Yōwan waited for an opening in Sakumo's defense.
But what he did not expect was that, faced with the searingly hot flames, Sakumo showed no intention of dodging. Instead, he swung his blade four times at incredible speed.
One strike landed precisely at the center of a ball of flame. Under Yōwan's incredulous gaze, the fireball split in two and exploded in midair.
Amidst the rising sparks, Sakumo once again evaded Susanoo's arm and brought his blade slashing down before Yōwan.
A crisp "clang" rang out. Yōwan's expression twisted strangely as he looked at the blade before him, deeply grateful that Susanoo was shielding him—otherwise he would have been sent to meet Uchiha Madara.
When Yōwan retracted Susanoo's skeletal arm, preparing to continue his assault on Sakumo, his opponent's figure vanished once more.
Then, sharp ringing sounds erupted unceasingly around his body.
Susanoo was under constant attack, yet Yōwan could only hear the sounds of hard steel clashing.
For a brief instant, Yōwan even felt as though he were being attacked from all four directions at once.
A surge of impulse rose in his heart—to use his dōjutsu—but he forcibly suppressed it.
Konoha surely had full knowledge of his abilities. Sakumo, knowing well that he might unleash, still dared to launch close-quarters assaults. Clearly, Sakumo had a counter-strategy.
Perhaps the one attacking him was merely a shadow clone, while Sakumo's true body hid elsewhere, waiting for him to use his dōjutsu so he could exploit the opening.
But letting the enemy continue like this was not a solution either. Yōwan turned his head toward the bewildered Fuen.
"Earth Release: Earth Hail."
Fuen nodded stiffly and unleashed a wide-range Earth Release to create an opportunity for Yōwan to attack.
But what happened next shattered Fuen's fragile courage, plunging him back into panic.
The barrage of earthen projectiles broke apart into fragments under a storm of flashing blades, scattering onto the ground.
What kind of sick joke was this?!
Yōwan's brows furrowed. There could only be two reasons for such an outcome:
First, Sakumo could actually perceive the trajectory of every single earthen projectile.
Second, his attack speed was so overwhelming that even such a dense barrage could not break through the storm of blades.
But Sakumo clearly did not possess the Sharingan. Only ocular jutsu like the Sharingan or other kekkei genkai could see through such dense attacks.
The answer was obvious. Sakumo's strikes were simply too fast—so fast that even large-scale ninjutsu could not touch him in the slightest.
"As expected, anyone who carries the title of 'Kage' has some extraordinary skill. Then—what about this?"
Yōwan's cheeks suddenly swelled.
"Fire Release: Hidden in Ash and Dust."
Scorching flames mixed with burning ash burst outward upon contact with the ground, spreading rapidly.
The explosive gusts of air accelerated the spread. A wide area centered around Yōwan was soon shrouded in smoke and dust.
Sakumo was forced to halt his attacks, retreating at maximum speed to avoid the ash and fire.
"Fire Release: Great Fire Destruction!"
The flames concentrated on Sakumo's retreat path. With two Fire Releases converging on him, Sakumo twisted his body sharply, leaping high into the air to evade the blazing onslaught.
Such ferocious attacks quickly drew the attention of villagers.
Led by Uchiha Tekka, a squad from the Police Force rushed toward the outbreak of conflict. Yet, just as they neared the area, they stopped in their tracks.
"Yakume?"
Staring in disbelief at the familiar face blocking their path, Uchiha Tekka stepped back a pace.
"Don't tell me... this disturbance was caused by you?"
After the radical faction led by Yakume was imprisoned, Fugaku had immediately informed the clan.
After all, more than twenty people had vanished overnight. Without an honest explanation, it would have cast suspicion on Sakumo's reforms.
Thus, when Sakumo personally vouched that their lives would not be harmed, the remaining Uchiha had no choice but to accept.
"Tekka, I never thought you'd sink to becoming Fugaku's lapdog."
Yakume's face twisted with disdain, as though Tekka before him were no better than Hokage.
"You knew full well that we were imprisoned by the Anbu, yet you made no effort to rescue us. The Uchiha now are nothing more than puppets at the feet of the higher-ups!"
"The Uchiha are Konoha's Uchiha! The reform of the Police Force allows us to integrate into the village, to take part in its decisions. The Fourth Hokage has already promised that once reform is complete, you'll be released. The one who doesn't understand is you!"
Tekka retorted sharply, signaling his comrades behind him to prepare for battle.
"Hmph. A bunch of commoner shinobi... and that one with the dog, from the Inuzuka clan, right? Letting such lowly families join the Police Force—your actions disgrace the honor of the clan!"
With a sweeping gesture, Yakume revealed the radicals Yōwan had freed, who now emerged into view.
"Madara-sama has already returned. From now on, we will follow the purest bloodline and let the Uchiha stand proud over the entire shinobi world!"
At his command, the radical Uchiha surged forward, charging at the Police Force.
With this group joining the fray, battles erupted all across Konoha.
"What on earth is happening?"
At the Anbu Training Division, Hiruzen, who had been engaged in his usual verbal sparring with Danzō, immediately dispatched his Anbu upon hearing the clashes, hoping to learn the cause.
Danzō too activated his own intelligence network, mobilizing former Root operatives to investigate.
Before their scouts could even return, a far more violent eruption shook the village, saving them the trouble of waiting.
The fourth form of Susanoo appeared at the site where the Uchiha radicals were held captive, its massive frame flickering with blinding white light.
"That white light... that's Sakumo."
Hiruzen instantly recognized it. That was the unmistakable mark that had earned Sakumo the title of "Konoha's White Fang."
He hadn't expected this—while they were dispatching people to search for the Uchiha, the enemy had instead chosen to launch a direct assault on Konoha.
It was as if they were openly declaring their contempt for the village.
Yet, while Hiruzen saw Yōwan as descending upon Konoha with the stance of a superior, Yōwan himself thought otherwise.
Though Susanoo's fourth form had greatly enhanced its defensive power, it had also made the already sluggish giant even more cumbersome.
Now, all he could do was watch helplessly as Sakumo darted across Susanoo's body, untouchable.
If that was the case...
Yōwan suddenly noticed a dense cluster of buildings in the distance.
If he remembered correctly, that was where the civilian shinobi lived.
[You all have always claimed to uphold this so-called Will of Fire, haven't you? Then let me see—just how strong your resolve truly is.]
Yōwan drew forth his Susanoo's exclusive weapon.
Susanoo's right arm lifted high, massive amounts of chakra surging into the blade, radiating a fierce black glow.
Then, under Sakumo's gaze, it came crashing down upon the distant district of buildings.