Rainy night.
Dark clouds swirled, rain poured down, and a bolt of purple lightning flashed across the sky.
That momentary flash of lightning pierced the darkness, illuminating the vast expanse of rain, and also illuminating a ravaged and scorched camp, along with countless figures fighting in the downpour.
This was the northern part of Hidden Rain Village, the last line of defense for Hidden Leaf.
A thunderous boom echoed through the forest along with earth-shattering cries of battle.
Just as the western and southern battlefields were becoming increasingly fierce, a surprise attack by a Stone Ninja assault force emerged, launching a Beheading Operation without warning, their target being the Rain Country Ninja's main base, Hidden Rain Village.
Hanzo was leading the army in person, fighting against the Sand Ninja on the southern battlefield, and had no time to spare, so the only force that could resist this surprise attack was the hastily dispatched Hidden Leaf Village troops.
Despite the haste, everyone was fighting desperately.
They knew that if Hidden Rain Village really fell, the alliance previously reached between the village and Hanzo would instantly collapse, leaving no room for maneuver, and the war would move towards an increasingly unfavorable situation for the village.
Outnumbered, the Hidden Leaf Ninja were quickly defeated, with only a dozen or so still struggling to hold on, hoping for reinforcements to arrive.
"Damn it, these Stone Ninja actually launched a surprise attack at this time!"
"We can't retreat! If Hidden Rain Village falls, this battle we agreed to with Hidden Rain Village will be in trouble!"
Suddenly, the Hidden Leaf Ninja who spoke was slightly stunned, a ghostly figure appeared in front of him, and before he could make a sound, a fist landed on his forehead.
The punch wasn't strong, but it made him dizzy and lose his balance.
"Bang! Bang!"
The attacker's speed was extremely fast, and in a flash, he threw two consecutive punches, accurately hitting the Hidden Leaf Ninja's chest and abdomen, the force of each punch heavier than the last, and the final blow directly sent his body flying.
*"Explosion Release: Landmine Fist!"*
The Hidden Leaf Ninja was caught off guard, the last scene he saw was the attacker's cold face, and a pair of eyes gleaming with light.
"You are..."
He crashed into the arms of two companions, and before he could even scream, his entire body exploded!
Visible to the naked eye, a layer of fire broke through his body from the inside out, and then exploded with a bang, the powerful shock wave directly flattened everything within a dozen meters, and the two companions were not spared, their bodies swallowed by the explosion.
When the explosion subsided, only a deep pit remained, surrounded by fragmented flesh and blood.
"Captain Kari!" Two Stone Ninja landed beside the attacker, their attitude very respectful.
Kari turned his head slightly, his eyes cold, "Have you found the 'Ghost'?"
The Stone Ninja looked embarrassed, "Sorry."
"Notify the Sensing Team to search for the Hidden Leaf Village's ghost ninja with all their strength, his Spiritual Body assassination technique is too threatening, we must deal with him first!"
"Yes!"
Kari snorted coldly: "Take this base as soon as possible, and then flatten Hidden Rain Village, we will be the heroes of this battle!"
At this moment, another Stone Ninja landed beside them, kneeling on one knee, "Reporting, Captain, the western squad encountered a strong enemy and suffered heavy losses!"
Kari's eyes narrowed, and he turned his head sharply: "Lead the way!"
...
Within the deep forest, a figure crisscrossed the battlefield, engaging in relentless combat.
His movements were agile, his pitch-black combat uniform seemingly blending into the night, allowing him to traverse the enemy ranks. Afterimages flickered with the glint of his blade, and with each swing, a Stone Ninja would fall, filled with regret.
His speed was so great that it blurred, and the Stone Ninja couldn't even see his blade clearly. Their last sight was often his cold eyes and his stark white hair.
"Shu!"
A sharp sound of air being torn apart came from above. Sakumo Hatake slightly tilted his body without looking back, narrowly avoiding a long sword that was being swung down vertically.
He took advantage of the momentum to spin, his right-hand short sword instantly switching to a reverse grip, the stark white blade drawing an arc, slicing across the attacker's throat.
With a "Pfft," blood spurted out, and a head rolled on the ground with a "glugluglu" sound.
His movements were simple and direct, combining the Hatake Clan's inherited swordsmanship and Ninjutsu to their utmost.
The short sword flipped, the bright blade reflecting a dazzling white light, slicing three Shuriken in half with a single stroke, the cuts as smooth as a mirror.
The blade flashed, and the Stone Ninja's body split in two along the path of the swing, the crimson blood slowly unfurling like a painting, revealing a hellish scene and lurking killing intent, cruel to the extreme.
This level of sharpness was comparable to a divine weapon, but it wasn't entirely due to the power of the short sword. The greater reason was Sakumo Hatake's own Chakra.
This short sword was specially made from Chakra Metal, capable of containing a certain amount of Chakra, which could be transformed into a Chakra Blade as thin as a cicada's wing, possessing both sharpness and resilience.
It was with this special skill that Sakumo was able to move freely in the chaotic battle, dodging and leaping with his sword, as if entering an uninhabited land.
After only a few exchanges, the Stone Ninja realized something was wrong. This terrifying enemy was impossible to approach. To fight back, they had to create distance.
"Earth Release—"
With a "Shred" sound, the cold blade severed the Stone Ninja's hands as he formed hand seals, then tore through his chest in his astonished gaze.
Sakumo's eyes were indifferent, ignoring the blood splattering on his face, and continued to charge towards the next enemy.
"White Fang Bloom!"
He gripped the hilt of his sword, and as afterimages appeared, more than a dozen beams of light flashed in the air, and three more were torn apart by the blade, bathed in blood.
"Earth Release: Earth Flow Wall!"
A Stone Ninja roared, slamming his hands on the ground. Relying on his comrades' self-sacrificing cover, he finally released his Ninjutsu, and a thick wall of earth rose from the ground, blocking Sakumo's pursuit.
The Stone Ninja changed hand seals, but before he could breathe a sigh of relief, a bright light suddenly flashed before his eyes.
The earth wall split in two in an instant, and his own throat felt a slight itch, followed by unbearable pain and a feeling of suffocation.
"His sword... can even cut through Ninjutsu..."
The Stone Ninja knelt down weakly, and beneath him, a patch of red slowly expanded, gradually engulfing his entire body.
The cold wind was biting, and the rain in the forest gradually weakened.
Sakumo Hatake stood with his sword, surrounded by scattered Corpses.
He stopped his blade and looked around. There were still about thirty Ninja lingering in the forest, like a pack of hyenas hunting a lion, poised and ready, but dare not rashly approach.
Although many of these people were skilled in Taijutsu, and there were even Elite Jonin among them.
The reason for all of this was that the white-haired ninja before them ended every battle with a single move, no matter who the opponent was, without any hesitation.
Whether you were a Genin or an Elite Jonin, it was one strike per person, just like a tireless machine, constantly executing killing commands.
Sakumo Hatake breathed slightly, quietly bowing to hide his rapidly rising and falling chest, using the rain to wash away the sweat from his forehead.
He wasn't a machine, of course he would get tired.
The reason he could hold on until now wasn't just because of himself.
Whenever he was in crisis, or encountered an equally agile enemy, there would always be a Spiritual Body taking the opportunity to break into the opponent's spiritual world, even if it couldn't be immediately erased, it could cause a certain amount of interference.
In the eyes of an expert like him, that little bit of time was enough.
Whether it was him, or the Spiritual Body in the dark, they were both fighting with their lives at stake, the purpose was to deter the enemy and delay the battle until reinforcements arrived.
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