Orders were passed down one after another.
When Yagami heard his assignment, he finally let out a long sigh of relief.
The Yellow Dog unit had lost two squads, greatly weakening their strength, so the higher-ups reassigned them to guard Kato Dan.
No direct combat. That was perfect.
Inside the body of Mount Ushigashira, a cave had been dug out.
Kato Dan, two Senju shinobi, and Yellow Dog entered the cave together.
Yagami and Purple Cat were assigned to guard the entrance.
Two ANBU squads flanked the cave's entrance from left and right, while Captain Yellow Dog personally protected Kato Dan.
When Kato Dan used the Spirit Transformation Technique, his body became immobile.
The higher-ups believed that allowing him to use this forbidden technique freely was more valuable than having veteran ANBU like Yellow Dog join the front line.
No wonder Kato Dan had the qualifications to compete for the title of Fourth Hokage—his strength and prestige were remarkable.
A soft floral scent wafted through the air.
Tsunade entered the cave, inspecting Kato Dan's defenses.
She wore a herbal perfume she'd blended herself, its grassy fragrance refreshing the senses.
Searching his memories, Yagami recalled that Tsunade was four years older than his original body. He'd seen her once when he was still in the Academy.
Back then, Second Hokage Senju Tobirama was still alive, and Tsunade was the true daughter of heaven.
As she passed by, Tsunade stopped and said,
"So, you're the Fox, huh? Your intel came in right on time."
Yagami replied, "Just doing my duty, Princess Tsunade."
Tsunade wasn't one to act coy. Her loose, low-cut top made her proud chest all the more impressive.
After nodding to the "Fox," she continued deeper into the cave.
Back when Second Lord Tobirama was alive, the ANBU were like his own hands and feet. Because of that, Tsunade had always felt a certain closeness to them.
Unfortunately, once the ANBU came under Hiruzen Sarutobi, they changed.
Now, Danzo acted as Hiruzen's enforcer, using the ANBU to handle the village's dirtiest work.
Even when other shinobi in the village voiced objections, Hiruzen himself would intervene as "the arbiter."
So when Tsunade heard that only two members of an ANBU squad had returned but managed to deliver vital intelligence, she felt a flicker of the old spirit her grand-uncle had left behind.
Watching Tsunade chat with Kato Dan inside the cave, Yagami couldn't help but feel a little pity for the two of them.
Kato Dan would probably die soon.
Both Nawaki and Kato Dan would fall during the Second Great Ninja War.
Once Tsunade left, Yagami lifted his binoculars and looked into the distance.
In the dark night sky, a small black dot appeared.
It grew larger and larger, revealing the form of a short, gnome-like man.
He wore the Tsuchikage's hat—it was Ōnoki!
The battle erupted instantly at its highest intensity.
Ōnoki immediately unleashed Dust Release!
A dazzling light formed in his hand, expanding into a deadly cube of energy as a beam shot straight toward the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi.
At the same time, from the direction of the Hidden Stone forces, a surge of red chakra flared.
Han, the Steam Ninja, didn't bother testing the waters. He cloaked himself in Tailed Beast Chakra, three tails lashing behind him.
Deep inside the Land of Fire, Hidden Stone needed a swift, decisive victory. If reinforcements from the Hidden Leaf arrived, even Ōnoki would suffer heavy losses.
Facing the overwhelming assault, the Leaf quickly countered.
Hiruzen moved with agility, dodging the Dust Release and summoning Enma, the Monkey King. Wielding the adamantine staff, he extended it and smashed toward Ōnoki in mid-air.
Han, cloaked in his three-tailed form, began gathering energy for a Tailed Beast Bomb.
Just then, one of the jonin behind him suddenly moved.
That jonin lunged at Han, pulling out explosive tags, intending to die together with him.
"It's the Spirit Transformation Technique from the Leaf!" someone shouted.
An elite jonin quickly raised an Earth Style barrier, intercepting the possessed ally.
The explosion threw the stone forces into chaos.
The elite jonin barked, "I'll lead a team to find Kato Dan!"
Though Kato Dan's direct combat power didn't match Hiruzen's three disciples, his presence on the battlefield inspired far greater fear.
His name alone gave enemy commanders headaches.
Whenever the Spirit Transformation Technique appeared, chaos followed.
Very few sensory jutsu could detect souls, making the Spirit Transformation Technique nearly impossible to counter. The only solution was to locate Kato Dan's real body.
Yagami glanced at the faint glow of the barrier on the cave wall, uncertain if it could block stone's scouts.
An elite jonin led two sensory squads away from the main stone force, circling around to search specifically for Kato Dan.
Even though Yagami wasn't heading to the front lines, that didn't mean he'd escape combat.
While observing Hidden Stone's movements, he asked the kunoichi beside him, "Purple Cat, the Yamanaka Clan's mind techniques can control others, and Kato Dan's Spirit Transformation Technique can too. Are those two jutsu related somehow?"
Purple Cat nodded.
"Yes. The Yamanaka's mind techniques and the Spirit Transformation Technique are both Yin Release arts specialized in spiritual control.
The Spirit Transformation Technique is a forbidden jutsu—its range far exceeds the Yamanaka techniques.
Even the Yamanaka Clan doesn't fully understand why it's so powerful. The Spirit Transformation Technique originated from the Senju Clan and was passed down among the Senju and their allied minor clans.
During the Warring States era, the Senju fought the Uchiha for centuries. To counter the Uchiha, they united many small clans.
For example, the Kurama Clan, whose genjutsu rivaled the Uchiha's, and the Kato Clan, who inherited the Spirit Transformation Technique.
Because these smaller clans were prime targets for the Uchiha, their numbers remained few."
Yagami thought to himself—
The proud Uchiha never understood the strength that came from alliances. The Senju had family ties with the Uzumaki and were supported by other secret-technique clans like the Kurama and Kato. No wonder they grew stronger with each battle.
Far in the distance, the sounds of battle echoed, filling the air with chaos.
Outside the cave, everything was unnervingly calm.
Yagami formed the hand signs for Earth Style: Hiding like a Mole, pressing his hand against the ground.
The surface rippled like water.
His chakra spread underground, searching for Stone shinobi lurking below.
Experienced Stone shinobi moved through the earth like rats, always diving back into the ground to fight from safety.
After a few minutes of searching, Yagami suddenly lifted his head.
"Two o'clock! Eighty meters out! Two Stone shinobi moving underground!"
Upon hearing that, Yellow Dog immediately shouted, "On alert!"
He stayed close to Kato Dan, refusing to leave his side.
An ANBU squad stationed outside the cave dashed toward the direction Yagami indicated.
Cold sweat formed on Yagami's forehead.
What he'd detected might not have been just two people.
There was a vague, blurry presence deeper below—he couldn't pinpoint it.
Either his sensing was off… or the enemy's skill far surpassed his own.
Winning or losing the battle didn't matter. Kato Dan's life didn't matter either.
What mattered most was keeping himself alive.
If they ran into an elite jonin now, even if Purple Cat died ten times over, she wouldn't be able to help him win.
Black Ox and Antelope were already dead. Purple Cat was his only subordinate left—he needed to treasure her.
They couldn't stay here. If their position was exposed, being near Kato Dan would be suicide.
Yagami shouted, "Multiple enemies detected at two o'clock! One squad won't be enough—Captain, I request permission to reinforce them!"
Yellow Dog responded, "Go! Hurry! Our position's exposed! Everyone else must buy Kato Dan more time!"
Yagami and Purple Cat sprinted toward the two-o'clock direction.
Underground, a strange chakra fluctuation surged—the elite jonin ignored Yagami entirely, slipping past and diving into the cave.