I'm in Konoha, and I started with Ashura Chakra.

Chapter 68: The goods are in hand, the incident concludes, and a new era begins.

After coming up the Nanga River, Yagyu first took out dry clothes to change into, and then took out a new black cloak and mask to put on.

Immediately, Yagyu formed hand seals and used his full power to activate Kagura's Mind's Eye to check the location of the shadow clone.

At this moment, the shadow clones had already organized the genin in the contestant area to receive A-rank missions from Kakashi Hatake and go to the forest to support Sasuke Uchiha, who was chasing after Gaara and his siblings.

So, Yagyu continued to activate his red-eyed farsightedness and X-ray vision, searching for a certain place.

After spending more than ten minutes, Yagyu left Konoha and finally found the place at the foot of a mountain wall at the end of the mountain.

Using the Lightning Release Chakra Stimulation Technique, Yagyu advanced at full speed.

The Konoha ninja have almost completely evacuated the villagers to shelters.

According to Konoha's safety manual, as long as the villagers are sent to the shelter and their worries are eliminated, Konoha will gather all its strength to eliminate the enemy as quickly as possible.

This means that Hiruzen Sarutobi's death has begun its countdown, and Yagyu must hurry up and finish his task.

Then, before the incident comes to an end, go back and hand over the information to the shadow clone to create a perfect alibi.

Before long, Yagyu arrived at his destination.

Before me stands an ancestral hall, abandoned for many years and bearing the marks of time.

Before the Fourth Hokage died, people often came here to clean.

But after the death of the fourth-generation couple, no one ever came here again.

And this ancestral hall is called the Mask Storage Hall!

This is a building left by the Uzumaki clan in the Land of Fire during the Warring States period, before they established Uzumaki Village on the islands.

Upon entering the ancestral hall, one sees numerous masks hanging on the walls covered in cobwebs.

These masks are all different in shape and pattern, but each one is a monster with fangs.

A red light flashed in Yagyu's eyes. With his unique red perspective, his gaze swept across rows of masks, and he quickly discovered that some masks emitted special chakra fluctuations. Clearly, they were all 'ninja tools' with special abilities.

Yagyu took off the masks and immediately recognized one of them.

This is Yagyu's purpose in coming here: the Death God Mask, which Orochimaru originally used to reclaim the souls of his hands and release the soul of the previous Hokage.

Yagyu knew the effects of the Death Mask, but not the effects of the other masks.

But one thing is certain: these masks are all related to the sealing techniques of the Uzumaki clan.

So, Yagyu stored the Grim Reaper mask and the other masks in the storage scroll, and then put the scroll into his spatial backpack.

Emerging from the ancestral hall, Liu Sheng gazed at the clear sky, feeling incredibly joyful. Suddenly, he felt an urge to let out a long howl.

It went so smoothly!

Everything that Yagyu had longed for was now in his hands, and the ease with which it happened made him feel as if he had been blessed by the heavens.

But Yagyu knew that luck was only one factor; the greatest credit went to his diary, which recorded the main storyline and some important plot points, as well as his planning over the past month!

If it weren't for his first C-rank mission, and his encounter with Raiga Kurosugi and the user of the Bloodline Limit: Red Eyes on the return journey, Yagyu wouldn't have targeted Haku.

If Yagyu hadn't obtained Ice Release and one-handed hand seals from Haku, and hadn't discovered through experiments that Shadow Clones could increase critical hit rate, he wouldn't have conceived the bold idea of ​​planning the Bloodline Limit: Wood Release and establishing his identity as a descendant of the Senju clan.

If it weren't for that sudden flash of inspiration that reminded him of Orochimaru's method of reviving the previous Hokage, Yagyu wouldn't have come looking for the Death Mask.

Everything is ready now. All that's left is to resurrect the previous Hokage using the Impure World Reincarnation technique, so that he can ask Tobirama Senju for various forbidden techniques as a descendant, and also to ask Hashirama Senju for the ultimate Wood Release technique of Sage Art: Wood Release: True Several Thousand Hands.

