Chapter 43: Execution Of The Long Awaited Plan

On the opposite side of the arena, 'Sato' and Ino, Hinata, Shino, and Ino–Shika–Chō, along with Naruto, who had assisted in breaking the illusion, and Sakura, who had hurriedly arrived, received an A-level mission from Kakashi.

As mentioned earlier, Elite Jōnin were the powerhouses in the Five Ninja Villages.

When the Five Kages encountered an accident, the Elite Jōnin could represent the Kage and assign tasks below S-rank to the ninjas.

The mission assigned by Kakashi to 'Sato' and the others was to meet Sasuke, who was pursuing Gaara's three siblings, just like in the original story.

To assist 'Sato' and the others in locating Sasuke, Kakashi also employed the Summoning Technique and enlisted the help of his reliable partner, Pakkun.

Thus, under the guidance of Kakashi and Might Guy, 'Sato' and the others followed Pakkun, tracing the scent to find Sasuke.

During their journey, they naturally encountered various obstacles.

Since there were only Shadow Clones present, 'Sato' maintained a low profile and played a supportive role, using illusions and Water Style from a distance to assist Ino–Shika–Chō and the others.

However, there were some differences from the original story with regard to Shikamaru, Naruto, Haruno Sakura, and the trailing Shino.

This time, it was an A-level mission for both Team 8 and Team 10, including Naruto and Sakura from Team 7.

Once they rendezvous with Sasuke, who was pursuing Gaara, all nine powerful individuals would be present, except for 'Sato'.

By the way, since 'Sato' had eliminated Neji in the qualifiers, Hyuga Hiashi did not leave midway.

Hinata, who had her father to protect her sister and remained uninjured by Neji, became the primary combatant for this mission.

Most of the sound and sand ninjas encountered along the way were controlled by 'Sato', Shikamaru, and Ino, and were then dealt with by Hinata and Akimichi Chōji.

It didn't take long for 'Sato' and the others to catch up with Sasuke and Gaara.

However, the conditions of Sasuke and Gaara did not seem to be very favorable.

Sasuke, who had been confident and composed earlier, was now out of breath.

For twelve-year-old Sasuke, using the A-rank Lightning Style Chidori twice was already quite strenuous.

He had used it once in the square and again during the chase, resulting in a reversal of positions between Sasuke and Gaara.

The reason being... the One-Tailed Jinchūriki was about to go into a rampage!

Observing this situation, 'Sato' immediately diminished his presence, concealing himself among the nine powerhouses, and focused solely on Ino and Hinata. If either of the two women were in danger, he would do his utmost to protect them.

As for the battle with Gaara, that responsibility fell upon Naruto, who was on the verge of exploding with power.

One-Tailed Jinchūriki versus Nine-Tails Jinchūriki—a single touch could determine the outcome!

...

At this moment, Konoha plunged into chaos, second only to the Nine-Tails Rebellion in its entire history.

As taught in the ninja school,

whenever the village faced peril and the highest-level alarm sounded, the primary duty of all serving ninjas was to escort the villagers to safety and then rally the entire village's strength to repel the enemy.

Konoha was currently in the defensive and escort stage.

Once the villagers were safely sheltered, it would be time to counterattack.

Konoha found itself in its most chaotic state prior to the commencement of the counter-offensive.

This chaotic moment was the opportune time for 'Sato' to seize an opportunity.

Given that the primary task for all ninjas now was to protect the villagers, including those guarding the cemetery, they were no exception.

Thus, the ninjas engaged in escort and combat failed to discover Konoha's cemetery. Unbeknownst to them, behind each tombstone, a massive stone slab continued to rise, revealing the buried coffins below.

And the tombstone owners of these coffins were ninjas with various surnames.

With each stone slab's ascent, a figure with a backpack materialized before it.

These figures retrieved a scroll from their backpacks and stored the coffin beneath the stone slab within the scroll.

Upon unearthing the coffin of an important individual, the figure would inspect its contents. After confirming the target, they would close the coffin and store it in the scroll.

By employing the Transformation Technique, these figures assumed the appearance of 'Sato', Shadow Clones of Yakushi, Zack, and Kenmisumi.

When 'Sato' approached the tombstone bearing the name Senju Tobirama, he murmured with anticipation, "I hope that apart from Senju Hashirama, all other remains are present in the cemetery."

Upon uttering those words, 'Sato' formed hand seals and lightly tapped the ground, exclaiming, "Earth Style: Earth Shore Return!"

Indeed, 'Sato' possessed Earth Style.

So, where did Sato's body learn Earth Style?

The answer lies in the wave ninjas encountered during the C-level mission he undertook for the first time.

In addition to A-level and S-level ninjutsu, elemental ninjutsu below B-level were quite common in the five major ninja villages and the ninja world at large.

