White Fang's Gaze Was So Sharp

After the hundreds of Suna Ninja had rushed past in a chaotic wave, Aburame Tetsumaru finally stood up from the sparse swamp shrubs. Not far away, Uchiha Kei and Kurama Yun also poked their heads out.

They saw it clearly. The Suna Ninja who had just charged past had completely lost all organization. Among the eight or nine hundred ninja, only a handful of teams had managed to maintain their formation.

Suna Ninja like that were no longer dangerous ninja, but a fleeing herd of cattle and horses. As long as they were not blocked head-on, they could be slaughtered easily. This was the best time to rack up achievements.

Uchiha Kei cared greatly about achievements. It could not be helped; that was simply the nature of the Uchiha Clan.

Kurama Yun was also on the verge of advancing to Chunin. After her promotion, her benefits, status, and income would all rise considerably, so both of them were eager to get moving.

Aburame Tetsumaru's mission record had long since exceeded the limit, so naturally he did not care about achievements. But since there was no danger at the moment, he would not deliberately go against his subordinates either.

However, Aburame Tetsumaru had watched Animal World. He knew that tailing a large herd was not a good idea. There were far too many competitors following behind, and his team only had three people, with no Jonin among them. Forget about meat or even soup—they would be lucky to eat dust.

"We'll circle ahead, find suitable terrain, set up an ambush, and intercept any isolated Suna Ninja."

"Yes." Their reply was full of hesitation and uncertainty, not genuine agreement. The enemy was right in front of them, so why take such a huge detour? Wasn't that just wasting effort?

Thirteen- and fourteen-year-old kids were simply too young.

Eleven-year-old Aburame Tetsumaru did not explain. He took the lead and began moving. At times like this, talking alone would not do. Words were far too weak.

Especially since Tetsumaru was not the protagonist and lacked the ability to Talk no Jutsu. So he would say nothing and simply act. Once the fight was over, the facts would naturally be the strongest persuasion.

The two Suna Ninja maintained a front-and-back formation as they raced through the swamp. To maintain their speed, they ran across the water. Only after expending more than half their Chakra did they finally leave the swampy region.

When they saw the somewhat drier, waterless slope ahead, both of them sighed in relief. Once they crossed this slope, they would enter the mountainous region controlled by Sunagakure.

They stopped and began to rest. This slope was the final stretch and also the place most likely to be ambushed. They needed to stay in their best condition to pass through it quickly.

The two Suna Ninja spread out a rain tarp and built a simple shelter beneath it, where they drank water, ate dry rations, and rested for five minutes. Finally, they deliberately swallowed a Military Ration Pill each, sorted out their weapons, and only then resumed moving.

They left the simple rain shelter behind, but marked the tarp with a secret signal belonging to the Suna Ninja.

If the ones coming after them were Suna Ninja, their comrades could save time and rest sooner. If they were Konoha Ninja, it could confuse the enemy and buy them more time.

After resting for a while, the two Suna Ninja were much more alert. Maintaining their front-and-back formation, they ran toward the top of the slope.

They cautiously crossed the hillside. Everything was normal. Nothing happened, and the tension in their hearts finally settled.

Their steps finally became lighter, the muscles in their faces relaxed, and the corners of their mouths lifted into smiles. Then they opened their mouths and laughed, before finally bursting into manic laughter.

Genjutsu!! We've fallen into an ambush!!!

Both Suna Ninja realized something was wrong. They desperately mobilized their Chakra to disrupt it, and only after making themselves cough blood did they finally break free of the Genjutsu. But it was already too late.

Once the Genjutsu was released, the two Suna Ninja discovered that they had not crossed the slope at all. They had only reached halfway up it. Worst of all, enemy Shuriken had already struck them in the throat, and blood sprayed onto the ground as if it cost nothing.

Filled with shock and fury, the two knew they had no chance of surviving. Each covered the wound in his throat with one hand while using the other to pull a Kunai wrapped in Explosive Tags from his ninja pouch and hurl it at the enemy, hoping only to take the enemy down with him.

After throwing the Kunai, neither had time to make another move before blood loss sent them into unconsciousness.

That was still fortunate. At least they died believing they had succeeded in getting revenge. In truth, the two Suna Ninja had remained under the Genjutsu's control to the end, and their attack angles had deviated by more than sixty degrees.

The ambush had been a perfect victory, leaving Uchiha Kei and Kurama Yun unable to believe it. It had been far too easy.

The ambush strategy was extremely simple. First, Aburame Tetsumaru chose this location and ordered Kurama Yun to set up a Genjutsu trap here in advance, selecting one with a long activation time but extremely powerful effects.

