As the attacker moved, Tsunade cried out in alarm, rushing to Kana's side while Hatake Sakumo and Hattori Heizo blocked the path, preventing the attacker from advancing further.
Sakumo drew the chakra short sword from his back, its blade gleaming with a blinding white light. No one could have guessed that this medium-quality chakra blade would later become known as the famed "White Fang" of Hatake Sakumo.
The attacker squinted at the intense light, his vision momentarily obscured. However, his experience allowed him to react instinctively, striking at Sakumo with precision. Sakumo swiftly parried the blow with his chakra sword, blocking the attacker's assault.
Using the distraction caused by the blinding light, Heizo crept into the attacker's blind spot, silently executing the Hattori clan's assassination technique, striking him mercilessly.
As a traditional ninja clan, the Hattori clan specializes in swift, lethal strikes. They aren't skilled in prolonged combat, so if the first attack fails, they are vulnerable. However, Heizo has mastered combining his clan's assassination techniques with hand-to-hand combat, showing his sharp edge now.
The attacker felt his strength drain away as darkness clouded his vision. Falling to his knees, he seemed unable to continue fighting. Heizo had spared his life, suspecting he might be an informant of the Jashin cult and could hold information Masaki needed.
Just as Sakumo and Heizo were about to relax, Kana let out a scream. They turned to see another attacker approaching Kana, poised to strike.
—Damn, there's another one!
—Thankfully, Tsunade is there.
These thoughts flashed in their minds as they quickly rushed over. Meanwhile, Tsunade had already engaged the second attacker.
Realizing the attacker's target was Kana, a shrine attendant quickly shielded her, trying to escort her back to the shrine. Once inside, they could activate the barrier to prevent further attacks. However, he hadn't anticipated the presence of another assailant. While Sakumo and Heizo were preoccupied, this second cultist seized the opportunity to grab Kana.
The attacker glanced at Tsunade with disdain. Seeing her young age, he assumed she would be weak. Although he intended to strike hard, he underestimated her.
Tsunade threw a punch, and as the attacker attempted to counter, he was met with an overwhelming force. The blow felt like being hit by a massive boulder; his arm snapped under the pressure. He let out a scream of agony, soon silenced as Tsunade knocked him unconscious with a powerful kick.
"Think you can take us lightly?!" Tsunade snorted at the unconscious attacker.
Tsunade had learned to harness her chakra precisely, channeling it in a burst of destructive power. Her strength wasn't something to judge by her appearance, even boulders would shatter before her. Anyone underestimating her would meet the same fate as this fallen cultist.
Sakumo and Heizo were unsurprised by her strength. Most people would never expect Tsunade's power to be so deceiving. Had the attacker used another jutsu, he might have stood a chance.
"Kana-san, are you alright?" Sakumo and Heizo asked as they reached her.
Kana nodded, her face tense. Though she had anticipated danger, experiencing it firsthand was terrifying.
Due to the sudden attack, visitors outside the shrine were panicking and fleeing, creating chaos.
"Kana-sama, it's not safe here. Let's get back to the shrine," the attendant said urgently, preparing to escort her back when he suddenly froze.
Kana watched in horror as blood gushed from the attendant's mouth, his hand clutched his chest. Her shock deepened when she saw another hand—covered in dark, "black lines"—protruding through the attendant's body, holding his heart.
The moment Sakumo, Tsunade, and Heizo thought the danger had passed, this third attacker appeared, striking when they were least prepared.
Kana froze, feeling her neck gripped tightly, her vision blurring as she struggled to breathe. The attacker was dragging her away. Her mind was barely able to process the blood from the attendant splattering on her.
The three of them reacted instantly. Tsunade swung a fist, Heizo struck with a knife, and Sakumo slashed with his chakra blade. Tsunade and Heizo's strikes were deflected by the attacker's armor-like skin, but Sakumo's blade pierced his wrist, causing blood to flow. From behind, the "black lines" extended like tendrils, wrapping around Sakumo's limbs.
Sakumo swung his blade, slicing through the "black lines," which bled for unknown reasons. This slight delay gave the attacker time to pull Kana closer.
The waiter's body was torn apart by the "black lines," spraying blood everywhere. Kana, now caught in the attacker's grasp, could only tremble in fear.
"You incompetent fools," sneered the tall man holding Kana. "Masaki isn't even here, and yet three of you can't handle this."
"Let her go!" Tsunade shouted furiously.
"Not a chance," the tall man replied coldly. "She's meant to be sacrificed to the cultists. I'm taking her with me." His free arm detached, bound to him by "black lines," forming a hand that quickly grabbed the unconscious cultists lying nearby.
—This man's intent is deadly.
Sakumo knew he couldn't let him succeed. Charging his chakra with lightning energy, he lunged, striking with his short blade. A brilliant flash of lightning made contact, and a cut appeared on the man's arm.
"You're really testing my patience," the man sneered, shifting Kana to his other hand. He inhaled deeply, then exhaled a sharp gust of wind.
The three of them realized instantly that the man's skill was fast—almost too fast to be real. The wind attack was razor-sharp, and they felt the sting of chakra-laden air on their skin. It seemed the man intended to eliminate them all, along with the unconscious Jashinists, rather than waste energy on individual attacks.