Only two elites from the Uchiha clan, each possessing his third tomoe, managed to keep up with Hatake Sumao's pace. At this critical moment, on Hatake Sumao's cue, they intercepted the elite Sand-nin who were trying to protect the puppet brigade's captain, creating an opening for Hatake Sumao.
Then, Hatake Sumao unleashed his ultimate sword art—the most powerful technique in his swordplay arsenal. His body became a bolt of lightning, surging forward in an instant. Meanwhile, he swung his blade, White Fang, repeatedly, deflecting countless projectiles that had erupted from the puppets.
At this time, the commander and deputy commander of the Sand-nin Puppet Brigade were none other than the parents of Sasori of the Red Sand, who would later assassinate the Third Kazekage and trigger The Third Great Ninja World War. Though they had been mentally prepared for such an encounter against the charging Hatake Sumao,
they realized at the last moment that even though they'd thought themselves fully ready, they had still underestimated him. More importantly, his speed was terrifying.
Right then, if Sasori's parents split up and fled separately, at least one of them could have survived—after all, focused on the greater battle, Hatake Sumao could only manage to kill one target and wouldn't have time to pursue the second.
In fact, if both had good escape skills, there was even a strong chance they might both escape completely. After all, Hatake Sumao's goal wasn't to kill individuals but to win the war.
However, both deeply loved the village that had raised them, and being very close as a couple, they would neither abandon each other nor leave their comrades behind.
Therefore, even though they were retreating quickly, their purpose was merely to trade space for time, preparing for the next counterattack. As they fell back, they exchanged a brief glance, seeing the resolve to sacrifice themselves reflected in each other's eyes, understanding the choice they both had made. Though there was so much left unsaid, reality allowed no delay.
Eventually, they calmly reached a final decision—to create an opening together and strike down or heavily wound Hatake Sumao, even if it meant giving their lives. Though they felt guilt toward their own mother and son, battlefield urgency left no room for hesitation.
As they retreated, Sasori's father seized the opportunity to prepare a Secret Wind Release Jutsu—one that consumed his own life force. This technique enabled him to unleash a single Secret Wind Release Jutsu far beyond his usual limits, though it required a moment of preparation.
Meanwhile, Sasori's mother pushed herself to her physical limit, activating an incomplete puppet secret technique she had newly created. She summoned every one of their puppets and manipulated them simultaneously, unleashing a special combined puppet attack that required a puppet master capable of handling multiple puppets at once. Together, these attacks finally slowed Hatake Sumao's furious charge.
This puppetry secret artistry was developed by the married couple based on Chiyo's legendary White Secret Technique. Since Chiyo's White Secret Technique could control ten puppets simultaneously, the pair had built upon that foundation. Unfortunately, both the puppets and the user needed to meet extremely high requirements. Currently among the Sand ninja, only the Chikamatsu Collection puppets fulfilled those conditions. As for the human requirements, only someone with Kage-level puppet mastery would suffice.
Therefore, the couple wanted to develop a more universally applicable Puppet Secret Technique. However, they had only just completed a preliminary prototype version. To use it required not only additional consumption of large amounts of chakra, but also short maintenance time. Though powerful, its practical value in combat was limited. Still, it worked perfectly here, proving her remarkable tactical prowess.
Hatake Sumao faced several puppets rushing at him once again along with a barrage of hidden weapons. Though he successfully blocked them with his blade "White Fang," his steps were unavoidably slowed.
But then Hatake Sumao thought of his fallen comrades and once again pushed his chakra to the limit. His speed returned to peak levels as he disregarded his own safety—dodging only deadly blows while ignoring lesser wounds—to eliminate enemies fast and end the fight sooner. However, under Sasori's Mother's full-strength resistance, it would take some time to reach the couple.
When Hatake finally broke through and rushed near Sasori's parents, just as he prepared to strike Sasori's Mother for a killing blow, his sharp senses detected a deadly threat. Immediately, he infused a massive amount of Lightning Release chakra into his sword "White Fang."
[Deadly Blade - Throwing Technique] was a powerful technique he had developed by harnessing Lightning Release chakra's properties. Without hesitation, he hurled it directly toward the source of danger.
Meanwhile, Sasori's Father had also completed his secret jutsu. With both hands waving outward, he unleashed Wind Blades from each hand and his mouth, aiming straight at Hatake Sumao. These Wind Blades moved extremely fast—faster than even Hatake's speed could easily evade.
