The Dagger (Seeking Follow-up Reads)

"If he had a father who was Hokage, I believe Kakashi would surely be proud of him, filled with fighting spirit, and strive even harder."

"And Kakashi has the aptitude to become Hokage himself."

"With two successive generations of Hokage, the Hatake Clan would surely grow ever more prosperous."

As the last slice of beef vanished into his stomach, the meal drew to a close.

The position of Hokage did not actually hold much appeal for Hatake Sakumo.

Yet, the existence of Hatake Kakashi forced Hatake Sakumo to admit that he had been persuaded by Uchiha Yuji.

Without the Uchiha Police Force as a thankless burden, once the stubborn Hatake Sakumo took office, the hearts of the people both high and low, combined with the Uchihas who had freed up time to constantly strengthen themselves, and most importantly, Uchiha Yuji as their leader.

There was nothing left to fear from the Uchiha Clan.

The next day at the Jonin meeting, Uchiha Yuji did not attend.

However, news of Hatake Sakumo being appointed as the supreme commander for the Land of Earth front reached his ears immediately.

"You have all heard the intelligence, I presume."

The tomoe in Uchiha Yuji's eyes spun rapidly, his blood-red Mangekyo gazing down at the Uchihas standing in neat rows below.

"I have nothing else to say, only one sentence."

"Let the brats of Iwagakure witness the power of our Uchiha, and let them submit to the terror of being dominated by the Uchiha!"

No one answered; the only response was a series of bloodthirsty grins and the sight of those madly spinning, blood-red tomoe eyes.

Hatake Sakumo favored decapitation strikes and surgical knife tactics.

This not only ensured the destruction of the enemy's command system in the shortest possible time but also served to protect his own men.

As long as you kill all the enemies, it is equivalent to protecting your own!

Eliminating all enemies is the perfect stealth mission!

The plan was simple: Hatake Sakumo, Might Duy, and Uchiha Yuji would lead a group of Three-Tomoe Uchihas to charge straight at Iwagakure at maximum speed.

After shattering the Iwagakure battle deployment, Hatake Sakumo and Might Duy would hold the defensive line, while Uchiha Yuji would lead his men to pivot and charge straight into the Land of Lightning, piercing the Lightning ninja's defenses faster than Orochimaru ever could.

Although it looked like a series of complex maneuvers.

In reality, it only involved two actions.

Charge! Kill!

As long as they hacked their way from the Land of Fire to the Land of Earth, and then to the Land of Lightning, it was just that simple.

Before the expeditionary force was even fully prepared, Hatake Sakumo had already converged with the members of the Uchiha Clan.

The morning sunlight always carried a hint of chill, and upon seeing the sea of blood-red tomoe, the air felt even colder against the skin.

"Move out." Hatake Sakumo's words were simple.

Except for Might Duy, who was a Genin, everyone else was a Jonin, and their speed of movement was exceptionally swift.

Supported by Military Ration Pills, they reached the battlefield in the Land of Grass at a time that completely exceeded the Iwagakure projections.

This small group didn't even bother to notify Mimura Hamaki, the frontline commander of the Konoha defensive forces against Iwagakure, before charging straight toward Kannabi Bridge.

The war had just begun; the conflict between Konoha and Iwagakure had not yet fully escalated, and to avoid being trapped, the Iwagakure defensive line was built along Kannabi Bridge.

Such a layout was highly advantageous for defense; as long as the enemy crossed Kannabi Bridge, they only needed to cut off the path between the enemy and the bridge to surround and pummel those who had crossed.

The Iwagakure ninjas watched helplessly as Hatake Sakumo's squad charged across Kannabi Bridge.

Hatake Sakumo's reputation was immense; the shock of white hair and the short blade on his back allowed the Iwagakure ninjas to recognize him immediately.

Although the combination of Hatake Sakumo leading a group of Uchihas was a bit strange, the Iwagakure ninjas did not pay it much mind.

White Fang is strong, but that was when facing the Sand Ninja who practiced an elite policy. We are the ninja village with the largest number of personnel; surely so many of us cannot be defeated by a small squad of ninjas?

Can your little short blade really kill so many of us?

A single spit from each of us could drown this squad!

Charging into the formation like a brute—do they really think their chakra is inexhaustible?

"Earth Style: Earth Mausoleum Dumpling!"

Huge, dumpling-shaped boulders were thrown from all directions. Perhaps because they had done this many times, the Iwagakure ninjas' aim was quite good, and not a single one missed the squad's position.

The pure white short blade was already gripped tightly in Hatake Sakumo's hand, yet he did not immediately swing the White Fang.

Terrifying chakra erupted from Uchiha Yuji, and the dense, dark Yin-attribute chakra instantly solidified. The giant arms of the Susanoo swung a thirty-meter-long massive chakra blade.

The sturdy earth boulders were easily sliced apart, and the chakra shockwave from the slash spread recklessly in all directions.

The Iwagakure ninjas had prepared a plan for their attack to be defended against, but they never imagined their assault would be destroyed so brutally.

By the time the shockwave neared them, it was already too late to dodge.

What kind of hellish speed is this?!

The thought had barely surfaced when the shockwave swallowed their bodies, continuing toward the distance without losing any momentum.

The Iwagakure ninjas who had narrowly avoided the slash could not suppress their terror, and they couldn't help but stare at the location of the Susanoo.

The spinning of three blood-red tomoe was the last sight most of them ever saw.

Even knowing they had fallen under a genjutsu, they found it impossible to break free from the illusion cast by the Three-Tomoe in such a short time; as they struggled in desperation to dispel it, the short blade of White Fang was already upon them.

Iwagakure Ninjas who knew the Hardening Technique were accustomed to coating themselves in a layer of defense before battle, making it difficult for standard kunai and shuriken to pierce their skin, which greatly increased their survival rate on the battlefield.

Yet, when facing Hatake Sakumo, the ninjas who utilized this technique only drew his attention, marking themselves as his prey.

The pure white blade sliced into the Iwagakure Ninja's body; despite the Hardening Technique being active, White Fang met no resistance, passing through the flesh in an instant.

The bisected corpse erupted with blood like a fountain, yet Hatake Sakumo's footsteps did not falter as he stepped over the remains, a few droplets of blood staining his white hair and only adding to his formidable aura.

The combat style of the Uchiha was far less brutal; a blade across the throat, a wire severing a head—the elegance of the Uchiha was displayed in total silence.

A single kick from Might Duy left nothing but a mangled body in its wake, the power of his Steel Fist beyond any doubt.

As the sprinting Hatake Sakumo finished off the enemies before him, the Uchiha also completed their sweep, their footsteps following closely behind Hatake Sakumo as they crossed the sea of blood.

When the Konoha garrison ninjas, having just heard the roaring sounds, emerged to gather intelligence, they saw only the red and white Uchiwa Crests fading into the distance.

Caught a bit of a cold and fever. How troublesome.