Aburame Tetsumaru had determined that experienced Suna Ninja would definitely rest once they reached this place. There was enough time. Any Suna Ninja who passed through without stopping were either top-tier experts or inexperienced rookies.

Those two types of ninja were worlds apart. Their movements alone were enough to tell them apart.

If they were experts, they would pretend not to see them. They could not beat them anyway, so it was fine to let them go.

If they were rookies, they would hit them directly without hesitation.

And ninja who stopped at the foot of the slope to rest and recover would be controlled by the Genjutsu trap. The powerful Genjutsu could only be shaken off after they suffered fatal injuries.

There was no need to worry once the Genjutsu was dispelled. By then, the enemy would already be fatally wounded.

At that point, Uchiha Kei was needed to hit them with a Sharingan Genjutsu. Its effect was the simplest kind of directional misperception, preventing desperately struggling Suna Ninja from injuring them with a final counterattack.

The simple tactic was extremely practical, and its results were astonishingly good. This was already the third group of Suna Ninja to suffer the ambush. A total of five Suna Ninja had been trapped to death, and Aburame Tetsumaru, who served as the final safeguard, had not even gotten a chance to intervene.

The two Konoha Ninja cried out that they had struck it rich, and they gained even more trust in Aburame Tetsumaru.

After dealing with the Suna Ninja corpses, cleaning up the battlefield, removing the bloodstains, and forging traces that suggested they had crossed the slope, the Konoha Ninja hid themselves once more.

This time, Aburame Tetsumaru deliberately left behind the rain shelter built by the Suna Ninja. Three groups of Suna Ninja had already passed through, so such a simple structure should have appeared by now.

"We'll ambush them one last time. This time, you must wait for my orders before acting."

"Understood?"

"Understood!"

However, Aburame Tetsumaru's team did not attack the fourth group of Suna Ninja. Tetsumaru did not even need to give the order, because the arrivals were the heroic Sunagakure beauty Chiyo and her injured younger brother.

The team formed by these two top Puppet Masters had a full thirteen advanced puppets. They were as imposing as five teams put together. Forget Aburame Tetsumaru's team—even an elite squad of three Jonin would have to avoid their edge.

Once they recognized who had come, the three Konoha Ninja did not dare launch an ambush. They barely even dared breathe, and they shut their eyes tightly to avoid drawing the enemy's attention as they tremblingly watched the two Kage-level Puppet Masters leave.

Then the main Konoha pursuit force arrived, and their battle was over.

The ambush point selected by Aburame Tetsumaru happened to be the predetermined endpoint of the pursuit. The outcome had now been decided. Konoha had achieved enormous results, so they should end the fighting and secure their gains.

Continuing the pursuit would trigger a larger-scale battle and could very likely develop into a decisive engagement. Konoha had not yet prepared for a decisive battle.

More than half of the defeated Suna Ninja escaped, because their leaders were Chiyo and Ebizo. Both were extremely powerful Puppet Masters. Using deadly poison as cover, they held off Konoha's attacks for a full half hour before retreating, at the cost of Ebizo being severely wounded.

Victorious Konoha also had many matters to handle: tallying missions, tallying war achievements, distributing rewards, replenishing supplies, treating the wounded, and so on. Among the wounded was that reckless member of the Hyuga Main Branch. Three Branch Family ninja had sacrificed their lives to save him.

Once all those miscellaneous matters were dealt with, it was finally time to hold a celebration. They needed to make it lively and ease the ninja's nerves.

At the banquet, a piece of news quietly began to spread.

"The one who raided the Sunagakure camp's warehouse was Konoha's White Fang!"

The news quickly became known to everyone. Konoha's White Fang, Hatake Sakumo, was the ninja receiving the most attention this year.

Last year, Hatake Sakumo, who had mainly been active on the Land of Rivers battlefield, and Uchiha Fugaku, who had fought on the Land of Waves battlefield, had been Konoha's two most prominent ninja. The Kiri Ninja called Uchiha Fugaku Fierce Eye, while the Suna Ninja gave Hatake Sakumo the nickname Konoha's White Fang.

Konoha's White Fang was not exactly a flattering name. Aside from describing his ferocity—undefeated in battle and killing anyone he encountered—it also seemed to curse him to shatter and fall out like teeth chipped against stone.

But this year, Hatake Sakumo had begun moving between several battlefields to rescue endangered fronts. Everywhere he went, Konoha's enemies suffered heavy casualties. In particular, his focus on assassinating Jonin had left Sunagakure, Kirigakure, and Kumogakure deeply wounded.

His exaggerated achievements sent the name Konoha's White Fang soaring, leaving Fierce Eye far behind. The two were no longer figures who could be mentioned in the same breath.

People regarded Hatake Sakumo as being at the level of a Kage, and they had even begun discussing whether he could inherit the position of Hokage and become the Yondaime Hokage.

