Chapter 46: Sato's Grand Scheme in Konoha

After storing the large box filled with scrolls in the storage scroll, Sato once again entered an invisible state and swiftly left the Hokage building.

To acquire the corpses of the Uchiha clan with such ease, Sato had Shimura Danzo, known as the "Shadow hokage," to thank this time.

Danzo had already retrieved the Sharingan from the Uchiha clan and considered the corpses of little value. Instead of following Uchiha Itachi's noble path, the Third Hokage engaged in a competition for ownership of the corpses, driven by his virtuous nature. However, he chose not to dispose of them, foreseeing their potential future use. The corpses were preserved and embalmed, possibly to exploit the loyalty of a guilt-ridden son or deceive a supposed "perfect successor of the Will of Fire."

The task of embalming the corpses fell to the regular ANBU under the command of the Hokage. Yamato, who had become a full-fledged ANBU member, was aware of their location.

Nine years ago, when Sato conceived this ambitious plan, he had also identified Yamato as a crucial element for its success. His intuition proved correct.

His plan was on the verge of completion, with just one step remaining for perfect realization. The missing link was Senju Tobirama's body, absent from the cemetery, preventing Sato from acquiring the Reanimation Jutsu. However, Sato had prepared a contingency plan, known as Plan B.

Now, all that remained for Sato was to retrieve a certain item from another location, and Plan B would be 100% complete.

"Byakugan - Activate!" Sato declared, focusing his eyes with determination.

With that, Sato swiftly departed from the Hokage building and made his way to the destination, carefully observing his surroundings.

Passing through a desolate area, Sato formed a hand seal and created a Wood Clone. Using the Wood Transformation Technique, the clone assumed Sato's exact appearance. Employing the Stealth Technique, the clone proceeded toward Sasuke and Gaara's siblings, with the mission of substituting for the "Sato" of the new generation.

While Sato and the three sets of Shadow Clones were busy with their tasks, the situation in Konoha began to shift in their favor. Under the guidance of the major ninja clans and Jōnin, all Konoha Shinobi united their efforts and, backed by the village's formidable strength, started overwhelming the invading Sand Ninja, led by Orochimaru.

Furthermore, the enormous toad summoned by Jiraiya defeated the Three Giant Snakes from Ryūchi Cave.

On the rooftop of the VIP seats in the plaza, the Third Hokage employed the Reaper Death Seal, sealing the souls of the First and Second Hokage within his Shadow Clone. After his demise, the Shinigami would consume not only his own soul but also those of his two teachers.

However, before his imminent death, the Third Hokage desired to take Orochimaru, his favored disciple, along with him. Unfortunately, due to his old age, he couldn't completely extract Orochimaru's soul.

Realizing his impending failure, it was time to sever Orochimaru's hands and bring an end to Konoha's crush plan.

Witnessing these events, Sato quickened his pace once again.

Before long, Sato arrived at a certain location in Konoha, standing in front of a building resembling an ancestral hall.

This building, known as the "Uzumaki Clan's Mask Storage Temple" was a structure left by the Uzumaki family in the Land of Fire.

Within the Uzumaki Clan's Mask Storage Temple, Sato beheld rows of masks of various shapes and patterns adorning the dusty walls. Among them, he quickly located the Shinigami mask.

After carefully storing the Shinigami mask in a separate storage scroll, Sato retrieved another scroll and collected all the masks present in the Mask Storage Temple.

Although their purpose was unclear to him, these masks were part of the Uzumaki clan's legacy. Since they were displayed alongside the Shinigami masks, Sato decided that the more masks he acquired, the better.

After gathering every mask, Sato stored the scroll containing them in the inner pocket of his cloak. A sense of relief washed over him, momentarily releasing the tension from his body. It felt as if he was floating.

Over the past nine years, Sato had conceived countless ideas, initially focusing on the smaller-scale plan involving the cemetery corpses before gradually refining his plan.

During these nine years, Sato had envisioned this very moment repeatedly, preparing multiple contingency plans to adapt to any changes. However, he never anticipated that his plan would proceed so smoothly, apart from the absence of Senju Tobirama's body. This slight alteration caused the plan's progress to stall at 99%.

Nevertheless, Sato knew he could effortlessly push this progress to 100% within a matter of days. The final step was all that remained, transforming from a mere pawn to a true dragon capable of stirring up the ninja world's winds and clouds.

Sato had waited and prepared for this moment for nine long years.

Nine years!

A span of time that holds great significance in one's life.

