Whoosh! Whoosh!
Four figures moved through the forest.
They also carried a large barrel on their backs.
"Heh, Orochimaru's feared opponent didn't discover us at all.
It seems he worried too much."
Kidōmaru scoffed.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
"Stop talking nonsense."
"How boring."
...Konoha Village.
Sakura was also discovered in time by Konoha's people.
Because Konoha was still weak at the time, coupled with Satoru as Acting Hokage and Tsunade's adjustments, she was quickly found.
"Sakura."
"Sakura."
Soon, Sakura was awakened by the Konoha security Ninja who found her.
The moon in the sky had already descended much lower than before.
"What's wrong... Sasuke..."
Sakura suddenly reacted and screamed... Bang!
Tsunade was woken up in the middle of the night and slammed her hand on the table in front of her.
"Kura, arrange for available Jonin to launch an operation for me.
Bring Uchiha Sasuke back."
Upon hearing the news, Tsunade immediately launched the operation.
As the last survivor of the Uchiha, he naturally could not be allowed to fall into Orochimaru's hands.
Otherwise, it would strengthen Orochimaru's power.
At that time, Konoha would again fall into crisis.
"Tsunade, no, Konoha's strength cannot be reduced any further right now."
The door opened, and Koharu Utatane walked in from outside.
Beside her was Homura Mitokado.
"Are we to hand Uchiha Sasuke over to Orochimaru?
Do you know how dangerous he is?"
Tsunade faced the two Advisors' words, exasperated.
At this moment, they were still trying to restrict her as Hokage, which made her furious.
Homura Mitokado: "Most of Konoha's Jonin are currently out on missions, restoring Konoha's strength.
The current strength of Jonin remaining in Konoha is the minimum required to protect Konoha.
Sending out more Jonin to pursue him would likely leave Konoha vulnerable."
"But Uchiha Sasuke..." Tsunade said anxiously.
Koharu Utatane: "He is just an unimportant person. Even if Orochimaru gains the Uchiha's power,
retaliating against Konoha is a matter for later. But leaving Konoha's forces empty now
is even more dangerous for Konoha."
"That's right, Konoha's safety is paramount," Homura Mitokado said.
Tsunade's expression turned grim upon hearing this.
"Then what about sending Satoru?"
She thought of someone, Satoru.
According to her analysis, Satoru definitely had the ability to bring Uchiha Sasuke back.
"Tsunade, don't act on impulse. Uchiha Sasuke is a minor matter.
Satoru is an important protective force of Konoha.
During this period of Konoha's vulnerability, he cannot leave.
You've seen many documents during your time as Hokage, haven't you?
Whether it's Uchiha Itachi, the masked man, or the leader of Hidden Rain Village,
they are all people who can cause Konoha heavy losses. If Konoha's forces are empty,
who will be responsible if they attack?"
Koharu Utatane said solemnly.
For them, only Konoha Village itself was worth paying attention to. Uchiha Sasuke was merely expendable.
They believed they would find a way to deal with Orochimaru alone in the coming years.
"Kura, go call Nara Shikamaru for me, as fast as possible."
Tsunade gave them both a displeased look, knowing Konoha's current situation. Satoru, as an important protective force of Konoha, indeed could not go out.
Given the presence of so many powerful enemies, acting on impulse would indeed be wrong.
However, she was very annoyed.
"Yes."
The Anbu named Kura immediately disappeared with a Shushin, following the order.
This time, the two Advisors did not stop him.
The strength of a Chunin, as long as not too much is expended, is not a decisive force in Konoha.
As Hokage, they naturally had to show Tsunade some respect...
Night.
Shikamaru, who was sound asleep, suddenly opened his eyes under the blanket.
Thump thump thump!
Thump!
"An emergency mission this late at night?"
Shikamaru's expression changed abruptly when he heard the knocking sound outside the window.
This was the secret signal for an emergency Hokage mission.
Whoosh!
He quickly took off his pajamas and put on the Konoha vest beside him.
After checking that his equipment was in order, he climbed out the window, looking at the gradually descending moon in the sky, and the Anbu Ninja beside him.
He made a gesture, indicating he was ready.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
...Hokage Office.
Shikamaru quickly entered through the door, seeing Tsunade with a displeased expression.
"Hokage-sama."
"Emergency mission... Gather the Ninja you deem capable,
and bring Uchiha Sasuke back to me.
Quickly. This is your first team-leading mission since your promotion to Chunin."
Tsunade quickly explained the situation and gave Shikamaru his final orders.
"Yes, Hokage-sama."
Shikamaru, hearing this, knew the urgency of the matter and could only suppress his drowsiness.
He quickly exited the Hokage Office.
After Shikamaru left, Tsunade said with annoyance, "Being Hokage is not fun at all."
She then walked to the window, looking at the moon about to set into the forest.
"The strength of a few Genin and Chunin alone is probably not enough."
For such an urgent mission, the team couldn't be too large.
"Notify the Anbu's cipher division to contact Sunagakure..."
During Satoru's time as Acting Hokage, the issues with Hidden Sand Village had already been resolved.
The Land of Wind had agreed to the exchange of controlled resources.
And Satoru was quite assertive, so the Land of Wind didn't dare to say much.
After all, there wasn't any significant loss.
It was just that in terms of negotiations, they would be subservient to Konoha.
Now she was leveraging this point.
Suddenly, she thought of another person.
Just in time...
Konoha Great Gate.
"Depart."
After checking that everyone's Ninja tools were complete and giving instructions on the mission and tactics, Shikamaru waved his hand.
"New enemies, huh? If I get the chance, it'll be perfect to let them try my ultimate move."
Inuzuka Kiba smiled.
Being knocked down by Naruto's Thousand Years of Death previously made him lose the chance to duel Sasuke, which annoyed him greatly.
Now he had to bring Sasuke back, truly fate's irony.
He just wondered if this time's enemies would allow him to use that move.
In this team, he was the strongest.
He definitely had to take on more responsibility.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
The group quickly left Konoha Great Gate.
After they left, four figures also followed them out.
If anyone could see them, they would surely recognize them all as Satoru.
"Oh, I'm wasting four clones tonight. No more Ninjutsu research!"
Satoru ultimately couldn't rest easy and decided to play babysitter.
If he remembered correctly, in the original story, they started chasing during the day; now they were chasing at night.
The difference was too great.
Besides ensuring the lives of these little ones, it was also to ensure Sasuke didn't fall into Orochimaru's hands.
As for Sasuke... he naturally had a backup plan.
Even if something unexpected beyond his control happened, he could ensure Sasuke wouldn't be reincarnated by Orochimaru.
When Sasuke was lying in the hospital, he had already made a contingency plan.
He had tampered with Sasuke's body.
It would be impossible for Orochimaru to take over Sasuke's body within three years.
Even if Orochimaru discovered the tampering, it would take some time to research and remove it from Sasuke's body; this was Satoru's confidence.