In the night of Konoha, undercurrents stirred. After years of accumulation and countless successful high-difficulty missions, Hatake Sakumo's reputation had reached its peak.
The name "White Fang of the Leaf" resounded throughout the Ninja World, and more and more ninja and villagers were calling for him to become the next Hokage.
Sakumo's strength was unmatched, while his leadership and calm judgment inspired immense trust.
Yet because of this, Sakumo had also become an enormous threat in certain people's eyes.
Shimura Danzō's heart was filled with jealousy and anger, and the conspiracy he had planned for so long was finally beginning to take shape.
That day, Hatake Sakumo led his squad on an extremely important secret mission.
The mission concerned Konoha's long-term interests: a critical operation to obtain the classified information of another ninja village.
Such missions were nothing unfamiliar to Hatake Sakumo. Time and again, he had led his team to outstanding success through flawless execution and decisive judgment, with almost no failures.
But this time, events unfolded beyond his expectations.
As they infiltrated enemy territory, an enemy force far larger and more prepared than anticipated suddenly appeared.
Sakumo's instincts told him that the enemy seemed to have known their route and objective beforehand. That should have been impossible—the intelligence for this mission had been prepared by the highest-level classified department, unless someone had leaked it from within.
But this was not the time to investigate the truth. The enemy's overwhelming force had driven the squad into a desperate situation.
The enemy was numerous and had laid an inescapable net, surrounding Hatake Sakumo's squad so tightly that not even water could pass through.
Under the enemy army's fierce assault, the squad members were steadily forced back, falling into an unprecedented predicament.
"Lord White Fang, the enemy's intelligence is far too