Next...

What can I say? That you arrived at the perfect time?

Kaminazuki rarely found himself at a loss for words.

As expected... there isn't a single normal person among those with white hair.

Swish—

Mamoru and Ruri flickered to Chiyo's side, pulling a scroll from their sleeves to hand to her.

"Our deal with Kumogakure was seen by him."

Chiyo's brows furrowed slightly: "A brat I've never heard of, and you two couldn't handle him?"

Mamoru offered a helpless, bitter smile: "Mother, that guy is definitely no ordinary person."

"If it weren't for one of the people we were trading with being a sensory ninja, we wouldn't have even detected his approach."

"Even so, the Kumogakure men and the people I brought were all killed by him. His strength is formidable!"

Kaminazuki's ears twitched. His five senses were far sharper than an average person's, allowing him to overhear their whispers.

At this point in time, a deal between Sunagakure and Kumogakure...

It must be that, right?

"This is terrible. I was counting on you to give me a hand, but it looks like we're finished."

Sakumo also handed Kaminazuki a scroll, whispering: "This contains intelligence I wrote in secret code. You must deliver it to the Hokage personally!"

Swish—

The White Fang's short blade left its sheath; Sakumo had already steeled himself for death.

"I'll cover the retreat, you guys go first!"

Within his resolute gaze, a hint of warmth emerged: "Help me go to Gourmet Street No. 27 and tell the waitress at that izakaya that I'm sorry I can't go back."

"Also, tell her that her salt-grilled saury and miso-glazed eggplant were delicious. I'm counting on you to..."

"What are you doing, reciting your last words?"

Kaminazuki spun the hilt of his blade, cutting him off: "Where did you get the idea that we can't beat them?"

He didn't quite understand.

According to what he knew, Chiyo's son and daughter-in-law died at Sakumo's hands, so how were they being chased by them?

Looking at Sakumo's youthful, boyish face, he suddenly realized...

It must be a matter of timing.

Sasori was in his thirties when he died. Counting backward to now, he would only be a year or two old, and his parents likely died when Sasori was four or five.

He couldn't judge Sakumo by his established reputation; his strength must have skyrocketed during these years of participating in the Second Shinobi World War.

If one were to judge by his peak, the fact that Kakuzu could survive two of his strikes without dying was already an anomaly.

Having figured this out, Kaminazuki asked: "Are you confident you can handle those two? I'm not finished with that puppet hag yet."

Not finished...

Only then did Sakumo notice the puppet fragments scattered across the battlefield, realizing the fight had been going on for quite a while.

Although Kaminazuki was injured, there wasn't a single sign of exhaustion...

He knew exactly what kind of person Chiyo was, yet Kaminazuki had managed to contend with such a powerhouse to this extent!

Collecting his thoughts, he immediately replied: "I've been poisoned. I can handle a short-term fight, and if necessary, I can take one of them down with me before I die."

"The male puppeteer leans toward weapon coverage, while the female is skilled with poison; their puppetry is exquisite and sinister. Which one do you think I should take out?"

"Don't take out either. It would be a massive loss."

Opposite them.

"To think the Uchiha would produce such a brat, even you can't take him down..."

Facing her son's question, Chiyo's old face darkened.

"I was just playing with the brat. Once I get serious, I'll end this fight in no time!"

--

"Detoxification requires understanding the toxicology. This can only suppress the poison's effects for about five minutes; you must find a medical ninja afterward."

Shikaku handed a special pill to Sakumo. Since it was his first time leaving home, his family had prepared plenty of life-saving medicine for him.

"Thanks."

Sakumo held the pill in his mouth, waiting to crush and swallow it once the battle began.

"The Chakra inside has been about half-depleted. It's best if you use it from here on out."

Shikaku returned the Earth Grudge Fear to Kaminazuki. He had used the Fire Style twice, providing no small amount of help.

He looked at Sakumo and whispered, "If I'm not mistaken..."

"The scroll handed to Chiyo contains the sealing techniques of the Uzumaki Clan, doesn't it?"

Sakumo's pupils constricted, and Kaminazuki also cast a strange look at Shikaku.

Shikaku pursed his lips and shook his head, sighing softly, "Troublesome... My next generation might just run into a terrifying Jinchuriki!"

The scars on Sakumo's body caused by Lightning Release ninjutsu, the small salt crystals on the hems of his and the two Sunagakure ninjas' clothes... along with many other details.

Combining these with the major events recently occurring in the ninja world, Shikaku pieced together the truth.

"Don't be so pessimistic."

Kaminazuki said indifferently, "You won't have to wait for the next generation; you should be able to encounter one soon enough."

"That's not comforting, Kaminazuki."

"I wasn't trying to comfort you."

"Shikaku... you absolutely cannot die!"

Sakumo's voice was not loud, but it was exceptionally firm.

"Your intelligence is too important to the village! We must retreat!"

Shikaku shook his head and looked at Kaminazuki.

"I know I am very smart. Back at the Ninja Academy, I often had to slow down my thinking just to keep up with the thoughts of my classmates."

"But I also know..."

"I have a fatal flaw."

He smiled, gripping his kunai tightly.

"I'm used to skipping the difficult options to find the easy path..."

"But that is wrong!"

"Sometimes, you just have to face all difficulties head-on, even if it seems foolish, grinding your teeth and fighting second by second, bit by bit, to earn the favor of fate!"

"Just like you, Kaminazuki!"

"I see... so you've made your resolve!"

Sakumo patted his shoulder, holding his head high.

"Then we shall return to the village together! We will go back alive!!"

Kaminazuki narrowed his eyes, his gaze dark and unreadable.

Why are they getting so fired up for no reason...

Does he have some kind of misunderstanding about me?

Difficulties? Grinding teeth?

Do I do that?

Could it be...

Don't you all think fighting is exhilarating?

To have your desire for destruction vented while clearly feeling the growth of your own power... is there anything more wonderful than that?

Forget it.

There are hardly any normal people in the ninja world; I shouldn't try to understand their way of thinking, or I'll end up assimilated.

"Tactics won't be necessary..."

Flames clung to Kaminazuki's wounds, the high heat cauterizing the bleeding gashes and leaving behind patches of mottled, charred black.

Calculating the remaining Chakra he could use, along with the state of his body which he had fully mastered...

He probably had...

Whoosh--!!

Crimson flames erupted from the Earth Grudge Fear, tightly wrapping around his body and spreading rapidly along his limbs and bones.

Kaminazuki was enveloped in a mass of blazing fire mist.

Yet, after the initial burst of combustion, the flames shed their heat, giving off an anti-intuitive, icy sensation.

Reflected in those Sharingan, the flickering flames radiated a bone-chilling cold.

Interweaving Fire Release Chakra with Sharingan Pupil Power, is it...

Chiyo frowned slightly.

She had already experienced the formidable nature of Kaminazuki's physique, and she had strictly adhered to the strategy against the Uchiha by never looking directly into his Sharingan.

Aside from that initial flaming slash, she possessed no intelligence regarding Kaminazuki's use of Earth Grudge Fear.

That special ninja tool, capable of storing Chakra and acting like a living organism... it was somewhat reminiscent of the lost forbidden technique of Takigakure; could it have been acquired by Konoha?

"In any case..."

"In any case..."

Kaminazuki and Chiyo spoke almost simultaneously.

"It's coming... stay sharp!"

Chiyo pulled her Chakra threads taut, her aged face wearing a solemnity that Mamoru rarely saw.

That man...

The corners of Kaminazuki's mouth stretched nearly to his ears, his smile wild and arrogant.

"For the time being..."

"Let's paint this place in blood!!"