Water Styles such as Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet Technique and Water Release: Water Formation Wall were not exclusive to Kirigakure and Konoha.

Similarly, low-level ninjutsu like Earth Style: Earth Shore Return, rated at the C-level, were not exclusive to Iwagakure or the Five Great Ninja Villages.

Earth Style: Earth Shore Return was a defensive ninjutsu that could raise a large stone slab from the ground in front of the user. However, 'Sato' was inclined to refer to it as a grave-robbing skill.

"Aren't you here..."

As the enormous stone slab ascended, 'Sato' opened Senju Tobirama's coffin, revealing an empty casket. Although his face did not betray anger, he nodded in acknowledgment, "It seems we can only resort to Plan B."

If you were to inquire about the presence of Senju Hashirama's body in the coffin, 'Sato' could assure you with 100% certainty that it was not there.

However, when it came to Senju Tobirama's body, 'Sato' could only guarantee a 50% chance of it being present and a 50% chance of it being absent.

Although Senju Tobirama had fallen at the hands of Golden Horn and Silver Horn, his body must have been brought back to Konoha. Otherwise, Orochimaru would not have been able to acquire enough of Senju Tobirama's remains to perform the Impure World Reincarnation.

However

, it was also possible that Orochimaru had taken possession of Senju Tobirama's entire body.

At present, it appeared likely that Orochimaru had pilfered all of his idols.

Of course, there was also the possibility that Senju Tobirama's body was not in the cemetery at all.

Perhaps the coffins present in the cemetery were mere decoys, while the actual resting place of Senju Tobirama's body mirrored the hidden secret room where he had stored Uchiha Madara's coffin in the past.

If that were the case, then it was possible that the Hokage's body was stored in a secret room.

Regardless of the possibility, the notion of obtaining Senju Tobirama's body through grave robbing would undoubtedly prove futile.

Nonetheless, 'Sato' had a Plan B up his sleeve.

That is... to obtain it from Orochimaru.

After the completion of Konoha's collapse plan, Orochimaru, now bereft of his hand's soul, he would be at his weakest.

With Three Tomoe Sharingan, 'Sato' could defeat him without needing to awaken the Mangekyō Sharingan.

Subsequently, he would reveal the consciousness fragments he had concealed within Sasuke and Anko. At that point, acquiring not only Senju Tobirama's body but even Hashirama's cells would be within 'Sato's' grasp.

Even if Senju Tobirama's body was not in Orochimaru's possession, it would not pose a problem.

After death, the soul served as the largest repository of memories, with the brain retaining only a portion of them.

By releasing Senju Tobirama from the Impure World Reincarnation and devouring his soul, 'Sato' would gain access to the other's memories.

Currently, 'Sato' was more concerned about the corpses of Namikaze Minato and Uzumaki Kushina. Were their bodies present in the coffins within the cemetery?

If Namikaze Minato's body was absent, it meant that the Hokage's remains were not in the cemetery.

Should that be the case, 'Sato' would have to seek the bodies of the previous Hokages from Orochimaru.

"Earth Style: Earth Shore Return!"

Perhaps by the favor of the Goddess of Luck or due to a higher power's reluctance to witness 'Sato's' nine-year wait come to naught, it all ended in disappointment.

Upon raising the two large stone slabs, 'Sato' opened the coffins of Namikaze Minato and Uzumaki Kushina. However, a slight twitch appeared at the corners of his mouth.

Inside the coffins, he discovered two corpses.

Yet, both corpses bore large holes in their abdomens, as if pierced by a massive, sharp weapon.

The identities of these two corpses... were none other than the Fourth Hokage and his wife.

The gaping wounds on their bodies had been inflicted by the Nine-Tails' claws.

Upon seeing the corpses of Namikaze Minato and Uzumaki Kushina, 'Sato' promptly closed their coffins, stowed them in the scroll, and, together with the other two Shadow Clones who had also raided the tombs, employed Earth Style to conceal the raised stone slabs.

Unless closely inspected, it would be difficult for others to detect these hidden graves. In reality, they had all remained undetected.

With the slabs covered, the three Shadow Clones made their way toward the secret base.

Given the unstable nature of Shadow Clones, accidents could occur, leading to a waste of effort after waiting nine years.

'Sato' did not wish to allow such a situation to arise.

Instead, they allowed their senses to expand, avoiding any potential enemies after robbing the tomb. They made their way to a secluded waterfall location known for its hidden escape route and stored the backpack filled with scrolls in a secret base they had constructed during their youth.

After washing off any lingering scent, they proceeded to the Naka River and leaped into its depths, releasing the Shadow Clone Technique.

"Found it!" exclaimed one of the newly created Shadow Clones.

With the second wave of Shadow Clones possessing byakugans, they set off toward the Takigakure, carrying the important scroll.

Finally, the third group of Shadow Clones, equipped with byakugans, assisted Sato in locating the elusive prize.