Orders were issued one after another.
When Yako heard his assignment, he let out a long sigh of relief.
The Yellow Dog Unit had lost two platoons, drastically reducing its strength. The higher-ups decided to assign them to guard Kato Dan.
No direct frontline combat—perfect.
Inside Mount Ushiga, a cave had already been dug out.
Kato Dan, two Senju shinobi, and Yellow Dog entered the cave.
Moonlight and Purple Cat were posted to guard the entrance.
An Anbu squad was stationed on either side of the entrance, while the Yellow Dog Captain personally stayed by Kato Dan's side.
When Kato Dan used the Spirit Transformation Technique, his body couldn't move.
The higher-ups believed that letting him freely use this forbidden technique was more useful than sending an old veteran Anbu jōnin like Yellow Dog into the fray.
No wonder Kato Dan had been qualified to contend for the title of Fourth Hokage—his strength and prestige were clearly formidable.
A sweet fragrance drifted in.
Tsunade stepped into the cave, inspecting Kato Dan's guard detail.
She had prepared a herbal perfume, the scent of flowers and grass refreshing the senses.
Yako searched his memories—Tsunade was four years older than his original body. Back in the days at the Ninja Academy, he'd seen her before.
At that time, the Second Hokage, Senju Tobirama, was still alive, and Tsunade had truly been the village's golden girl.
As she passed Yako, Tsunade stopped. "Fox, huh? Your intel was timely."
"This is my duty, Princess Tsunade," Yako replied.
Tsunade was never the shy type. Wearing a loose, low-cut top, her figure was… impressive.
After nodding to "Fox," she continued deeper into the cave.
Back when "Granduncle" Tobirama was in charge, the Anbu had been an extension of his will, and Tsunade had always treated them warmly.
Unfortunately, after Sarutobi Hiruzen took over, things changed.
Danzo was now Hiruzen's enforcer, directing the Anbu to handle dirty work.
Even if Konoha's shinobi had objections, Hiruzen would personally step in as judge and arbiter.
Today, hearing that an Anbu platoon had returned with only two survivors—but bearing critical intel—made Tsunade feel that some remnants of her granduncle's spirit still lingered in the Anbu.
Watching Tsunade chat with Kato Dan inside, Yako felt a pang of sympathy for them both.
Kato Dan was probably close to death.
Nawaki and Kato Dan had both died during the Second Great Ninja War.
When Tsunade left, Yako lifted his binoculars and peered into the distance.
In the dark night sky, a small black dot appeared.
The dot drew closer, revealing a dwarfish silhouette.
That man wore the Tsuchikage's kasa—it was Ōnoki!
The battle erupted at full intensity in an instant.
Ōnoki unleashed Dust Release right away!
Dazzling light gathered in his hands. The Dust Release barrier expanded, a beam shooting straight toward the Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen.
Meanwhile, from the Iwa-nin side, a surge of red chakra flared.
The Steam Ninja Han skipped any probing moves, entering his Tailed Beast Cloak state and sprouting three tails immediately.
Deep in the Land of Fire's territory, Iwa-nin had to end the battle quickly. If Konoha reinforcements arrived, even Ōnoki would suffer.
Facing the fierce assault, Konoha responded swiftly.
Hiruzen dodged the Dust Release with agility, summoned Enma, and wielded the Adamantine Staff. The staff extended, swinging toward the airborne Ōnoki.
The three-tailed Han began charging a Tailed Beast Ball in front of him.
Just then, a jōnin behind him suddenly moved.
The jōnin lunged at Han, pulling out explosive tags—trying to take them both out.
"That's Konoha's Spirit Transformation Technique!"
An elite jōnin quickly used Earth Style to block the possessed jōnin.
The explosion caused chaos in the Iwa ranks.
The elite jōnin shouted, "I'll take a team to find Kato Dan!"
Kato Dan's direct combat ability was below that of Hiruzen's three disciples, but his presence on the battlefield was more intimidating.
His name alone was a headache for every enemy commander.
Whenever the Spirit Transformation Technique appeared, the enemy side inevitably fell into confusion.
Few sensory techniques could perceive a soul, so there was no direct defense against the Spirit Transformation Technique—only finding Kato Dan's body could stop it.
Yako glanced at the faint glow of the barrier on the cave walls, wondering if it could block Iwa-nin detection.
The elite jōnin took two sensory-nin squads, breaking away from the main Iwa force to flank and search for Kato Dan.
Even without going to the front lines, Yako couldn't avoid a fight.
While tracking Iwa-nin movements, he asked Purple Cat beside him,
"Purple Cat, the Yamanaka clan's mind techniques can control others, and Kato Dan's Spirit Transformation Technique can also control others. Are these two jutsu related in some way?"
Purple Cat replied:
"Yes. The Yamanaka's mind techniques and the Spirit Transformation Technique are both Yin Release techniques specializing in mental control.
The Spirit Transformation Technique is a forbidden jutsu—its range is far greater than the Yamanaka's techniques.
The Yamanaka don't know why the Spirit Transformation Technique is so powerful. It's a Senju clan secret, passed down within the Senju and their affiliated minor ninja clans.
During the Warring States Period, the Senju fought the Uchiha for centuries. The Senju united many allied clans to counter the Uchiha.
For example, the Kurama clan, whose genjutsu rivaled the Uchiha's, and the Kato clan, which inherited the Spirit Transformation Technique.
These smaller clans were prime targets for the Uchiha, so they always remained small in number."
Yako thought, 'The proud Uchiha never understood the power of alliances. The Senju had marital ties to the Uzumaki, plus allies like the Kurama and Kato with unique secret techniques—no wonder they grew stronger the longer the war dragged on.'
The distant battle became a noisy backdrop.
The area outside the cave remained quiet.
Yako formed the hand seals for the Hidden Fish in Earth Technique and pressed his hand to the ground.
The earth rippled like water.
Chakra spread through the ground, searching for Iwa-nin hiding below.
Experienced Iwa-nin were like rats, diving into the earth to make full use of terrain in combat.
After several minutes, Yako suddenly looked up.
"Two o'clock direction! Eighty meters away! Two Iwa-nin are burrowing underground!"
At his words, Yellow Dog immediately barked, "On guard!"
He would not leave Kato Dan's side.
One of the Anbu squads outside the cave charged toward the location Yako had indicated.
Cold sweat beaded on Yako's forehead.
What he'd sensed might not have been just two people.
There was also a faint, indistinct presence underground—its position uncertain.
He couldn't pinpoint it. Either he'd misread the chakra, or the opponent's skill far exceeded his own.
Who won or lost the battle didn't matter, nor did Kato Dan's life or death—his own survival came first.
If they ran into an elite jōnin now, Purple Cat wouldn't stand a chance of helping him win.
Black Ox and Antelope were already dead—Purple Cat was his only subordinate left. He had to protect her.
He couldn't stay here; being exposed near Kato Dan was too dangerous.
Yako shouted, "Multiple enemies spotted at two o'clock! One squad won't be enough—Captain, requesting permission to support them!"
"Go! Hurry!" Yellow Dog ordered. "Our position's exposed—everyone else must buy Kato Dan more time!"
Yako and Purple Cat rushed toward the two o'clock direction.
Chakra fluctuations came from underground—the elite jōnin didn't bother engaging Yako, instead slipping into the cave.