When Minato Namikaze heard the familiar voice, he spun around.
He had just been "flashing back and forth" across the battlefield using the marks on his Flying Thunder God Kunai, dodging the Third Kazekage's Iron Sand attacks that "blanketed the sky."
Now, at the sight of that white-haired figure, his tense back immediately relaxed.
The Fourth Hokage had arrived.
Although Minato wanted to make a name for himself in battle, he wanted even less to watch the ninja from his village and his country die in vain.
Now that Lord Hokage had arrived in time, the battle could end sooner, and the Konoha Ninja would suffer far fewer casualties.
He called out from a distance, "Lord Hokage!"
Hatake Sakumo nodded to him. "Minato, go help the Nara Clan Head and the others. Leave the Third Kazekage to me."
Minato Namikaze quickly agreed and used the Flying Thunder God Technique to rush over to Ino-Shika-Cho.
When the Third Kazekage saw that the kid wanted to run, how could he let him go?
The two had been "locked in combat" for so long that the Third Kazekage had long since resolved to kill Minato Namikaze!
Both the fact that the kid had mastered the Flying Thunder God Technique at such a young age and the way he had repeatedly interfered throughout this war had enraged the Third Kazekage.
"Where do you think you're going?" The Third Kazekage shot into the air, raised both hands, and roared, "Magnet Release: Iron Sand World Method!"
Dense Iron Sand spread across the sky like a tide, swiftly forming a "cage barrier" covered in spikes.
This move consumed a frightening amount of Chakra and was the Third Kazekage's ultimate trump card. In his fury, he had gone straight for the kill.
Hatake Sakumo tightened his grip on his blade.
I just told Minato to go, and you're stopping him right in front of me, even using your ultimate move to keep him here?
Isn't that slapping me in the face in front of every ninja here?
Hatake Sakumo flicked his wrist repeatedly, unleashing more than a dozen Flying Slashes from his short blade, White Fang, each coated in "top-tier Armament Haki." They all slammed into the Iron Sand World Method at once.
"Clang! Clang! Clang!"
The slashes collided violently with the Iron Sand, erupting in one tremendous crash after another. Iron Sand rained down from the sky like snow shaken loose.
Even Hatake Sakumo had not found it easy to deliver more than a dozen slashes in succession, and a thin sheen of sweat formed at his temples.
The Third Kazekage's pupils contracted at the sight.
He had used his full strength for that Iron Sand World Method, and his opponent had blocked it just like that?
When did the Konoha White Fang become so strong?
During the Second Shinobi World War, the ninja who had fought Hatake Sakumo had been from Sunagakure in the Land of Wind.
The Third Kazekage considered himself familiar with Hatake Sakumo, but the man's slashes and swordsmanship were more than a level above what he remembered.
His thoughts were in turmoil, but he showed none of it on his face.
The Third Kazekage controlled the Iron Sand that had been "scattered" by the collision, making it float once more as he looked down at Hatake Sakumo.
"Hmph, you again, Konoha White Fang. Congratulations, you actually became the Fourth Hokage. Then let's settle our old score from the Second Shinobi World War."
Hatake Sakumo kicked off repeatedly, using Moonwalk, one of the Six Powers, to step on the air and rise until he was eye level with him.
This display left the Third Kazekage staring in a daze again.
What kind of ability is that?
He did not ask, however, merely adding coldly, "It seems your strength has improved again."
Hatake Sakumo, meanwhile, was a little disappointed.
He had been waiting for the system to trigger, but it hadn't made so much as a fart.
It seemed that the Third Kazekage, the "strongest Kazekage," had not been recognized by that half-baked system as someone from the world of One Piece either.
Alas, I got my hopes up for nothing.
Hatake Sakumo couldn't be bothered with further talk. He stomped on the air, combining the Body Flicker Technique with Soru to dart forward like a cheetah.
The Third Kazekage turned his wrist, and several Iron Sand spears appeared, stabbing at Hatake Sakumo in unison.
Hatake Sakumo knew the Iron Sand was coated with a deadly poison. An ordinary person would never dare take it head-on with their body.
But he had Armament Haki protecting him, so what the hell did he have to fear?
Hatake Sakumo swung White Fang in his right hand, knocking one Iron Sand spear away. His left fist, coated in pitch-black Armament, punched another aside.
