Chapter 45: Future Plans

"No wonder you were able to evade my assassination; it turned out to be an illusion," Sato remarked after devouring Yamato and re-entering the invisible state.

However, instead of immediately leaving the underground base, Sato remained there, searching through Yamato's memories to find his primary target. During this process, Sato discovered why Yamato had managed to avoid the assassination attempt and uttered the words, "You are the intruder."

As it turned out, the Hokage building had its own set of enchantments and a dedicated team in Anbu responsible for monitoring and guarding it. The building served as both the political center of Konoha and a vital repository for the Book of Seals, Forbidden Technique Library, and other important archives.

Any outsider who trespassed into the strictly prohibited areas of the Hokage building would be detected by the enchantment/Barrier Ninjutsu team. The underground base, where Sato currently found himself, was an area off-limits even to ordinary people and active ninjas. Despite being transparent in his invisible state, Sato was discovered by the enchantment team, signaling that an intruder had breached the area.

Previously, Yamato had communicated with his subordinates via walkie-talkie, instructing them to guard the crucial areas of the Hokage building, rather than aiding the Hokage himself. Little did Yamato expect that the intruder's target was not the sealed book or the Forbidden Technique library, but Yamato himself—the top-ranking Anbu expert.

Sato had no interest in the Book of Seals or the Forbidden Technique library. With his devouring ability, he had no need to open those resources. The Forbidden Techniques contained within held no appeal to him. However, without the ability to devour, they would have been treasures Sato dreamed of possessing.

Devouring a living individual allowed Sato to obtain 100% of their power. In addition to integrating physical and spiritual energy into his own chakra, Sato could immediately utilize other attributes such as bloodline limits and lifelong learnings by consuming their memories. Once he digested the target's memories, he could utilize them at the same level as the devoured individual.

Having experienced the benefits of devouring a complete living person, Sato now held the deceased in even lower regard. Therefore, the Book of Seals and the Forbidden Technique library no longer interested him. Additionally, once he completed Plan B and obtained Impure World Reincarnation, he could even manipulate the dead and turn them into living.

Hence, Sato had lost interest in time-consuming and complex ninjutsu training methods. Even if he desired these techniques, he did not need to steal the Book of Seals and the Forbidden Technique library in the present situation. Instead, he simply needed to wait until the Third Hokage's demise, seize an opportunity to take the Hokage's body, retrieve the soul from the Shinigami's stomach, and summon it using Impure World Reincarnation. By doing so, Sato would gain access to all the ninjutsu of the highly regarded "Ninjutsu Professor," the Third Hokage, along with the 5 Chakra attributes.

"I've found it! This guy truly knows!" Sato exclaimed as he quickly browsed through Yamato's memories, successfully uncovering the main objective behind hunting Yamato.

Suddenly, Sato dispelled his invisible state and swiftly formed a hand seal. "Wood Style: Wood Clone Technique!" he announced.

Large branches, resembling dead wood, extended from Sato's body. Similar to a Shadow Clone, this clone emerged in a tangible form beside Sato, devoid of any mist-like appearance.

However, unlike a phantom, this clone possessed a corporeal existence. It mirrored the main body flawlessly, making it indistinguishable from the real Sato, even to byakugan, Sharingan, and Mangekyō Sharingan users.

The Wood Clone represented one of the most formidable Clone Techniques in the ninja world—Wood Clone.

"Wood Release: Transformation," Sato continued, as the Wood Clone quickly formed a seal. Branches sprouted from its body, enveloping it and transforming it into an exact replica of Yamato in a matter of moments.

The realism of this clone was on par with the original Yamato, especially considering that Sato possessed all of Yamato's memories. Now, Sato had the ability to seamlessly replace the number one Anbu powerhouse with the Wood Clone, while opting not to do so.

After creating the Wood Clone and camouflaging it as Yamato, Sato re-entered the invisible state and departed from the Hokage building's underground base.

Meanwhile, the disguised Wood Clone, posing as Yamato, discreetly dealt with the enchantment team members by utilizing the absorbed memories of the real Yamato. It also took advantage of the situation to implicate others and shift blame.

As for Sato's physical body, it silently made its way to a secret room. There, it opened a dusty, long-neglected large box, revealing numerous scrolls inside, causing the corners of Sato's mouth to curl into a slight smile.

If one were to brush away the dust from the box, they would find an engraved emblem—a symbol recognized throughout the entire ninja world.

This symbol belonged to the once-prominent Uchiha clan, the wealthiest and most influential family in Konoha, and renowned throughout the ninja world. However, the Uchiha clan had become extinct five years prior.

The scrolls contained within the box were remnants from the Uchiha clan, comprising the portion of their corpses that possessed the Sharingan.

Yes, only a portion of their bodies remained.

The other part was in the possession of Uchiha Obito.

This Uchiha clan remains constituted Sato's primary objective in hunting Yamato. The Wood Release was merely incidental.

As a traveler, Sato was well aware that it was not Wood Style itself that was formidable, but rather Senju Hashirama, the true source of its power.

The reason behind Senju Hashirama's unparalleled Wood Style was simple— he had inherited the most authentic lineage of the Sage of the Six Paths, possessing the sage Body.

Excluding the Sage of the Six Paths and the Ōtsutsuki clan, the only individuals with genuine Sharingans and bodies were Indra and Ashura.

Indra possessed the Sharingan of the Sage of the Six Paths, representing the ultimate Yin release, while Ashura possessed the Immortal Body, representing the ultimate Yang release.

Each subsequent incarnation of Indra and Ashura would possess purer forms of Sage's eyes and bodies.

If a reincarnated individual fully developed these abilities and combined them, they could unleash a new Six Paths power, harnessing the ultimate capabilities of both Yin and Yang releases.

Uchiha Madara and Senju Hashirama were the only ones who had developed both abilities to their fullest before Naruto.

Possessing the ultimate Yang release meant possessing ultimate vitality.

Even in death, Senju Hashirama's body teemed with boundless vitality. The Wood Style he utilized resembled a towering tree brimming with life. Ordinary flames failed to scorch it, as the wood would actively extinguish the fire while automatically healing any "injuries."

In contrast to Yamato and Uchiha Obito's clones' appearances, Sato's Wood Style required a significant amount of chakra to manifest, resulting in a weakened version adorned with a hint of green.

Without the sage body and the ultimate Yang release, Wood Style held significantly less value in Sato's eyes than the Mangekyō Sharingan.

The Mangekyō Sharingan represented an immensely powerful instantaneous combat ability.

Once Sato acquired the Reanimation Jutsu and performed Impure World Reincarnation with the Uchiha clan corpses, he could fully absorb their Sharingan abilities. This endeavor could potentially awaken the Mangekyō Sharingan without enduring the excruciating pain associated with its typical awakening process.

Sato was confident that the Uchiha clan members revived through Impure World Reincarnation retained their Sharingan abilities. The events of the Fourth Great Ninja War in the original storyline, where Itachi employed Izanami and Obito utilized Kamui even after returning from the afterlife, confirmed this notion.

Furthermore, Sato harbored suspicions that when he devoured Shisui's body in the past, only a single-tomoe Sharingan had manifested. Aside from the eyes being gouged out, there might have been another reason for the soul taking away chakra and leaving a trace.

Thus, it was entirely plausible to extract the Sharingan abilities from the resurrected Uchiha clan members through Sato's method of devouring them.