Anbu Tent Area.
Yellow Dog stood at the front, facing all the gathered Anbu.
"The war in the Land of Rivers has raged for half a year. The Hidden Sand is the weakest of the Five Great Hidden Villages, yet in these six months, they have suffered over 1,000 casualties. After the Hidden Mist declared war on us, our Leaf has been fighting on three fronts. Both sides have reached their limits. This brutal conflict has lasted long enough; both parties want an end. The Hidden Sand has decided to conclude this with a final, gambling-style decisive battle."
"In this final clash, there are no behind-the-lines missions, no assassinations, no diversions. Both sides will commit every ounce of their strength. Hippo Unit and Yak Unit, you will follow me to the main battlefield to assist the primary forces. Fox Unit, you will head to the White Field River battlefield to support the flank units under Vice Commander Hatake Sakumo."
"The Anbu has two objectives in this final battle. The first task is to faithfully record the battlefield conditions for the Hokage, leaving out no detail. The second task is to step onto the field and fight on behalf of the Hokage at the most critical moment. The Anbu are the Hokage's direct subordinates—not just his sharpest blade and his eyes, but the embodiment of his influence. Unit leaders, draw sufficient paper bombs and distribute all remaining kunai and supplies from the inventory."
Yagami noticed that Yellow Dog repeatedly emphasized the Hokage while conspicuously omitting the Anbu Commander, Danzo. This man, Yellow Dog, clearly had his own ambitions.
Purple Cat's squad brought back a vast quantity of ninja tools and paper bombs. Yagami led his unit out of the Anbu area, rushing toward the flank assembly point. The camp was a chaotic mess of gathering troops.
Yagami noticed some ninja whispering amongst themselves and asked Purple Cat, "Purple Cat, has something changed in the camp recently? Why do people seem so distracted before a battle?"
Purple Cat whispered back, "Captain, Commander-in-Chief Nara Shikaku abolished the Ninjutsu Proficiency Examination system last night. Some civilian ninja are having a change in mindset, worrying they won't be able to obtain the jutsu they need."
Yagami felt a strange sensation in his gut. Just before the decisive battle, Nara Shikaku had publicly broken with Hatake Sakumo, revoking Sakumo's most significant policy. Through the course of the Land of Rivers war, the two had not become friends; instead, deep-seated friction had formed. Was it because of the rumors about the Nara clan using shadows to control their own?
Was Shikaku not afraid that Sakumo would... no, Sakumo wasn't that kind of person. He would always prioritize the bigger picture.
Outside the camp, the main force completed its pre-battle mobilization. The troops were split into two: the frontal force commanded by Nara Shikaku and Tsunade, and the flank force commanded by Hatake Sakumo. Even Tsunade had donned a flak jacket.
Her eyes looked weary as she rolled her shoulders, seemingly uncomfortable in the iron-lined vest. She glanced at a few Senju ninja; most of her clan were in the medical corps, with only a handful still in combat roles, bleeding for the Leaf. She hoped they would survive. She intended to recommend them for Jonin status.
Yagami bypassed the main force and spotted the flank units. Hatake Sakumo stood at the very front, his expression resolute, seemingly unaffected by the abolition of his policy. He waved his hand, and the flank units departed for the designated battlefield. Yagami followed quickly. He wasn't under Sakumo's direct command; Fox Unit would judge and act independently.
Below the White Field River, the water surged violently. On both banks, a massive number of Sand ninja raced north, trying to circle behind the Leaf's rear. The two forces collided with a thunderous impact at the river's midpoint.
Yagami found a high vantage point to the west, standing on a boulder and observing the field through his telescope. The Sand commanders were the son and daughter-in-law of Advisor Chiyo—the elite Jonin couple, Camel Thorn and his wife.
Camel Thorn was a genius of the Sand's puppetry. By five, he had mastered all puppetry theory; by six, he had created puppets praised by the Second Kazekage; by seven, he graduated early; and by eleven, he was a Jonin. Sakumo was also a genius, one praised by the Second Hokage. When two geniuses meet on the battlefield, it is the ultimate test of their mettle. Only the most authentic genius survives; the one who dies, no matter how brilliant they were, becomes a joke and a stepping stone for the survivor.
Camel Thorn and his wife lunged at Sakumo together. Camel Thorn waved his hands, and ten puppets flew out from behind him like kites. He had long mastered the top-tier technique of controlling one puppet per finger. Around him, the ten puppets varied in form—defensive types, ones wielding massive hammers, and small, high-speed models. His wife was equally skilled, controlling six puppets with her two hands.
Yagami looked closely; these weren't the "Ten Puppets of Chikamatsu" from the manga, but they were still intimidating.
A flash of white light erupted by the riverbank. It was here!
Sakumo's secret technique: Chakra Crystal Refining!
A massive amount of Lightning Style chakra was compressed and refined by Sakumo until it crystallized, reaching a state of physical manifestation. As he swung his chakra saber, the refined Lightning chakra glowed a brilliant white, extending into a blade-light several meters long that instantly cleaved through two puppets.
With the sound of clattering debris, the Yellow Ironwood shells shattered, and the internal steel frames were severed cleanly. The cross-sections of the steel even glowed a bright red from the heat of the melt. It was a complete counter; Sakumo's blade-light was too radiant, and the puppets' durability couldn't withstand it. They were like toys before the "White Fang."
Camel Thorn had estimated Sakumo's strength, but seeing his puppets decimated so easily made his eyelids twitch. However, he didn't panic. Two chakra threads shot from a single finger; the severed halves of the puppets could still be controlled—now as separate entities. Even if a puppet was hacked into eight pieces, Camel Thorn could make the weapons on those pieces strike at the perfect moment.
Sakumo took on both husband and wife alone, temporarily trapped in a swarm of puppet fragments. The more he cut them, the more pieces there were to attack him. Hidden mechanisms inside the shattered torsos fired unexpectedly, forcing Sakumo to remain hyper-vigilant.
Yagami shifted his gaze to other parts of the battlefield. At the White Field River, the Leaf had committed about 600 men across ten battalions. The Sand had brought around 500, but over 300 were puppeteers. The combat power of one puppeteer was equivalent to three ordinary ninja. The puppeteers hid within the river canyon while their puppets leaped onto the banks to clash with the Leaf.
Purple Cat stood nearby with a scroll, recording the performance of the Leaf units. This record would be cross-referenced with the post-battle reports to determine rewards. For ninja who performed exceptionally well, special notes would be made.
The battle fell into a stalemate, and casualties mounted rapidly on both sides. Yagami thought to himself: 'I can't let Sakumo suffer a major loss here.' The Ninjutsu Proficiency system was already gone; if this became a pyrrhic victory, even if he killed Camel Thorn and his wife, Sakumo's prestige would take a massive hit.
He lowered his telescope and said, "White Sheep, Spotted Deer, stay here and protect Purple Cat while she records the battlefield. I'm going to do something to break this deadlock."
***
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