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Chiyo and the Kazekage were kneeling on the ground, gasping for breath.
In that critical moment, they had barely managed to defend themselves against Sakumo's attack, preventing their deaths by sheer force of will.
But Chiyo's Chikamatsu Collection of Ten Puppets had been destroyed, rendering her completely powerless. The Kazekage's iron sand had been reduced to dust by that single strike.
Both looked at White Fang in shock.
"What kind of sword is this?"
How could a single strike be so powerful?
If he could unleash another attack like that, they wouldn't be able to defend against it.
"Third level of the Basic Inner Technique... I still haven't fully achieved it," White Fang sighed. That strike had only utilized a fraction of the power of the third level.
This demonstrated just how powerful the sealing technique was.
It wasn't chakra he had drawn upon, but rather the energy flowing from the outside world.
He had heard of this energy before—something called natural energy.
Jin's level of genius might surpass even that of the Second Hokage.
White Fang's gaze shifted to the distance, where figures were rapidly approaching. With his keen vision, he could see the Sunagakure forehead protectors on these approaching shinobi.
The Sunagakure reinforcements had arrived.
"Such a pity."
White Fang sighed again. He could no longer muster that powerful strike.
The attack had drained not only all his chakra but also all his physical strength. The only reason he was still standing was that he couldn't afford to show weakness.
Even though one of his opponents was now powerless, the other could still fight.
He had lost the ability to move.
At this moment, he wasn't ready to give up his life just yet.
But with the arrival of the Sunagakure reinforcements, his fate seemed sealed.
"I can't bring you back."
White Fang felt he was breaking his promise to Jin.
However, the Kazekage was still staring at White Fang in fear. Only after the Sunagakure shinobi had fully surrounded them did he start to relax.
"Kazekage-sama!"
"Kazekage-sama!"
"Kazekage-sama!"
Everywhere he looked, Sunagakure shinobi surrounded them.
It was as if White Fang alone was facing the entire village of Sunagakure.
Which, in fact, he was.
"Kazekage-sama, kill White Fang!"
"He killed so many of us!"
"Kill him!"
The Sunagakure shinobi glared at White Fang with righteous anger. This one man had nearly shattered their entire defensive line.
The Kazekage moved his lips as if he wanted to give the order to kill White Fang.
But he hesitated.
He looked back at the distant, cleaved mountains. If the enemy could unleash another strike like that...
As the Kazekage, he had confidence that he could fight White Fang.
Though the odds weren't great, he could at least stall the enemy.
But behind him were his subordinates, the lifeblood of Sunagakure. He might survive, but he couldn't guarantee their safety.
The strength of Sunagakure depended on these shinobi. If they were lost here, the village might even fall out of the ranks of the Five Great Shinobi Villages.
But there was no guarantee that White Fang still had the strength to unleash another attack.
Just as the Kazekage was grappling with this indecision, a powerful voice rang out.
"Let's see who dares!"
A massive figure descended from the sky, crashing to the ground with a thunderous roar, kicking up a cloud of dust.
As the dust settled, Tsunade, standing atop Katsuyu, appeared in front of White Fang, arms crossed and eyes glaring coldly at the Sunagakure shinobi.
Her presence alone blocked any possibility of them attacking White Fang.
Behind her, smoke rose as more and more Konoha shinobi appeared, their numbers rivaling that of the Sunagakure forces.
"Tsunade," Chiyo muttered darkly.
These two individuals before her—one was her old rival, and the other her mortal enemy.
The two sides faced off.
The Kazekage, seeing no change in White Fang's demeanor, made his decision.
"Retreat!"
Even if White Fang couldn't unleash another attack, the battle was already lost. There was no point in continuing.
Upon hearing the order, the Sunagakure shinobi didn't dare to defy him. The Third Kazekage's authority was absolute.
Chiyo glared at White Fang with hatred.
But she knew better than the reinforcements what the consequences of fighting would be.
Without saying a word, the Sunagakure forces withdrew, taking the Kazekage with them.
As soon as the Sunagakure forces were out of sight, White Fang's strength finally gave out. His face turned pale, and he collapsed backward.
Fortunately, Jin appeared seemingly out of nowhere, catching White Fang just in time.
White Fang gave Jin a strained smile.
"We can go back now."
With that, he passed out.
"You damn..."
Jin gritted his teeth. If White Fang hadn't brought him along, would he have risked his life to save him?
Did he think a simple sentence like that would make it all right?
This isn't over!
Tsunade cast a deep gaze at the distant, shattered mountains. They had only found their way here because they had seen that incredible strike.
"Has Sakumo reached the same level as my grandfather?"
Aside from Hashirama, she had never seen anyone with such power.
It wasn't just a mountain that had been cleaved—it was an entire mountain range.
That strike had even altered the geography of the Land of Rivers.
This was a question they would have to wait for White Fang to answer once he regained consciousness.
No one noticed a white figure slipping away underground.
In Konoha...
The report that White Fang had single-handedly forced the Sunagakure forces to retreat had reached the office of Hiruzen.
"White Fang!" Danzo scoffed as he threw the report on the table.
"One strike to cleave a mountain range! What a joke, does he think he's the God of Shinobi?"
Koharu retorted with disapproval, "But the change in the Land of Rivers' terrain is undeniable."
This wasn't just one person's report.
Danzo scoffed again.
It wasn't that he didn't believe it—he didn't want to believe it. If Konoha had a shinobi with such power, his chances of becoming Hokage would slip away.
He was still eyeing the position of the next Hokage.
"Enough, stop arguing," Hiruzen interjected, tossing a sealed letter across the table.
"This is Sakumo's personal account. See for yourselves."
Danzo was the first to grab the letter and read through it.
"So that's how it is!"
For a moment, he was ecstatic.
White Fang hadn't said much, only three key points.
First, to make amends for his mistake, he had chosen to deal with the Sunagakure forces on his own.
Second, he explained how he had achieved that powerful strike.
The third level of the Basic Inner Technique, according to White Fang, would allow anyone to reach that level of power.
Third, he hadn't fully mastered the third level. He had only managed to forcefully tap into its power through sheer will.
That's how he managed to unleash that strike.
Though it took him a long time to gather enough chakra for that one attack.
But this gave Danzo hope.
"The power of the God of Shinobi, right here."
If he could obtain that power, the position of Hokage would be his for the taking.
Seeing that Koharu and Homura were waiting, Danzo reluctantly handed them the letter.
"How could this be, and it's all thanks to Uchiha Jin's Basic Inner Technique!?"
The three of them could hardly believe it.
They had already witnessed the powerful effects of the Basic Inner Technique.
Now, it seemed it could even reach such a level.
"Enough," Hiruzen said, his face expressionless as he looked at the three of them.
"The question now is how we should deal with Sakumo."
(End of Chapter)