The long blade pierced the body of the female puppet master, but no blood flowed as expected.
Even the sensation of the stab felt off—like driving a blade into stone.
"A puppet?"
The answer came the next moment.
The puppet's head suddenly spun 180 degrees, revealing a wooden tiger-leopard mask. Countless wires erupted from its body, binding Kin tightly, while sharp blades protruded and pierced through him.
At that moment, Kin vanished with a "poof," replaced by a cloud of smoke.
Shadow Clone Technique.
"Clang!"
The sound of clashing metal rang out as Kin's real body was intercepted by a male ninja wearing a headscarf. The two engaged in combat, but the male ninja, wielding a kunai, could barely hold his own against Kin's longsword.
Their taijutsu skills were on entirely different levels.
Sensing the gap, the male ninja leaped back to create distance and began forming hand seals at high speed. His eyes locked onto Kin, waiting for a reaction—but Kin remained motionless.
Only his eyes changed, turning crimson as three tomoe slowly rotated.
"Sharingan!"
An Uchiha!!
The man's face paled. He quickly lowered his head to avoid eye contact, but it was too late.
Fighting an Uchiha meant never looking into their eyes.
His reaction was far too slow.
"Genjutsu: Shackling Stakes Technique!"
The world instantly turned blood-red. Giant iron spikes impaled his body.
"Ahhh!!" The male ninja screamed in agony, struggling futilely against the paralysis.
In the real world, a flaming blade sliced through his neck, ending his suffering.
"One down."
Kin watched as the bisected corpse fell, then his Sharingan swiftly locked onto the incoming puppet. In a flash, he appeared behind it, slashing with his blade. Flames erupted from the cuts, engulfing the puppet—but to little effect.
The next moment, the puppet's back opened, launching a barrage of kunai trailing explosive tags.
The flames accelerated the tags' ignition.
"Boom! Boom! Boom!"
A violent explosion reduced a tree to splinters.
Kin had already leaped higher with "Shave," avoiding the blast. His pupils darted rapidly, tracing the chakra threads controlling the puppet. They led to a spot behind a tree.
The Sharingan could see chakra flow but not through solid objects.
A single "Flash Step" brought him to the puppet master's location—only for wires to coil around his foot the moment he landed on a branch. Explosive tags lined the tree.
"Boom!"
The deafening blast echoed through the forest.
Hidden behind another tree, the female puppet master reconnected her chakra threads to the puppet. She had released it earlier to set the trap.
Before she could relax, a figure dropped upside-down from the branches above.
Kin grinned.
"Found you."
The crimson Sharingan loomed larger in her vision.
A flash of steel—and the battle ended instantly.
Hanging from the branch, Kin watched as the distant fighting also reached its conclusion.
Hatake Sakumo, a streak of white light, ruthlessly cut down the remaining Sand Ninja. Faced with such overwhelming power, they chose to flee.
"White Fang!"
Someone screamed in terror.
The cry spread like wildfire, morphing into:
"The White Fang is coming! Run!"
Kin rested his chin on his hand.
The "White Fang" moniker had originated from the Hidden Hot Springs Village but had never gained much renown.
Hatake Sakumo hadn't yet reached his peak.
So this was how the name evolved.
Sakumo didn't pursue the fleeing Sand Ninja. Instead, he flashed to Kin's side, glancing at the two corpses on the ground.
"Only twelve years old, yet this strong?"
Though he had expected as much, seeing it firsthand still shocked him.
This level of skill was no joke.
"Correction: I'm thirteen now."
Kin waved a hand, utterly unimpressed by the praise.
At this age, Sakumo's future son would be just as strong—followed by two even more monstrous Uchiha.
One of them would wipe out his entire clan by this age.
Compared to them, Kin could only pat his chest and assure himself he wasn't falling behind.
Sakumo flicked the blood from his blade.
Aburame Mushi Hime emerged beside them, her insects coalescing into human form.
"Lord Sakumo, shall we press deeper?"
"My insects have located the next Sand Ninja outpost."
"But they'll surely have reinforced it by now."
With two outposts destroyed, even the Sand Ninja wouldn't be foolish enough to ignore the threat.
"Continue."
Sakumo showed no intention of retreating.
Mushi Hime voiced no objections, and Kin's complaints—though numerous—were pointless.
The trio advanced deeper into the Land of Rivers as ordered.
The number of Sand Ninja along the way dwindled, confirming Mushi Hime's theory: the enemy was regrouping.
Their travel became bolder, speeding through mountains and forests.
But as they ventured further, the situation shifted again.
The sound of rapid movement echoed through the trees—too loud to ignore, and from no small number of people.
The three hid, watching as squads of Sand Ninja rushed past, heading in the direction they had come from. None bothered to conceal themselves or scout the area.
The forest teemed with fleeting shadows, all ignoring the trio's hiding spot.
This wasn't a search party.
A swarm of insects returned to Mushi Hime. She closed her eyes briefly, then reopened them to address the others.
"Lady Tsunade has led a force into the Land of Rivers. Chiyo of the Sand is mobilizing troops to hold her off. These are reinforcements."
They recognized the opportunity at once.
"Move quickly."
Sakumo gave the order.
The trio accelerated their pace, slowing only when Sand Ninja were near. The preoccupied enemy paid them no mind.
Soon, another sand fortress came into view, standing starkly in a clearing.
Sakumo charged toward it without hesitation.
Kin and Mushi Hime took cover.
As Sakumo approached, the fortress didn't explode—instead, puppets emerged en masse, blotting out the sky as they encircled him.
Figures stepped from the fortress, each manipulating countless chakra threads connected to the hovering puppets.
At their forefront stood a red-haired man and a woman with flaxen hair.
Sakumo recognized them immediately.
"Sand Ninja Puppet Brigade."
"Hatake Sakumo," the red-haired man said coldly, "this is where you die."
The trap had been set for him.
...
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(End of Chapter)