Had it not been for his unwavering caution, meticulously eliminating every flaw until the final leaf, Sato wouldn't have experienced even the slightest setback. Now, he couldn't contain his excitement and emotions any longer. Sato exclaimed in relief and jubilation, "I've finally made it!

After taking a few deep breaths to regain composure, Sato entered an invisible state once again. With unwavering determination, he set his course towards the secret base in the Land of Waterfalls, vanishing in an instant.

As Sato opened his eyes once again to observe the battle situation in Konoha, he realized that the war had come to an end.

First and foremost, on the rooftop of the square, the Third Hokage had made the ultimate sacrifice. He severed Orochimaru's hands and sealed away all of Orochimaru's ninjutsu. Accompanied by the Sound Four, including Kabuto disguised as an Anbu member, Orochimaru was escorted away from Konoha.

Sato paid little attention to Orochimaru's departure and focused on his own plans. The aftermath of the war was not the appropriate time to implement Plan B.

At this moment, the most important task was to reap one of the greatest rewards. Sato, who had arrived at the secret base in disguise, quickly located the three backpacks hidden by his Shadow Clones and others.

He retrieved another storage scroll and carefully stored the three backpacks inside it. The question may arise as to how Sato obtained so many storage scrolls. The answer lies in the fact that he had traveled back in time to the days when he had finished training Karin, returned to Konoha from the short book street, and patiently waited for the start of the third official game of the exam.

During those few days, Sato had made final preparations for his plan. One of these preparations involved using his Shadow Clones in combination with the Transformation Technique and even the Hypnosis illusion of the Sharingan to acquire storage scrolls from ninja shops. These scrolls were specifically intended for tomb raiding and the storage of masks.

After securely storing the backpacks in the scroll, Sato used Water Style to cleanse his own scent. Instead of returning to Konoha, he entered an invisible state and swiftly made his way outside the village.

Now is the time to highlight the greatest advantage of Wood Style. Although Yamato's Wood Style could only reach 20% of the power of Senju Hashirama and did not grant him a sage body, it still possessed significant advantages.

And what is the most significant advantage of Wood Style? It's not the ability to create lush greenery or portable houses but rather the fundamental technique called Wood Clone Technique.

While Shadow Clones have limitations and cannot move beyond a certain range from the original, Wood Clones have no such restrictions. As long as a Wood Clone does not deplete its chakra, it can exist indefinitely. In fact, if a Wood Clone's chakra is running low, it can even absorb the chakra of others to extend its own lifespan.

Furthermore, unlike Shadow Clones, Wood Clones do not need to be dispelled to transfer information to the original. The Wood Clone and the original can exchange information with each other at any time.

For instance, Sato had acquired information through his Wood Clones in Konoha and successfully shared it flawlessly with his Shadow Clones.

Meanwhile, the Wood Clone located near the Hokage building had resolved the enchantment team, eliminating all evidence of its presence. It had then made its way to the forest behind the Hokage Rock, where it transformed into a small tree, concealing itself.

After leaving Konoha, Sato bypassed a Street and instead arrived at the nearest town, he sneaked into a random house. Using his illusion abilities, he easily manipulated the owner into falling into a deep slumber. Sato then retrieved all the storage scrolls he carried and prepared to deal with the corpses in the cemetery as his first task.

The three Shadow Clones had stolen over a hundred tombstone coffins belonging to prominent figures and strong members of major ninja clans. These individuals were heroes of Konoha who had fallen in battle, leaving their bodies behind.

Sato had chosen these coffins, not for the purpose of devouring the corpses, but for a different reason. The energy remaining in the corpses was minimal, especially since Chakra and spirits had already departed to the world of the dead. Even the recently deceased, such as Uchiha Shisui, only contained around 50% or less of their life energy.

The primary gain from these long-deceased corpses, aside from a small portion of their memories, was the acquisition of Konoha's secret techniques and Kekkei Genkais. Sato had already obtained the coveted Sharingan, Byakugan, as well as the secret techniques of the Yamanaka and Nara clans. The only missing piece was the Sage Body from the Senju clan, but Sato now possessed the abilities of the three giants of Konoha.

Among the hundred-plus coffins, several belonged to the Senju clan, fulfilling Sato's desire. Additionally, there were also two corpses of the Uzumaki clan. One was Uzumaki Kushina, the wife of the Hokage and the First Generation Nine-Tails Jinchūriki, while the other was Uzumaki Mito, also a Hokage's wife and a Nine-Tails Jinchūriki like Kushina.