The Name of the White Fang

Given how the major shinobi villages across the Shinobi World were continuously expanding their armaments, disarmament was impossible. Besides, shinobi were not ordinary soldiers. If they were truly laid off, just how much trouble would a bunch of unemployed, penniless little supermen cause? Even the Tsuchikage and the Land of Earth Daimyo could figure that out on their knees!

"Looks like Iwagakure, who used to love lurking in the shadows, might enter the fray much earlier this time!"

"Making a move against Iwagakure this time could be considered a lucky accident!"

Before long, Sarutobi Toru selected an Iwagakure protection mission located along the Land of Earth's border with the Land of Lightning. There was an iron mine belonging to the Land of Earth there, and Iwagakure had established an outpost nearby, with a group of shinobi stationed there year-round.

After the iron ore there was mined, thirty percent was handed over to Iwagakure as payment. It was an important resource site for them.

Having selected his target, Sarutobi Toru slowly walked out of the outpost.

The moment he stepped outside, a series of cracking sounds rang out. His hair turned golden, his nearly two-meter-tall frame shot up another ten centimeters, and his fair skin became bronze. His lean body swelled in an instant, transforming him into a muscular giant.

"Mm... this should do. I look pretty much like a Cloud Shinobi now!" Sarutobi Toru muttered.

Sarutobi Toru had adjusted the hormones within his body, changing his skin color, hair color, and physique. Then, with his Grandmaster-level martial arts cultivation, he altered part of his facial structure as well. He now looked exactly like someone from the Land of Lightning.

Most importantly, this was a genuine physical transformation. No sensory ninjutsu could detect any flaw unless a Sensor Ninja with a technique like Mind's Eye of the Kagura had previously sensed Sarutobi Toru's Chakra.

"Still, perhaps I can add another layer of disguise!"

That night, Tiequ Mountain, Iwagakure's outpost.

"Haah, things are getting harder and harder. Now there are even people competing for the job of guarding a lousy iron mine," said a tall, heavily built Iwagakure shinobi with a face full of flesh.

"Tell me about it. So many shinobi in Iwagakure have to queue up just to accept missions now! When have you ever heard of having to line up for missions? Didn't we used to just pick whichever ones we wanted?" another short, stocky Iwagakure shinobi chimed in.

"Ugh! It's all those damned Konoha shinobi's fault! The Land of Fire is already so wealthy, yet they still come and snatch Iwagakure's share of missions!"

"Those nobles and merchants would rather hire Konoha shinobi from the Land of Fire than come to Iwagakure. I have no idea what kind of potion they've been fed!"

As the two Iwagakure shinobi complained to each other, a tall white-haired figure slowly appeared on a tree branch beyond the outpost.

The two Iwagakure shinobi had still been grumbling, but they soon heard a jingling sound.

"This is... a shinobi has entered the barrier!"

There had originally been no barrier around the outpost. However, as the atmosphere in the Shinobi World changed, Iwagakure had also set up barriers around some important border outposts and dispatched additional personnel.

Among them, Iwagakure placed the greatest importance on the Land of Lightning direction. It could not be helped. Although Konoha was the strongest in the Shinobi World, it was also surrounded on all sides and watched covetously by the other four nations, making an aggressive strike unlikely.

Kumogakure, on the other hand, was steeped in militarism and highly aggressive. Friction between the two great shinobi villages was constant. Who knew when they might get hotheaded and charge into the Land of Earth?

At that moment, the two shinobi rushing out of the outpost felt extremely fortunate about the village's reinforcements. Not only had the barrier allowed them to discover the enemy, but they had also recognized their opponent as someone they could never defeat!

"K-Konoha White Fang!" The tall shinobi let out a shrill cry that utterly did not match his appearance. The short, stocky shinobi made no sound, but his right hand gripping his Kunai had already begun to tremble!

Under the moonlight, the shinobi standing on the branch revealed his true face: a head of white hair, a stern expression, and a white short blade in his hand that radiated a cold, sharp gleam.

It was no wonder the two Iwagakure shinobi were trembling in fear. Hatake Sakumo's name as the Konoha White Fang now resounded throughout the Shinobi World!

Ever since Hatake Sakumo won the championship in the star-studded first Chunin Exam, where everyone had cheated, intelligence on him had been placed on the desks of every shinobi village leader.

During the first two years, even though Hatake Sakumo was a Root member and every mission he undertook was top secret, he still encountered numerous assassination attempts from other shinobi villages. Yet every time, the assassins suffered heavy losses while Hatake Sakumo remained untouched.

As Hatake Sakumo grew stronger and stronger, he eventually stopped concealing his identity altogether. With nothing but a White Fang Dagger, he could complete any mission and utterly defeat any opponent. The title Konoha White Fang gradually replaced Hatake Sakumo's name and became the nightmare of shinobi in every major shinobi village.

Although Hatake Sakumo had not yet earned the fearsome reputation from the original timeline of making shinobi from every major village flee at the mere mention of his name, he was already considered a top-tier shinobi with strength on the level of the Five Kage.

When two ordinary Iwagakure Chunin suddenly encountered such a big shot, if they had not known that three Jōnin were stationed at this outpost and could provide support at any moment, they would have pissed themselves by now!

"What are you doing here? This is the Land of Earth, an Iwagakure mission site!"

The short, stocky shinobi shouted with a fierce exterior and a trembling heart, secretly hoping that reinforcements would arrive quickly and that the Konoha White Fang would trade a few words with him instead of attacking immediately.

Perhaps the two of them were lucky. The Konoha White Fang ignored them, but he did not cut them down either. He merely waited in silence.

Moments later, the area in front of the outpost was packed with people. Seeing the Konoha White Fang on the tree branch, none of them dared make any sudden moves.

At last, an Iwagakure Jōnin wearing a yellow headscarf stepped forward and said in a deep voice, "This is an important Iwagakure mission site. Konoha White Fang, have you come here to start a war with Iwagakure?"

"Thirty-seven people. Three Jōnin, seven Chunin, twenty-seven Genin. Everyone's here," the Konoha White Fang said coldly.

"What!" A bad premonition rose in the Iwagakure Jōnin's heart, and then he saw a brilliant flash of lightning erupt from the Konoha White Fang's body!

In an instant, the White Fang Dagger pierced through his heart! Slowly releasing the hand seal for the half-formed Substitution Technique, the Jōnin's final words were only, "Run..."

Yet his Jōnin comrade beside him had already been blinded by rage. "Yoshihisa! You bastard..."

The Rock Fist in his hand blasted forward, but it struck only an afterimage. The White Fang vanished in an instant, then the short blade flashed.

He felt a searing pain in his neck and flew higher and higher. So... this was what being beheaded felt like?

The last Iwagakure Jōnin roared, "Scatter and run!" He then slammed his palm against the ground. "Earth Release: Inner Earth Prison Tomb Mu!"

An earthen prison rose from the ground, trapping both of them within. Looking at the blade piercing his chest, the Earth Release shinobi coughed up blood and laughed bitterly. "This is an improved mutual-destruction ninjutsu. Even if I die, the earth prison will continue absorbing the Chakra of everyone inside. In fact, my death will only make the earth prison stronger!"