Yagyu already had an idea; he just needed to refine it.

sizzle...

The sound of electric currents colliding rang out.

Using the Ninja Art: Lightning Armor and the Lightning Release Chakra Stimulation Technique together, Yagyu transformed into a streak of blue and white lightning and swiftly returned to Konoha.

On the way, Yagyu once again used his Kagura Mind's Eye to its fullest extent and discovered that the chakra of the Konoha ninjas had all been gathered together.

Clearly, they had escorted the villagers to the shelter and were now working together to repel the enemy.

Although Konoha is no longer the strongest ninja village it once was, its foundation is still not to be underestimated.

As the weakest and least established of the five great ninja villages, Sunagakure did not have a full-scale attack, nor did it have a second Kage-level ninja besides the Fourth Kazekage.

When Konoha began its full-scale counterattack and all the major ninja clans joined the fight, the situation immediately turned into a one-sided battle between the Sand Ninja and the Sound Ninja.

The battle between master and disciple on the VIP rooftop, as well as the battle between Naruto and Gaara's jinchūriki, are nearing their end.

When the Konoha 1s went to support Sasuke Uchiha, they were pursued by a large number of Sound Ninja. Kankuro stayed behind to cover Temari and Gaara's retreat.

So, Yagyu's shadow clone took the initiative to lead Team 8, along with Nara Shikamaru and Sakura, to stay behind and deal with the Sound Ninja and Kankuro, mainly to coast along.

Throughout the entire process, Yagyu had no intention of making a big splash in the Konoha Crush plan.

Just as Orochimaru said, this event will make Konoha, which has been idle for many years, start turning again.

Despite knowing that Hiruzen Sarutobi was old and that even if he revealed his Wood Release abilities, he would not be feared, but would instead receive unprecedented attention and training, Yagyu still wished for his death.

His survival indirectly emboldened Danzo Shimura to cause trouble.

Even if he discovered that Shimura Danzo was causing trouble, Hiruzen Sarutobi would at most only scold his friend a few words.

After all, Danzo Shimura had already been stripped of his position as Hokage's assistant, yet he was still able to secretly train Root ninjas.

If Hiruzen Sarutobi hadn't died, and Yagyu had brought Karin back to Konoha, that scoundrel would definitely have secretly set his sights on Karin.

Yagyu didn't want to do something he would regret later, something that even killing Shimura Danzo wouldn't be able to undo.

Only when Hiruzen Sarutobi dies, Konoha enters Tsunade's era, and Karin is brought back to Konoha by Tsunade, will Yagyu be at ease.

After all, in the original story, it wasn't until the Pain incident ended and Tsunade fell into a coma that Danzo Shimura found an opportunity to cause trouble.

In those three and a half years, the most he ever did was assign Sai to the new Team 7.

This shows that Tsunade's intimidating power is quite strong.

Thinking about it, it makes sense. Tsunade was someone Jiraiya found, and she was the goddess he had always loved. Jiraiya would definitely side with her without thinking.

Daring to be an enemy of Tsunade means being an enemy of all the major ninja clans of Konoha, as well as Jiraiya and the Daimyo.

Danzo Shimura, who no longer held the position of Hokage's assistant, certainly didn't have the confidence to cause trouble.

Soon, Yagyu arrived near the shadow clone.

Before he could switch places with his shadow clone, Yagyu saw two giant beasts fighting in the distance, stirring up a violent storm.

These two giant beasts are none other than Shukaku, the One-Tailed Beast, released by Gaara using the Sleep Technique, and Gamabunta, the toad summoned by Naruto.

The two giant beasts used Wind Release and Water Release respectively, and their collision created a raging storm that shattered Uchiha Sasuke's worldview.

He had never seen such a large monster or such an astonishingly powerful and wide-ranging technique before.

At that moment, Sasuke Uchiha realized that Naruto, the loser, had unknowingly surpassed him.

The confidence and arrogance that came from learning Chidori were shattered at this moment.

With just one final blow, Sasuke Uchiha is about to take his first step toward turning to the dark side.

