"Crimson Secret Art - Detonation!"
Facing Hatake Sakumo, who charged again, Takuma was surprised but calm.
His left hand extended fine chakra threads from his five fingers, connecting to the nearly destroyed puppet, instantly triggering its final self-destruction.
From his embrace, he retrieved a scroll, unfurling it with a rustle. Two red-clad puppets appeared, one on each side, and attacked Hatake Sakumo.
"Sand Manipulation Technique - Sand Shotgun!"
Meihiko quickly formed hand seals, and projectiles made of vast amounts of sand condensed and shot towards the vital points of Hatake Sakumo's body. Coordinating with the puppets' attacks, she covered her husband as he moved to her side.
"Be careful, his speed is incredibly fast with the amplification of Lightning Release chakra!"
"And his swordsmanship..."
"Meihiko, as long as you can't see him, be ready to use a sand clone to escape."
Takuma whispered quickly into his wife's ear. Meihiko nodded with a serious expression.
"Understood!"
Hatake Sakumo's attack was in vain. Facing the incoming assault, he immediately vanished with a Shunshin.
His Shunshin differed from that of ordinary ninjas, which required a large amount of chakra. His body, constantly nourished and activated by Lightning Release chakra, allowed him to withstand the stress of rapid movement.
Hatake Sakumo himself was not known for his large chakra reserves, so using taijutsu to perform the Shunshin technique became his common combat method.
Fast speed, low chakra consumption.
This meant that as long as his body could withstand it, Hatake Sakumo could perform this level of Shunshin almost without expending any chakra.
"He's here!"
As expected, just as Takuma's warning ended, a flash of bright sword light appeared instantly behind Meihiko.
"Screech!"
Without hesitation, a single slash. Meihiko's body exploded into a cloud of sand.
"A pity!"
"The ability to control sand, is it a Kekkei Genkai?"
Hatake Sakumo murmured, his figure vanishing again as he moved to attack Takuma, who was closest to him.
"Crimson Secret Skill - Rain Assault!"
Takuma let out a low cry, his fingers dancing. The two red-clad puppets immediately revealed rows of dense holes. Countless poisoned black senbon rained down towards the vital points around him.
"Sizzle!"
The senbon, dense as raindrops, shot towards the ground. The potent poison immediately corroded the surrounding sand, causing wisps of smoke to rise.
Hatake Sakumo sighed inwardly, he Shunshin'd to Meihiko's back, dodging the senbon rain attack while slashing at the woman in front of him.
"Danger!"
"Crimson Secret Skill - Human Body Replacement!"
Takuma's expression changed drastically. The chakra threads instantly connected to his wife's body, which had not reacted in time.
"Sand Manipulation Technique - Sand Shield!"
"Boom!"
"Screech!"
The blade struck the sand shield with a muffled thud. After a brief delay, a dazzling lightning glow erupted from the blade, and with a screech, it pierced the sand shield, slashing towards Meihiko, who was protected within.
However, she had been delayed by the sand shield for a moment. Takuma yanked, and the chakra threads pulled his wife back to his side. He looked warily at Hatake Sakumo, while his peripheral vision swept across the battlefield, and his heart sank.
The Sand Village ninjas were being crushed in all aspects by the Leaf Village; defeat was likely only a matter of time.
Gritting his teeth, Takuma growled at his wife with a hint of unwillingness.
"Meihiko, withdraw from the battle!"
"You are no match for him!"
"If you can inform our comrades to retreat, I will hold him off!"
Takuma released the chakra threads, positioning himself in front of Meihiko, his expression extremely grave.
Meihiko bit her lip, knowing her presence was a hindrance to her husband. With a worried glance at him, she quickly ran towards the retreating Sand Village ninjas.
Hatake Sakumo narrowed his eyes, his short sword in hand quivering slightly. He was about to pursue the fleeing woman.
"Your opponent is me!"
Takuma roared, and with a rustle, he summoned three more puppets from the scroll. Combined with the previous two, a total of five puppets were deployed around Hatake Sakumo, blocking all his paths forward.
"To control five puppets simultaneously..."
Hatake Sakumo didn't even look at the puppets surrounding him, his gaze fixed on the red-haired man before him.
