After emerging from the Naka River, Yagyu quickly changed into dry clothes, then donned a new black cloak and mask. He formed a hand seal and activated his Kagura's Mind Eye to check the location of his shadow clone.
At that moment, his shadow clone had already organized the Genin from the contestants' area. They received an A-rank mission from Kakashi Hatake and were on their way to the forest to assist Sasuke Uchiha in pursuing Gaara and his siblings.
Satisfied, Yagyu reactivated his Red Eye's farsight and x-ray vision, searching for a particular place.
After several minutes, Yagyu left Konoha and finally found the location at the base of a distant cliff.
Using the Lightning Release Chakra Mode, Yagyu moved at full speed.
By now, the Konoha ninja had nearly finished evacuating all the villagers to the shelters.
According to Konoha's safety protocol, once the villagers were secure, the shinobi would gather all their forces and swiftly eliminate the remaining enemies. This meant that Hiruzen Sarutobi's death was approaching, and Yagyu had to act quickly to complete his objectives. He needed to finish before the incident concluded and then regroup with his shadow clone to create an alibi.
Before long, Yagyu arrived at his destination.
In front of him stood an old, weathered shrine, showing clear signs of age.
Before the Fourth Hokage's death, this place had been maintained regularly. But after the death of Minato and Kushina, no one came here anymore.
This shrine was called the Mask Storage Temple.
It was an ancient building left by the Uzumaki Clan during the Warring States period, before they moved to the island and established Uzushiogakure in the Land of Whirlpools.
Upon entering the shrine, Yagyu noticed the walls were covered with spiderwebs, and numerous masks hung from them. Each mask had a different shape and design, but they all bore the terrifying visage of a fanged demon.
Yagyu's eyes glowed red as he swept his gaze across the rows of masks. Using his special red vision, he quickly identified several masks emitting a unique chakra signature. These were clearly special "ninja tools."
Yagyu took down several of these masks and immediately recognized the one he had come for—the Shinigami Mask, which Orochimaru had used in the original story to retrieve his soul and release the spirits of the previous Hokage.
Yagyu knew the effects of the Shinigami Mask but had no idea about the abilities of the other masks. However, he could safely assume they were all related to the Uzumaki Clan's sealing techniques.
Thus, Yagyu stored the Shinigami Mask and the other masks into a storage scroll and placed the scroll into his spatial inventory.
Leaving the shrine, Yagyu looked up at the clear sky, feeling elated. He suddenly felt the urge to shout out loud.
Everything had gone too smoothly!
Everything Yagyu had longed for was now in his possession, and things had gone so smoothly that it felt like he was favored by fate itself.
But Yagyu knew that luck was only part of it. The real credit went to his journal, which recorded the main storyline and key events, and to his meticulous planning over the past month!
Had he not encountered Raiga Kurosuki and the Red Eye bloodline user during his first C-rank mission, he wouldn't have set his sights on Haku.
If he hadn't obtained Ice Release and learned one-handed hand seals from Haku, and later discovered that shadow clones could increase his drop rate, he wouldn't have devised the bold plan to gain Wood Release and forge his identity as a Senju descendant.
If he hadn't suddenly recalled how Orochimaru had revived the previous Hokage, Yagyu wouldn't have come here to find the Shinigami Mask.
Now, everything was in place. The only thing left was to use Edo Tensei to summon the past Hokage and, as a descendant, request various forbidden techniques from Tobirama Senju, as well as the Wood Release ultimate jutsu Sage Art: Wood Release: True Several Thousand Hands from Hashirama Senju.
Yagyu had a plan—it just needed to be fine-tuned.
The crackling sound of electricity suddenly filled the air.
Using both the Lightning Release Armor and the Lightning Release Chakra Mode together, Yagyu transformed into a streak of blue-white lightning and quickly made his way back to Konoha.
Along the way, Yagyu once again fully activated his Kagura's Mind Eye, sensing that the Konoha ninja had all regrouped. This clearly meant they had finished evacuating the villagers and were now focusing all their efforts on repelling the enemies.
Although Konoha was no longer the most powerful shinobi village it once was, its foundations were still formidable.
Suna, being the weakest of the Five Great Shinobi Nations, with the least resources, hadn't sent its full force into the attack. They also lacked a second Kage-level shinobi besides the Fourth Kazekage.
Once Konoha launched its counterattack, and the various ninja clans joined the fight, the tide quickly turned against Suna and the Sound Village.
The master-student battle on the rooftop and Naruto's battle with Gaara were both nearing their end.
As the Konoha Eleven went to assist Sasuke, they were relentlessly pursued by numerous Sound ninja. Kankuro had also stayed behind to cover Temari and Gaara's retreat.
Yagyu's shadow clone had organized Team 8, Shikamaru, and Sakura to deal with the pursuing Sound ninja and Kankuro, taking a low-profile, support role.
From the beginning, Yagyu had no intention of standing out during the Konoha Crush Plan.
As Orochimaru had said, this event would restart the long-stagnant wheels of Konoha.
Even though Yagyu knew that Hiruzen Sarutobi was old and frail, and that even if he exposed his Wood Release abilities, he wouldn't be feared but rather highly valued and nurtured, he still wanted Sarutobi to die.
If Sarutobi didn't die, it would give Danzo the confidence to continue his secret operations.
Even if Sarutobi found out about Danzo's schemes, he would do little more than give his old friend a light reprimand.
