Chiyo and the Kazekage were half-kneeling on the ground, panting heavily.
In that crucial moment, both of them barely managed to defend themselves with all their might, avoiding being slashed to death by a single strike.
However, Chiyo's ten puppets had been destroyed, leaving her completely without fighting power, and the Kazekage's supposedly indestructible Iron Sand had been reduced to dust by that single slash.
Both of them stared at White Fang in terror.
"What kind of sword is that!?"
How could a single slash be so overwhelmingly powerful?
If the opponent could unleash another strike like that...
They would be unable to defend against it.
"The third level of basic internal energy technique, and still not fully mastered," White Fang sighed. That slash had only used a portion of the third level's power.
It also demonstrated how powerful this level of sealing techniques truly was.
This was no longer just the use of chakra; it was a force flowing from the external world.
He had heard of this power before—something called natural energy.
Uchiha Jin's genius might surpass even the Second Hokage's.
White Fang's gaze shifted to the distance.
In the distance, he could see figures rapidly approaching. With his sharp eyesight, he could make out the forehead protectors—these were Sand Ninja reinforcements.
The main Sand Ninja force was closing in.
"What a pity," White Fang sighed again. He could no longer muster the strength for another slash.
That one strike had drained all his chakra and physical energy. The only reason he was still standing was that he couldn't afford to show weakness.
Though one of the enemies had lost their combat ability, the other one could still fight.
But White Fang had already lost the ability to move.
At least for now, he didn't want to give up his life.
But as the Sand Ninja arrived, it meant his life was truly about to end.
"I can't take you back with me," he thought, his promise to Uchiha Jin broken.
The Kazekage, meanwhile, stared in fear at White Fang. Only when the Sand Ninja began to gather around him did his heart finally settle down.
"Kazekage-sama!"
"Kazekage-sama!"
"Kazekage-sama!"
Everywhere he looked, there were Sand Ninja.
It seemed as though White Fang was standing alone, facing the entire Sand Village.
In truth, that wasn't far from the reality.
"Kazekage-sama, kill White Fang!"
"He killed so many of us!"
"Kill him!"
The Sand Ninja, full of righteous anger, glared at White Fang. Just this one man had nearly broken through their entire defense line.
The Kazekage's lips twitched; he too wanted to give the order to kill White Fang.
But he didn't dare.
He looked back at the distant mountain range that had been severed by that single slash. If the opponent could unleash another attack like that...
As the Kazekage, he had confidence in battling White Fang.
Although the odds of victory were slim, he could at least hold him off.
After all, even a 0.1% chance of victory was still a chance.
But behind him were his subordinates—could he protect them? He had no confidence in that. They were the strength of the Sand Village. If he lost them here, the Sand Village might even be forced out of the Five Great Ninja Villages.
But who was to say White Fang could unleash another attack like that?
While he was still hesitating...
"Let's see who dares!"
A voice roared in fury.
A massive figure descended from the sky, landing with a thunderous crash that sent dust flying everywhere.
When the dust cleared...
Tsunade stood before White Fang, arms crossed, coldly eyeing the Sand Ninja.
She had positioned herself between them and White Fang, preventing any possible attack.
Behind her, smoke continued to rise, and more and more Leaf Ninja appeared one by one.
Their numbers even rivaled those of the Sand Ninja.
"Tsunade..." Chiyo's face darkened at the sight of her.
The two standing before her—one was her lifelong rival, and the other had a blood feud with her.
The two sides were at a standoff.
The Kazekage looked at White Fang, who showed no sign of weakness, and finally made his decision.
"Retreat!"
Even if White Fang couldn't unleash another slash, the tide had turned. There was no longer any point in continuing the fight.
Upon hearing the Kazekage's command, the Sand Ninja didn't dare disobey. The Third Kazekage's authority ran deep.
Chiyo glared venomously at White Fang.
But for the sake of the village, she knew better than the others what the consequences of fighting would be.
She said nothing.
The Sand Ninja gathered around the Kazekage and retreated.
Once the Sand Ninja were out of sight, White Fang could no longer hold on, his face turning pale as he collapsed backward.
Fortunately, Uchiha Jin, who had appeared out of nowhere, caught him just in time.
White Fang gave Jin a strained smile.
"We can go back to the village now," he said, before immediately passing out.
"You bastard," Jin gritted his teeth. Why had this guy brought him here? If White Fang hadn't dragged him along, would Jin have risked his life to save him? Did he think a simple sentence could settle things?
Let me tell you...
This isn't over!!
Tsunade glanced at the distant, shattered mountain range. They had come here after witnessing that earth-shattering slash.
"Could Sakumo have reached my grandfather's level?"
Other than Hashirama Senju, she had never seen anyone with such strength.
It wasn't just a single mountain that had been cleaved—it was an entire mountain range.
That single slash had even changed the topography of the Land of Rivers.
She figured that once White Fang woke up, they would get some answers.
None of them noticed...
A white figure flashed underground.
Back in Konoha, the information about White Fang single-handedly forcing the Sand Ninja to retreat was delivered to Hiruzen Sarutobi's office.
"White Fang!" Danzo Shimura snorted, throwing the report onto the table.
"One slash to sever a mountain range! What kind of joke is this? Does he think he's the God of Shinobi?"
Koharu Utatane retorted unhappily, "But the change in the Land of Rivers' topography is undeniable."
This wasn't just a single person's report.
Danzo snorted again.
It wasn't that he didn't believe it—he simply didn't want to believe it. If the village possessed such overwhelming power...
Then wouldn't the position of Hokage slip further from his grasp?
He was still waiting for his chance to become the next Hokage.
"Enough, stop arguing," Hiruzen Sarutobi interrupted, casually tossing a sealed letter over.
"This was personally written by Sakumo. Take a look for yourselves."
Danzo immediately grabbed the letter and began reading.
"So that's how it is!"
He was both shocked and delighted.
Sakumo's letter only mentioned three things.
First, to atone for his mistake, he had decided to handle the Sand Ninja situation himself.
Second, the reason why he had been able to unleash that slash.
Basic internal energy technique, third level. According to White Fang, anyone who reached the third level could probably achieve similar results.
Third, he hadn't fully reached the third level. He had only forcibly condensed the third-level sealing technique through sheer willpower.
That was what had given him the power for that one strike.
Although it would take him a long time to gather enough chakra to use it again...
It gave Danzo hope.
"The power of the God of Shinobi, here at last."
If he could obtain that power, wouldn't the position of Hokage be within his grasp?
Seeing Koharu and Homura waiting their turn, Danzo reluctantly handed over the letter.
"How is this possible? It's Uchiha Jin's basic internal energy technique!?"
The three of them were stunned.
They had already heard so much about the power of asic internal energy technique.
And now it could achieve this level of power?
"Enough," Hiruzen Sarutobi said coldly, looking at the group.
"The real question now is, how do we handle Sakumo Hatake?"
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