"Hm, Inuzuka Tsume and her Kuromaru just killed two jonin. Truly impressive. This might be the first time in the family's history that a ninja chose not to raise a young pup alongside them, but instead partnered with an adult veteran dog who had lost their previous companion."
Sakumo Hatake nodded to himself. Konoha's legacies were abundant, its human resources plentiful. There were always seemingly ordinary ninja who, at the right moment, could unveil a hidden skill that inflicted unexpected damage on the enemy.
The Third Hokage loved this kind of young talent. A surprising young ninja causing extra unexpected losses for the enemy meant, in effect, Konoha could expend the same resources while forcing the enemy to expend more. Each small victory accumulated toward a larger strategic advantage. After all, Konoha had the strongest foundation and was most willing—and least afraid—to engage in attrition.
"Combat between ninja is, first and foremost, a battle of intelligence. Using novel methods against the enemy gives your side an informational edge."
Sakumo Hatake felt gratified watching the younger generation, then his attention shifted to a new report.
"The Dead Soul technique? Someone has actually delved deeply into developing this jutsu—and achieved remarkable results. Kaede Tsukasa… a genin from the medical unit, has directly killed three enemies and indirectly helped comrades eliminate five more?"
Sakumo Hatake didn't think the report exaggerated. Observers responsible for recording frontline battles could not afford errors in tallying achievements. Any village tracking battle merits had to be meticulous—no shortcuts allowed.
Although the medical unit had only been recently formed, it had already produced eye-catching talent. At the genin, and even chunin level, a ninja like Kaede Tsukasa, with a unique skill, was already remarkable.
"Within Tsunade's subordinates, surely more talented individuals will emerge. Hopefully, one of them will become the next Namikaze Minato."
Sakumo Hatake sighed instinctively, though he knew this was a meaningless hope.
In reality, if compared, all the young ninja who had revealed special skills combined could not yet match Minato Namikaze, who was just thirteen.
The reason was simple: Minato had learned the Flying Thunder God Technique left by the Second Hokage, becoming the second ninja in Konoha's history to skillfully wield a space-time jutsu.
It was said that shortly after entering the battlefield against Iwagakure, Minato had already made a huge name for himself—at just thirteen, he assassinated multiple jonin and relayed invaluable intelligence, providing enormous strategic and tactical support for Konoha.
It was astounding. Even Sakumo Hatake was shaken by Minato's talent and intelligence.
Visible skill, seemingly limitless potential, and the key advantage—hard to kill. Even in defeat, Minato could instantly escape using the Flying Thunder God Technique.
If he was already this formidable at thirteen, what would he be capable of in just two more years?
Before Minato, any self-proclaimed genius would feel humbled.
"Hatake, the enemy command has moved. Chiyo is leading the puppet legion onto the battlefield!" a ninja reported.
"Finally. If this continues, Sunagakure won't be able to endure. They've finally reached their limit."
Sakumo Hatake sprang to his feet, leading his personal guard straight into the battlefield.
The top-tier combatants on both sides had entered the fray.
Chiyo's heart was most tormented. If she had a choice, she would never have done this.
"Konoha really is overflowing with talent. Hashirama Senju and Madara Uchiha left this village so many treasures," Ebizō sighed.
"We can't outlast them… absolutely can't! Even if Chiyo cultivates a deadly poison, it only inflicts greater losses on Konoha, but still—we can't outlast them!"
If they went all out in a decisive battle, Sunagakure had no guarantee of victory. They could only periodically launch large-scale operations, hoping to find an opening.
Sakumo Hatake was simply too exceptional. His killing power against puppeteers was overwhelming, forcing Chiyo's puppet legion into complete helplessness.
"Stop lamenting! You're only boosting the enemy's morale! No matter how strong Konoha is, they are still our mortal enemies!" Chiyo shouted in anger, leading her puppeteers swiftly into the battlefield, harvesting Konoha ninja lives with ruthless efficiency.
It was a tactical method: appear suddenly, kill a batch of Konoha's living forces, then retreat quickly, repeatedly weakening Konoha.
But the problem was facing Konoha's White Fang. This tactic could never succeed multiple times, especially since the White Fang could use the same method against Sunagakure's ninja.
No matter what she did, as long as Konoha responded in kind—even if their casualties were higher and resources more depleted—Sunagakure could never outlast them. Chiyo's chest burned with frustration.
"What use is having countless Konoha geniuses? White Fang, the Three Sannin, Dan Kato… even Minato Namikaze—kill one, and one is gone forever! If my son and daughter-in-law were still alive… Sunagakure has its own geniuses. When my grandson grows up, he will surpass all of them!"
In the brief gap before Sakumo Hatake arrived, Chiyo immediately unrolled her summoning scroll, calling forth several puppets to charge at Konoha's ninja.
The Third Kazekage had taken the One-Tailed Jinchūriki to fight Iwagakure, leaving Chiyo and her brother Ebizōto handle Konoha's assault. Thankfully, the special toxins she had developed gave Sunagakure a significant advantage; otherwise, the situation would have been far more difficult, and losses even greater.
At this moment, Kaede Tsukasa blended into the crowd, feeling a sharp headache.
"There are too many people… I can't freely use the fallen Konoha ninja as combatants, which limits my effectiveness even more. My chakra is almost gone too."
Kaede Tsukasa realized he was better suited for small-team operations, where he didn't have to worry about teammates—this allowed him to fully leverage his abilities.
More importantly, he felt the need to develop new Zombie Release techniques. He had to continually expand his repertoire.
Relying on the same predictable tactics repeatedly would leak intelligence over time, allowing enemies to devise counter-strategies, putting Kaede Tsukasa in increasing danger.
Only by constantly advancing and updating his jutsu library, keeping the enemy perpetually behind, could Kaede Tsukasa feel secure.
"To survive without wasting too much chakra… that means using the special Substitute Technique I've been envisioning in my mind. The simulated training process seems solid—I just need to practice it in reality."
Kaede Tsukasa's thoughts were interrupted by screams and shouts ahead, followed by chaos: bodies tossed about, limbs flying everywhere.
He lifted his head and saw a puppet dressed in white charging straight at him, swinging a massive axe in a downward strike!