Even though Danzo had been stripped of his position as the Hokage's advisor, he still had the means to secretly cultivate Root ninjas.
If Sarutobi didn't die, and Yagyu brought Karin to Konoha, Danzo would undoubtedly target her.
Yagyu didn't want to face future regrets, realizing too late that killing Danzo wouldn't fix things.
Only when Sarutobi was dead and Tsunade took over as Hokage, bringing Karin to Konoha herself, would Yagyu feel truly at ease.
In the original story, it wasn't until after the Pain invasion, when Tsunade fell into a coma, that Danzo finally seized an opportunity to make his move.
During the three and a half years that Tsunade was Hokage, the most Danzo managed was appointing Sai to Team 7.
This showed that Tsunade had a strong presence of authority.
It made sense—Tsunade was personally brought back by Jiraiya, the man who had loved her his whole life. Jiraiya would undoubtedly support her unconditionally.
Opposing Tsunade meant opposing not only the major ninja clans but also Jiraiya and the Fire Daimyo.
Without his position as Hokage advisor, Danzo certainly wouldn't have the confidence to stir up trouble.
Before long, Yagyu reached the vicinity of his shadow clone.
Before he could merge with the clone, Yagyu noticed two giant beasts battling in the distance, creating fierce wind and rain.
These two beasts were the One-Tail, Shukaku, unleashed by Gaara through his fake sleep technique, and Gamabunta, summoned by Naruto.
The two titans clashed using Wind and Water Release, their collisions creating a storm that shattered Sasuke Uchiha's worldview.
Until that moment, Sasuke had never seen creatures of such size, nor jutsu with such vast range and power.
At that moment, Sasuke finally realized that Naruto, the supposed "dead last," had unknowingly surpassed him.
The confidence and pride Sasuke had gained from learning the Chidori were utterly destroyed in that moment.
One more push, and Sasuke would take the first step toward his descent into darkness.
Seeing this, Yagyu knew the Konoha Crush Plan was almost over.
With the help of his Red Eye Illusions and Lightning Release Chakra Mode, Yagyu quickly swapped places with his shadow clone.
By this time, the Sound ninja pursuing them, as well as Kankuro, had been defeated by Team 8 and Shikamaru under Yagyu's clone's guidance.
"Let's go. It looks like Naruto's battle is over."
Yagyu led Hinata and the others toward the location where Naruto and Sasuke had fought.
Before long, they came upon Naruto and Gaara lying on the ground, with Sasuke and Temari standing guard over them.
"Kankuro!"
Seeing Kankuro, unconscious and being carried by Shino Aburame, Temari's face filled with shock.
Yagyu looked at the unconscious Naruto and asked knowingly, "Was that giant summoning creature Naruto's?"
"...Yeah."
Sasuke nodded with a complicated expression.
"Looks like we've won."
Yagyu turned to Temari and asked, "Will you surrender, or fight to the death?"
"We surrender."
Seeing Yagyu and the others unharmed, Temari wisely chose to give in.
"A smart choice. From the looks of it, you're all important figures in Suna. You'll likely get out of this unscathed. In the future, we may meet again on the battlefield or in diplomatic exchanges. I'd rather not humiliate you now."
Yagyu created a shadow clone, which lifted Gaara, who had been shocked into silence by Naruto's determination, though he hadn't lost consciousness.
The real Yagyu then warned Temari, "If you don't want your companion to get hurt, behave yourself and follow along."
"I understand."
Temari nodded obediently.
With that, Yagyu and his team began to head back the way they came, with Sasuke carrying Naruto and following closely behind.
As Yagyu's shadow clone carried Gaara, and the sound of Naruto's heavy breathing filled his ears, Sasuke's eyes were filled with frustration.
Once, only Yagyu had been stronger than him, and even then, the gap wasn't that big.
But now, at least three of his peers had surpassed him.
Even Naruto, whom he had always seen as inferior, had quietly overtaken him!
With how weak he was now, how could he ever hope to kill that man?
As these thoughts consumed him, the curse mark sealed on Sasuke's neck began to heat up, causing a burning sensation.
At the same time, the image of the overwhelming chakra from the Chunin Exams—the one that felt even more oppressive than Zabuza or Kakashi—flashed in Sasuke's mind.
If he followed that man, he might become stronger!
Yagyu wasn't aware of Sasuke's thoughts. Even if he had known, he wouldn't have been able to stop him.
Since the age of seven, Sasuke had lived solely for revenge.
As long as it meant he could kill Itachi Uchiha, he would pay any price.
By the time Yagyu and the others returned to Konoha's central district, the Sound and Suna forces had either fled, been killed, or were captured.
Seeing that Yagyu had safely returned with Team 8, Kurenai Yuhi, who had been with Kakashi Hatake and Might Guy, breathed a sigh of relief.
"Well done. You've earned great merit this time," Kurenai said with a proud smile when she saw the captured Gaara and his siblings.
"Kurenai-sensei, is the battle over?" Yagyu asked, glancing at the rooftop of the VIP section. The purple barrier was gone, and the rooftop was now occupied by several cloaked Anbu members.
"Yes," Kurenai nodded, her expression turning serious. "The Third Hokage has sacrificed himself."
Hearing this, Yagyu and the others were visibly shocked—though Yagyu's reaction was somewhat exaggerated.
With Kurenai's words, it was clear that Hiruzen Sarutobi's era, which had lasted for decades, had finally come to an end.
A new era was about to begin.
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