Fortunately, the thrown tanto struck the central Wind Blade head-on, their chakras canceling most of each other's force. The tanto kept going, burying itself deep in Sasori's Father's chest. Chakra drained mid-jutsu, he couldn't move in time to dodge. This sight caused Sasori's Mother's eyes to redden.
The remaining fragments of the central Wind Blade alongside the two other Wind Blades raced straight toward Hatake Sumao within moments. Thanks to years of training, [Shifting Body Technique] had been fully mastered, paired with his [Taijutsu] expertise. [Using Hands as Blades], he sliced apart the middle Wind Blade and bought himself a little extra time.
Then, pushing [Shifting Body Technique] to the extreme, he forcefully darted between the two remaining Wind Blades. He narrowly avoided being cut by them—but his left arm was practically useless. His right arm, however, remained largely unaffected due to careful protection.
Without regard for the two puppets chasing him from behind, he sprinted toward Sasori's Mother, racing against death itself. Before the puppets reached him, he arrived beside her. Once again, [Using Hands as Blades], he slashed toward Sasori's Mother—who had fallen into a weakened state due to excessive chakra consumption.
At this moment, Sasori's mother only wanted to take Hatake Sumao down with her, so she had no intention of dodging at all. She drained every last drop of chakra from her body and directed the puppets toward Hatake Sumao. However, in the end, Hatake Sumao was quicker to act. Before the puppet's blades could strike him, he successfully severed her artery.
Before dying, Sasori's mother first glanced at her husband lying close by, then thought about her son. Her only wish was for Sasori, her child, to grow up safely under her mother's care.
Meanwhile, Hatake Sumao began evading the two remaining puppets that kept lunging forward uncontrollably. However, since his condition wasn't ideal at this point, he barely avoided their critical strikes. Although several new wounds appeared on his body, the presence radiating from him grew even more terrifying.
Then, after catching his breath, Hatake Sumao retrieved his blade and cast a sweeping gaze around him. Seeing the two enemies still looking at each other even as death loomed before them stirred something inside him. However, he quickly suppressed it, took a deep breath, activated his chakra, and started moving forward to link up with his teammates.
At this time, the Sand-nin Puppet Brigade had lost its command structure since both the captain and vice-captain had been killed. Left uncertain whether they should launch a desperate counterattack or seize the opportunity to escape, the brigade fell into chaos, creating numerous opportunities for Konoha's forces and robbing this unit of any chance of survival.
In addition, the two Uchiha clan Jonin possessing third tomoe had sacrificed themselves to cover Hatake Sumao's actions. One had already fallen, and the other was severely injured. After all, they were vastly outnumbered, and just earlier, in rescuing their squad leader, they had launched a desperate suicide charge. The fact that they achieved such results was precisely because these two were elite Uchiha Jonin equipped with the triple-comma Sharingan.
Therefore, Hatake Sumao immediately rushed forward to assist, rescuing the last man—Uchiha Qingyuan—while the approaching Special Forces Unit was now very close to Hatake Sumao's position.
Then, Hatake Sumao led that Uchiha Jonin possessing a third tomoe and reunited with the others. Once united, they commanded the special forces unit to completely wipe out the Puppet Brigade. Although the remaining members of the Sand-nin Puppet Brigade launched a fierce final resistance after realizing retreat was impossible, inflicting heavy losses on the Special Forces Unit,
ultimately, the Sand-nin Puppet Brigade could not escape complete annihilation. Only one out of ten managed to flee. This was also why Hatake Sumao wanted to end the battle quickly without further pursuit or slaughter; otherwise, there was a chance he could have wiped them out completely.
<><><><><><><><>
Thank you for reading! Your support will keep me updating!
~ Every 50 Powerstones = **4 Bonus Chapters** this weekend!
<><><><><><><><>
Want to read the subsequent content in advance?
Please follow my Patreon:patreon/Tansnovel
Tans Novel - The Fastest-Updating Naruto Fanfiction Account
Read 100+ chapters in advance, with at least 3 new chapters updated every day! More free chapters! 20+ Naruto fanfictions!
Just three steps:
1. Download and open the "Patreon" app
2. Search for "Tans Novel"
3. Click on the collection and enjoy to your heart's content
<><><><><><><><>