The Third Kazekage narrowed his eyes. Why did Hatake Sakumo dare meet it head-on with his fist?
He certainly wasn't stupid enough to think his opponent didn't know the Iron Sand was poisonous.
He stared at the layer of black material covering his opponent's short blade and fist.
It seems this is the Konoha White Fang's new trump card. What exactly is that stuff?
The next second, that pitch-black fist struck an Iron Sand spear with astonishing force.
It blasted the spear apart on the spot and sent it flying.
Hatake Sakumo drew back his fist and stood there.
"Third Kazekage, do you dare take one of my punches head-on with your Iron Sand shield?"
Although the Third Kazekage had long since been shocked by the various abilities the "Konoha White Fang" had displayed, he remained calm on the surface.
"Hmph, why wouldn't I dare?"
With that, he controlled his Iron Sand, gathering all of it except for the two wings keeping him aloft into a thick, heavy shield in front of him. His voice came from behind the shield.
"Let me see just how strong you are now."
Hatake Sakumo fought back a smile, sheathed White Fang on his back, rubbed his hands together, and breathed on them.
Dense Armament Haki began to emerge over his right fist, and streaks of black "lightning" appeared around it. This was clearly a full-strength blow imbued with an immense amount of Armament.
He charged forward and slammed his fist down. "Fist Bone: Star Breaker!"
The Third Kazekage had absolute confidence in his defense. This time, the shield was formed from all his Iron Sand; it couldn't possibly be broken!
As the "Konoha White Fang" called out the name of his move, a tremendous boom followed, but the Iron Sand shield stood firm, not budging an inch.
A smile had only just appeared on the Third Kazekage's face, and he was about to say something, when he suddenly felt an invisible fist slam into his chest.
"Pfft!"
He spat out a mouthful of blood.
His breastbone caved in and grievously injured, the Third Kazekage could no longer even maintain his flight.
His two Iron Sand wings instantly went out of control, grains of sand cascading down as he plummeted straight toward the ground.
He hit the ground with a thunderous crash, landing in an even sorrier state than the previous two times.
He lay on the ground, coughing up blood, unable to understand it no matter how hard he tried.
"How is that possible?! I clearly blocked it! Why did it hit me?"
Hatake Sakumo descended from the sky using Moonwalk. "Heh, you're too full of yourself."
The Third Kazekage had neither the Lightning Release Armor protecting him like the Third Raikage or A, nor had he spent years training his body.
His physique could only be considered average; he was a typical case of high offense and low defense.
When Hatake Sakumo's punch, a ranged strike imbued with an immense amount of Armament Haki, slammed straight into his chest, he couldn't withstand even one blow.
He had nearly been killed on the spot!
Hatake Sakumo looked down at his blood-coughing face and frowned. Kill him outright? No.
The Land of Sand was so barren and poor that not even dogs would go there.
The Land of Wind was also extremely far from the Land of Fire. Even if they won, they couldn't gain any territory.
If he really cut down the Kazekage himself, he would get nothing out of it except an outlet for his anger.
His gaze passed over the Third Kazekage and settled on a young figure in the distance, golden Gold Dust swirling around him. It was Rasa.
A thought occurred to him: Rather than kill him, I might as well capture him alive.
"Listen up, Third Kazekage." Hatake Sakumo lifted a foot and kicked him in the thigh. "I won't kill you. I'll let your disciple Rasa go back to Sunagakure and bring money to ransom you."
Coughing blood, the Third Kazekage forced out a few words through clenched teeth. "...Aren't you afraid Rasa will go back and refuse to ransom me?"
Hatake Sakumo looked at his naive expression and couldn't help laughing aloud.
"Rasa is your disciple. He's young and capable, just the person to keep the dissenting voices in the village in check. As long as he still wants to become the Fourth Kazekage and make his way in the Land of Wind, he'll have no choice but to ransom you."
The Third Kazekage's face gradually turned pale.
Hatake Sakumo continued, "Otherwise, if word gets out that he didn't even save his own master, who would respect him?"
The Third Kazekage suddenly realized that the Konoha White Fang was even more frightening than he had imagined.
Hatake Sakumo grabbed the gravely injured Third Kazekage and hurried toward the battlefield where Rasa was fighting.