Double Kill and Assist (Third Update)

"White Fang, stop struggling uselessly. Once the other Konoha Ninja are all dead, it'll be your turn."

Akayu and Hakusa controlled their puppets to surround White Fang completely. The puppets were loaded with all kinds of ninja tools, armed to the teeth.

Their simultaneous attacks formed an impenetrable net.

Yet White Fang was like a dancer walking along a blade's edge. Though the situation looked perilous, he evaded every puppet attack and continuously launched fierce counterattacks with the Chakra Blade in his hand.

"Who dies is still up in the air." Hatake Sakumo's eyes were icy cold.

His sharp, composed gaze and the silver-white gleam of his Chakra Blade made Akayu and Hakusa feel as though they could be pierced through at any moment.

Despite being besieged by the two of them, White Fang showed not the slightest hint of panic.

Moreover, as time passed, the puppets Akayu and Hakusa had brought with them were destroyed one after another by White Fang. Only these six puppets under their control remained.

He was clearly at a disadvantage, so why was he so calm—and why did he only grow fiercer as the battle continued?

Akayu glanced at his wife, Hakusa, already contemplating retreat.

It seemed that the two of them alone would have a hard time killing White Fang.

What exactly was happening on the other side? Of the four Jōnin on their team, aside from Kosuke, the Sensor Ninja whose strength was somewhat lacking, the other three were all powerful, experienced veteran Jōnin. How could dealing with one injured Konoha Jōnin and ten Chūnin take so long?

The once-confident Akayu was beginning to lose his nerve.

The moment his momentum weakened, Akayu's attacks were no longer as frenzied as before.

Only by facing White Fang directly could one understand how terrifying he was.

Powerful, pure swordsmanship, fierce and rapid speed, abundant stamina and Chakra, and the composure to remain unruffled in danger—he possessed everything a true powerhouse should have.

In a one-on-one battle, Sunagakure probably had only his mother Chiyo and the Third Kazekage who could defeat White Fang.

"Got you!"

Seeing a sudden opening appear in White Fang's defense as he swiftly retreated, Akayu was overjoyed. He immediately pressed forward, controlling his puppets to launch a savage assault against him.

Hakusa at his side coordinated with Akayu, closing in to deliver White Fang a fatal blow.

However, Hatake Sakumo, trapped within their encirclement, suddenly erupted with terrifying speed and strength, instantly destroying two puppets.

Taking advantage of the opening created by the destroyed puppets, Hatake Sakumo swung his blade at the exposed Hakusa.

"Watch out!" Akayu's expression changed drastically when he saw his wife in danger.

Just as he controlled three puppets to rush to her rescue with all his might, their chains about to bind Hatake Sakumo, Hatake Sakumo's figure suddenly vanished into thin air.

Body Flicker Technique?

No!

Screech—

A sharp whistling sound tore through the air.

The flash of the blade dazzled Akayu's eyes, followed immediately by searing pain.

Splat!

Hatake Sakumo broke through the encirclement of the three puppets and appeared before Akayu. His Chakra Blade thrust sideways through the gap between Akayu's ribs and into his chest, piercing his heart. Lightning Release Chakra instantly paralyzed his body as his strength and life rapidly ebbed away.

"No!" Hakusa let out a shrill cry, desperately controlling her remaining puppets to attack Hatake Sakumo.

"Die!" Akayu used the last of his strength to tightly lock Hatake Sakumo's sword-wielding right arm with both arms while controlling the three puppets to turn back.

Hatake Sakumo glanced at the puppets attacking from behind. With a sudden burst of strength in his arm, he pulled his Chakra Blade to the right, tearing it out through Akayu's chest from between his ribs.

With his heart split in two, Akayu died instantly!

Immediately afterward, Hatake Sakumo turned and struck. The three puppets that continued their attack from momentum alone collapsed amid cross-shaped blade flashes.

The next second, he appeared beside Hakusa, his Chakra Short Sword stabbing toward her neck.

However, Hakusa seemed to have sensed the danger beforehand. Madness filled her eyes as metal chains appeared in both hands and lashed toward Hatake Sakumo.

At the same time, under Hakusa's control, the last puppet's chest suddenly opened, firing more than a dozen Kunai. Their tips gleamed with a cold blue-green light, clearly all coated in poison.

Hakusa's attack included herself within its range.

Her husband had been killed, and she had no desire to live alone. Even if she could not perish together with White Fang, she would still gravely injure him. The remaining Sunagakure Jōnin would avenge her and Akayu!

Splat!

Faced with the puppet attacking from behind, Hatake Sakumo frowned and made his decision in an instant. He drove his Chakra Blade straight through Hakusa's neck, then withdrew it and dodged away.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

Hatake Sakumo swung his Chakra Blade, deflecting most of the Kunai. Only two sliced through his Jōnin uniform, inflicting minor wounds, but the poison on them quickly made his body go numb.

Crack! Crack! Crack!

Hakusa clutched her spurting neck. As though granted a final burst of life, she had the puppet spray out a mass of Fire Oil, which ignited instantly. The puppet swung its sickle-like weapon down at Hatake Sakumo.

"Not good!" Hatake Sakumo leaped away.

Boom—

Dragon Fire Technique!

A fireball flying straight at them overtook the flames unleashed by the puppet and struck them.

Clang!

Immediately afterward, a metal object resembling a bracelet fell from the flames, along with the puppet, which had completely lost its Chakra support.

Hakusa stared venomously at the youth who had suddenly intervened, then died with unwillingness in her eyes.

"Shiraha?!" Hatake Sakumo focused his gaze and saw that it was Yagami Shiraha, the Medical Ninja from their team.

"Sakumo-sama, are you all right?" Shiraha came before Hatake Sakumo.

While Oshima Shuichi and the others dealt with Sunagakure's Jōnin, he had used the enhanced sensing abilities of "Sensory Enhancement" and "Sixth Sense" to locate White Fang. He had then hidden nearby and waited for an opportunity, finally stepping in at the critical moment.

On one side, he used Fire Style to block the Fire Oil released by the puppet. On the other, he threw out a demonic item containing a barrier spell, releasing a Spell Barrier to block the puppet's follow-up attack.

After all, White Fang was the core of this mission. As long as nothing happened to him, their safety afterward would be assured.

"Thanks to you." Hatake Sakumo's body went numb, and he dropped to one knee. The poison had already paralyzed his entire body. If Shiraha had not suddenly intervened just now, he would definitely have been seriously injured by Hakusa's final desperate counterattack.

The key issue was that all the antidotes had been used up. Sunagakure's poisons truly were unrivaled in the Shinobi World.

"Sakumo-sama, let me treat you." Shiraha quickly took an antidote injection from his medical kit and gave Hatake Sakumo a shot, then used the Mystical Palm Technique to treat his wounds.

As expected of the Konoha White Fang, he had quite a few wounds, but aside from a relatively long gash on his chest, none of the others were deep.

In terms of Chakra strength, Sunagakure's two Jōnin were not much weaker than Orochimaru, yet White Fang had defeated both of them alone.

Judging by his condition, it seemed he had only been wounded because he was in a hurry to support the others.