Countless iron sand spikes interlocked to form a barrier.
Hatake Sakumo's body landed on the ground, now encased within the iron sand barrier.
Chiyo appeared outside the barrier.
The Kazekage floated effortlessly within it, needing no external force here.
Yet—
He touched his face, where a gash had opened, blood trickling out.
He was injured.
Gazing down at Hatake Sakumo, he spoke, "Among Konoha's shinobi, I must admit your strength."
A cradle of geniuses... Konoha?
Why did such extraordinary figures always emerge from there?
Hatake Sakumo exhaled deeply, exhaustion weighing on him.
Whether the Kazekage acknowledged him or not mattered little.
His eyes flicked to Chiyo, manipulating her puppets, then back to the Kazekage hovering within the barrier.
He was cornered.
Chiyo had no intention of letting him go. Her puppets surged forward again, forcing Sakumo into another relentless clash.
The relentless black spikes extended toward him, their piercing power undeniable.
In this situation, Sakumo couldn't afford to stop. Pausing meant being overwhelmed by their combined assault, leaving him defenseless.
He dared not get injured.
Chiyo's poison was no trifle.
Whenever she attempted to use it, Sakumo swiftly countered with Wind Release to blow the toxins away.
Facing two opponents of equal caliber at once was impossible, even for him.
Had it not been for the heightened reflexes granted by the Foundation Internal Art, his vast reserves of chakra, and the Thunder Breathing technique temporarily taught to him by Kin—
He would have already fallen.
Now, he found no opening to counterattack.
Being worn down was inevitable.
He chased after the Kazekage, slashing furiously, but the latter moved freely within the barrier, aided by Chiyo's interference. No progress was made.
Retreat wasn't an option.
He knew well that if he tried to flee, both would stop him at all costs.
As if being dragged to death was his destined end.
So, at the very least, he'd take one with him.
Seizing a fleeting moment, Sakumo pulled a kunai from his pouch, its handle wrapped thickly with explosive tags, making it cumbersome. He clenched it between his teeth.
Where the leaves dance, the flames will forever burn. The light will continue to illuminate the village, nurturing new sprouts.
For Konoha.
Seeing the explosive-tagged kunai in Sakumo's mouth, the Kazekage and Chiyo recognized the danger.
Their attacks slowed.
The cornered beast was ready to fight to the death.
With his skills, a desperate strike could severely injure—or even kill—one of them.
Just as Sakumo sought his chance—
A voice erupted like thunder.
"Spirit Bullet! Self-Destruction!"
"Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!"
"Combined Jutsu: Spirit Bullet Explosion!"
A violent gale surged from afar, carrying a blue orb hurtling toward them.
As its creator relinquished control, the orb began expanding rapidly.
All three sets of eyes locked onto the distant figure.
Sakumo murmured the name in disbelief.
"Uchiha Kin."
Chiyo immediately sent a puppet rushing toward Kin.
"Snap out of it!" Kin roared.
"At least take me with you before you die, damn it!"
As Kin's shout echoed, the white puppet's weapon pierced through his body.
Yet Kin spread his arms, locking the puppet in a crushing embrace.
"Get me out of here alive, you bastard!"
No blood spilled from his body—instead, flames flickered to life.
A deafening "BOOM!"
Kin's form dissolved into white mist, leaving only a scorched puppet behind.
A pitiful sight.
But the expanding Spirit Bullet he left behind turned the tables.
The orb swelled uncontrollably.
Chiyo and the Kazekage's pupils shrank.
They retreated hastily.
The iron sand barrier collapsed.
Sakumo was free. In a flash, he outpaced them, putting distance between himself and the epicenter.
The expanding orb detonated.
"BOOM!!"
A blue sphere devoured everything in its path, leaving a massive crater in its wake.
Sakumo stood at the crater's edge, staring across at Chiyo and the Kazekage.
In the distance, Kin gritted his teeth.
"That idiot better not waste my Spirit Bullet!"
It had cost him every last drop of chakra.
Back to square one.
A brutal setback.
On the battlefield, Sakumo shook his head with a wry smile.
Kin had saved him only out of fear of being branded a rogue ninja if he returned alone.
Hard to say whether to laugh or cry.
"Still, I owe you one."
"Uchiha Kin."
Hatake Sakumo—no, White Fang—tightened his grip on his blades as the Kazekage and Chiyo advanced on iron sand.
"The outcome is decided. Resistance is meaningless," the Kazekage declared, his iron sand swirling anew.
Chiyo's ten puppets poised for attack.
Yet Sakumo stowed the explosive kunai and removed his mask.
Breaking his silence, he mused, "I've been pondering something."
He sheathed his sword.
"Why does the third layer of the Foundation Internal Art require such an immense amount of chakra?"
The first layer demanded only what a student could muster.
The second, a genin's reserves.
But the third? A tailed beast's worth—beyond even a Hokage's capacity.
How could it be achieved?
"What are you babbling about?!" The Kazekage didn't understand.
The iron sand barrier reformed.
"Die for my son and daughter-in-law!" Chiyo could no longer tolerate his existence, even for a second.
Yet every attempt failed.
Sakumo stood encircled by the barrier and ten white puppets.
The dire situation repeated.
"I still don't know the reason, but I think I've glimpsed a way."
Sakumo crouched. White chakra erupted around him, coalescing into a towering, hazy giant—dozens of meters tall—enveloping him.
"What... is this?!" Both opponents froze.
The ninjutsu battle was over. Now it was a mecha showdown.
"It's willpower—forcibly manifested!"
In the moment when Kin's intervention rekindled his will to live, Sakumo had realized:
Will surpasses chakra.
"What kind of monstrosity is this?!"
Their instincts screamed danger. They attacked simultaneously.
But Sakumo slowly drew his blade once more.
The giant mirrored him.
With a deliberate motion, it swung downward—
A seemingly slow slash, yet faster than their assaults.
This strike—
A flash of white light, stretching a hundred meters.
This strike—
Cleaved through them and shattered the distant mountains.
This strike—
Echoed the name White Fang
Across the shinobi world!
"BOOM!!"
...
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(End of Chapter)