Naruto : I Got "Return by Death" Kind Of Cheat

Carrying Captain Black Ape on his back, clutching the severed arm, Yako sprinted across the plains.

"Captain! You have to hold on!"

Yako's previous superiors—Captain Antelope, Captain Grizzly—had all died by his hand.

The fact that Black Ape was still alive… was Yako's mercy, his softest grace.

He wouldn't let Black Ape die at the hands of someone else.

The severed arm dangled limply. It had been chopped off about five centimeters above the elbow. The area around the wound was dark purple; even the blood oozing out carried a violet tinge.

The limb, taken by an Iwa ninja's blade, was fully bruised and cold.

Black Ape was barely conscious, only sensing the violent jolting of Yako's run.

He had taken the Red Chili Pill. Now thin and light, Yako could move fast.

He crashed into the Konoha frontline camp, bolting toward the medical tent with the captain slung over his back.

Tsunade, numb-faced, had just stepped out of the medical ward.

Since Nawaki's death, she drowned herself in work—trying to avoid memories of her brother's torn body.

"Lady Tsunade! Please save the Captain!"

Tsunade frowned, glancing at the mangled, purplish arm and the venom-laced blood.

"The poison of the salamander has been carried through all his organs because he burned too much fat too fast. The toxin has built up around the wound. We'll have to amputate higher—maybe then we can save his life."

Yako held up the severed arm. "Lady Tsunade… if you cut again, can this arm still be reattached?"

Tsunade didn't even take the bruised limb from his hands. She simply turned and walked back into the surgery tent.

Medical-nin wheeled Black Ape away. Yako remained at the entrance, still holding the arm—unsure what to do.

Sure, it looked bad… but was there really no saving it?

He'd already lost one arm back in the Land of Waves. If he lost another, he'd be permanently crippled.

From a nearby tent came Purple Cat's voice.

"Captain!"

Yako entered. Members of Fox Squad and White Ram Squad were lying with IVs in their arms, undergoing detox.

"What about the prisoners?"

"We handed them over. Mission complete."

Yako felt no joy.

In the frigid void of ANBU, Black Ape was one of the few people who gave him warmth.

If Black Ape retired, Yako would likely be promoted to squad commander. Then he'd have to face Captain Yellow Dog directly.

And Yellow Dog was a machine—cold, ruthless, suspicious.

Half an hour later, Yellow Dog strode in.

The tusk-paint on his mask looked even more menacing in the gloom.

"Fox. With me."

Yako followed him into the main medical tent.

Inside, Black Ape was no longer in critical condition. The surgery had been so urgent he still wore his mask.

Yellow Dog asked the medic, "How long until my subordinate recovers? How much combat capability will he have?"

The medic replied:

"Both arms gone. Can't form seals. The toxin's damaged his nerves—his reaction time will be permanently slowed.

I can't say for certain, but his combat strength won't exceed twenty percent."

Yellow Dog didn't hesitate. He turned to Black Ape.

"I'll send the retirement registration forms immediately. You're discharged from ANBU. You'll receive a generous compensation."

Then he turned to Yako.

"Fox. You are officially promoted to Squad Commander. From this moment, Black Ape Squad becomes Fox Squad. Handle Black Ape's retirement and begin squad restructuring immediately."

He left without another word.

Yako felt a silent grief for Black Ape.

Retirement was fair—but the way Yellow Dog handled it was so… cold.

But Yellow Dog had been under tremendous pressure lately. The Senju Hakuro incident had been mishandled, forcing Danzō to come to the frontlines to cover for him.

Nawaki was dead. Then, more Senju had died in the following days.

If Danzō hadn't stepped in personally, the Senju clan would've started asking dangerous questions.

Yako reached out to remove Black Ape's mask.

"Wait… let me wear it a bit longer."

Yako's hand froze in midair, then slowly withdrew.

Through the edge of the mask, he saw tears falling.

Poor Black Ape. He wouldn't even be able to wipe his own tears in the future.

Or… other places.

The bitterness of that fate couldn't be put into words—it could only be swallowed.

Yako turned silently and left. Black Ape wouldn't want anyone to see him like this.

In another tent, he asked about the rest of the squad's condition.

The medic answered: "It's ordinary salamander venom—not from a giant summon. They'll recover fully in three days."

Yako sighed with relief. The core of his team was intact.

He walked to Purple Cat, Antelope, and Black Ox.

"I've officially been appointed Squad Commander. Starting now, Purple Cat, you're team leader of your squad."

Purple Cat asked, "What about Captain Black Ape? Is he… dead?"

"No. He's retired."

In Konoha's system, old or disabled shinobi had no income. Life became unbearable.

That was why so many shinobi saw dying on a mission as a badge of honor.

For clan-born shinobi, it was easier—the clan could care for them. But civilians… their final years were brutal.

Long life wasn't a blessing. A quick death was.

Yako feigned some symptoms and had the medics prescribe him antidotes. Claimed he'd inhaled a bit of poison while running fast.

Leaving the medical zone, he headed toward the ANBU tents.

The other two squads under Yellow Dog—Hippo and Yak—had been sent to the Land of Rain.

Amegakure, known as the sixth Hidden Village, had joined the war—putting Konoha on the defensive.

Fox Squad was still recovering, so they weren't deployed yet.

While he waited for his team to heal, Yako trained daily—honing his taijutsu and ninjutsu.

Earth Flow Spears grew stronger.

He discovered he could inject chakra into the ground in phases.

Concentrating more chakra at the spearhead made it harder. Injecting chakra into the shaft gave it more thrust and speed.

With careful control, the jutsu's power increased significantly.

After perfecting a single spear, Yako practiced summoning multiple at once.

Two… three… four… striking from multiple angles.

With enough chakra, this B-rank jutsu could become a terrain-shaping monster technique.

The steady climb in strength felt… good.

Days later, his team recovered, and Yako received a new mission—relatively light:

Escort the corpses of Nawaki and other fallen ninja, as well as the severely injured, back to the village.

Rumor said Hippo Squad had suffered heavy losses in the Land of Rain. Yellow Dog's unit would gradually return, recruit new members, and restructure.

At the camp gate, Tsunade stood hollow-eyed, staring at the corpse-laden wagon.

Her brother Nawaki lay inside one of the bags.

"Lady Tsunade, don't worry. I swear I'll return the remains of Konoha's heroes safely to the village."

She turned at the sound of his voice and nodded when she saw the fox mask.

She couldn't return yet. The village had ordered her, Jiraiya, and Orochimaru to stay—and prepare for the Rain offensive.

Jiraiya and Orochimaru stood nearby, waiting.

Yako walked away, then looked back at the three of them.

The coming battle against Amegakure would become the fight that made the Legendary Sannin.