The battle of Hatake Sakumo had only one defining characteristic.
The dazzling white light flickering from the chakra-infused blade in his hand.
Every flash of white light signaled another enemy's demise.
On the battlefield, the white glow flickered relentlessly, and one by one, Sand Shinobi fell lifelessly to the ground.
Even Qianxiu and his wife, formidable in their own right, were solemn as they observed the carnage.
"Is this the legendary Konoha's White Fang?"
Their amazement wasn't just at his assassination skills but at his sheer, terrifying lethality.
Who was Hatake Sakumo?
Konoha's former Anbu Commander.
An expert in assassination.
His battle style was a blend of swift assaults, elusive movements, and sudden bursts of overwhelming power. His mastery of assassination techniques was nearly flawless.
But his true strength lay in his kenjutsu.
Among the finest swordsmen in the entire ninja world, Hatake Sakumo's swordplay was second to none.
He stood just a step away from the ranks of the Kage, and many believed his blade was already on par with the demigod Hanzo himself.
A terrifying swordsman indeed.
And with his signature White Fang—a blade infused with chakra metal—his lethality only increased. The ability to channel chakra into his weapon allowed for sharper, more devastating strikes, making his presence on the battlefield even more nightmarish.
---
In the Sea of Fire
In the midst of the battlefield, the figure of Uchiha Kiyo moved like a specter, swiftly closing in on Tetsuya using the Body Flicker Technique.
A spear of earth formed in his hands.
With a sweeping motion, he struck.
Since he was only a clone—a shadow clone or elemental construct—his physical strength didn't match that of his original body. His attacks carried the weight of an ordinary ninja at best.
But Tetsuya understood the plan.
Knowing that revealing Uchiha Kiyo's true identity here would be catastrophic, he played along.
Feigning weakness, he raised his blade in defense and allowed himself to be struck, sent hurtling backward as if overwhelmed.
Within the confines of the clone, Uchiha Kiyo silently praised his counterpart for his seamless cooperation.
Without hesitation, he pursued, keeping up the relentless assault, ensuring that the fight remained isolated from the surrounding Sand Shinobi.
Slashes. Stabs. Feints.
Their close-quarters battle continued, looking every bit like a duel to the death.
All the while, the blazing inferno around them was beginning to die down.
But Uchiha Kiyo knew that time was running out. The fire wouldn't last much longer, and his chakra reserves wouldn't allow him to sustain another large-scale blaze.
It was time to end this.
Seizing the opportunity, he suddenly closed the distance between them, his movements a blur.
Under the horrified gazes of the surrounding Sand Shinobi, his spear drove straight for Tetsuya's heart.
Tetsuya reacted instantly.
Instead of dodging, he grabbed the earthen spear, locking it in place.
In that same instant, his puppet, controlled through chakra threads, lashed out, aiming a blade straight for Uchiha Kiyo's eyes.
Then, something changed.
No one noticed the subtle shift.
At that precise moment, the Uchiha Kiyo they saw flickered out of existence—vanishing without a trace.
And in his place, another identical figure emerged in the exact same stance, the transition seamless and undetectable.
Then—
A violent energy surge erupted from within Tetsuya's puppet.
"Not good!"
The Sand Jonin nearby felt their pupils contract in horror. Their bodies stiffened.
This was the supply station.
A stockpile of weapons.
A stockpile of explosive tags.
If an explosion were to occur here…
Panic set in.
The thought of an uncontrolled detonation spread like wildfire among the Sand Shinobi.
But they clung to a desperate hope.
Surely, the station had protective measures in place. The probability of an accidental detonation was low.
Or so they thought.
What they didn't realize was that Tetsuya was intentionally triggering the explosion.
Their duel had never been just for show.
Every move, every strike, had been leading up to this precise moment.
Tetsuya had been silently pinpointing the location of the explosive tag stockpile.
Now, the conditions were perfect.
The detonating tags stored within Tetsuya's puppet weren't placed there by Uchiha Kiyo.
They had been there all along.
Meant for self-destruction.
Now, they served a different purpose.
The moment Tetsuya's puppet reached its target, ten other elite puppets followed suit, each packed with explosive tags.
The sudden surge of energy was unmistakable.
Ten puppets.
Each an elite-level construct.
Each containing at least ten explosive tags.
Over a hundred in total.
An instant later—
The world turned white.
A blinding explosion consumed everything.
A roar of deafening destruction echoed across the battlefield.
Before anyone could react, the force of the blast expanded outward.
The supply station—ground zero—became an inferno.
The firestorm that had once threatened to die out now reignited, burning even brighter.
The sheer force of the explosion incinerated everything in the immediate vicinity.
Even the most defensive Sand Shinobi stood no chance.
Those nearest to the blast were vaporized instantly.
Those farther away fared no better—reduced to charred remains in moments.
Not a single soul survived.
---
Below the Battlefield
"Damn… even from a hundred meters underground, I can still feel the shockwave?!"
Uchiha Kiyo had been watching the events unfold from his subterranean vantage point.
His mission was to observe, to ensure the plan went off without a hitch.
Now, with such a massive explosion, he was certain—
No one survived.
Memories from his shadow clones returned to him.
The scene had played out just as he had planned.
The battlefield was now a graveyard.
"No one outside the firestorm could have seen what really happened inside. Even if someone survived, they wouldn't be able to tell the full story."
With a deep breath, Uchiha Kiyo let go of the tension he had been holding.
It worked.
His clones had vanished right before the explosion, escaping damage.
If they had waited even a second longer…
He shuddered at the thought.
Self-destructing shadow clones were a powerful tactic, but they had one major drawback—
The pain.
When a shadow clone detonated, the original still felt the moment of death, even if only for a fraction of a second.
He had experienced it once before.
Once was enough.
He would never do it again.
This time, he had managed to escape unscathed.
Still, he couldn't help but feel a pang of regret.
"Over a hundred explosive tags… at least 500,000 ryo.
And those ten elite puppets… worth at least seven or eight million ryo…"
Even though they had belonged to Tetsuya, they were technically spoils of war.
It was a painful loss.
"But… it was worth it."
He still had five puppets left.
Five defensive puppets.
They were the most valuable of all.
Waiting a little longer for the battlefield above to settle, Uchiha Kiyo finally made his move.
Using the Earth Release: Underground Movement Technique, he quietly left the area.
---
The Land of Rivers
Emerging from the ground at last, Uchiha Kiyo took a deep breath.
For the first time, he felt truly free.
No village.
No superiors.
No constraints.
A ninja without chains.
"Wandering ninja? No, that doesn't sound right."
A small smile crept onto his face.
"Freedom ninja."
And at that moment, he felt his spirit ascend.
A transformation.
A true evolution.
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