On a battlefield littered with corpses, Chiyo stared at the bodies of her son and daughter-in-law, and broke down, screaming,
"White Fang—ahhh!!! I swear I'll kill you!"
Ebizo stood beside her, his eyes already soaked with tears.
"We have to head to the main battlefield. The appearance of Konoha's White Fang will deal a devastating blow to the Sand Village."
"Ahhh!!!"
After several more anguished cries,
Chiyo gathered her son and daughter-in-law's bodies and followed Ebizo back to the Sand's main battlefield.
...
At the main battlefield, the two armies stood facing each other.
Tsunade was treating Hatake Sakumo's injuries.
"Sakumo-senpai, did you run into Chiyo? How did so many toxins get into your body?"
"I'm not sure. On my way to reinforce, I ran into a Sand puppet unit. I killed some of the puppet masters… including a pair who seemed to be a married couple. After that, the puppet leader went completely mad and tried to fight me to the death. They were probably her relatives."
Hatake Sakumo said.
"A couple… Chiyo's relatives? Sakumo-senpai, the pair you killed were Chiyo's son and daughter-in-law—the future leaders of the Sand's puppet corps. You've made a huge contribution this time."
Orochimaru analyzed.
"Oh? Is that so? Hahaha, what a gain—ah… Tsunade, why does this hurt so much?!"
"Sakumo-senpai, you killed her son and daughter-in-law and got hit with over a dozen poisons. Luckily, we've already developed antidotes for them. Otherwise, you'd already be dead."
Tsunade tightened the bandages in her hands.
You guys fight, and I'm the one who ends up exhausted afterward… Being a medical ninja doesn't seem like such a great job.
"Tsunade, can Sakumo-senpai return to battle soon? Even though the threat at the rear has been cleared, the pressure on Konoha's front line is still enormous."
Orochimaru asked.
"He can. Chiyo's poisons have all been countered, so detoxification isn't a big problem. As for recovery… I can use Mystical Palm Technique to accelerate his cell regeneration, but it'll likely shave several years off his lifespan."
"Do it, Tsunade. We might not even survive this battle—why worry about a few years later?"
Hatake Sakumo said cheerfully.
But in his heart, he thought: If I die for Konoha's future, does that count as the Will of Fire? Orochimaru, Jiraiya, and Tsunade are all more talented than I am—and they're still so young. If someone has to die in this war, let it be me. It's just a shame… Kakashi, your father won't be able to stay by your side. I'll always love you.
"Senpai…"
"Do it, Tsunade."
"…Understood."
Orochimaru looked at Hatake Sakumo, who had already resolved himself to die, and felt waves stirring endlessly in his heart.
Life truly is such a fragile thing—even those at the Kage level must one day face death.
...
At the front lines, within the Inuzuka clan's position, the clan head was rallying morale.
"You brats, this is the final battle on this front. We can't use our old tactics anymore. The people beside us are our comrades—if we take even one step back, the defensive line will crack, it will collapse, and countless comrades will die because of us. So tell me—can the Inuzuka clan retreat?"
"No! No!"
"Woof! Woof! Woof!"
"That's right—we cannot retreat! That brat Ryoha taught you how to fight with your brains, how to destroy the enemy. Now, as the Inuzuka clan head, I'll show you the madness that burns in our blood! If the enemy doesn't retreat, neither do we! We fight like maniacs until death!"
"Fight like maniacs until death!"
"Fight like maniacs until death!"
The Inuzuka clan's chants shook the heavens.
Other Konoha ninja glanced in that direction, thinking to themselves—truly worthy of the Inuzuka clan.
...
In an unknown corner,
Inuzuka Ryoha quietly held Inuzuka Rinko, lying on the ground as they gazed up at the clear blue sky.
"Rinko, we might die on this battlefield. Are you afraid?"
Rinko looked at him with wide eyes.
"I'm not afraid. As long as you're here, Ryoha, I won't be afraid no matter where we are."
Ryoha smiled, and hugged her tightly.
Idiot… how could I let you die with me? No matter what, you have to live.
Rinko continued staring at him, a bit foolishly.
Dummy… how could I not see that you're planning to leave me behind? Hmph, I won't let you abandon me. But… if it means you can live, I'd be willing.
The two youths, each harboring their own thoughts, savored the brief calm before the storm.
...
On the Sand's side, the Third Kazekage quickly convened another high-level meeting.
"Chiyo, repeat your intelligence report."
How could Ebizo bear to let his sister suffer the shock again?
He immediately stepped forward.
"While we were heading toward the rear of Konoha's position, we encountered Konoha's White Fang, Hatake Sakumo, along with a group of Konoha ninja lying in ambush. The puppet unit suffered heavy losses and can no longer continue the mission of infiltrating behind enemy lines."
Ebizo concisely explained the situation.
"Damn it! Wasn't Hatake Sakumo in the Land of Lightning? How did he get here?!"
One Sand elder cursed.
"That's not the point. The point is that Konoha now has three Kage-level fighters—Orochimaru, Tsunade, and Hatake Sakumo—holding the line. How are we supposed to fight this battle? How can we possibly fight it?"
Another elder stood and spoke.
As the room descended into argument, a ninja from the Intelligence Division rushed in to report.
"Report! Lord Kazekage, a white-haired ninja has been spotted approaching Konoha's position rapidly from the direction of the Land of Rain!"
"Damn it—that's Jiraiya, one of the Three alongside Orochimaru and Tsunade. He's most likely Kage-level as well. That makes four Kage-level fighters on Konoha's side. Are they trying to wipe out the entire Sand Village?!"
Ebizo gritted his teeth.
The others were equally furious.
Was the Sand Village being singled out?!
The Third Kazekage felt a headache coming on.
Although the Sand Village also had three Kage-level fighters, his teacher was old and in poor health.
This war was meant to be his final curtain—not a place for him to risk his life.
And Chiyo, in her current state… how much of her Kage-level strength could she even bring out? He couldn't say for sure.
As for himself, he had no issue—but if Konoha chose to pin him down, he could barely handle one Kage-level opponent at full risk; against two, he would be severely wounded and forced to withdraw.
And if he, the Third Kazekage, withdrew from the battlefield—the Sand Village would undoubtedly lose.
He was instantly trapped in a dilemma, unable to advance or retreat.
At that moment, from outside the meeting tent, an aged voice filled with the weight of years spoke—
"Withdraw the troops."