As the caskets' covers hit the ground, two figures stood within—the previous Lords of Konoha, who reigned as Hokage before Hiruzen: Hashirama Senju, the First Hokage, and Tobirama Senju, the Second Hokage.
Naruto watched as the two people who embodied his ambition emerged from the coffins. Orochimaru stood behind them, swiftly striking each with kunai attached to sealing tags. Though the two Kage appeared unscathed, they stood facing the Third after absorbing the kunai into themselves.
"Wait... The First and Second died before I was even born. How could they be standing there...!" Naruto gasped, paling as realization struck. "A GHOST! AAAAHHH!" Naruto's face lost all color as he spun around and bolted, as if his life depended on it. If there was one thing Naruto feared, it was ghosts. But he had always been fearless since he didn't believe ghosts existed—until now.
He dashed back to the civilian platform, where Sakura was berating Shikamaru.
"SAKURA, SAVE ME!" Naruto rushed over and hid behind her. "Naruto, what are you doing? GET OFF ME!" she shouted as Naruto stammered, "G-G-G-G-Ghost!" clutching her shoulders, using her as a shield.
"NARUTO, WE DON'T HAVE TIME FOR THIS! WE HAVE A MISSION TO COMPLETE."
Naruto let go of Sakura's shoulders. "What kind of mission?"
Shikamaru got up and approached them. "The five of us are going after the Sand genin. Sasuke's already on their trail, so we need to move if we want to catch up."
"Shikamaru? What do you mean, the five of us? Who else is joining?" Just then, a small dog wearing a ninja headband stepped forward. "Down here, kid. Name's Pakkun. I'm one of Kakashi's summoned beasts," he introduced himself.
Naruto crouched down, eyeing Pakkun curiously. "How are you going to help? You don't look very reliable."
"I'll track Sasuke's scent. We don't have time to waste; let's go," Pakkun replied. Naruto nodded. "Let's go." Pakkun sniffed the air and set off in the direction of Sasuke's trail, followed by Naruto, Ash, Sakura, and Shikamaru.
Minutes later in a forest within Konoha.
The five of them sprinted through the forest, speeding past trees. Suddenly, Pakkun made a sharp turn. "Pick up the pace!" he urged them.
"WHAT IS IT?" Sakura felt that something was off.
"Behind us... two squads with eight—no, wait, one more—nine men are chasing us," Pakkun revealed, sensing the enemy's location and numbers.
"Hey, hey, are you kidding me?" Shikamaru muttered, exasperated by the predicament Kakashi had put him in.
"They haven't pinpointed our exact location yet, but they're closing in fast. Stay alert for any surprise attacks." Pakkun's tension grew as the gap between them and the enemy narrowed.
"What a drag," Shikamaru groaned. "They're probably all Chunin-level or higher. If they catch up, we're done for."
Naruto crossed his fingers, summoning a wave of Shadow Clones. "MULTI SHADOW CLONE JUTSU!" The clones used the transformation technique to mimic the group's appearance, scattering in different directions to leave extra trails and confuse the enemy.
"I can't believe I'm saying this, but you're a genius, Naruto. The chances of them finding us just dropped," Shikamaru acknowledged.
"Hehe, I practiced my stealth a lot while sneaking around to prank everyone back in the day!" Naruto grinned.
Sakura glared at him. "That was just a few months ago, you idiot."
"HAHAha... Hey, Pakkun, Ash wants to know how you got a Leaf ninja headband. Did you have to pass a test?"
"Ash?" Everyone looked at Naruto, puzzled.
Naruto explained, "Oh, sorry, everyone. This here is Ash. He's almost a month old and my summon."
"Frogadier," Ash greeted them politely.
Everyone welcomed Ash, though communication was tricky, as Naruto translated through their bond.
"To get a Leaf headband, a summon has to prove loyalty to the village and demonstrate their worth. I was raised by Kakashi since I was a pup, so loyalty was a given. My tracking skills handle the rest. No big test—just paperwork," Pakkun shared.
Ash smiled delightedly. "Froggaaa."
"I guess that means you qualify, Ash," Naruto said. "Too bad about the paperwork, though." Naruto's face fell. He quickly perked up again. "Not good—they've split up and started picking off my clones. Sooner or later, they'll catch on to us."
"How do you know that?" Shikamaru asked.
"Huh? When my clones die, I see what happened since they were summoned. It's kind of annoying since I remember just how bad they got beat."
'What the... He can gather intel with that jutsu?' Shikamaru thought, keeping the revelation to himself.
"Give us an update, Pakkun. What's the enemy doing?"
"They're regrouping. There's another scent... Asuma Sarutobi is fighting them... scratch that, he beat them already."
"Who's Asuma? He has the same last name as JIJI," Naruto asked, but Sakura answered, "He's Asuma Sarutobi, son of the current Hokage, and an elite Jonin like Kakashi-sensei."
Shikamaru added, "He's also my team's Jonin sensei. Beating nine ninjas close to Jonin-level? That's Asuma for you."
Naruto mused, "Oh, so he's JIJI's son. Wonder if he's as bratty as Konohamaru."
With his heightened senses, Pakkun overheard Naruto's comment and thought, 'Poor kid... the guy you're talking about is quietly trailing us, and there's no way a Jonin didn't hear that.'