Orders were passed down one after another.
When Yako heard his assignment, he let out a long sigh of relief.
Yellow Dog's division had lost two squads and was significantly weakened. As a result, the higher-ups assigned them to guard Kato Dan.
No direct combat? That was a blessing.
Inside the mountain body of Mount Ushika, there was a pre-dug cave.
Kato Dan, two Senju shinobi, and Yellow Dog entered the cave.
Yako and Purple Cat were tasked with guarding the entrance.
To the left and right of the entrance stood one ANBU squad each, while Captain Yellow Dog personally stayed by Kato Dan's side.
When using Spirit Transformation Technique, Kato Dan couldn't move his physical body.
The village's top brass believed that Kato Dan, unburdened by hesitation when using a forbidden jutsu, was even more useful than a seasoned ANBU like Yellow Dog in direct battle.
No wonder Kato Dan had been considered a contender for the title of Fourth Hokage—his strength and reputation were formidable.
A fragrant breeze drifted in.
Tsunade entered the cave, inspecting the guards posted around Kato Dan.
She wore herbal-scented perfume she'd blended herself; the fragrance of flowers and leaves calmed the senses.
Yako searched his memory—Tsunade was four years older than his original self. He'd seen her during his time at the Academy.
Back then, Tobirama Senju was still alive, and Tsunade was a true prodigy, a child blessed by the heavens.
As she passed Yako, she stopped and said, "You're Fox, right? Your intel was timely."
Yako replied, "It's my duty, Princess Tsunade."
Tsunade wasn't one to act coy. She wore her usual loose, low-cut top, her generous chest on full display.
Nodding at Fox, she continued into the cave.
When Tobirama was around, ANBU were essentially his right hand. Tsunade always held a sense of closeness to the organization.
But once ANBU passed into Sarutobi Hiruzen's hands, it changed.
Danzō now commanded ANBU as Hiruzen's enforcer, directing them in all the village's dirty work.
Even if other shinobi in the village objected, Hiruzen would step in as judge, jury, and executor.
Hearing that only two members of a whole ANBU squad had returned alive but brought back critical intel—that made Tsunade feel a glimmer of the old ANBU, the legacy of her great-uncle.
Watching Tsunade and Kato Dan chatting inside the cave, Yako felt a pang of sympathy.
Kato Dan was likely going to die soon.
Both Nawaki and Kato Dan would fall during the Second Shinobi War.
Once Tsunade left, Yako picked up his binoculars and scanned the distance.
In the dark sky, a small black dot appeared.
It grew larger—revealing a dwarfish figure.
He wore the Tsuchikage hat—it was Ōnoki!
The moment battle erupted, it peaked instantly.
Ōnoki directly unleashed Dust Release!
Brilliant light sparked in his palm. The Dust Release Barrier expanded violently, firing a beam straight at the Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen.
Meanwhile, from the Iwa ranks, a burst of red chakra flared.
Han, the Steam-nin and Jinchūriki of the Five-Tails, didn't bother testing the waters—he instantly entered his Tailed Beast Cloak, sprouting three tails.
Deep in the heart of the Land of Fire, Iwa-nin had to finish this fast. If Konoha's reinforcements arrived in force, even Ōnoki would suffer serious losses.
Konoha responded swiftly.
Sarutobi evaded the Dust Release with incredible agility, summoned Enma, and extended the Adamantine Staff, swinging it upward at Ōnoki.
Han began forming a Tailed Beast Bomb in front of him.
Then suddenly, a Jonin at his rear moved.
The man lunged at Han, a paper bomb in hand—intending mutual destruction.
"It's the Spirit Transformation Technique from Konoha!"
An Iwa Elite Jonin quickly intercepted the possessed man with Earth Release, preventing the explosion.
But the disruption sowed chaos among the Iwa forces.
The Elite Jonin barked, "I'll take a team to hunt down Kato Dan!"
Kato Dan might not match the raw power of Hiruzen's three disciples, but his battlefield threat was arguably greater.
His name alone gave enemy commanders headaches.
Once the Spirit Transformation Technique appeared, the enemy would be plunged into confusion.
Few sensory ninjutsu could detect a spirit—making it nearly impossible to defend against. The only solution was to locate and eliminate Kato Dan's real body.
Yako looked up at the faint glow of a barrier seal on the cave walls, unsure if it would block Iwa's scouts.
The Elite Jonin led two sensory-nin teams, breaking from the main force and circling around—focused on locating Kato Dan.
Yako wasn't on the frontlines, but he wouldn't escape combat.
As he monitored Iwa's movements, he asked Purple Cat beside him:
"Purple Cat, the Yamanaka clan's mind techniques can control people. Kato Dan's Spirit Transformation Technique also does that. Are they related?"
Purple Cat replied:
"Yes. Both the Yamanaka techniques and the Spirit Transformation are Yin Release arts specializing in mental control.
But Spirit Transformation is a forbidden technique—its range far exceeds ours.
Even the Yamanaka clan doesn't fully understand why it's so powerful. It's a Senju secret jutsu, passed down through the Senju and some of their allied minor clans.
Back in the Warring States Era, the Senju fought the Uchiha for centuries, uniting many minor clans against them.
For example, the Kurama Clan, whose genjutsu rivals the Uchiha's, and the Kato Clan, who passed down the Spirit Transformation Technique.
These small clans were heavily targeted by the Uchiha and have remained small ever since."
Yako thought to himself—how arrogant the Uchiha were, refusing to ally with others. Meanwhile, the Senju had the Uzumaki through marriage, plus the Kurama, Kato, and other secret-jutsu clans. The more they fought, the stronger they grew.
The far-off battlefield raged like noise in the background.
Outside the cave, it was calm.
Yako formed the hand seal for Earth Hiding: Mole's Spines and pressed his hand to the ground.
The earth rippled like water.
Chakra spread underground, probing for enemy movement below.
Strong Iwa-nin moved like rats—constantly burrowing, using terrain to their advantage.
After a few minutes, Yako suddenly looked up.
"Two o'clock direction! 80 meters out! Two Iwa-nin are tunneling underground!"
Yellow Dog shouted, "On guard!"
He wouldn't leave Kato Dan's side no matter what.
An ANBU squad outside the cave darted toward the spot Yako had indicated.
Sweat beaded on Yako's forehead.
He wasn't sure it was just two people.
There was a vague presence underground he couldn't pinpoint.
Either his sensing was off—or the opponent's skill vastly exceeded his.
Winning or losing the war didn't matter. Kato Dan's life didn't matter. His own survival came first.
If they faced an Elite Jonin now, Purple Cat wouldn't survive ten times over—she couldn't help him.
Black Bull and Antelope were already dead. Purple Cat was his only subordinate left—he had to protect her.
He couldn't stay here. If exposed, being near Kato Dan was too dangerous.
Yako shouted, "Multiple enemies at two o'clock! One squad isn't enough—Captain, I request permission to reinforce!"
Yellow Dog nodded. "Go! Quick! We need to buy Kato Dan more time!"
Yako and Purple Cat raced toward two o'clock.
Underground, an unusual chakra fluctuation pulsed—the Elite Jonin had ignored Yako and slipped into the cave.