"Among the puppet masters I've met, you are the strongest."
Takuma felt a slight relaxation in his heart as Hatake Sakumo abandoned the pursuit of his wife.
"This is good!"
"It's better for only I to die than for all of us to die here!"
"Meihiko, I'm entrusting Mother and Sasori to your care from now on!"
Takuma knew he was no match for Hatake Sakumo, and had already resigned himself to death. He felt incredibly fortunate to have been able to cover his wife's retreat at the last moment.
"You flatter me!"
"Compared to my mother, Chiyo, I am still far from it!"
Hatake Sakumo froze, suddenly hesitating.
This person is a descendant of Elder Chiyo of the Sand Village...
If that were the case, capturing him alive would clearly be more valuable than killing him.
"Your strength and swordsmanship are also the finest I have ever witnessed."
"May I know your name, so that I may die with understanding!"
Hatake Sakumo remained silent for a moment, then slowly spoke:
"Konoha Jonin, Hatake Sakumo."
Takuma's fingers moved slightly, manipulating the puppets into an attacking stance. He let out a soft chuckle and slowly shook his head.
"A cloud of bonds, is it?!"
"You wield the sword skillfully, your short sword must be no ordinary weapon, I presume?"
Hatake Sakumo tightened his grip on his short sword, Lightning Release chakra flowing around the blade, as if ready to strike the puppet blocking his path at any moment.
"It is called White Fang!"
"It is merely an ordinary weapon embedded with chakra-conducting metal!"
Takuma laughed heartily, his fingers dancing instantly, and all five puppets lunged towards Hatake Sakumo.
"A good name, a good sword!"
"Lord Sakumo, a powerful individual like yourself should have a renowned title throughout the ninja world!"
Sakumo slashed with his sword, and the puppet blocking his path was cut in two.
"Crack!"
"There are countless ninjas stronger than me in the ninja world; I do not deserve the praise of a strong individual from you!"
Takuma waved his hand, activating the mechanisms on the puppets, and calmly watched Hatake Sakumo draw closer.
"Consider it a personal request!"
"As the commander of the Sand Village, if I can die at the hands of a renowned strong individual, perhaps it will bring me less infamy!"
"Your swordsmanship is the pinnacle of the ninja world; why not let me bestow upon you a title, named after your short sword?"
Sakumo frowned slightly, also sensing the inevitable determination to die in the Sand ninja before him. He swung his sword, deflecting the incoming poisoned projectiles, and instantly appeared before Takuma, his short sword slashing towards his arm.
"As you wish!"
A hint of confusion flickered in Takuma's eyes. He didn't understand why the opponent's attack was directed at his arm. However, the instinct for survival was inherent in humans; if he could avoid death, it would naturally be better.
"Bang!"
Exchanging places with one of the puppets using a substitution jutsu, Takuma hid behind the puppet, continuing to control it in an attack.
"Konoha's White Fang!"
"Let's call it Konoha's White Fang!"
Hatake Sakumo raised an eyebrow slightly, discarded the puppet before him, and Shunshin'd in front of Takuma, slashing down with his sword.
"Sand Manipulation Technique - Bind!"
"Wind Release - Wind Scythe Technique!"
"Wind Release - Great Sickle Weasel!"
Meihiko, who had rushed back with the remnants of the Sand Village ninjas, saw that her husband's defense had been breached by Hatake Sakumo. Greatly alarmed, she immediately unleashed ninjutsu along with the Sand Village ninjas beside her.
Facing the Sand Village's attack, Hatake Sakumo, who had already lost the will to kill, cast a deep glance at Takuma, who stood before him with closed eyes, awaiting death. He simply abandoned the attack and Shunshin'd out of the battlefield.
"Takuma, it's wonderful that you're alright!"
Meihiko cried tears of joy, and quickly stepped forward to pull her husband back into the crowd of Sand Village ninjas.
Takuma shook his head, looking at Hatake Sakumo, who had returned to the Leaf Village's side, his heart filled with complexity.
"With Konoha's White Fang, this war..."
Meihiko and the surrounding Sand Village ninjas looked puzzled.
"Konoha's White Fang? Who?"
"A compassionate Leaf Village expert!"