.
"Copper Fox, your rear-guard actions at Sabaku Port were masterfully executed. I meant to commend you in person, but matters have been hectic."
"You're working far harder than I am, Commander," Yako replied calmly. "Time is short. Regarding the operation to retrieve jōnin Nara Meika—do you have any specific instructions?"
Shikakaku nodded. "Here, take this scroll. It contains the Nara clan's cipher system. You may read it in my presence only—you are not permitted to take it with you."
Yako accepted the scroll and gave it a quick scan. The cipher was dense—far beyond ordinary encoded messages.
Whereas most codes worked off just three elements—direction, distance, time—the Nara clan used six. Even more troublesome, they came paired in twos and were spread across a wide range.
Truly worthy of the Nara name, Yako thought. The amount of data they can transmit is impressive—but decoding it mid-operation will be a nightmare.
"Meika's clever," Shikakaku continued. "She won't die easily. I believe she's found the perfect hiding place. What she needs now is a capable ninja to extract her and bring her home."
Yako bowed his head. "If jōnin Nara Meika is alive, I'll bring her back. You have my word."
After memorizing the cipher, Yako exited the command tent.
For this mission, he brought along the White Ram Squad.
Preliminary intelligence from the mission scroll indicated that Nara Meika had led a scouting team to investigate the Sand's counterfeit paragliders. They were discovered and pursued, unable to return to camp.
Meika had no choice but to flee deeper into the Land of Wind, vanishing into its harsh interior.
Yako's task was formidable—track down a hiding kunoichi in enemy territory, then extract her safely back across the front lines.
Ten days remained until the full moon.
I'm not dying in the Land of Wind, he thought grimly.
Last time he died, it was by the hand of Hatake Sakumo—and it had paid off. His power had leapt, and even his name had gained weight.
Within ANBU. In Konoha. Even among the higher-ups—he now had leverage.
Self-chosen deaths yielded far greater rewards than random ones in the field.
The only problem… was that it wasn't always up to him.
They moved out. Yako led the White Ram Squad north, looping around the frontlines to avoid the thickest fighting.
By the time night fell, the squad launched their paragliders.
Two members grabbed Yako and the third, lifting off into the starless sky.
Gale-force winds from the desert carried them upward.
With Wind Release boosting their ascent, the gliders pierced the low-hanging clouds, disappearing into the shroud as they flew toward the Land of Wind.
Yako had long since handed over the glider design in exchange for an S-rank mission reward. If he'd known the Sand had already copied the design, he might have wept.
After several hours in flight, dark shapes appeared in the distance—faint, but growing.
Most likely Konoha scouts. But there was a chance they were Sand scouts—the Sand had successfully counterfeited a few paragliders of their own.
"Stay calm! Hold your course!"
The other gliders had spotted them too. They were closing in.
Yako tilted his head, opening his single-tomoe Sharingan.
Clarity sharpened.
Details bloomed.
"They're Sand ninja. Prepare for combat! Protect your gliders!"
The enemy scouts brandished kunai, eager to cripple the Konoha gliders. A fall from this height would turn even elite shinobi into pulp.
Yako studied the Sand's gliding technique. Their posture was awkward—unfamiliar. Imitation without understanding. Their grip on the control cords was sloppy.
Before they could strike, Yako did.
"Water Release: Water Severing Wave!"
A torrent of water—dozens of meters long—burst from his hands, slicing downward.
It sheared through one glider, then the two shinobi beneath it, before cleaving straight through a drifting cloud.
Another glider veered away in panic, desperate to escape.
So powerful… they didn't know Water Release could be used like this.
In the desert, water was life. And water-style ninja were rare. These enemies had never seen water used to kill at range.
But gliders couldn't turn fast enough.
"Water Release: Water Severing Wave!"
The second torrent shredded the fleeing glider.
Yako didn't check for bodies.
His eyes were fixed on the cloud he'd cut.
Kakashi sliced lightning and created the S-rank Chidori. So if I sliced a cloud with Water Severing Wave… should I call it "Cloud Cutter"? Or maybe "Hydrocleave"?
Shame, he smirked to himself. I already have a title. No need to pad the legend with flashy jutsu.
Inwardly, White Ram was in awe.
Captain Fox is getting stronger by the day.
He still remembered their first mission under Yako's command, deep in the Land of Rain. The captain had been cautious, hesitant.
Now he dispatched enemies from a distance with ruthless precision.
After crossing enemy lines from above, the squad carefully scouted the surrounding airspace. With no Sand ninja in pursuit, they descended into a deserted stretch of the desert.
From here, their cover story began.
They'd pose as lost travelers—waylaid by the storm and barely surviving its wrath. Such wanderers were common in the Land of Wind.
Storms disoriented many. Some walked for days and nights before stumbling out hundreds of kilometers from home.
The squad donned their disguises—robes and headscarves typical of local nomads.
Upon entering the first town, the others searched for cipher marks. Yako headed directly for the inn.
He'd worked with Nara Meika before, back when the quartermaster was rushing to fabricate 200 gliders.
A jōnin of the Nara clan, Meika was sharp—refined. If she'd entered town, she wouldn't hole up in a trash heap like a desperate male ninja.
No—she'd check into an inn. Rest. Regroup. Then vanish.
Inside, the innkeeper was trembling, standing stiffly with his face to the wall.
He didn't know why.
He'd only turned around for a moment—and suddenly his body was frozen, completely paralyzed.
Yako had used the Self-Binding Curse Mark to seize control.
He flipped open the inn's ledger, scanning through the list of recent guests.
Meika had gone missing four days ago. So any woman who checked in alone within that window was a suspect.
Yako placed a hand on the man's shoulder.
The innkeeper heard the brittle crack of his own bones protesting.
But his jaw was locked—he could only grunt weakly.
Yako held the ledger in front of his face, pointing to two names.
"Do you remember either of these women? If you do, move your eyes."
The man's pupils twitched.
Yako released the curse from his head.
"Don't shout," he said softly. "You're just an employee. What are you getting paid—barely a few hundred ryō a month? Why risk your life for this place?"
The man blinked. He's right. The inn isn't even mine… and they still owe me wages.
He whispered, "One had braided hair—two flowered ropes. The other… very fat."
Yako's eyes lit up.
Lucky.
Based on the registry, Nara Meika had most likely stayed here three days ago.