At this time, Hatake Sakumo's prestige was in no way inferior to that of Namikaze Minato years later.

It was simply that the two met different ends: one was plagued by rumors until his faith collapsed and he took his own life; the other died young but still ascended to the position of Yondaime.

The difference was that Sarutobi Hiruzen was currently in his prime, with his strength at its peak. Later, he would grow old and frail, his fighting power declining to the point where he could no longer maintain it.

Even at a front-line banquet, drinking was permitted, but no one could get drunk. Anyone lacking even that degree of self-control would face severe punishment.

Such punishment could even include demotion, and their teammates could be implicated as well.

"What? Eleven years old?" Uchiha Kei stared incredulously at his cousin Uchiha Tiger and asked again in an uncertain tone, "My captain, Aburame Tetsumaru, is only eleven?"

Kei even pulled out a Scroll and wrote the name "Aburame Tetsumaru" in a blank space.

Uchiha Tiger, who had first appeared in Chapter 4, shrugged and nodded with certainty. "That's him."

"He beat me when I was a Ninja Academy student, even though he hadn't enrolled yet. I'd recognize that guy even if he turned to ashes. How could I possibly be wrong?"

"But, but..." Uchiha Kei still could not believe it.

Uchiha Tiger understood his younger cousin's feelings perfectly and cut him off. "But his tactics are so seasoned, he's so tall, and he's so well-built, right?"

Uchiha Kei's eyes widened, and he nodded repeatedly.

"Aburame Tetsumaru really is a freak," Uchiha Tiger said with lingering fear.

The fight back then had left a deep shadow in his heart. From then on, he had continued paying attention to this Aburame Branch Family member who was four years younger than him, so he knew a great deal of information.

On the other side, Kurama Yun had also learned information about her captain from her close friend and was equally stunned.

"So that means I'm the older sister."

Kurama Yun suddenly felt her backbone straighten. She was a Chunin too, so why should she be afraid of~~~him~~~~? Well...

"Hello, Captain."

At the very moment she needed to build confidence, Aburame Tetsumaru passed by carrying a plate of grilled meat and juice. Their gazes met for an instant through their sunglasses.

Kurama Yun: 1.40 meters tall, forty-two kilograms.

Aburame Tetsumaru: 1.76 meters tall, seventy-four kilograms.

There was a full thirty-two-centimeter difference between them. When they stood face-to-face, that damned sense of pressure immediately reached its peak, instantly shattering Kurama Yun's confidence.

She immediately followed her heart, put on a bright smile, and took the initiative to greet him.

Even though Aburame Tetsumaru had lived another life, he had no way to understand a little girl's ever-changing thoughts. He only felt that this subordinate had suddenly become excited, then utterly dejected the next moment. It made no sense.

Suddenly, growing noise came from the perimeter.

"Konoha's White Fang is here."

"Lord Hatake Sakumo is here."

At once, the ninja became like starstruck fans, all turning their eyes toward the camp entrance. Some young and hot-blooded ninja began loudly shouting, "Lord Konoha's White Fang!"

Aburame Tetsumaru set down the tray in his hands and stood solemnly at attention, watching a group of ninja enter. The ninja in front had vigorous white hair and a Short Sword on his back. He was undoubtedly Konoha's White Fang.

He looked exactly like the image in Tetsumaru's memory, but his aura was completely different. The White Fang in his memories had been a gentle, refined middle-aged man with smiling eyes. The Hatake Sakumo before him was a young man brimming with chilling killing intent.

Perhaps he had just killed someone. His cold, brutal killing intent spread in every direction, and even the crowd's cheers unknowingly fell silent.

Was this the bearing and majesty of a top-tier ninja? How great was the gap between him and me?

Whether because he stared too intently or because he wanted to challenge the White Fang, Hatake Sakumo suddenly noticed Aburame Tetsumaru. He deliberately glanced at Tetsumaru.

Aburame Tetsumaru's body hair stood on end at once. His heart involuntarily contracted, and he even forgot to breathe.

Only after a long while did Aburame Tetsumaru slowly exhale a breath of stale air. Then he felt his heart pounding wildly, his entire body soaked in cold sweat.

Damn, those eyes were so sharp. So terrifying. They were far more intense than having the Hokage and those eight others stare at me during the entrance exam.

Konoha's White Fang, Hatake Sakumo... was actually this strong?

Hatake Sakumo did not attend the banquet. He passed through the crowd and headed straight into his own tent.

Only after the White Fang left did the ninja present relax, and the lively atmosphere gradually return.

Aburame Tetsumaru picked up his plate piled with grilled meat again, found an empty corner, and began enjoying the food.