Seeing this, Yagyu knew that the Konoha Crush plan was about to end.

With the help of the Red-Eyed Illusion and the Lightning Release Chakra Stimulation Technique, Yagyu quickly switched places with his shadow clone.

Meanwhile, the Sound Ninja who were chasing them and Kankuro who was covering their retreat were defeated by Team 8 and Nara Shikamaru, commanded by Yagyu's shadow clone.

"Let's go, it seems like Naruto's battle is over."

Yagyu, along with Hinata and the others, teleported towards Naruto and Sasuke Uchiha.

A short while later, they saw Naruto and Gaara lying on the ground, along with Sasuke and Temari protecting them.

"Kankuro!"

Seeing Kankuro being carried by Shino Aburame, who had already lost consciousness, Temari's expression changed drastically.

Looking at Naruto lying on the ground, Yagyu asked knowingly, "Was that summoning beast Naruto just now?"

"……Um."

Sasuke Uchiha nodded with a complicated expression.

"It looks like we've won."

Yagyu looked at Temari and asked, "Will you choose to surrender, or fight to the death?"

"We surrender."

Looking at the unharmed Yagyu and the others, Temari said very tactfully.

"It's a wise choice. Judging from your appearance, you must all be important figures in Sunagakure. This incident probably won't be able to do anything to you. We might meet again on the battlefield or in the exchanges between the two villages in the future. I don't want to embarrass you."

Yagyu used a single hand seal to create a shadow clone, which carried Gaara, who, though powerless, was not actually unconscious but was speechless due to being shocked by Naruto's will.

The main body then warned Temari, "If you don't want anything to happen to your companions, then follow me obediently and don't try anything funny."

"I see."

Temari nodded obediently.

So, Yagyu and his group returned the way they came.

Uchiha Sasuke also carried Naruto on his back and followed closely behind.

Gazing at Yagyu's shadow clone and Gaara on its back, and hearing the faint breathing of the underdog, Uchiha Sasuke's eyes were filled with resentment.

At one time, only Yagyu was stronger than him, and the gap between them wasn't that large.

But now, there are at least three people his age who are stronger than him.

Even the bottom-ranked student who had been chasing him overtook him without him even realizing it!

How could someone so weak possibly be able to kill that man?

Thinking of this, Sasuke Uchiha's cursed seal, which was sealed by the Evil Sealing Seal, suddenly emitted a scorching aura, causing his neck to ache slightly.

At the same time, the chakra that had captivated him during the Chunin Exams, and the figure whose oppressive aura surpassed that of Zabuza Momochi and Kakashi Hatake, suddenly surfaced in Sasuke Uchiha's mind.

If it's that person, maybe it can make him even stronger!

Yagyu was unaware of Sasuke Uchiha's thoughts, and even if he had, he couldn't have stopped him.

After the age of seven, Sasuke Uchiha lived solely for revenge.

He was willing to pay any price to kill Itachi Uchiha.

When Yagyu and the others returned to the central street of Konoha, the Sand Ninja and Sound Ninja had either fled, died, or been captured.

"I'm relieved to see that you're all alright."

Yagyu led Team 8 back to the plaza and found Kurenai Yuhi with Kakashi Hatake and Might Guy.

Upon seeing Yagyu and the others return, Kurenai Yuhi immediately breathed a sigh of relief.

Upon seeing the three Gaara siblings who had been arrested, she smiled approvingly and said, "Well done, you've done a great job this time."

"Teacher Hong, is the war over?"

Yagyu glanced at the roof of the VIP section. The purple barrier had disappeared, and the area was filled with figures of the Dark Guard dressed in black cloaks.

"Um."

Kurenai Yuhi nodded, her expression grave, and said, "The Hokage has sacrificed himself."

Upon hearing this, Yagyu, Shino Aburame, and the others all paled in shock.

Of course, the "Yagyu" part should be in quotation marks.

Kurenai's words also signaled the end of the era in which Hiruzen Sarutobi ruled for decades.

A new era is about to begin!

(End of this chapter)