"Ms. Hanane, please come with us immediately! It will be too late if you don't leave now!" Two masked ninjas in black flanked Putian Kanon, keeping a vigilant watch on their surroundings.
Putian Huawan stood on a tall building, gazing sorrowfully at the distant inferno engulfing Hanawan Ichi-cho. Tears streamed down her face.
"Let me take one last look. This is the last time my brother and I will see each other."
Putian Kanon, aware of her brother Putian Yilang's resolve to die, was filled with regret. She wished she could have spoken to him one last time.
The chaos on Tansho Street was palpable, with warriors rushing in from all directions. The Fire Nation's regular armed forces included samurai and artillery. While ninjas served as a minor deterrent, the daimyos at the top of the world were more concerned with the overwhelming power of artillery and massive armies. Even powerful ninjas like Hanzo the Salamander would struggle against forces like Lord Mifune of the Land of Iron, rumored to have unparalleled swordsmanship.
"Let's go," Kanon ordered, wiping away her tears. She turned to the two ninjas behind her, who were Putian Yilang's most trusted subordinates. They had traveled from the Rain Village to retrieve the siblings.
Just as they were about to leave, a sudden flash of lightning struck!
"Be careful! It's a shuriken!" One of the ninjas blocked the attack with his kunai, but the shuriken, imbued with lightning, sliced through it effortlessly.
"Damn it! You cover Ms. Hanane's retreat, and I'll hold off the enemy," the masked ninja instructed. He quickly searched for the source of the attack.
"Wind Style - Great Breakthrough!" The ninja unleashed a powerful wind jutsu to clear debris and reveal the enemy's position, but Kakashi's methods proved elusive.
Moments later, the ninja felt a sudden vibration beneath his feet and realized he couldn't evade the attack in time.
"Earth Style: Heart Beheading Jutsu!" Kakashi's voice echoed from underground. A tremendous force pulled the ninja into the earth, leaving only his head visible. He tried to struggle but found himself immobilized.
"Naraku-ken no Jutsu!" Kakashi followed up with an illusion technique, leaving the enemy unable to resist. He quickly dispatched the immobilized ninja with a kunai.
Meanwhile, the other masked ninja, holding Putian Kanon, jumped from the building and into a nearby alley. Before he could find a new escape route, he was surrounded by individuals with bloodshot eyes and spinning black magatama.
A black crow landed on a nearby eave and spoke in a human voice: "You two cannot escape. Your companion is probably dead by now. Surrender, or face suffering."
Fang Yuan's warning was clear. The masked ninja dropped his kunai and raised his hands in surrender.
Putian Huayin, frightened, asked, "Who are you? Ninjas from Konoha?"
"Yes and no," Fang Yuan replied with a sneer. "There is indeed someone from Konoha who would like your help."
Kakashi emerged from the shadows, observing the situation closely. He addressed the crow, "Are you certain these are Rain Village operatives planted in the Land of Fire?"
"Isn't it obvious? Foreign ninjas must undergo processing when entering Konoha. Escaping with a dirty head now would be suspicious," Fang Yuan replied.
"Seems like you're well-informed about Konoha's procedures," Kakashi remarked, scrutinizing Fang Yuan. He wondered if this crow-like figure could be Uchiha Shisui, though Shisui's style was less meticulous than this man's.
"Instead of pondering my identity, you should focus on your teammates who need your help right now," the crow said coldly, turning its attention to Putian Kanon.
Despite her calm demeanor, Kanon picked up a kunai thrown by the surrendering ninja and pressed it against her neck. "You're planning to capture me to threaten Yilang, but you'd better give up on that idea!"
"How touching. The bond between siblings is truly profound," the crow remarked, but its next words were a painful blow. "Unfortunately, it's pointless. Putian Yilang is already dead."
"What did you say?!" Kanon's voice shook as she turned to look at the burning Hanawan Ichi-cho in the distance.
Even Kakashi was taken aback by Fang Yuan's revelation.
In Hanawan Ichi-cho, on the second floor, Fang Yuan stood over the lifeless body of Putian Yilang. The wolf had died from blood loss and cardiac arrest. Yet, his soul persisted in an altered form—part of it inhabiting a tin man on the first floor, and the rest wandering outside Hanawan Town.
Fang Yuan was frustrated by the difficulty of eliminating Yilang. The soul's near-immortality allowed him to evade complete destruction by shifting between inorganic hosts. However, Fang Yuan devised a plan: creating a vacuum around Yilang and destroying his current vessel to achieve total annihilation.
The barrier Yilang had set up, ironically, had become his cage, presenting an opportunity for Fang Yuan. He planned to use a detonating talisman to clear the area and set his plan into motion.